Meet Me at the Cupcake Café (56 page)

‘Hello, darling,’ said Issy, crouching down. ‘How’s school?’

‘She’s doing wonderfully!’ came Caroline’s booming voice. ‘They’re thinking about putting her in the gifted and talented programme. And she’s doing marvellously on the flute!’

‘Really,’ said Issy. ‘I was terrible at music. Clever you!’

The little girl beckoned Issy down to her level and whispered in her ear, ‘I’m terrible too.’

‘That’s OK,’ said Issy. ‘There’s lots of other things to do. Don’t worry about it. Would you like to make a cake too? I bet you’ll be good at that.’

Hermia smiled gladly and, standing next to Elise, rolled up her sleeves cheerfully.

Issy moved on to make sure everyone had something to drink. Deep inside, listening to the clink of cups and the chatter of conversation and the squeaks and snuffles of the children, she suddenly felt a sensation of great peace; of accomplishment; of something created with her bare hands out of nothing. I made this, she thought to herself. Suddenly she felt almost teary with happiness; she wanted to hug Pearl, Helena, everyone who’d helped her make this a reality, given her the privilege of earning money by getting herself covered in flour for a three-year-old’s birthday party.

‘Very good mixing, everyone,’ she said, biting her lip. ‘Very good.’

Darny burst into the shop, pink in the face, partly from running and partly from crossing the road without waiting for Austin, who was going to go absolutely nuts. Darny was counting on him not wanting to go nuts in front of all the people in here. He might save it for later, but being Austin, he might also forget all about it. It was a risk worth taking.

‘Hello, Louis,’ he announced cheerfully.

‘
Dahnee!
’ said Louis adoringly, and not pausing to wipe the cake mixture off himself, he threw himself on Darny, covering Darny’s already dirty shirt with flour.

‘Happy birthday,’ said Darny. ‘I brought you my best bow and arrow.’

He solemnly handed it over.

‘
Yay!
’ said Louis. Pearl and Issy exchanged glances.

‘I’ll just put that somewhere safe,’ said Pearl, deftly lifting it from Louis’s fingers and sticking it on the fruit-tea shelf well out of reach.

‘Hello, Darny,’ said Issy, welcomingly. ‘Do you want to bake?’

‘Yeah, all right,’ said Darny.

‘OK then,’ said Issy. ‘Where’s your brother?’

Darny stared at the ground.

‘Um, he’s coming …’

Just as Issy was about to question him further, the doorbell tinged. Austin entered, his face pink.

‘
What did I say to you?
’

Theatrically, Darny turned round and indicated the room full of people. At the sound of Austin’s raised voice, Oliver curled himself back up into a ball and started to cry again.

‘OK, outside,’ said Austin, looking stressed.

‘Oh, can’t he stay?’ said Issy, without thinking. ‘We’re just doing some baking …’

Austin looked at her. It was almost impossible to believe. Here she was, in a flowery pinny, her cheeks pink, her eyes sparkling, with a bunch of rug rats, baking cupcakes. She didn’t look anything like an evil property developer. He tore his gaze away.

‘I told him he couldn’t come,’ Austin muttered, feeling disgruntled, with everyone’s eyes upon him.

‘
I vite mah fren Dahnee to mah pahtee
,’ came a small voice from down by his knees. Austin glanced down. Oh great, this was all he needed. No one could refuse Louis anything.

‘
Is mah birfday. I free, not five!
’ said Louis. ‘
Not five, no
,’ he said again wonderingly, as if he couldn’t quite believe it himself. Then he added, ‘
Dahnee give me bown arrs
.’

Austin blinked while he translated this. Then he glanced at Darny in some surprise.

‘Did you give him that bow and arrow?’ he asked in surprise.

Darny shrugged his shoulders. ‘He’s my friend, innit.’

‘Don’t say innit,’ said Austin automatically. ‘Well, well done. Good. That was good.’

‘Does that mean he can stay?’ said Caroline from behind the counter. ‘Oh good.
Hello
, Austin darling, can I get you anything?’

Darny skipped off to the end of the long tables where Pearl was helping everyone spoon their cake mix into the cupcake baking cases.

‘Now you guys are going out to play Ring a Ring o’ Roses round the tree,’ she was explaining, ‘and when you’ve finished the games and come in again, the cakes will be ready.’

‘Yay!’ yelled the little ones.

‘No thanks,’ said Austin, then reconsidered. ‘Yes, get me a latte. Last chance of a decent cup of coffee for a while.’

Issy was surprised by how jolted she was when he said this.

‘Why?’ she said. ‘Going somewhere?’

Austin stared at her. ‘No,’ he said. ‘You are.’

‘What do you mean?’ said Issy, conscious that down the other end of the table one of the children had dropped their cake mix and Oliver was licking it up like a dog. She felt for Oliver’s mother.

She refocused. ‘You mean, you’re not going anywhere?’

That was such a relief. Why did she feel it was such a relief? And why was Austin staring at her like that? It was a strange look, full of curiosity, but also something a little like contempt. She stared back at him. It was odd, she thought, how little she’d noticed him when they first met – beyond seeing how scruffy he was, but she’d rather got used to that. Whereas now, when he looked a little fierce, she noticed what she’d missed: he was gorgeous. Not man-in-a-razor-blade-advert gorgeous, like Graeme, all sharp lines, Action Man jaw and perfectly gelled hair. Gorgeous in an open, honest, kind, smiling way, with a wide forehead, those shrewd grey eyes always narrowed as if thinking of a private joke; the wide, dimpled grin; the tousled, schoolboy hair. Funny how one didn’t notice these things always, not at first. Well, there you go. No wonder she wanted –
had
wanted, she told herself firmly – to kiss him at her party.

‘Unbelievable,’ said Austin, turning round. ‘Forget the coffee, er …’

‘Caroline!’ trilled Caroline.

‘Yeah, whatever. Darny, I’ll be back to pick you up in an hour. Meet me outside.’

Darny waved vaguely, as excited as the three-year-olds by the enormous oven Pearl was leading them down to see, with many dire warnings as to what would happen if they so much as wiggled a finger near it.

‘That man,’ breathed Caroline by Issy’s left ear as Austin moved towards the door, ‘is unbelievably hot. Smoking hot.’

‘
Smoking
hot?’ said Issy, cross. ‘Have you been watching those shows about cougars again? Cougars aren’t real, you know.’

‘I’m not a cougar!’ said Caroline, sounding hurt. ‘I’m a modern woman who knows what she wants. And when it comes down to it, he’s still a banker. You know, for introducing at dinner parties.’

‘Well, you seem to have it all worked out,’ said Issy absent-mindedly, trying to figure out why Austin was so upset. Could it be because he’d seen her with Graeme? Her ego couldn’t help being a little excited by the idea; that he actually did like her, that it wasn’t just a drunken flirt at a birthday party. But if that was the case, what should she do? She couldn’t avoid him for ever.

As she was thinking this, the door was pushed open, almost into Austin’s face. He had to jump back. Graeme didn’t give him as much as a second glance as he stormed into the café.

Graeme looked around in consternation. Who were all these people? Normally there was nobody here on a Saturday afternoon. He looked at Issy, who looked horrified to see him. Austin found himself trapped between the door and a crocodile of tiny children in aprons, who were now being shepherded out into the sunshine by Pearl and the postie, en route to playing Ring a Ring o’ Roses around the tree. Seeing Issy with children, reminded Graeme of his mission. Then he caught sight of Austin.

‘You,’ he said.

Austin shoved the door closed. ‘Our meeting’s not till Monday,’ he said quietly.

‘What meeting?’ said Issy. ‘What are you talking about?’

Austin turned to Issy. The entire room was watching what was happening intently.

‘You know,’ he said. ‘The meeting on Monday. When you come to borrow money for the development.’

‘What development? What the hell are you talking about?’

Austin stared at her for a long time. Issy felt panicky and confused.

‘What’s going on?’

‘You mean you don’t know?’

‘I
don’t
know. Do I have to start throwing cakes at people to get some answers round here?’

Austin looked back at Graeme. This man was even more of an arsehole than he’d taken him for. Unbelievable. He shook his head.

‘You haven’t told her?’

‘Told me
what
?’

There was silence in the café.

‘Um,’ said Graeme, ‘can we go somewhere quiet and discuss it?’

‘Discuss what?’ said Issy. She found she was shaking. Graeme looked so strange – both men did. ‘Tell me here. Tell me now. What is it?’

Graeme rubbed the back of his hair, nervously. It stuck up. It normally did, unless he used quite a lot of taming gel. He didn’t know Issy liked it better that way.

‘Uh, Issy. Actually, it’s great news. For us. We’ve been granted planning permission to turn Pear Tree Court into apartments!’

‘What do you mean, “us”?’ said Issy, her blood running cold. ‘There’s no “us’’.’

‘Well, you, me, Kalinga Deniki, you know,’ said Graeme, hurrying his words. ‘This whole space is going to be an amazing flagship development for Stoke Newington.’

‘We don’t want a flagship development,’ said someone at the back. ‘We want a café.’

Issy stepped closer to Graeme. ‘You mean you were thinking of doing something that involves … closing the café? Without
telling
me?’

‘But listen, sweetie,’ said Graeme, leaning in close and giving her the special crinkle-eyed intense look that always made the temps work extra hours for him. He spoke quietly so the rest of the café couldn’t hear, though Austin caught the gist of it. ‘Listen. I thought you and I could do the deal together. We were so good together, we could be again. We can make a lot of money. Buy a bigger house of our own. And you won’t have to get up at six in the morning any more, or spend all night doing paperwork, or haggling with suppliers, or getting yelled at by that accountancy woman. Huh?’

Issy looked up at him. ‘But …’ she said. ‘But …’

‘You’ve done such a great job here, it’s going to give us real financial independence. Really set us up. Then you can work on something much easier, huh?’

Issy gazed at him, half disbelieving, half furious. Not with Graeme – he was a shark; this was what he did. With herself. For staying with him as long as she had; for letting this snake into her life; for stupidly believing that he could change; that the man she had met – sharp, selfish, attractive, not interested in commitment – would suddenly turn into the man she wanted him to be, just by her blindly wishing for it to be so. After all, how would that happen? It didn’t make any sense. She was such a total idiot. Such a cretin.

‘But you can’t!’ she said suddenly. ‘I have a lease! I rent this place.’

Graeme looked regretful. ‘Mr Barstow … he’s more than happy to sell out to us. We’ve already spoken. You’re nearly at the end of your six months.’