Stirred with Love (14 page)

After lunch, Chloe and Kate had barely started talking when Alex came barging into the coffee shop. Patiently, Kate waited for him to find what he was searching for, knowing full well that he wouldn’t just go when he found it.

‘You two are always on a break,’ he said, picking up a piece of paper from the table. ‘What’s this for? Every time I see you, you’re studying lists.’

Kate snatched it back from him. ‘It’s the agenda for the meeting. The meeting we are in the middle of,
if
you don’t mind.’

Alex held up his hands. ‘Pretend I’m not here. Or maybe I can take notes?’

‘Stop taking the piss and go away.’ Chloe made to slap him but he dodged her hand.

‘Where’s the boss lady today?’

‘She’s gone to a bakery that I visited last week,’ said Kate. ‘Now, find what you’re looking for and out!’

‘Do you think we’ll be busy on the opening day?’ Chloe wanted to know as he searched around behind them noisily. She scanned the agenda again to see what was left to discuss.

‘It’s hard to say,’ said Kate. ‘We’ll do another cake day next Thursday. Lily has also suggested putting an ad in the local paper. Surely that will catch anyone we’ve missed.’

‘You ought to have me and Tom working here,’ Alex joked lackadaisically. ‘Two good-looking guys like us are sure to bring the female clientele flocking.’

Observing him in his paint splattered overalls – although not a single dark hair out of place – humming along to this weeks number one on the radio, made Kate realise how well he’d scrub up. She rubbed her chin thoughtfully.

‘That’s not a bad idea,’ she said.

Chloe shrugged one shoulder. ‘Maybe a couple of guys
would
bring in the girls?’ she questioned, already knowing the answer. ‘You’ll have to ask Tom.’

Alex perched on the edge of the table. ‘No way, I was only messing.’

‘Well, I think it’s a great idea.’ Kate nodded encouragingly. ‘Although, I don’t suppose you two will be up to it.’

‘Yes,’ said Chloe. ‘It’ll be a long day. You’ll need plenty of stamina. Maybe we’d better keep it all female.’

Alex jumped guiltily to his feet as his uncle came into the room.

‘Thought I’d find you resting in here,’ said Terry. ‘I need that hammer to finish off. Can’t you leave them alone for one minute?’

‘They’ve asked us to help out on the opening day,’ Alex said, in order to avoid his question. ‘A bit of eye candy, you know?’

‘Is that right?’ Terry rubbed his hands together excitingly. ‘What would you want us to do?’

‘They want
you
to do nothing. It’s me and Tom they need. You can spare us for the day, can’t you?’

Kate winked at Terry. ‘We’re opening next Saturday.’

‘Oh, that’s a different matter,’ Alex replied curtly. ‘I’m usually hungover on Saturdays.’

‘See?’ Kate shook her head. ‘What did I tell you? No stamina.’

‘Well, I suppose if you put it that way.’ He flicked his eyes accusingly from one to the other. ‘Count us in, then.’

 ‘Looks like we’ve covered everything then,’ said Chloe as Alex finally left them to it.

‘Not quite,’ said Kate. ‘I’ve been thinking about the name, Mi Tierra.’

‘I know.’ Chloe nodded as she chewed on her fingernail. ‘It sounded a bit posh for me, but I like it now.’

‘I agree it’s a nice name, but I don’t think that it symbolises a coffee shop.’ Kate paused. ‘What would you think it was if you drove past in your car?’

Chloe gave it some thought for a moment. ‘Now you come to mention it, I’d probably think it was a restaurant. But people will be able to see through the windows, I suppose.’

‘Which suggests?’

Chloe nodded, catching her meaning. ‘It’s a restaurant. Maybe we should talk to Lily about it? Before any signs or logos are finished?’

Kate sighed. ‘I’m not sure we should. It is her business, her idea.’

They were still discussing the problem when Lily arrived ten minutes later with Irene. She had a huge bag in her arms and she struggled to get it through the front door. Kate rushed to her aid.

‘Ooh, thanks, love,’ said Lily appreciatively. ‘It’s not heavy but it’s awkward to carry.’

‘What is it?’ asked Chloe. Already, she was opening the ties.

‘It’s a bean bag for Rosie. I thought she could have her own bed in the living room now, rather than you keep carrying the same one back and forth.’

‘Oh, Lily, thank you. That’s so thoughtful.’ Kate smiled as she pulled it out. As if released from a jack-in-the-box, the bean bag sprang across the floor. All at once, she realised this was not the time to discuss the name of the shop. How could she explain to Lily now that she didn’t like her choice?

But Chloe took the matter into her own hands. ‘Irene, what do you think of the name Mi Tierra?’

‘Not much.’ Irene pulled out a chair and sat down. ‘You’ll have everyone asking you what it means all the time.’

‘That’s exactly what we thought.’ Kate looked across at Lily shyly. ‘I think Mi Tierra sounds like a restaurant name, a foreign restaurant actually. It doesn’t suggest a coffee shop. I know I wouldn’t give it a second look during the day if I was passing. I would think it wasn’t open until evenings.’

Lily sat down next to her. ‘I thought it was rather a nice name, actually.’

Kate was horrified to see the look that crossed her face. ‘It is!’ she said quickly. ‘I just thought it –’

‘She’s right, Lil,’ said Irene, emphasising it with a nod of her head. ‘It isn’t catchy enough. You want something simple, something easy to recognise. I don’t know, something like….something like…Coffee Time…The Coffee Stop…Coffee and Friends…’

‘Ooh!’ said Chloe. ‘The Coffee Stop. I like that.”

‘Yes’, agreed Kate. ‘It’s simple and effective.’

‘I was only joking,’ said Irene, quite taken aback at their outburst.

Lily wasn’t sure. ‘I chose Mi Tierra because I thought it would stand out. Doesn’t The Coffee Stop sound a little amateur?’

‘But it captures everything this shop has to offer,’ Kate enthused. ‘It’s going to be a friendly place to stop off –’

‘–where you can gossip with your mates –’ interrupted Chloe.

‘–and enjoy a different type of coffee.’

 Lily frowned. It was a good name, if she thought about it, but she wasn’t going to give in too easily. ‘Let me think about it,’ she told them.

The last weekend before the newly named coffee shop opened found Kate and Chloe going their separate ways.

On Sunday, Kate went back to Brentside to see Nick. She’d arranged to meet him at two-thirty, in a city centre wine bar. She didn’t feel ready to meet at the house. 

Aware that her heart seemed to have flown into her throat at the sight of him, she swallowed.

‘I’ve got you this because you’re driving,’ Nick said as she sat down opposite him at a table. He slid over a glass of lemonade, quickly followed by two thin documents. ‘You look different,’ he added as an afterthought.

Kate ran a hand through her hair. ‘In what way?’

Nick shrugged his shoulders. ‘I don’t know. Lighter, I guess.’

‘Well, I have been doing a lot of physical work lately. We’ve –’

‘I meant your face,’ he jumped in.

Suddenly Kate understood. She smiled at him and her heart settled back into its normal position. ‘I feel okay at the moment,’ she said truthfully, because as she sat there, so close to him, she realised that she did. ‘Where do I need to sign?’

Nick pointed to four crosses. ‘The policy is worth seven thousand, cash-in price. I’ll send you your half when I get the cheque. I’m still waiting on the others.’

‘How did it go with the couple who looked at the house last week?’

Nick took a gulp of his drink, glancing over towards a group of teenagers sitting at a table to their side. ‘Sheer time wasters,’ he told her. ‘They offered fifteen grand below the asking price.’

‘Fifteen grand! I hope you told them to shove it.’

‘Of course I did. I’m in no rush to move out, if you’re okay waiting.’

Kate nodded and followed Nick’s gaze to the teenagers. They were laughing and joking loudly, like they hadn’t got a care in the world. Suddenly she realised she had all the time in the world. It didn’t matter how long she had to wait, she wasn’t going to be here to deal with any of it.

Kate turned back to Nick and nodded again. ‘Yes, it’s okay.’

On Saturday evening, Chloe went out with her friend, Manda. On Sunday morning, she woke up in her own bed with a sense of déjà vu. She went downstairs at twenty past eleven, only to find her dad in the kitchen with Maddy.

‘Where’s Ben?’ she asked, helping herself to a banana.

‘He’s gone to play golf,’ Maddy informed her. ‘He said he won’t be back in time to see you before you leave, so to wish you luck for the opening.’

‘Chloe, come and see this.’ Graham beckoned her over and showed her a framed photograph. There were around eighty small boys in a group, some standing, some sitting on rows of chairs.

‘Can you see which one is me?’ he asked, putting an arm around her shoulders. Chloe studied the photograph for a moment and then shook her head. Graham pointed to a gangly looking boy on the back row. ‘That’s me, there,’ he said with a laugh. ‘I showed the photo to Maddy last week and she’s had it framed for me.’

‘You are so nice to
my
father,’ Chloe replied.

 ‘I bet you can’t wait to get back to the coffee shop,’ Maddy ignored the jibe. ‘It sounds like a really cool place to hang out. I bet it will be –’

‘You’re not getting rid of me that easily,’ Chloe said nastily.

‘No, I didn’t mean –’

‘Of course you didn’t.’ Graham patted Maddy reassuringly on her arm. ‘Chloe knows exactly what you mean.’

Chloe sloped off to the conservatory. Graham joined her minutes later and handed her a cup of coffee.

‘You really should try being nicer to her,’ he said. ‘She tries hard to get involved, but you just shut her out.’

‘I’m sorry,’ Chloe relented a little. Now that Maddy had left the room, she felt easier knowing she had her father’s undivided attention.

‘So, come on then,’ he said. ‘Tell me all about what you’ve been up to. I know you’re dying to.’

Lily had a quiet day without the two of them. After a hectic week, a trip to the church graveyard was her first port of call on Sunday morning, followed by the church service. On the way home, she called in to see Irene, surprising herself by craving company. But Irene was none too pleased when she’d caught her checking her watch again.

‘For goodness’ sakes, Lil,’ she said. ‘Why don’t you go and see if one of them is back?’

Lily didn’t need asking twice but there was no one there to greet her when she walked up the stairs into the living room. Apart from Rosie, that is.

‘Hello, little madam,’ she said, bending down carefully to fuss her. ‘I’m so glad I offered to look after you or else I’d be all alone.’

‘Are you talking to yourself again, Lily Mortimer?’ Chloe shouted up the stairs.

Lily turned round and found her on the top step. Chloe bent forward and flung her arms around her. ‘I couldn’t wait to get back.’

For an instant, Lily was stunned at her show of affection. Then she smiled and hugged her back. She looked up. ‘I’ve missed you too. I was just telling Rosie how quiet it had been.’

Chloe moved into her room and came out seconds later without her holdall. ‘Is Kate home?’

‘Not yet,’ said Lily, secretly bursting with pleasure. Chloe had called it home already. ‘I’ll put the kettle on, shall I?’

They were on their second cup of tea when Kate finally arrived back. Rosie shot down the stairs as she shouted up to them.

‘Hey,’ said Chloe, hanging her head over the banister.

‘Hey, how did it go with Maddy?’

Chloe screwed up her nose. ‘It was okay, I suppose. She had an old photograph framed for my dad. He was over the moon. I think she did it on purpose, because she knew I was coming home.’

‘Oh, come on, Chloe. I’m sure –’

‘Oh, never mind that. How did it go with Nick?’

‘Fine,’ Kate said with a smile. ‘It wasn’t anywhere near as bad as I thought it would be. We were quite civil actually.’

‘What, no heart beating rapidly? No pulse pulsating wildly?’

‘Not really,’ she replied.

‘Well, that’s good to hear,’ said Lily. ‘Would you like a cup of tea?’

‘Ooh, Lily.’ Kate touched her arm. ‘I could murder one. Only how you make it, mind.’

Lily walked back into the kitchen and flicked on the kettle again. ‘I don’t know about you, Kate,’ she heard Chloe saying, ‘but I couldn’t wait to get back. I’m so excited about the opening day. My dad told me off for talking about it all the time. ‘It’s The Coffee Stop this, Kate that, Lily this, The Coffee Stop that’, he said…’

Lily smiled again. It seemed they had missed her just as much as she had missed them. She bit her lip to stop herself from giggling excitedly.

Maybe her plan was going to work.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

After lugging all the new tables and chairs backwards and forwards downstairs, to maximise the available space, Kate’s back was aching. It was ten thirty and all she wanted to do was relax. She was lying in bed reading a book when her phone rang. Nick’s name came up on caller display.

‘Kate?’ she heard above some kind of rocky background music. ‘Kate, is that you?’

‘Yes, Nick. It’s me. What do you want? Do you know what time it is?’

‘Oh, Katie, Katie, Katie,’ he slurred. ‘I miss you so much. When are you coming home?’

‘What…what do you mean?’

‘After seeing you this afternoon, I realised how much I need you. I’m not good without you, babe. I want you to come home.’

Oh, no, she didn’t need this now.

 ‘But…I can’t.’

‘Yes, you can. You can move back in with me. I’ll support you until you get another job. I love you, Katie.’

Kate held her breath for a moment, sensing the power of three small words as tears sprang to her eyes.

‘Come home, I need you. Please,’ he yelled, due to silence at her end of the line.

‘I have to go, Nick.’

‘But I love you, Kate! You have to come back –’

Kate disconnected the call, switched off her phone and burst into tears. Then she proceeded to analyse his every word for the next two hours.