Stirred with Love (22 page)

Chloe swallowed. The gathering crowd stood around with purpose. They hadn’t expected a side show when they’d rushed to bag their weekly bargains.

‘You don’t scare me,’ Chloe replied as sharply as she could manage, hiding her shaking hands behind her back. Angela continued to stare at her and she felt her cheeks burning with humiliation. Forgetting all about the shoes, and chuntering underneath her breath, Chloe made her way back to work.

‘You did what!’ Kate whispered loudly after Chloe had relayed the fiasco to her. Quickly, she served the two waiting customers. ‘But you don’t know it’s them.’

Chloe fastened her apron back around her waist and joined her behind the counter. ‘They were laughing at me.’

‘Just because they were laughing didn’t mean it was at you.’

‘They said they were laughing about
Coronation Street
.’

‘So?’

‘
Corras
wasn’t funny last night,’ Chloe reminded her as she passed Lucy two espressos and a diet coke. ‘That’s why I know it’s them. And that Angela looks like she’d do anything to be the centre of attention.’

Kate’s eyes widened with every new sentence. ‘Sometimes Chloe, I don’t know how you think these things up.’

‘I know it’s them.’ Chloe folded her arms.

‘And how do you explain that? Because someone was laughing and you thought it was
at
you?’

‘You didn’t hear them threaten me!’

‘I think you did enough threatening all by yourself. It was only a bloody sign. Why the hell would they want to take it anyway? And you must remember it went missing on a Tuesday afternoon, not a Thursday. They’re hardly going to make a special journey on another day.’ Kate picked up an empty tray and shoved it into Chloe’s waist. ‘For god’s sake, Chloe, go and do some work while I think about what to do next.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘I mean,’ Kate pushed past her to get a clean dishcloth, ‘whether to go and apologise to see if I can save the day, or ignore it and hope the incident gets forgotten before it’s blown out of proportion. You’ve just accused someone of theft.’

‘You don’t believe me!’ Chloe cried.

Kate lowered her voice as she turned her head instinctively at the sound of the bell on the front door. A woman with a young child took the nearest table to the door. ‘I don’t believe you could be so naïve.’

‘It’s them, I’m telling you.’

‘Look, now isn’t the time to get into a slanging match. Go and clear some tables. I’ll sort this mess out.’

When both of the front doors flew open fifteen minutes later, Kate guessed who the man was before he spoke. She didn’t know that his name was Albert Delaney but she did assume that he was the owner of the burger van.

‘How dare you come barging over to my van, threatening my family!’ the elderly man bellowed as he stopped directly in front of her, resting his frame on the counter with his hands. His face coloured with rage as he struggled to control his temper, his nostrils flaring like a bull. If he stood there for much longer, Kate swore he’d combust.

‘I’m –’ she tried.

‘I have never been so insulted in my entire life,’ he continued. ‘I’ve owned that van for thirty-five years and in all that time I have never had a complaint, let alone been called a thief.’

‘I’m sorry, but –’

His intense stare made Kate’s face turn the colour of beetroot.

‘It wasn’t you,’ he peered around the now silent room before his eyes came to rest on hers again, ‘was it?’

Kate shook her head. Chloe lowered her eyes as he pointed at her.

‘Was it you?’ he barked.

‘Yes. I’m sorry.’

‘Sorry isn’t a particularly strong word nowadays, young lady. Kindly keep your remarks, and your watery threats to yourself, or I’ll have to contact my solicitor.’

‘There’ll be no need for that,’ said Kate. ‘Please accept our sincere apologies.’

The man stood taut for a few seconds before relaxing his shoulders and nodding at her. ‘It had better not happen again.’

‘My god, you’ve created war in half an hour!’ claimed Lucy, brave enough to come over to the counter now that the man had gone.

Kate breathed out a sigh of relief. ‘I’m just glad that Lily isn’t downstairs. She’d go mad if she heard what had happened.’

‘It wasn’t my fault!’ Chloe insisted. ‘They shouldn’t have laughed at me.’

‘But that’s the whole point,’ Kate sighed. ‘They weren’t laughing at you.’

‘Oh, what do you know? You weren’t there at the time. And you of all people should stick up for me, whether I’m in the wrong or not. We’re supposed to be friends.’

‘Chill out, Chloe,’ Lucy cried, putting down another tray. ‘Stop being a drama queen.’

‘You can butt out as well,’ Chloe said before she headed for the toilets.

‘Chloe!’ Kate shouted after her. ‘We’ve got customers to serve. You mustn’t walk away. Chloe!

‘She was in the wrong,’ Lucy reasoned later that afternoon as she sat with Kate during a break. Chloe hadn’t spoken to either of them since their disagreement. She’d stayed in the kitchen or behind the counter with her arms folded every time she got a few minutes to herself. It was now quarter to five. There were two tables occupied: one by a man reading the evening newspaper and one by a woman trying hard not to cry for reasons known only to her. Four teenage girls were draped colourfully over the settees. Once their dishes were cleared and their tables wiped over, there would only be the floor to mop.

Kate returned her cup to the saucer with a clatter. ‘She’s got to learn that she can’t always say what she wants without taking the consequences.’

‘I suppose she was used to having her own way at home.’

‘Well, she’s not getting it here. We’re running a business, not a nursery.’

Lucy sighed and reached for the sugar bowl. ‘I know, but she’s only young. I’ve said loads of things I’ve regretted in my time.’

‘And I bet you had many a good rollicking afterwards.’

‘I suppose so.’

‘I know so,’ replied Kate. ‘Sometimes we have to learn the hard way. In the meantime, we have to try and keep it from Lily.’

Later that evening, forgetting the fact that she’d started the argument, Chloe’s mind tumbled over and over the lunchtime events until she could practically repeat what had happened word for word inside her head. She lay on her bed thinking of things that she should have said in answer to Angela’s wisecracks. The night outside was invitingly warm as the curtains flapped in the slight breeze coming through her open window. But she didn’t care.

Kate should have stood by her, that’s what friends are for. If it wasn’t the girls on the van who took the sign, then who was it? Who else would rib her like that so she’d give as good as she got and make herself look a fool?

It had taken a while before she’d accepted she’d been in the wrong. She
had
jumped to conclusions and made things far worse. But she was damned if she was going to break the silence first. She picked up a magazine, flicked to a new page and decided to stay in her bedroom all night if it proved a point.

But moments later, she realised that it might be to her advantage to apologise first. If she let Kate
think
that she was sorry, she might not get the telling off she knew she deserved.

Chloe smiled to herself, pleased with her plan of action. It had to be worth a shot.

But first she would let Kate stew.

The next morning, Kate was enjoying her second caffeine fix of the day when Chloe came downstairs at twenty past eight. Kate gave her a smile. No matter what mood Chloe was in, it wouldn’t spoil hers.

‘Sorry about yesterday,’ Chloe said straight away. ‘I was way out of line. It was my fault.’

Surprised by her apology, Kate tried not to let it show. ‘It wasn’t very professional. You had no right to go accusing someone like that. Can you imagine how they must have felt?’

Chloe pulled up a stool next to her. ‘You’re right. I don’t know what came over me.’

Kate observed Chloe as she attempted to look shamefaced by glancing down at her hands.

‘Sometimes you’re a bit too inquisitive,’ she told her. ‘You need to step back a little, not be too presumptuous. It makes you come across as arrogant at times.’

‘Sorry,’ Chloe repeated. ‘It won’t happen again.’

Kate smiled. She knew what Chloe was up to but if it worked and, at the same time made her job easier, then she was willing to go with the flow.

An hour later, Kate noticed the man who had come in last week sat at table four again. No matter how many times it happened, it still gave her an immense feeling of pride when someone kept returning. So when he came to settle his bill, she slipped him a chocolate muffin into a paper bag. The smile he gave her lit up his whole face, taking emphasis away from the mean and moody darkness of his eyes.

‘Third visit gets you a treat,’ Kate offered in the way of explanation.

‘Thanks. I’ve been to the solicitors along the way again so I thought I’d try another one of your lattes.’

‘Oh, you’re a legal type?’ Kate drew a conclusion from the sharp suit he was wearing.

‘Nothing as glamorous I’m afraid. I’m a computer engineer.’

‘Oops,’ she smiled apologetically. ‘Trust me to put my foot in it.’

‘No offence taken. You’ve certainly turned this place around in a short space of time. I hope it does well for you. Do you know the old couple who lived here? What happened to them? Did they sell up?’

‘No, Mr Mortimer died earlier this year. I’m sorry, but I’m not sure how well you knew him.’

‘Not that well. I’ve only been into the old café a few times, when I was younger. What about the woman? Lily, was that her name?’

‘Yes, Lily is still the owner. I’d introduce you but she’s –’

He gave her another smile that she noticed reached his eyes. ‘Oh, not to worry, I’m sure I’ll be calling again. Thanks for the cake.’

Kate watched him leave, thrilled that he turned back and smiled at her before he closed the door. Cute ass were the first words that entered her mind. Luckily, there was no one there to see her blush.

Another week passed. Then another. A pleasant July turned into a mediocre August, the first week the weather being atrocious. It rained solidly for five days with the sun showing a brief appearance before disappearing again for the weekend. This week had been a little better and the long term weather forecast promised a glorious end to the month. No one was holding their breath.

Serle wasn’t their only regular customer as the business gradually built up. Mistakes were being made, but learned by. Not everyone liked dressings on their salads so they made it an optional choice. Chloe soon discovered that she couldn’t carry four cups and saucers when she was too idle to get a tray. Toast burned if no-one kept a watchful eye on it. And although Lucy and Chloe still bickered as if there was an imaginary scoreboard, their comments became less insulting.

Just as Lily thought things were starting to settle into a regular routine, she received the phone call that would send her world into chaos once more.

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

Ten past six the following morning, Chloe found herself wide awake and destined to stay that way. She reached up to pull back a curtain, pushed off her duvet and relished the suns rays on her naked body. Even this early in the day, she was hot. Luckily, business was still steady in the coffee shop. Kate had come up with the idea of an ice-cream special. Coffee and vanilla scoops drizzled in chocolate sauce. A wafer biscuit added the finishing touch. They’d even put out extra tables and chairs on the forecourt.

It was August sixteenth. The day of reckoning had finally arrived. After two years of hard work, Chloe’s exam results were due. She so wanted to pass her A levels with better than average grades, but underneath the worry of failing was the mixed feelings floating around inside her head. Getting those good grades would mean that she’d have to leave Somerley in a matter of weeks and she wasn’t sure if she wanted to. Spending time working here was always meant to be a temporary measure but lately she’d started to think about how she’d feel when it was time to move on. She was having fun, and although the coffee shop didn’t give her the huge salary her dad said she could possibly have with a sound degree, she’d started to wonder if she was ready to leave now that the time was drawing near. Though she still texted Manda most days, like they’d predicted, new friends had come along – even if one of them was Lucy. Her local haunts had been replaced by others, so she hadn’t missed them. And if she wanted to see her dad, or her brother, she could always jump on the train or get in her car.

She imagined what her dad would say if she mentioned it to him. ‘You can’t live your life in a two-bit coffee bar, Chloe. What will you do when you tire of it and want to leave? There are no prospects, nothing to work towards. You’ll be bored in a few months.’

Would she get bored? Chloe questioned herself as she twirled strands of her hair around her index finger. She had only been working for just over two months. Any work she’d taken could have turned out this much fun, although she very much doubted it. If she’d chosen to work at her dad’s shop or the factory, where would she be now? He said he didn’t mind if she and Ben did their own thing, but really Chloe knew he wanted one of them to take over. Working for him would have been easy too. She’d have a better car, for starters. Longer lunch breaks and a slightly higher than decent salary.

But it wasn’t what she wanted. And the more she thought about it, the more she wanted to stay here with Kate and Lily. Chloe felt that she’d be letting them down but she didn’t want to let her dad down either. It seemed a no-win situation.

Still, everything could change today. If she hadn’t got good grades for her A-levels, she’d have to stay here anyway. Apprehensively she got up, took a shower and dressed in her uniform. At least she didn’t have long to wait.

‘Morning,’ Kate welcomed Chloe with a gentle hug of reassurance. ‘The big day comes at last. How are you feeling?’

Chloe blew the air out of her cheeks. ‘I’m petrified.’