AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You think she was planning something?” Charlie turned back to his desserts. At least he appeared to have been forgiven. Probably the best he could hope for. “I mean, beyond watching us all be miserable?”
Mia laughed. “Actually, I rather think she thought it might be fun. But it’s like she’s... I don’t know. Trying to force us all to be best friends.”
“Like that’s going to happen,” Charlie said with a snort. “But maybe you’re right. She wants to move home, be part of the community.”
“Part of your life,” Mia said, her tone sad.
“I’m sorry I yelled at you,” Charlie said, standing as close as he dared to where she sat.
“I’m sorry I was interfering,” Mia replied. “You’re right. It’s none of my business who you sleep with.
Charlie winced. “Mia... I was drunk.”
“And that’s why you slept with her?” Mia said with a laugh. “Let me guess, it was like A to Z Jones–Death or Glory, right?”
Charlie couldn’t help but laugh. “Something like that.”
“Mmm.” Mia went back to swinging her legs. “Perhaps she just wanted me here so she could bait me about the festival. Trick me into revealing my secrets.”
Charlie sprinkled berries around a cocktail glass, and wished he was frying something. “Are you worried about it?”
“Shouldn’t I be?” Mia slipped off the counter and paced over to the sink, clutching her skirt in both hands.
“No,” Charlie said. “You’re doing a great job.” He put the mini sieve he was using to sprinkle icing sugar down on the counter with more than necessary force, and was instantly caught in a shower of sugar.
Mia laughed, high and bright. Charlie turned toward her and knew, in that moment, it didn’t matter if Becky stayed or not. He was in love with Mia Page.
And one day, she was going to be ready for that.
Mia was looking at the door, though, and Charlie turned in time to hear Becky say, “Tony and I were just wondering if there was a problem with the dessert?”
Charlie blinked. “No problem,” he said, scooping up the first two dishes and motioning for Mia to do the same with the last two. “We’re just coming out.”
“Is this lemon mousse?” Mia asked, peering at her dishes. “That’s my favorite.”
“I know,” Charlie said, and Becky glared at him as she held the door open for them.
“Okay.” Charlie laid out the puddings. “This is lemon mousse, with berries and cream and, you know, fiddly icing sugar bits.” He took the one he’d dumped a whole lot of sugar on for himself. After all, they may not be paying, but they were still customers.
As he reached for a spoonful of the mousse, the restaurant door flew open despite the closed sign, and a tall, paunchy man in an ill-fitting suit strode in, causing Mia to drop her spoon and sink into her seat.
Charlie stood, about to tell the stranger they were closed tonight, but the man stepped forward to shake his hand.
“I’m George Page,” he said. “I’m looking for my daughter?”
Chapter 12
Mia was out the door before Charlie managed to stop her.
“I don’t want to talk to him, Charlie.” She was shaking even in the mild night air. Not much. More of a vibration than an outright shudder. But enough for him to know she wasn’t up to a meeting with her long-lost father.
“Okay.” He glanced inside the restaurant through the window. George Pace had taken Mia’s seat at the table and appeared to be helping himself to her pudding. “You go home. I’ll deal with him.”
Mia looked up at him, her eyes wide and, he thought, scared. “Thank you.” She wrapped her arms around his waist, squeezed tight, then let go and disappeared into the dark night.
Charlie watched her go for a long moment, then headed back into StarFish.
At the table, Becky and Tony were enthralled by whatever tale George was telling. Charlie held in a sigh. He was too tired for this.
“Right,” he said, licking his fingers and pinching the candlewicks, dousing the flame. “It’s been a lovely evening, but...”
“Time for us to go,” Tony finished smoothly, almost like it had been his idea. Becky looked less inclined to leave, but Tony took her arm and said, “Now, where did you put your coat?”
Charlie slumped into his seat and waited for the restaurant door to shut behind them. Even then, Becky looked back with interest. Charlie stayed silent until she was out of sight.
“She didn’t want to see me, then.” George reached for Mia’s wineglass.
“Is this a surprise?”
George shrugged, a good-humored smile on his face, like Mia was joking or indulging in a teenage sulk. “Not really. Didn’t she get my letters?”
“She didn’t open them.” Charlie poured himself some more wine. On the plus side, he didn’t have to worry about ending up in bed with Becky again tonight. “How did you know she was here?”
“Asked in the Fox,” George said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world for him to be in the Aberarian local. Charlie supposed it had been, once. But now it just meant everyone in town was going to know their erstwhile teacher had returned. Just what Mia needed.
“Of course. Have you checked in somewhere for the night?”
“I’ve only just arrived.” George looked ever so slightly shamefaced. Charlie was pleased to know he could manage the emotion. “I’d rather hoped I’d be staying with Mia at the house. But when I went past, it was boarded up.”
“Mia moved out years ago.” Charlie didn’t mention where Mia had moved to. “After her mum moved away. It’s been through three owners since then.”
“I’ve been gone a long time.” George looked up and caught Charlie’s eye in a firm, honest gaze. “I’ll be straight with you, son. I came back for Mia. But... Well. I came back now because of some other circumstances.”
“Which are?”
George shrugged and gave a sad half smile. “The usual. Girlfriend left me, took the little money we had. Got drunk and lost my job.”
“And came here to ruin Mia’s life, too.”
“No! That’s the last thing I want.”
He sounded so sincere, Charlie found himself saying, “So you don’t have anywhere to stay, then.” He sighed at the hopeful look on George’s face. “Fine, you can have the sofa tonight. But you leave tomorrow.”
George caught his arm as Charlie made to stand up. “I’m only here for Mia,” he said again, and there was an honesty on his face Charlie hadn’t expected. “It’s time for me to make things up to my little girl. I don’t want her to know about my troubles. I don’t want her charity. And I won’t be leaving tomorrow.”
Charlie watched the older man’s eyes for a long moment, then nodded. “Then we’ll come up with a better idea tomorrow.” He wondered, idly, if George was any good at DIY. The cottage could use someone to keep an eye on it. But it was too late for that sort of thinking. “For now, I’m for bed.”
George followed him up the stairs to his flat, and Charlie wondered how many other people he’d have staying there before he finally got to the only one he wanted.
* * * *
Mia arrived early for the next committee meeting, just in case, but when she got to StarFish neither George nor Charlie were anywhere to be seen. The restaurant was, however, packed to the rafters with breakfast patrons, which Mia thought was suspicious.
“Charlie took him out first thing,” Magda murmured, passing her with a tray of croissants. “Didn’t think you’d want him here for the meeting.”
“I’d rather not have him in town,” Mia muttered back, and made her way to the committee table only to discover that, early though she was, everyone else was already there.
There were more of them now, which had seemed like a good thing until they were all sitting there staring at her, waiting to hear her say what they already knew. Mia wondered briefly how news had gotten around so fast, but decided it didn’t matter. Gossip always got aro
und in Aberarian. It was how she’d pulled together the committee, for a start.
Leanora Evans, sitting at the other end of the table, was looking particularly smug.
“Thank you all for coming,” Mia started, shuffling her notes into a neater stack. “Now, first things first.” The group leaned forward as one. “I think we need to discuss the closing ceremony for the festival.”
“I think we need to discuss the fact that Jonny saw your father in the Crooked Fox last night,” April Havers said, never a believer in wasting time.
Mia bit her tongue hard enough to hurt but not bleed, then said, “My father is not on this committee, so his presence or otherwise is not relevant to this meeting.” She’d spent half the night refining that statement.
Not that it did much good. “It’s relevant to this town,” April said, and others around the table started nodding. Mia really wished Ditsy was there.
“If he did steal from the museum safe...” Reverend Davies let his sentence trail off, but it was picked up quickly enough by Heather Jenkins.
“That man owes this town a lot of money.” Heather gazed around the table, catching committee members’ eyes, one by one. “Enough to save the cinema, perhaps.”
