‘Of course, and I wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of her. ‘Harvey’s brother, Daniel, was once – he never did it again though.’
He thought hard, most of the locals’ names gradually seeping in. ‘And Daniel owns a waffle shack, right?’
‘That’s right. Just across the village green.’
‘I’ve seen it. Not tried it yet, but Harvey told me there’s some work there for me once we’re done with the bakery.’
‘So, you’re hanging around?’
‘Might be.’ He enjoyed the flirt and she clearly didn’t mind it either. Yes, coming to the pub tonight had been exactly the right idea. And, his guard down, he was enjoying Jade’s company.
‘I’ve been in Etna’s bad books too, you know.’ She didn’t hold his gaze long, as though the situation made her a little uncomfortable and she wanted to change the subject.
‘Really? Can’t imagine that.’
‘I was. And all over a posh coffee machine.’
He laughed, glad the pub was crowded and the others were taking their time with the drinks. ‘So, you’re one of the girls who went travelling and came back with some fancy notions of Italian coffees.’
She looked shocked. ‘She told you?’
‘She ranted about it, more like.’ He loved the way she grimaced, slightly embarrassed that the tale had made its way down the family tree. ‘You’d thought about putting in your own machine and she was livid. But she also told me you and your sister did the right thing by her in the end. I always remembered that.’ And he had. He’d heard Etna’s worry when she feared she’d lose too many customers, then her absolute relief after she and the bakery’s owners came to an agreement and it was she who would put in the new coffee machine. He could remember thinking at the time how lucky she was to be living in a village where modernisation hadn’t taken over the high street, where people still cared and looked out for one another.
‘Of course we did,’ said Jade. ‘This isn’t the sort of place where strange businesses land and do whatever they like. My sister and I took over the bakery and it was always important to us that we fitted in. We wanted to make a home here in Heritage Cove as well as a living.’
‘Etna has always said she’d never go anywhere else, and now I’m beginning to see why.’ He loved the way she flushed under the hint of praise.
‘I’m glad she’s the business next door – and not only because it’s so close for me to get a coffee. It would be awful if none of us got on, especially with the renovations happening for the next few weeks. I wondered whether she’d get irritated by the noise, particularly with it being summer, the busiest season.’
‘Why did you do it in summer rather than at a quieter time?’ Where they were sitting, they had a nice breeze coming in from the side window. Lucky, as most faces around them were being wafted by makeshift fans – the odd menu, and in one case a credit card – given how much it was heating up inside.
She shrugged. ‘The timing was right, that’s all. I didn’t want to wait for another season to go by.’
He got the impression there was a reason to speed it along, but he could also tell she wasn’t going to say much more. ‘Well, no need to worry about Etna being bothered by the bakery renovations. She’s already talking about the grand opening and she can’t wait for the name to be unveiled.’
‘I suppose we’d better think of one then.’
‘You’re running out of time,’ he laughed before their drinks arrived, chatter amongst the group resumed and round two of the quiz got under way.
Linc didn’t get to talk to Jade on her own again until the papers for the quiz were handed in, the marks totted up, and he’d got another round in for the table. ‘Etna told me you got the idea for the coffee machine from your travels,’ he probed.
‘We’re back to the coffee-machine talk?’ Her smile suggested she didn’t really mind.
‘It was more the travel I was interested in. I never did much of it myself. Sometimes I wish I had, but, you know…’
‘Life got in the way?’
‘Something like that. Anyway, tell me more about it – I can live vicariously through you.’
‘Another time maybe,’ she smiled, as Nola, the landlady, got everyone’s attention and her husband, landlord Terry, announced the marks and the winners of the quiz. Harvey’s team had come in first place by one mark.
‘Couldn’t have done it without you, Linc.’ Harvey shook his hand. ‘I’m not great on music questions and you pulled us up there. They’re really making the quiz broader; I think our winning days are almost over.’ He pulled Melissa in for a kiss. ‘Maybe it’s time we moved on from our teenage years.’
‘Probably not a bad idea,’ Melissa told them all. ‘I’m getting too old for bottomless-pint-glass prizes – which is what it was last time. Thankfully, tonight it’s a voucher for a meal and Benjamin’s cooking is well worth it.’
‘It’s not about the prize, not really,’ said Harvey. ‘I just love coming here and being a part of it all. And it’s time spent with friends when we’re all so busy.’
Melissa kissed him on the cheek. ‘You’re lovely, you know that.’
