Chapter Thirty-Five
Ashleigh – Inclusions Chocolate Shop, the Lanes, Brighton
The bell tinkled over the door ofInclusionsas Ashleigh stepped inside. It made her smile. Did Olivier think of Clarence fromIt’s A Wonderful Lifeevery time he walked in?
She hadn’t been in his mother’s chocolate shop in a long time. It was still colourful and a touch brighter even than normal, with fairy lights strung along shelves and a tree with little chocolate novelties and small wrapped packages nestled within the branches, right by the counter.
The large window where Olivier’s display would be, had wrapping paper covering it, and a sign in fancy italic script announcing the reveal would be on Wednesday. She should be all done with Beth’s dress by then. She’d made great progress with it yesterday evening and early this morning – the whole of the bodice was sewn together, next was the skirt, which was going to take a lot longer, but she had two full days off work. It would be lovely to celebrate getting it finished with Olivier, at the same time as his display being revealed.
‘Oh, I’m sorry, we’re about to close,’ the dark-haired woman behind the counter said.
‘I’m here to meet Olivier,’ she explained.
‘Oooh, really? You must be Ashleigh, then. Hi, I’m his cousin Celeste.’ She came over, wearing a big smile and gently shepherded Ash towards a red door behind the counter. ‘I’ve heard all about you.’
Ashleigh’s tummy did a little flip. He’d been talking about her?
The moment Ashleigh went through the door, her eyes found Olivier. He was standing next to his mum at the big steel counter in the centre of the room, his hair more ruffled than usual and his usual smile absent. He looked up, his gaze clashing with hers with something like panic and sadness. Something was going on. It was that kind of silence that happens when heavy words have been exchanged and then brought to an abrupt halt. Though she couldn’t imagine Olivier and Sylvia arguing at all.
‘Hi.’ She gave an awkward wave. ‘Is this a bad time?’
There was a pause and then his mother smiled. ‘No. Of course not.’ She picked up a pile of chocolate boxes. ‘I’m just going to cash up with Celeste. I’ll leave you two to talk.’
Okay. Talk? Hadn’t Olivier told her they were going on a date? Or maybe that wasn’t possible now. ‘Is something going on? Has there been a chocolate disaster and you need to cancel our date?’
‘No. No chocolate disaster.’ He smiled, his dimple disappearing again so quickly she didn’t feel reassured.
‘Another kind of disaster?’
‘No. It’s not a disaster, I hope,’ he said, setting his shoulders. ‘Just unexpected. My papa has asked me to go back to Paris early. Before Christmas.’
The disappointment hit her in the chest like that bolt of ice Elsa accidentally threw at Anna inFrozen. To hide her desire to sag, she leaned on the counter. ‘How soon?’
‘He wants me back as soon as possible. One of the other chefs has had a motorbike accident. The restaurant is short-staffed and fully booked.’
Well, there went any fantasies she’d been entertaining of asking him to the wedding as her plus-one. Wasn’t this what always happened? She’d imagined her mum coming back and joining her to watch the Christmas lights be turned on and that hadn’t happened either. All the best-laid plans, constantly blowing up in her face and leaving her on her own.
Well, not quite on her own. She had Nan – but only really because Nan was going to need her as she got older, otherwise Ash would’ve been circling bedsits and house-shares in the Friday-Ad. She did have Ro and James too – but they were going to be parents soon. She’d be Aunty Ash – she knew that – but she’d also lose them to early bedtimes and all that family life stuff that she wanted for them so much.
She swallowed and licked her lips. She couldn’t think of anything to say to him. She didn’t want to ask him if they were still going to go on their date. She didn’t know what would be worse: if he said no or yes. Because, what then? She’d have to spend the next few months waiting to see if he was going to come back and take her on a second one.
‘Ashleigh?’
‘I’ve just remembered, I’ve got some stuff to do…’ She moved her hands off the counter and the prism smear of her fingertips disappeared.
‘You only just arrived.’
She sighed. ‘Well, that doesn’t stop a person from needing to go again, does it?’
‘What about our date? You’re too busy?’
‘There’s not really any point is there?’
He crossed his arms over his chest, his hazel eyes searching her face. ‘Is that how you really feel?’
‘Olivier. I think at some point we’ve got to just accept that this thing between us…it’s never going to go anywhere is it?’ A humourless laugh escaped her. ‘I mean. If it hasn’t happened by now perhaps we should just take the hint. Whenever it looks like it might, something crops up doesn’t it?’ She shrugged, like it was no big deal, like her heart wasn’t somewhere down in her boots.
‘That is life, but we don’t have to let it get in the way, do we? We can still enjoy the time we are together.’
