‘He has no taste,’ I say, which makes her laugh.
Her coffee-coloured eyes are encased in a weary purple shadow, and I can see she’s trying to suppress a yawn. ‘Can you open the door at the back of the café? Frankie always lets me do that. My van is ready to be unloaded.’ She wipes her sweaty forehead and groans as her phone vibrates in her pocket. ‘I wish everyone would leave me alone.’ She casts me a weary smile. ‘Do you ever have days like that?’
I give her a knowing smile. ‘All the time.’
She takes out her phone and shakes her head. ‘If he is phoning me with another issue I am going to scream.’ After rubbing her forehead, she yawns. ‘Sorry, I don’t mean to yawn. I didn’t sleep very well last night.’
I want to reach out to her and say I am having a bad day too, but I keep it to myself. Pam drops off her new batch of cakes and cookies and hurries away.
Later, after closing the café, I walk back home along the beach. The afternoon had been hard. My resentment today at seeing other people happy and in love resulted in three drink spillages, two customer complaints about my poor service and an argument with a newlywed couple after I accidentally dropped their Cuddle Muffins into their laps.
Taking in a deep breath of salty air I gaze out across the rolling marine blue sea. I wonder how Frankie and Rose are doing in Sydney. My heart aches as I think about Rose and Frankie and the gruelling treatment ahead of them.
Under my breath I whisper Frankie a message which I hope the wind will somehow carry to him. ‘Even though working with Noah is proving tricky, you don’t have to worry about your café.’
My mind nudges me about the customers who have complained about my service and an uncomfortable feeling takes hold of me.It will be fine, I assure myself.The first week was bound to be difficult. Once Noah accepts I don’t need or want his help, we will be fine.
I take out my phone and send Frankie a WhatsApp message.
Thinking of you. Everything is good here.
On the promenade I can hear raised voices coming from the gift shop. The voices belong to the owners, twins, Joy and Esme. Ten years ago, they inherited their family’s gift shop.
Joy and Esme used to be in the year above me in school. Joy spent most of her time at school bossing Esme around. Frankie and I never liked the way Joy treated Esme, so we took Esme under our wing and tried to make her see that she could stand up to Joy. Our guidance didn’t work.
Esme, Frankie and I have stayed friends. Esme is one of the sweetest people I know. When Frankie’s dad left Rose, Esme would leave little wrapped chocolate gifts on his doorstep. When Noah left for Ireland, she left me tiny bunches of flowers and when Lucas was born, she bought him a Babygro with the words, ‘I Love Blue Cove Bay’across it.
‘Esme, it’s time we both moved on,’ says Joy, in her usual authoritative tone. ‘This family gift shop has been a weight around our necks for years.’
I stop and stare. Esme loves that little gift shop. She’s the one who runs the place as Joy is always out socialising. Inside it’s a seaside gift oasis and sells everything from rustic wooden boat and lighthouse decorations, telescope keyrings, sticks of Blue Cove Bay rock, sweet smelling candles, fridge magnets to seaside-themed jewellery and crockery. Recently Esme redecorated the little shop. It has a nautical blue coloured front and a new window display which recreates Blue Cove Bay. To hear Joy say that about the gift shop will devastate Esme. I take a few steps closer as I want to make sure Esme is all right.
‘Joy, that’s not true,’ an emotional Esme cries out. ‘Please think about this. I love working here.’
‘I’ve made my decision,’ declares Joy, ‘we’re closing this place and moving away. Esme, you know I’m the one with the business brain.’
My mouth falls open in shock. Why the hell is Joy selling up?
‘I don’t want to go elsewhere,’ Esme cries. Hearing my friend sounding distressed makes me walk toward the door.
‘In years to come you’ll thank me for rescuing you from this place,’ shouts Joy.
‘If I have to, I’ll run this place myself,’ shouts Esme, making me flinch. In all the years of knowing Joy and Esme I have never heard Esme say something as bold as this to her sister.
Joy’s peal of laughter rings out across the promenade. ‘Youare going to run this place by yourself?’
‘Why is that funny, Joy?’
Silence descends upon the gift shop. I reach the doorway and knock. Joy yanks open the door. ‘Alice,’ she says, before glancing over at Esme.
I crane my neck and wave at Esme. She gives me a thumbs-up and I step away. A few yards down from the gift shop I wait by a bench for a few minutes in case Joy decides to shout at her sister again. There’s nothing but the lapping of the sea and the noisy seagulls. Taking out my phone I send Esme a message.
Hope you are ok – you know where I am if you need to chat x.
Pete is on Dad’s doorstep when I get back.
‘Hi, Alice,’ he says, running a hand through his curly black hair. ‘Your dad invited me over for tea.’
Lucas’s loud cheer, at the sound of his father’s voice, is followed by him thundering down the stairs. He flings himself at Pete. Lucas’s goofy happy face makes a lump balloon in my throat. He leads Pete into the living room by the hand and then wrestles with him on the sofa. Even though relations between Pete and me are sometimes strained, I do enjoy seeing Lucas with his father.
