Her beaming smile fills me with a warm glow. ‘You look amazing in the dress too and I can’t believe how well it has gone.’
She grins. ‘I loved how our wedding reception food was rose cupcakes served with coffee, tea and hot chocolate.’
Jon, Donna’s new husband, wanders over. ‘My beautiful wife and I are so grateful for what you’ve done for us, Alice. We can’t thank you enough.’
‘It was a pleasure. You’ve brought so much love and laughter to this place today.’
Donna gives me a playful nudge. ‘Every one of our guests has promised to deluge social media with Little Love Café selfies.’
‘That was my fee,’ I say, with an ear-to-smile.
@DonnaThomas: Today we got married and had a wonderful wedding reception in The Little Love Café. If you read my blog you will know about my fight against cancer and the financial hardship it has brought upon my family. We couldn’t afford a big wedding, but we wanted something special. The Little Love Café answered all our prayers by letting us use their beautiful café for free.
The Little Love Café’s social media lights up as Donna’s followers like, love and share her post. Her guests also tag the café into their wedding reception selfies.
After dinner I work late to make sure all the selfies of the café are shared, and I reply to all comments. Using the café as a wedding reception venue worked as the shots of the happy couple standing in front of the golden beach and coastline are stunning.
I climb into my camp bed feeling proud of what The Little Love Café achieved today.
CHAPTERTWENTY-SEVEN
Ava leads the way to the flat above the ice-cream parlour. We go up the stairs at the side of the old Victorian house and make our way to the top.
She opens the door to the flat and we walk through a little hallway to the living room that has been painted in a soft blue. Against one wall is a cream sofa and a set of coffee tables. Shelves line the opposite walls and below is polished wooden flooring. A giant window floods the room with light. The flat looks out onto the promenade, the beach, and the shimmery blue sea. There are two spacious double bedrooms both with sea views. The shower is encased in a cute sunflower yellow wooden beach hut and a little kitchen presides at the end of the living room. It has gleaming new white cupboards and a breakfast diner table.
A little burst of excitement rockets across my chest. ‘Ava, this would be perfect for me and Lucas.’
‘Well, Mum says it’s yours if you want it.’
I stand at the living room window. The beach today is dotted with young families playing frisbee and football. If I peer to the right, I can see the winding coastline and the tall grey cliffs. If I peer to the left, I can see the pink café at the end of the beach.
‘Oh, Ava, I love it. Tell your mum I need to talk to her about the contract and stuff.’
On the way out I catch sight of Lilly in the ice-cream parlour looking gloomy. ‘Ava, I’ll meet you back at the café. I need to see Lilly.’
‘Hey, Lilly,’ I say, as I walk into Blue Cove Bay’s ice-cream parlour. Inside the walls are painted sunshine yellow and adorned with photos of delicious iced treats. It’s one of Lucas’s favourite places. He will be over the moon to find out we will be living above it.
In the summer it is always full of tourists and holidaymakers clutching beach towels, sun hats and small children in swimming costumes. They prop their inflatables up against the counter whilst they choose their perfect ice cream. I survey the contents of the freezer, the selection of ice creams in a multitude of flavours from salted caramel to hazelnut to blueberry muffin. When I was young, I used to spend ages deciding my flavour, which would always make Frankie impatient. He knew his scoop combination hours before we entered the parlour.
‘Sunny’s gone, Alice,’ Lilly says, wiping a damp cheek. ‘There was a reason why we didn’t get together at the painting night. He was getting ready to leave Blue Cove Bay.’
I went over to where she was sat. ‘What did he say?’
‘He says he needs to go experience the world,’ she sobs. ‘He says we are young and have our lives ahead of us.’
‘Did you tell him about how you feel?’
She nods. ‘He doesn’t feel the same way about me.’
Pulling Lilly into a hug I let her cry on my shoulder.
She says, ‘I have loved him from afar for years, Alice. All through school and after we left. We worked in here together, scooping out ice cream, flirting over chocolate flakes, sharing secret jokes about our ice-cream customers and squirting each other with strawberry sauce. Now I feel like someone is scooping out my heart.’ She grabs a handful of napkins and wipes her face. ‘You got over heartbreak, Alice. What’s your advice?’
Half of me wants to laugh and tell her that I would be lying if I said I got over heartbreak, but I sense she doesn’t need to hear that. Before I can think of something sensible to say, Lilly grabs her phone. ‘I’m going to message Elliot, Sunny’s best mate. I can go out with him and–’
I see myself in her all those years ago, turning to Pete to make Noah jealous. The memory of forcing myself to fancy Pete comes rushing back to me. Hot on the heels of this one is how when he kissed me, I always imagined he was Noah. It wasn’t a great idea of mine. Maybe unconsciously I knew Pete fancied me and I played on that. My mind goes back to when Lucas had just been born. He was wrapped in a towel and in my arms. I recalled looking down at him and thinking about Noah, not Pete. Guilt wraps itself around me. Instinctively I place my hand over Lilly’s phone screen. ‘This is my advice: don’t contact Elliot.’
Lilly stares at me. ‘What? You don’t know Elliot.’
