‘So, are you saying all of your twelve thousand followers will be watching our date?’
She nods and her boyfriend shakes his head.
I get excited about having YouTubers like this girl interested in The Little Love Café. This is exactly what we need. ‘Can you use The Little Love Café hashtag?’
As I return to the counter, I spot Pete casually wandering into the café. Irritation bubbles inside my stomach and my shoulders and neck stiffen. He looks up and smiles. Taking him by the elbow I steer him towards one of the empty booths. Noah casts me a worried look as I glance back at him.
‘Why haven’t you text me back, Pete?’ I hiss.
Yawning, he scratches his mass of black curls and smiles. ‘I was on a stag do. What do you want?’
Blood is rushing past my ears and my mind wheels out the memory of Noah telling me about the email he received from me all those years ago. Through gritted teeth I hiss, ‘Did you send an email to Noah pretending to be me when he left?’
Pete’s smile evaporates. In a fraction of a second, I know he’s guilty. I’ve looked into those blue eyes of his so many times. He used to try to lie about his secret casino trips and spending money we didn’t have.
‘I– umm… I–’ he stammers.
‘You lied, Pete. You sent that email pretending to me – didn’t you?’
He stares at me. ‘I didn’t, Alice.’
Someone has turned up the heat on my cheeks. They are flame hot and my eyes are stinging. Emotion and anger are rising inside of me. ‘You sent that email, and you didn’t post my letters to Noah – did you?’
Pete squirms and fidgets in his seat. He remains silent and looks away.
My angry voice is loud and shrill. ‘You lied, Pete. You told Noah I didn’t want to go out with him.’
Pete’s eyes darken. ‘I have always loved you, Alice. When he came to live in Blue Cove Bay, he stole you from me.’
Out of the corner of my eye I can see the teenage YouTuber holding up her phone at Pete and me. ‘Got to film this drama,’ she says. ‘This is much more interesting than our date.’
Pete sits up and runs a hand through his hair. ‘The past has gone now, Alice. I can’t believe you are publicly embarrassing me over something that happened twenty years ago.’
‘Your lies ruined my life, Pete.’
He rises from the booth. ‘I saved you from a lifetime of heartbreak.’
I stare at him face on. ‘That’s a joke, Pete. You gambled away all our money; you never helped me with our baby son; and then when I came to my senses, you stormed off to London for two years.’
His eyes flash with anger. ‘You used me to get back at HIM.’
The Little Love Café has quietened. Everyone’s gaze has followed Pete’s finger, which points at Noah.
‘You never sent my letters – did you?’
He laughs. ‘I shoved them in the bin.’
Everyone gasps and rage like hot lava ripples through me. ‘Get out of this café, Pete.’
To my horror Pete turns to Noah. ‘Thanks for stealing the love of my life. I don’t suppose you’ve told her about those rumours back then regarding your father andhermother.’ He lets out a sarcastic laugh and turns to me. ‘Goodbye, Alice. Say hello to Brian for me.’
Pete walks out as Noah rushes out from behind the counter. He guides me out the back of the café as everyone around us returns to their conversations. I am shell-shocked. In my head all I can hear is Pete sayingthose rumours.
Wrapping his arms around me, Noah pulls me to him. ‘We’re going to get to the bottom of this,’ he whispers.
I pull away from him. ‘Did you know about these rumours?’
He flicks his eyes to the floor. ‘I did but I never believed them.’
