‘Is it obvious?’ I say, making Harold laugh.
I walk back to Jake who is grinning at me. ‘I saw you having a heart-to-heart with Harold over there.’
‘He’s embarking on a secret mission, so he had to fill me in on all the details.’
Jake places a Luscious Latte on a tray together with a Flirty Flat White. ‘That sounds intriguing.’
‘The community centre runs a Senior Monday Tea & Chat group. From what Harold was saying, it sounds like a hotbed for romance. I need to do some café promo over there.’
Jake grins. ‘You’ve changed, Alice. A few months ago, you’d run in the opposite direction at the first sign of romance. Now, you’re hunting it out.’
CHAPTERTHIRTY-FIVE
As I leave the school gates after dropping Lucas off, I hear a shout and see Phoebe hurrying after me. Her face is pink and the curls at the front of her face are stuck to her forehead. ‘He’s invited me and kids to his house for tea and a playdate.’
‘Who are we talking about?’
Her eyes are shining. I know who she is referring to.
‘Liam. Didn’t you see him stood by me in the playground?’
I shake my head. ‘Lucas was having a meltdown because I wouldn’t let him look inside my purse. That’s great though. You’ve gone from hating him to going on playdates.’
She casts me an anxious look. ‘Liam’s little boy is an angel compared to Flynn. I’m already worried about Flynn’s obsession with opening drawers and cupboards in other people’s houses. He loves a good rummage through someone’s sock drawer. Do you think I should forewarn Liam?’
I shrug. ‘I always forewarn people about Lucas’s penchant for purses and wallets. If left unsupervised Lucas will come home with a wad of cash and a collection of cards.’
Phoebe and I both start to giggle. She links her arm through mine. ‘Some parents are raising future geniuses, sporting prodigies and celebrities whilst we’re raising future…’
‘Criminals?’ I say, and we both erupt into laughter.
I stare at the email from the Innovative Café Award co-ordinator and my heart skips a beat. My submission has secured us a judge’s visit to the café in two weeks. ‘Jake,’ I call out, ‘come here, quick.’
‘Congratulations,’ he says, returning from taking table four’s order. He comes to read the email over my shoulder. ‘Your submission must have been really good.’
‘It was a team effort, I just pulled everything together.’
He makes up an order for table four. ‘So, we have two weeks to make The Little Love Café great.’
‘Yes, hopefully we can put all our issues in the past and shake off the Heartbreak Café reputation.’
Once he’s made two Flirty Flat Whites, I deliver the order. The couple on table four are celebrating their recent engagement. ‘Here’s your coffee,’ I say with a smile, placing pink cups in front of them.
The woman has black hair which hugs her shoulders, piecing green eyes and enviable dewy skin. ‘This is not what I was expecting.’
‘In a good way?’ I ask, surveying the other tables to make sure no other customers are waiting to be served or need drinks.
‘Rachel, leave it,’ hisses her fiancé, casting me an awkward look.
The woman ignores her fiancé. ‘I must do this. My friend had an awful time in here a few weeks ago. She was really upset. I reckon you must have got rid of the miserable woman who ruined my friend’s engagement.’
My heart grinds to a halt. Was I that miserable woman?
The woman continues. ‘It was bad. Her fiancé did a live proposal, and this woman was supposed to record it. Anyway, she didn’t because she had issues and my friend’s been so upset.’
She’s talking about Michelle and Jason.That was me.In a few seconds I am wrapped in a cloak of guilt and shame. I was the one who ruined Michelle and Jason’s proposal.
The woman smiles and surveys the café. ‘I’ll tell my friend the miserable woman has gone.’ She turns to me. ‘Do you know what happened to her?’
