Frankie clears his throat and we both turn back to him. ‘This is awkward as you both have offered to run this place.’
My shoulders are stiffening at the sight of Frankie nervously glancing between Noah and me. Surely, I should get first refusal? I am his best friend, and he knows how much stress and heartache Noah has caused me. He cannot give the job to Noah Coombes. I need this job. ‘Frankie,’ I say, casting him a sugary sweet smile. ‘Can I have a word… in private?’
Noah gestures towards the leather booth opposite me. ‘I’ll be sat over there.’
Once he’s out of earshot, I lean over the bar. ‘What is he doing here?’ I hiss.
Frankie studies my forehead. ‘What the hell have you done to your head?’
‘I had a fight with a camp bed.’ Gingerly I feel the lump with my fingers.
‘Noah’s looking for work. He has moved back.’
‘Please tell me you’re not considering him over me?’ I am now giving Frankie one of my death stares. ‘He’s been back here for five minutes. Don’t I deserve some best-mate loyalty after what he did to me when I was sixteen?’
‘Alice, you and Noah splittwentyyears ago,’ whispers Frankie, glancing at Noah and then returning to me. ‘You were kids back then. No one knows what they are doing at sixteen.’
Grabbing the sleeve of Frankie’s T-shirt I pull him closer. ‘This job is perfect for me. You can go to Sydney, and I can help pay Dad back.’
Frankie frowns. ‘Pay your dad back for what?’
I exhale a long stream of air. ‘He took out that loan to pay for my wedding. Look, I think you need to give me the job.’
My heart is thudding. Out of the corner of my eye I can see Noah staring at me. ‘Frankie,’ I beg. ‘Give me the job.’
Frankie scratches his thatch of blond hair. ‘Alice, you have a broken heart for starters. You’re also emotional and capable of causing all sorts of havoc.’ He picks up a cloth and wipes down the counter. ‘Anyway, you’re still managing Ronald’s tea shop.’
Grabbing a pink napkin, I dab at the layer of sweat on my forehead. ‘He’s closing the Starfish on Friday. Going abroad with his latest love interest.’
Frankie reaches out and places his hand on my shoulder. ‘Sorry, Alice.’
‘I can manage this place. My emotional state will not interfere with anything.’
Frankie’s perfectly trimmed brown eyebrows climb up his forehead. ‘This is a romance-themed café,’ he explains. ‘Do you have any idea how hard it will be for you? Remember the youth club discos when we were teenagers and everywhere you’d look there would be couples snogging – well this place is like that. It’s not the sort of place for someone with a broken heart. Also, you keep telling me you would go crazy if you worked here.’
My cheeks are heating up. ‘So, you’re going to give the job I want… and need… tohimthen?’
‘Go sit down and let me think,’ mutters Frankie, massaging his temples and avoiding my angry scowl.
With a huff I turn on my heel to face Noah. He smiles and points to the empty seat opposite. ‘Sit down.’
We sit in silence for what feels like an eternity. In my head I have a multitude of questions I want to ask him, but my brain is reminding me of how he broke my heart. Noah is fiddling with a red heart-shaped menu, so I’ve glued my eyes to the varnished wooden floorboards.
Behind our booth a woman is telling her boyfriend in a loud voice that she can’t wait for their wedding in three weeks. The word ‘wedding’ makes me shrivel up inside. She sounds like I did when Scott took me for a romantic Italian meal before his stag do. I made the same high-pitched squeal. Tears prick my eyes and I blink them away. Scott’s face flashes into my mind. My mind cruelly transports me back to the scene when I walked into our bedroom.
Inside me a battle is waging. Half of me wants to get out of my seat, lean over her booth and warn her against getting married. The other half is restraining me. Frankie won’t give me the job if I start talking customers out of their plans to wed.
Frankie appears at our booth. ‘I’ve made my decision.’
A triumphant grin slides across Noah’s face. It makes my blood boil. He thinks Frankie’s going to give him the job. If Frankie gives Noah the job of managing this place, we will fall out.
Frankie places a hand on my wrist and one on Noah’s arm. ‘I’ve decided to make…’
My heart comes to a juddering halt as Frankie pauses and hangs his head.
‘Both of you managers.’
‘What?’ Noah and I flick our heads towards Frankie.
