Page 72 of New Beginnings on Railway Lane

‘It’ll be okay,’ Harriet told her, giving her arm a squeeze.

Katy nodded. ‘I’m sure it will. How could it not? After all, coffee and cake goes together as well as…’

‘You and Ryan?’ murmured Flora, with a soft smile.

Katy blushed. ‘That wasn’t what I was going to say,’ she said, glancing at the open doorway into the kitchen but knowing that Ryan was over at the train workshop whilst it remained quiet.

‘But it was what you meant, right?’ asked Libby.

Katy tried to keep cool, but her cheeks were growing warmer by the minute.

‘Well, this looks promising,’ said Harriet, her eyes gleaming. ‘Have you kissed already? I want details!’

‘I don’t. He’s like a brother to me,’ said Libby, with a grimace.

Katy shrugged her shoulders. ‘It was just a kiss,’ she told them.

‘Oooh!’ her friends chorused, although Flora had known about it.

‘When I was drunk after your birthday, Libby. So it’s your fault,’ carried on Katy. ‘And it doesn’t count.’

‘Rubbish,’ muttered Libby. ‘Every kiss counts. Especially if it’s followed up with another one.’

‘This is so exciting,’ said Harriet, clapping her hands.

They all looked up as the door opened, but to Katy’s relief it was Maggie, who was holding a couple of cake tins.

‘Thanks,’ she said, getting up to take them from Maggie. ‘I’m not sure how many more we’ll need if it remains this quiet.’ She glanced around the mostly empty coffee shop.

‘Things just take time, that’s all,’ said Maggie.

Libby nodded. ‘Absolutely! We need to get the word out to everyone. Is it in theCranbridge Times?’

‘Yes,’ said Katy. ‘And I’ve ordered some signs for outside, but they’re not due until later in the week.’

‘Then that should catch everyone on Saturday,’ said Maggie, nodding enthusiastically. ‘After all, it’s bonfire night and everyone will be out and about.’

‘Definitely,’ said Flora. ‘Why don’t you stay open a bit later and you may catch some early-evening trade as everyone comes and goes?’

‘That sounds like a good idea,’ said Katy.

‘What does?’ asked Ryan, coming in through the door from outside.

As Katy explained Flora’s idea, she pinned on an enthusiastic smile. Like him, she was desperately hoping that the coffee shop didn’t fail, for everyone’s sake.

* * *

Katy’s positivity faded a little as the week went on, however. A few people came in, but it remained pretty quiet most of the time.

When Saturday came, Katy and Ryan agreed to stay open to see if they could tempt anyone inside. The weather was absolutely ghastly, however, and there was hardly anyone about during the day as it was raining heavily.

But Katy was really pinning her hopes on everyone walking through the village to head to Cranbridge for the local bonfire night fireworks display. A temporary car park had been set up in Cranfield, so all the visitors had to go past the station. In order to catch their eye, she had made large posters outside and kept all the lights on.

Unfortunately, by the middle of the afternoon, her hopes began to fade. Everyone had scuttled across the bridge towards Cranbridge without even a backwards glance at the station.

‘This weather’s awful,’ said Libby, looking out of the window as the rain slashed against the glass.

Katy was grateful that her friends had come along as moral support as she felt she needed them more than ever that evening.