Page 55 of The Cosy Seaside Chocolate Shop

‘We’ll work this out somehow. I’ll be there soon with you, Em.’

‘Yeah,’ she uttered. But the word felt empty.

‘You take care.’

‘I’ll try.’

‘I love you.’ His words were heartfelt.

‘Love you too.’

And she sat quietly for a while, still in the courtyard, with a sparrow hopping at her feet looking for cake crumbs. The sun was on her back, and she was sheltered from the breeze by the stone walls. Bev’s gorgeous vivid purple clematis was now climbing proudly and about to bloom and her herb pots stood on each table, smelling of summer while a drift of cocoa aromas came from the kitchen. It was such a special place here.

She wondered who would be sitting here this time next year, or even in a few months. Would it still be run as a business or be someone’s house or a holiday let? Whatever happened, she wasn’t going to give it up that easily. Knowing Mr Neil, he’d be asking a high price, and it might not sell that quickly. She’d just have to keep going, make a success of The Chocolate Shop this summer season, save as much as she could – which she realised would only be a small dent in the kind of deposit needed for a business loan on this place – and come up with some alternative ideas. But there was no denying it, The Chocolate Shop was up for sale, and the thought of having to leave this place made her feel so terribly sad.

28

On Saturday morning Emma lay in bed in a bleary fog. She’d already pressed twice on the snooze button on her alarm. She’d heard the ‘For Sale’ sign creaking in the wind in the night, taunting her. She’d tossed and turned, trying to come up with some way out of this nightmare situation, until her head and heart were sore. Now she felt totally wrung out. This really needed to be the biggest duvet day ever.

Alfie had managed to sneak in at some point and was there on the covers beside her.

‘Oh, Alfie boy.’ His fur was soft and warm under Em’s palm as she gently stroked him and he snuggled closer. Thank heavens for our four-legged friends.

She let a few stray tears hit the pillow.

‘Come on, Emma,’ a small voice inside began to kick in. ‘You’ve fought bigger things than this.’ And she had, she really had. But this morning it felt like the final straw, the kick in the balls that brought you tumbling down. She lay there a little longer, with her arm around Alfie.

On the third snooze alarm, she forced herself up. The shop had to open, after all.

She blasted herself under a warm shower, letting it stream down over her. Walking into the kitchen to make some tea and toast, she turned on the radio which was playing ‘Life is a Rollercoaster’. Hah, she’d had enough of that particular rollercoaster for now.

Despite it all, she forged her way through the day on autopilot, bravely fielding queries from her customers about the estate agent’s ‘For Sale’ sign that was hoisted up on the front of her shop like a stake through her heart. Her hopes and dreams for the future up in smoke once again. Why was her life such a bloody car crash?

She so needed some time out – which was why, soon after closing time, she was heading off down the hill with a bottle of rosé and a picnic basket of goodies to Nate’s beach BBQ. She’d found some pork sausages she’d bought from the local butcher in the freezer, and had some brownies left over in the shop that she’d cut down into smaller squares and put in a Tupperware box. That’d do.

It looked as though the weather was going to hold, and though clouds were starting to gather there was no sign of rain as yet. It was a warm evening too, a bonus. Past the harbour she went and into the dune car park, where she passed what must be Nate’s camper van, making her way down the sandy track to the beach. She could hear sounds of chatter and laughter, as though the group had already gathered. And as she came out on to the sands there they were, about twenty people so far.

‘Hi, Nate. Hi, all,’ she called, smiling as she approached. It was always slightly daunting when you didn’t know many of the gathering that well, Nate having made friends with more of the younger group in the village. She so wished Max had been able to come.

‘Hey, Em, hi. Come and meet Des. He’s a mate of mine from Oz, now over here travelling in the UK.’ Nate introduced them and handed her a bottle of lager from a plastic crate doubling as a makeshift ice-bucket. She was soon chatting away with the guy, who had tousled blond hair, a deep tan and looked in his mid-twenties. He seemed friendly enough, though he made her life seem rather narrow with his tales of diving with sharks at the Barrier Reef and getting stranded for several hours in the desert after trying to climb, illegally by the sounds of it, Mount Uluru.

As more people joined them, Em recognised a few local faces, including Danny from the pub. She waved across at him. He came over, saying he only had an hour to go before his shift in The Fisherman’s started, so was desperate for the BBQ food to get going.

Nate took the hint and investigated the contents of Emma’s picnic basket. Her food offerings seemed to go down well with the group, resulting in a whoop from Nate and several smiling faces as the chocolate brownies made their appearance. The sausages were added to the stockpile of baps and burgers set out on the table beside the BBQ, a big metal half-drum that was loaded with charcoal, ready to light. Nate took out a box of matches and set it alight, much to Danny’s relief.

Em finished off her lager and Danny fetched her another bottle. It all seemed pretty laid-back and relaxed, which was just what she needed.

Some of the surfer lads started a game of rounders down on the beach in front of them. They had set out posts made from driftwood and were using an old tennis ball and baseball bat someone had brought along. Holly and Adam turned up at that point, along with Laura, Sheila’s daughter, and her boyfriend Angus.

They all ended up joining in, fielding firstly, and Emma stunned herself with a lucky catch that impressed the gang and raised a ‘Whoop! Go Em!’ from Holly.

Nate started cooking the food, alongside the guy from Oz, both of them looking very at home in shorts and T-shirts, with a large BBQ in front of them and cans of beer in hand. Scanning the group, Emma suddenly realised she must be the oldest there, being well into her thirties, but she didn’t feel left out in any way. They were a friendly crowd and easy company.

After a delicious supper, and her chocolate brownies going down extremely well with lots of ‘Oohs’, ‘Aahs’ and ‘Scrummys’ from the partygoers, Emma found herself feeling pretty chilled-out, sitting on a rug in the lower dunes with a bottle of lager in hand. She was watching the embers flickering in a firepit Nate had made earlier as the sun started to go down, the odd spark still flaring. It was dark now, she suddenly realised, so it must be fairly late as the sun didn’t set until after ten this time of year. It was a shame Max couldn’t have come. He’d have enjoyed this. Always work, bloody work.

As she looked up from the fire, she realised that most of the others had gone and she had said several goodbyes as couples and friends had drifted off. Holly and Adam now got up to leave.

‘Bye, Hols, Adam.’ Emma smiled, feeling very comfortable where she was.