Page 59 of The Cosy Seaside Chocolate Shop

Maybe she ought to come clean on Thursday, face to face, when she could explain everything properly. But oh, if she did, would everything they had just fall down?

What a bloody mess – and this time it was a mess all of her own making.

31

Emma was nervous about opening the formal-looking white envelope. With all the havoc going on in her life, she had put the recent application to the back of her mind. It was Monday and the postman had just called. She slid open the seal and scanned the typewritten letter. It was from the local council.

‘We would like to inform you …’ Wow, she’d been approved! Yippee!! She was now an official licensee. Which meant she could go ahead with her prosecco parties. Well, she could certainly do with some bubbles in her life right now.

Word had already spread since the success of the girls’ trial party night a couple of months ago. Laura at the hotel had already mentioned that one of her friends was getting married just before Christmas – she had already booked the wedding reception there at the hotel and wanted a summer hen do with a difference. With the new courtyard available and having experienced the chocolate-prosecco party first hand, Laura had recommended Emma’s Chocolate Shop venue. Maddi, the ‘hen’, and her group of girls were desperate to be the first to try out the party nights.

No time like the present, Emma thought, she’d give the bride-to-be a call. Laura had already left her all her details.

‘Maddi, hi. It’s Emma from “The Chocolate Shop by the Sea”.’

‘Oh, hi Emma.’

‘Hope all the wedding arrangements are going well?’

‘Great, thanks.’

‘Well, Laura asked me to give you a call about your hen do. The good news is, I am now licensed so I can go ahead and take bookings for the Chocolate and Prosecco Party nights.’

‘Ooh, fab. Me and the girls can’t wait. It sounded such a lovely night when Laura came along. And The Chocolate Shop is already special to our engagement.’

‘Is it?’ Emma was curious.

‘Yes, your amazing Easter egg – that was my fiancé, Mark.’

‘Aw, how lovely. So you evidently said yes.’

‘How could I not after all that effort? It was just stunning. I don’t know how you crafted it, all that detail. I didn’t want to spoil it by eating it in the end. Mind you, I did scoff all those delicious truffles inside. The chocolate shell opened out perfectly, though, so I’ve kept it. And then it was such a surprise when I found the ring. Mark was down on one knee when I looked up.’ She sounded a little happy-teary down the line.

‘That’s so lovely to hear. I’m glad it all worked out well for you both. So, have a think about the hen do and just let me know if you have any dates in mind.’

‘Actually, I already have a day in mind. We’ve set the date for a winter wedding, so no point hanging around and I’m thinking that two weeks this Friday would be perfect … if we can. I know it’s one of the few nights when all of the girls are free.’

‘So …’ Emma checked her calendar. ‘That’s July 13. Oh, are you okay with that? Friday the Thirteenth?’ Emma wasn’t usually the superstitious sort, but it made her think for a second. After her trial of a weekend she didn’t want to tempt fate any more than she had to.

‘Ah, yes, doesn’t bother me. It’s the date we can all do, so we’ll stick with it.’ Maddi sounded very relaxed.

It was Maddi’s night after all, so Em answered cheerily, ‘Okay, I’ll pop that in the diary right away, and I’ll give you a call in the next couple of days to chat about details. Do you have an idea of numbers?’

‘About twelve of us, I think.’

‘Yes, that’s fine. I’m looking forward to making it a special night for you all.’

‘Thank you. This is brilliant.’

‘Bye. Chat again soon,’ Em replied.

How fabulous that it was the very same girl who the chocolate-engagement-egg creation had been for. Being a chocolatier was just the best job, especially at times like this. It was so wonderful to have a part in making other people’s dreams come true. Even if her own life struggled a bit in that department at times.

Three days later, Emma popped in at the grocer’s. At the till, Sheila started going on about rumours she’d heard – apparently, The Rock Shop lady had been making disparaging remarks about The Chocolate Shop. Em had enough on her plate, and just poo-pooed the comments as gossip, making it quite clear to Sheila that she wasn’t interested in getting involved in any tittle-tattle.

That was when Nate walked in. It was the first time they had bumped into each other since that fateful Saturday night and Emma found herself frozen, only just managing to squeak a ‘hi’. This really wasn’t the place for a heart-to-heart. The walls had ears in that shop, and Sheila could spot signs of embarrassment, awkwardness or a cover-up a mile away. So, after buying her bag of potatoes, bacon and orange juice, Emma swiftly left.

But she felt there was so much unsaid, so much to say, and she’d hung around along the street, following Nate down the hill to have a quiet word.