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“And do you love it?”
“I love almost everything about it. Paying the bills is hard, but I do a few jobs on the side here and there to keep the lights on. Cake?” She held up the plate, and Bea took a slice.
“This looks delicious.”
“Thanks, I hope it is. I enjoy baking, but it’s not my strong suit. I had a café attached to the bookshop, but I had to close it for lack of help. I couldn’t keep the place running along with the bookshop and everything else. It didn’t do very well.”
“That’s a shame. It’s such a lovely venue.”
“Don’t know anyone who would be willing to run the place, do you?” Evie laughed, then took a sip of tea.
Bea’s mind raced. She needed work—what better way to settle into life on the island than to open a café? She could bake everything they needed and put in a real coffee machine so she could finally get the coffee she loved. Besides, with the offerings available in Kellyville from the cafe down the road, she knew there would be plenty of people happy to see some competition in town.
“Actually… I’d love to do it.”
“Really?” Evie’s eyes widened. “Don’t you live in Sydney?”
“I’ve moved back home,” Bea replied, loving the way those words sounded.Home. It was a good feeling, coming back to the place she felt most like herself in all the world.
“Wow, that’s a big decision. And how does your husband feel about that?”
“He’s moved to Melbourne…with his girlfriend. I mean, fiancée. I keep forgetting to call her that—it feels so strange. Silly me.” Bea bit off a piece of cake. “Mmmm… Yum.”
Evie leaned back in her chair. “Wow, I’m sorry. I put my foot in that.”
“No, you didn’t. It’s fine. The sooner people find out, the better. I’ve hardly had a chance to work through it myself, so I probably should talk about it. They say avoidance is bad, right?”
Evie chuckled. “Apparently, although I find it works wonders for me.”
“If you’re open to the idea, I’d like to look around the café, and we can see if we’d be a good fit for each other. I ran a small catering business in Sydney, and I’ve organised plenty of events and functions over the years. I know I have the experience to run a café, and I’d love to try.”
“I think it’s marvellous,” Evie said, beaming. “I can’t imagine a better person to run it. I remember even in high school, you were a good cook. You used to make cakes and biscuits and bring them to school to share.”
“Really? I’d forgotten all about that.”
“Yes, plus you were great when we all tried to start that landscaping company — you organised us all and kept the accounts. We mowed people’s lawns for an entire summer before folding because of squabbles over splitting the revenue. Our very own workers’ revolt.”
“Those were good times,” Bea said. “Thanks for reminding me. My husband tells me I’m an airhead.”
“I hate to be rude, but your husband sounds like a jerk.”
Bea laughed. “It turns out, he actually is.”
Evie laughed along with her. “I’m not going to push because this is a big decision, but I think we’d be great business partners. If you took it on, the café would be yours and you could pay me rent. Other than that, it would be up to you to manage the place and make it work. I won’t have any input into the business. I have all I can take with the bookshop and my photography.”
Bea sighed. It sounded perfect. Exactly the kind of thing she was looking for. “I’ll get started on it as soon as we finalise the paperwork. I’m so excited.”
“Me too. In fact, we should all have a get-together to celebrate.”
“All?” Bea asked.
“All the girls from high school. Taya Eldridge and Penny St James live on the island too. Taya has an inn on the other side of the island. And Penny runs a wildlife rescue down the road from Taya’s. We all catch up whenever we get the chance.”
“I had no idea the entire gang was back on Coral Island. I’ve missed so much.”
“You kind of drifted away and lost touch,” Evie said, her eyes warm.
“I’m sorry,” Bea said. “I should’ve made more of an effort.”
