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‘Couldn’t sleep and thought one of your coffees would be perfect.’ He knelt down when he realised a lace on his trainer had come loose.
‘Come on,’ called Cano, through to the back. ‘Here is your first customer. See how it goes.’
Fergus stood up and came face to face with Amelia, behind the counter and wearing an apron. She gave him a subdued smile.
‘Oh . . . hello. I didn’t expect you to be here.’ He shrugged helplessly.
‘I’m learning the ropes as I’m helping Cano out in the New Year, you know, when Naza goes to Glasgow. You’re my first customer . . . what can I get you?’
‘Just a coffee, please.’
‘A latte?’
He nodded.
‘Okay. Bear with me.’
He tried not to stare but couldn’t peel his eyes away from her as she busied herself at the coffee machine. He could tell she felt flustered from the way she kept biting her bottom lip.
Her face flushed as she put the cup down on the counter and he was surprised that she seemed to be so nervous.
‘Smells great,’ he said. ‘Thank you.’ Then he looked around wordlessly with no idea what to say.
‘Enjoy.’ She gave a slight smile but wouldn’t fully meet his eyes.
Fergus thought about the times they’d spent together. The walks, the freezing swims, nights at the pub, and the nights they had spent at the cabin just talking. And those kisses too. How he missed all of it. He wished he could tell her, but of course he couldn’t. He pulled out his bank card and tapped it against the machine. He thanked her for the coffee and began to walk away. ‘See you later.’
‘Yes . . . oh, hello there, Ed,’ she said, as the elderly man walked in with his newspaper.
‘Hello, my dear.’ He smiled brightly at her. ‘Hello, Fergus. Not seen you for a while. Where have you been?’
‘Ah, you know, Ed. Keeping busy with work.’
‘All work and no play? My Daphne said life was too short to be all work. She was right. I wish I had listened to her at the time.’
Fergus touched his arm. ‘Nice to see you, Ed. Take care and enjoy your coffee. Amelia makes a fantastic one.’
Ed chuckled. ‘Yes, and I can tell she’s got a soft spot for you.’
Fergus’s eyes widened.
‘Trust me,’ Ed said. ‘I know these things. My Daphne always did say I had an instinct for spotting true love.’ Off he sauntered towards the counter, with his newspaper rolled up and tucked under his arm.
Fergus didn’t dare look back.
Chapter Sixty-Six
Amelia turned away, her face red, when she heard Ed talking to Fergus. He had said the same thing to her not so long ago. She grabbed a cloth and busied herself wiping down the coffee machine and checking the pastry display. She was still trembling from her encounter with Fergus. Trust him to be her first customer and to be so nice about it too.
Rob from the hotel came in and asked for his usual skinny latte in a takeaway cup. ‘Are you looking forward to the ceilidh?’
Amelia smiled nervously. No, she wasn’t looking forward to the bloody ceilidh at all. ‘Of course. Should be fun.’ She twiddled with the ties on her apron. ‘Can I offer you anything else?’
‘Just one of your lemon-and-poppyseed muffins, please.’
‘No problem at all.’ She always thought it was amusing that there was no need for upselling in this place. Nowould you like a pastry with that?Orwould you like a fresh croissant to go with your coffee?Cano’s goodies sold quite easily all by themselves. She picked up the tongs and reached to pluck one of the fat, crumbly muffins from the plate on the counter. It did look delicious, and she was tempted to bite into the crispy, sugary top. They used to be her speciality and the treat she would bake to take into staff meetings at work. The thought of baking a muffin, never mind anything else, now felt totally alien.
‘Earth to Amelia.’ Rob laughed. ‘You’re miles away this morning.’
