AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“She’s mad,” he said with a grin as we walked down the street.
“She’s magic. If you’re ever down, Anna will take all that negativity right out of your head. And she meant what she said. If you’re passing by in the evening, just pop in and she’ll stick a glass in your hand and make you clean her coffee maker. Or do the dishes. The place is always full of weird and wonderful people who don’t officially work there but kind of work there on the way home from actual jobs. That’s how she runs it.”
“No wonder she’s broke then.”
“She’s not broke. She’s loaded. Her parents wouldn’t give her any money until she had a degree and a profession, and she went into cheffing thinking it would be easy and learned a few life lessons. But she’s got a Michelin star on that door.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah. Wow.”
I took him to Borough market because just like Anna, food was in my blood. I introduced him to friends, traders, business associates, who all greeted him with a warm handshake and offered him things he’d never tried before. He wandered along the stalls with his hand in mine while I fed himnuggets of things I picked up along the way. We took the boat down the river. Sat on a bench. Discovered a little park where we sat on the swings. Bought an ice cream that we shared. It was almost five in the evening as we strolled into Psychic Mona’s.
I had to take him there. I wasn’t sure why, because it definitely hadn’t been my first choice of venue, but it was somewhere he’d been before and eaten food, so it would make him feel safe. Also, it was near the train station and we could just throw ourselves on the train home afterwards. My feet were killing me, and I just wanted to sit down, escape from the now-cold evening air.
“You!” Mona shouted as I dragged Hugo through the door.
“Hi, Mona,” I said cheerfully. I’d spent too many drunken evenings here with Mark and Mabel. Anna and I had been here. I’d brought Mum. She’d howled with laughter.
“Sit in the corner. Small table,” Mona barked, disappearing out in the back.
“I liked what she gave me last time, but I don’t think I can eat much,” Hugo said nervously.
“Don’t worry. We’ll just pick. And get warm.”
He agreed with that and sat, still wearing his coat, his nose red and eyes glittering. It had been the best day. My favourite day with him so far.
“You never told me how you got into being a chef,” he said, smiling as I held his hands over the table.
“My mum was a chef. Taught me to cook from when I was old enough that I could stand at the stove. It was just something I knew I could do. Until I realised I couldn’t, but by then, I was so determined and I’dpaid for the course and met Mark, and I really wanted to do it, however it panned out. From where I’m sitting, I think it panned out pretty well.”
“It did,” he said quietly. “Thank you for today. It was really good. Made me see you in a different light.”
“How?” My heart skipped a little beat.
“You’re different in your own kitchen, all in control and shouting and kind of angry. In real life, out in the world, you’re this lovely, calm, normal person with lots of friends, and everyone is so happy to see you. It’s like you’re two different people.”
“I’m not. Not really. It’s just things I like to do. People I meet when I go for walks. I like walking around the market, looking at food. It calms me down, makes me happy.”
“Happy,” Mona grunted, slamming a plate down on the table and dropping two forks next to it.
“Cake?” Hugo breathed out, looking a little stunned.
“No space in your tummies for dinner,” Mona said flatly. “And last time you were here, I told you.” She poked her finger into my arm. Hard.
“Told me what?” I honestly couldn’t remember.
“I told you that he would be worth the wait. And you didn’t believe me.”
“I do remember, and I do remember you saying that SHE would be worth the wait.” Bullshit. I did remember now, even though I’d been a little drunk. And depressed, crying into a bowl of stew.
“He,” Mona growled. “You need to start to listen. And I will give you this piece of advice for free. Both of you.” She wagged her finger over the plate,which held a single piece of cake. Something with a vanilla frosting covered in sprinkles. Like a child’s birthday cake.
“You need to stop being scared of the future and just enjoy the now. The future is there, and it will bring you everything you need. But for now, you…” She poked Hugo’s shoulder. “You have strength. Bad things will come, but you will handle it. You will not worry, because you know what to do.”
Then she turned to me, stared at me as the hairs rose on the back of my neck. “And you? You know what to do too.”
“What?” There was a reason people said Mona was a fraud. She never ever made sense.
