Stirred with Love (21 page)

‘I’m sorry,’ Nick told her. ‘For everything.’

‘Me too,’ she replied.

It didn’t feel awkward to hug for one last time at the front door. Kate would miss him, there was no doubt about that, and she would always have fond memories to recall. But it was time for them both to go and create some new ones.

‘Take care, Kate,’ Nick said, giving her hand one last squeeze.

Once again, Kate reversed the car out of the drive. Once again she was leaving, but this time it was final. It had been an ordeal seeing him but now that it was over with, both of them could get on with their lives. Lily was right, Kate would never forget him and, even with the revelation about Louise, she knew one day she’d remember some little anecdote, some memory, and she would smile. Because she had been happy with Nick for a long time.

As she turned out of Marble Close, the only thing Kate had on her mind that afternoon was going home. And that home, she realised, was with her new crew in Somerley.

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

‘What did you get up to last night?’ Kate asked Chloe, curious to know before they opened up the next day. She’d been in bed when Chloe had got home the night before.

‘Josh and I went to the pub – again,’ Chloe told her. Josh was one of the builders working on the church across the square. ‘I ended up copping off with him but that’s his lot now.’

‘Chloe! You didn’t!’

Chloe laughed at the shocked expression on Kate’s face. ‘Copping off doesn’t mean shagging him in full view of everyone. It means I had what you and Lily would call a good old-fashioned snog.’

‘I knew that,’ Kate acknowledged, trying to act cool but knowing that she had failed miserably. ‘I’m merely jealous. Are you seeing him again?’

There was no time for any more questioning as the first rush of the day began when all of three customers came in together.

‘I still can’t believe you’ve had enough of Josh already,’ Lucy remarked later.

‘A woman can only take so much boredom.’

‘Chloe, since you’ve been here, as well as dating Josh, you’ve already been asked out by two fella’s that I know of,’ said Kate.

‘That’s not many. Not by my normal standards anyway.’

‘We haven’t been open that long,’ Lucy commented.

‘You’re jealous too!’ Chloe ribbed, knowing she had the upper hand.

‘I’m not jealous. I already have a man.’

‘When he’s at home.’

Kate noticed Lucy scowling at Chloe but she didn’t say anything else.

‘Oh, look,’ said Chloe, completely going off the subject. ‘He’s back again. Laptop Man.’

Kate’s eyes immediately looked towards the door. It was the man who had been pretending to work on his laptop on their opening day. She noticed he was wearing another sharp suit, a few dark hairs escaping above the white of his open shirt collar. He wore the suit so well, she wondered what he’d look like in casual attire – or maybe no clothes at all! When he caught her eye and smiled, she felt the start of a blush.

‘He’s quite dishy,’ said Lucy as she continued to fill up the rack with packets of salted crisps. ‘But he’s more your age, Kate. He must be late thirties?’

‘As long as he’s older than –’ Chloe began.

 ‘Well, don’t stand around looking at him,’ said Kate. ‘Will one of you go over and take his order?’

Just then they heard a shout.

‘It’s good to see you again, mate.’ Laptop man shook hands with Serle who had just walked in and they embraced in a bear hug. A lot of manly pats on the back later and Serle sat down opposite him.

Chloe was over to them in a flash, leaving Kate wondering if she would ever get to grips with her candour.

Lily came to see Kate just before The Coffee Shop closed for the night. The last customer had left about twenty minutes ago. Chloe had already gone upstairs.

‘How is everything here?’ Lily asked her.

‘Fine, I think.’ Kate sat down at a table and pulled out a chair for Lily. ‘There’s a little tension between Chloe and Lucy though. I’m not sure how to handle it.’

‘Then don’t. I think it will sort itself out.’

‘I keep thinking that, but then another petty argument starts and they’re off again. They seem to be purposely trying to outdo one another. Maybe I made a mistake by employing Lucy.’

‘Oh?’ Lily questioned.

‘I thought that Chloe would like someone more her own age to work with but she seems to be the bitchier of the two. And her remarks are far more hurtful.’

‘She’ll calm down in time. At the moment, Lucy has come in and knocked everything off balance. It’s you they’re fighting over.’

Kate frowned. ‘Me?’

‘Yes, your friendship. You and Chloe were in this from the beginning. Lucy coming in has altered the dynamics for a while. Chloe and Lucy are vying for your attention. Chloe has the upper hand because she works and lives with you. Lucy probably feels left out of things as she’s only here for a few hours at a time. It’s up to you to either chastise them or let them work it out for themselves.’

‘I’m not sure which way will be best.’

Lily shrugged. ‘That’s why you’re my second-in-command, Kate. It’s your choice. You’ll have to reprimand Chloe if you feel she needs it. And you have the authority to hire and fire, if you want to finish Lucy.’

‘No, I don’t want to do that. I like Lucy and I think if they weren’t so stubborn, they’d get along really well. I just want them to be friends.’

‘I’m sure they will be in time,’ said Lily.

Once Lily had gone back upstairs and she’d swept the floor, Kate sank back into the chair and rested her chin in her hands. This supervising thing was turning out to be a nightmare. Because she’d never had to discipline anyone before, she couldn’t make her mind up if she was over-reacting to a bit of harmless fun or whether Chloe was really overstepping the mark. Perhaps she should have a quiet word with her, nip things in the bud, so to speak. But how would she react? What would happen if she made things worse?

Kate sighed loudly. This was awful. She didn’t want Lily thinking she wasn’t capable of doing her job.

Because now things had changed with Nick, there was no way she was going back to Brentside.

Early Thursday morning, Chloe had just come out of the bathroom after a shower when she heard a thud. Knowing Kate had already gone down to open up, she dismissed the noise. Until she heard someone whisper her name loudly.

‘Lily!’ Chloe spotted her lying on the floor at the bottom of the stairs. She was wearing her nightdress, one of her slippers lay across the room. Her knees crumpled beneath her every time she strived to get to her feet. Shocked by her pasty complexion, Chloe rushed down to her.

Lily grasped Chloe’s hand and whimpered in pain.

‘What happened?’ Chloe asked.

‘I’m…I’m…not sure. One minute…I was walking across the hallway…the next thing…I’m on the floor.’

Chloe let her catch her breath before asking her another question. The clock on the wall said ten past eight. ‘How long have you been here?’

‘Not too long. I just went down to have a quick word with Kate. I must have tripped over my slipper.’

Chloe could see how much pain Lily was in as she helped her up. ‘You really need to see a doctor. I’ll –’

‘No!’ Lily’s tone was sharp. ‘I only need to rest.’

Chloe squeezed Lily’s frozen fingers to warm them up. ‘But you might have broken a bone. You look like you’ve fallen hard.’

‘It’s a bit of cramp. I’ll be fine.’

Knowing she wasn’t going to be heard, Chloe turned to leave but Lily stopped her.

‘I’m sorry I was short with you, love. Please don’t tell anyone you found me like this.’

Chloe spotted her chance. ‘Ok,’ she nodded. ‘I won’t say anything, but only if you’ll ring your doctor. You might be better with a course of anti-biotics or strong painkillers. That leg is going to be sore.’

Lily nodded too. ‘If it still hurts tomorrow, I’ll definitely ring.’

Chloe observed the pleading look on her face. ‘Okay,’ she relented. ‘If you’re sure.’

‘How are the plans going for your wedding, Vicky?’ Kate stopped at table two and glanced at the magazine the young woman was reading. ‘I like that one there,’ she added, pointing to a dress. ‘It’s really elegant.’

Vicky looked up, dark eyebrows raised. ‘Kate, I won’t get into that if I don’t eat anything for the next two years, never mind the next two months. Besides, I’ve already chosen my dress last year. I’m going for the final fitting next week.’

‘You’re going to look gorgeous,’ Kate patted her reassuringly on her shoulder and moved back to the counter. ‘I think I’ll check on Lily,”’ she told Chloe as she walked past. ‘I haven’t seen her since first thing this morning. It’s gone midday already.’

‘She’s resting,’ Chloe replied without thinking. ‘I said I wouldn’t disturb her.’

‘Oh. Why?’

Chloe felt a rush of red flooding her cheeks. ‘Well, I…’
Well, I, what? Think, Chloe, think.

But it was too late.

‘You should have said something,’ Kate said, after she’d told her how she had found Lily. ‘Have you any idea how dangerous a fall could be for someone of Lily’s age? She could have broken her hip, or caused a blood clot. Anything could be wrong. What time did you see her, was it first thing?’

Chloe nodded. ‘Yes, but she told me not to tell you.’

‘She would, she doesn’t like to be fussed over.’ Kate flicked her eyes towards Lucy as she came in from the kitchen to see what all the commotion was about. ‘Did you know that Lily was poorly?’

Lucy shook her head. ‘You know I would have told you if I did.’ She turned to Chloe when Kate relayed the story. ‘I can’t believe you haven’t said anything.’

‘But she told me not to tell you!’ Chloe’s bottom lip began to tremble. ‘I didn’t do anything deliberately.’

Kate headed for the door. ‘Well, you’d better pray she’s okay when I see her. How could you have been so stupid?!’

Lily could hardly keep her eyes from closing after she’d got back to her room. But despite her fall, her leg seemed to be better than she had expected. Instead that drum was beating in her head again and she felt exhausted with the effort of holding a conversation. Lily was tired of catching every bug that was doing the rounds, not thinking for a minute that it might be her age catching up with her.

Later that afternoon, Kate popped in to see her again. ‘You still look pale,’ she said, handing her a fresh glass of water and an aspirin. Lily swore by aspirins, said they were great for lots of things. ‘Are you going to make an appointment to see –?’

With a wave of her hand, Kate found herself dismissed. ‘No need,’ said Lily, almost too confidently. ‘I’ll be as right as rain in a day or two.’

Kate sighed as she left the room. There was no point in saying anything else. Lily was old enough to know her own mind – and stubborn with it too. If she said she was feeling better, then Kate would have to believe her. No matter how exhausted she seemed.

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

During Thursday’s lunch break, Chloe was on a mission to find a pair of shoes to go with the sleeveless top she’d bought at the weekend. She headed for the outdoor market, taking a stroll through the stalls with their ‘everything for a pound’, handbags galore, t-shirts for £2.99 and cheap trainers.

‘Have you got these in a size seven?’ she asked a bored looking assistant from Clara’s shoe stall. While she searched around in the back of the van, Chloe turned her head in time to see two girls in the fast food mobile unit huddled together, glancing in her direction and laughing. She turned away and then back seconds later when one of them shrieked. Feeling intimidated yet curious, she gave them a harsh look but this seemed to make them worse. Chloe frowned. Do you know she wouldn’t put it past them to…?

Without waiting for the assistant to emerge with the shoes, she stormed across to them. ‘Just what the hell is your game?’ she challenged the taller of the two. Close up, Chloe realised she was a lot older than she’d originally thought. It was her stripy bleached hair, tied neatly in two plaits, which made her seem younger. The girl standing next to her could easily be her younger sister.

‘Yes, I am talking to you!’ Chloe waited for an acknowledgement. ‘It was you who nicked our sign, wasn’t it?’

‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ the girl answered and began to flip her next batch of burgers. Fat spat up in every direction.

‘I saw you just then. It was obvious that you were talking about me,’ Chloe leant over and read her name badge, ‘Angela.’

‘We weren’t talking about you...Chloe,’ Angela said as she did the same. ‘We were actually talking about last night’s telly if you’re that desperate to know. I think
Coronation Street
was far more interesting.’

‘Don’t give me that! I can see right through your stupid game. You’re no competition, believe me.’

A flash of understanding shot across Angela’s face as she also read the logo above the name. ‘Oh,
I
get it. You work in that new café in the square.’

‘It’s a coffee shop, actually,’ Chloe corrected with an exaggerated sigh.

Up came the hand. ‘Whatever.’

‘Well, it’s a success story in the making, if you must know.’

‘So what do you take me for? This is my granddad’s van. I’ve worked here for years and there’s not a chance I’d risk his name by stealing something as useless, and as crap, as a sign.’ Angela threw Chloe a look of steel whilst handing a burger to a customer waiting in the small queue.

Chloe seethed inwardly. ‘Look, there’s no point in playing silly games because we’re not about to be pushed around by some stupid greasy set up who thinks a house special is high cholesterol and 40gms of fat per meal. Our customers want class. They come to us because we’re good. So whatever you do, we’re not going anywhere. Got it?’

Angela heaved up the serving hatch and let it bang against the side of the van. She flew down the wooden steps, stopping inches away from Chloe to point a finger into her face.

‘Now listen here, hotshot. I don’t know what your game is but you’d better watch what you’re saying. We haven’t done anything to upset your business or your customers. We’ve got better things to do with our time and quite frankly, we’re a little too long in the tooth to fool around. So why don’t you take your young scrawny ass back to where it came from before I decide to cover your baby face in whatever high cholesterol produce that comes to hand?’