Chapter 8
CHAPTER 8
F riday was its usual, hectic self, made even more so by the bright sunshine and the clear blue sky. Summer was desperate to make an appearance, but Gemma wouldn’t believe it just yet. The weather had a way of doing this, tricking her into believing that the cold, grey, rainy days were gone by offering a brief glimpse of clear skies and weather that was far too warm for jeans. But she knew that just around the corner, there could be a rainy spell with vicious winds driving all their customers away.
One thing that did brighten her mood, however, was the fact that by 1 pm, there was still no sign of Kent.
“He starts work tomorrow,” Sophie said. “Perhaps he wanted a day away from the place.”
“Probably,” Gemma replied. “And thank you for changing shifts with me. I really didn’t feel up to working tomorrow with him. The weather forecast’s not great, and the last thing I fancy is a quiet day with no one to talk to except Kent Parker.”
It wasn’t the most mature way of handling the matter. She knew that. Gemma was the manager, and she should have been the one to work with Kent on his first day, but the fact was, he had already rubbed her up the wrong way, and they would be starting off on the wrong foot. This way, she figured, she could find out from Sophie how good he was at doing his actual job. If he didn’t upset anyone else, and they didn’t get any complaints about the standard of food going down, then maybe… just maybe… she would cope. After all, the chef always came in far earlier to prep and left a couple of hours before they shut up shop. Maybe, with the help of some part-timers, Gemma could avoid seeing him altogether.
“How are you feeling, George?” she asked him just after four. Normally he would have left several hours ago, but today he had stayed in the coffee shop to say goodbye to everyone. It was a testament to what a wonderful person he was that several of the customers had come in especially to say goodbye to him on his last day of work. A couple had even brought him gifts.
“I am looking forward to the lie-ins,” he said. “I have no plan of ever setting another four-forty alarm clock again, although something tells me that when the grandchildren are old enough to stay over, I’ll be getting up at that time, anyway.”
Gemma chuckled.
“You will still come in and visit us, though, won’t you?” Sophie asked. “You know you’ve got free cups of coffee for a lifetime here.”
“Is that right? I think you ought to check that one with the boss first, don’t you?” he said, casting a grin at Gemma, though she struggled to smile back. George had been like a father figure to her during her time at the Waterfront Cafe. He had seen her grow up and watched as she tackled so many bumps in the road. It didn’t seem right that he wouldn’t be there anymore. Particularly as the person replacing him had less compassion in his entire body than George had in his little finger.
“Of course, you get free coffee for life,” she said. “I’d extend the offer to cakes too, but I know what your sweet tooth is like—you’d put us out of business.”
A light laughter filled the air. Three tables still needed to finish before they could clear away and shut up for the day, but somehow, it already felt like it was the weekend. And it would be a great one, too, as long as the weather held.
Glancing through the window, Gemma watched as a boat drifted lazily across the river, and a feeling of peace settled in her. A sense of peace that lasted until the moment she saw him walking towards her.
Kent Parker was back.