Chapter 25
Chapter 25
I was too exhausted to even contemplate going to karaoke with the girls last night. Instead, I finished up late at High Tea, went straight home, and flopped into bed.
And now, after a long but erratic sleep, my head filled to the brim with a cacophony of thoughts, I find myself back here on High Tea’s final day.
Just as I did yesterday, I stand in the center of the room and take a long look around me. This is it, the final day, the end of High Tea—and the end of my Cozy Cottage journey.
It’s certainly been a week of big decisions.
“I really wish you weren’t leaving us, Sophie,” Bailey says as she and Paige weave through the tables toward me. “We are so sad to lose you.”
Paige shakes her head, her face drawn. “We’ll never be able to replace you. You’ve been a part of the Cozy Cottage from the beginning, before even me.”
My chest tightens. It’s true, I have been here from the beginning. As a new graduate, I walked into the café and fell in love with the place. I met the happy, smiling Bailey, and she told me she was looking for a barista as she handed me my very first slice of Cozy Cottage cake. It sure wasn’t my last, and the rest is history, a history I’m glad I was a part of.
A history that now can be only that.
“I guess with High Tea closing, it seems like the right time to go,” I say. “You know what? Managing High Tea every weekend has been my dream. I know things haven’t worked out the way we wanted them to, but I’ve loved every minute.”
“Oh, stop it.” Paige fans her face as tears spill down her cheeks.
“I also want to thank you both for giving me the chance to show you my High Tea vision this weekend. It, well, it meant a lot to me.” My voice has begun to quaver, my throat hot and tight.
“It’s beautiful, Sophie, and being fully booked has been amazing, too,” Bailey says, her own eyes brimming with tears.
Paige wipes her tears away. “You mean over booked. You had to bring some of the tables in from the café yesterday.”
“I had people standing to drink their coffee in the café,” Bailey adds. “It was a good problem to have.”
“There you all are,” a deep voice says behind us.
We turn to see Alex standing in the entrance to the kitchen, his hair tied back, his handsome face beaming in a broad smile. “You all ready for the grand finale?”
I turn back and look from Paige to Bailey, and I can see in their eyes that today is tough on them, too. “I guess we are?”
Bailey presses her lips together and nods. “Let’s give this place the sendoff it deserves.”
And what a sendoff. Megan and the band play throughout the day, we have a seemingly endless stream of customers, and we’re so busy I’ve barely got the chance to think about anything else.
Well, almost.
Erin and Darcy arrive for their final Cozy Cottage High Tea indulgence in the middle of the day, and I take them to my favorite table for two in the room, right by the window.
“How are you holding up?” Erin asks as she takes her seat.
“I’m trying not to think about it. Any of it,” I reply stiffly. “Okay. Here are your menus. The handsome Alex will be your server today, and he’ll be over to take your order shortly.”
“Alex is fun, and super cute,” Erin says with a grin. “Don’t you think, Darce?”
Darcy gives a shrug. “Sure, he might be pretty to look at, but I knew him in high school, remember? I don’t exactly feel all warm and fuzzy about that guy.”
“What did he do to you? You’ve never told us,” Erin says.
“Let’s just say I wish we’d formed the No More Bad Dates Pact a long, long time ago,” she replies elusively.
“So, will you be asking us to vet him sometime soon?” I tease.
Darcy fixes me with her stare. “That’d be a hard no.”
“What’s a hard no?” Alex asks as he materializes at my side. “Hello, ladies. You’re looking particularly stunning today.”
As Erin beams at him and Darcy harrumphs and crosses her arms, I respond to a customer waving at me from another table before I make my way back to the podium to greet our next group of customers.
“We really must stop meeting for high tea like this, McCarthy,” a voice I know so well says.
I steel myself for a major heart contraction before I look up from my list of bookings into Jason’s eyes. Just as he was yesterday, he looks impossibly Keanu Reeves handsome, only this time he’s in a crisp white button up shirt, showing off his tan skin and dark hair.
“After today, that won’t be a problem.” I try out a smile. Judging by the way Jason’s own cheeky version drops, my bet is it comes out more as a grimace.
“You doing okay there, champ?”
I lift my shoulders. “It’s a tough day.”
“Let me make it all up to you when you’re home tonight.”
My voice is a touch breathless when I reply, “Sure.” My mind goes to a place Jason didn’t intend. And I’m not going to tell exactly where it goes, but let’s just say it’s not the sort of thing you’d tell your mum about—and leave it at that.
“Now. Focus, McCarthy. Today’s booking is under ‘O’Leary’ for three o’clock. We should be the final booking of the day.”
As I scan the sheet for the name with my finger, I ask, “Why ‘O’Leary,’ exactly, Jas? Let me guess. Another famous TV doctor?”
“Oh, it’s his idea of a joke.”
I snap my head up at the familiar voice to see Mum waiting at Jason’s side, her eyes bright, her face glowing.
“James ‘Big Jim’ O’Leary was an Irish mob boss in Chicago back in the 1800s,” she continues as though she’s swallowed a history book. “We’re the ‘O’Learys’ today. Your Jason here fancies himself as a bit of a jokester, dote .”
My Jason? My cheeks heat right up. I walk around the podium to give Mum a hug. “Hey, Mum. I didn’t know you were coming today.”
It was too hard for me to admit defeat to my family, especially after making my big announcement about my new career direction when I first got the High Tea job. Although I hadn’t stuck around at the Mandatory McCarthy Meal on Thursday night to listen to the “I told you so’s” from Sean, Caitlin, Fiona, and Abigail, I had told them of High Tea’s unfortunate demise. Until I looked at my mum’s beaming face in this very moment, I didn’t think I wanted any of them here today.
Mum takes my hands in hers, and that emotional lump that keeps pestering my throat turns up, making my eyes hot and gummy. “We’re proud of you, love. All of us, even your brother and sisters, who I know can be right bossy when they get stuck on something.”
I press my lips together and give a small nod. “Right bossy” is exactly what they can be.
“We wouldn’t have known you were doing all this if it wasn’t for your Jason here.”
There it is again: my Jason . Despite every reason not to, I lift my eyes to his, and my heart skips a beat. His eyes are full of kindness as he looks back at me.
“This place looks just wonderful, mo stoirín . And the music! Who would have thought to have lively music playing at high tea?”
I try to blink away the tears that have welled in my eyes, but one of them evades capture and slides down my cheek. “Thanks, Mum.”
She rubs my arm. “Now, now. Don’t go getting all sad about it. You’ve got an important job to do today.”
“I know.”
“Now, where are you sitting us? We’ll need a good-sized table.”
“You will?” I ask as the door swings open. I look over and blink at the gaggle of people. My people. My family, every last one of them.
“Hey, sis,” Abigail says as Sean nods at me and Fiona and Caitlin plant kisses on my cheeks.
“Hello, love,” Dad says, bringing up the rear. He whistles as he looks around. “This place looks incredible. You’ve zhuzhed it up a bit, haven’t you?”
A giggle of surprised happiness and nervousness bubbles up inside me—happiness because I love my family and Jason brought them to be here today, and nervousness because, well, they’re my family and having them here showcases my failure to ‘do something important’ with my life.
“We have zhuzhed it up, Dad. You’re right.” I echo the expression he’s used since we were kids.
I look around at my family’s faces, and at Jason, who has slunk to the back of the “O’Leary” mafia pack. Choking with emotion once more, I barely manage to say, “Thanks for coming, guys. It-it means a lot to me.”
Mum waves my comment away. “We’ve all come with a fierce appetite today.”
“She told us all to skip lunch,” Sean complains.
“We’re starving!” Abigail adds.
I lead them to our largest table by the whitewashed brick fireplace at the back of the room then pass out their menus. Alex comes to greet them, and Mum goes supersonic Irish on us all in her excitement. “Oh, dote . It’s grand to see you. Grand!”
“What are you doing here, Alex?” Caitlin asks. “The last Auntie Margie told us, you were in India doing amazing things.”
Alex’s smile is smooth when he replies, “Now I’m here doing amazing things with Sophie at Cozy Cottage High Tea. Hasn’t she done an incredible job with this place?”
Nice change of topic there, Alex.
My family murmurs their consensus.
“What’s good here?” Sean asks as he peruses his menu.
“All of it.” Jason’s voice is firm as he takes his seat next to Mum. “Go for the most expensive option, Sean, and order one for everyone. Your treat, right?”
As Sean begrudgingly confirms it is indeed his treat, I beam at Jason.
Seriously. Could he get any more freaking perfect?
At closing time, the only customers left in the room are Erin, Darcy, Jason, and my family, all of whom look thoroughly well-fed and satisfied. Megan and her brothers are packing up their instruments and Bailey and Paige’s husbands, Ryan and Josh, have arrived along with Cassie and husband, Will, and Marissa and boyfriend, Nash—the initial four members of the One Last First Date Pact, the inspiration for our own dating pact.
The front door is locked, and it’s party time. Cozy Cottage High Tea is now officially no more, and it’s not an exaggeration for me to say I feel like a small part of me has gone with it (okay, maybe it is a little over the top, but this feeling really sucks).
I lean up against the wall between the large mirrors we hung only days before. I have a sunken feeling as I look around the familiar faces, the faces I won’t see as often anymore. The faces that have made my Cozy Cottage world what it’s been.
I feel Jason’s presence beside me before I hear him say, “A penny for them?”
“Oh, I’m feeling a little sad, that’s all.”
“Saying goodbye is hard.”
I lift my eyes to his before I look quickly away. I’ve not had the courage to tell Jason I plan on moving out yet. I’m not sure how he’s going to take it.
There’s a clinking sound of spoon against glass. Bailey has ensured we all have a glass of champagne in our hands, and once she has everyone’s attention, she begins to speak. “High Tea was Paige’s and my baby, and more recently, it had become Sophie’s baby, too. Together, I think we created something special here.” There’s a murmur of agreement. “It was just a shame not more Aucklanders thought that, too,” she adds and a ripple of laughter rolls through the room. “Sophie, thank you for everything you’ve done. The Cozy Cottage will miss you, but we wish you all the best in your new, exciting career at your sister’s company.”
I can feel Jason’s questioning gaze boring into me, but I don’t turn to look.
“So, I ask that you all raise your glasses and give a final toast to Cozy Cottage High Tea. We’re going to miss it here.”
“To Cozy Cottage High Tea,” people repeat.
I feel Jason’s hand on my arm, and I scrunch my eyes shut, knowing what’s to come. “You’re taking the internship at Baby-ness?”
I bite my lip and turn to face him. “It’s better than working for boring lawyers, don’t you think?” My attempt to make light of it falls on deaf ears.
He knits his brows together. “Why?”
“Because I realized Sean and my sisters are right. I need to do something with my life, Jas. Managing High Tea has shown me I’m capable of doing so much more. I’ve loved working here at the Cozy Cottage, but it feels right to move on. You’re following your dream and becoming a doctor. I’m twenty-six next month, and I’ve done nothing with my life.”
“That’s crazy, Soph. You’ve done loads. And anyway, why are you listening to Sean? I’m sorry, I know he’s your brother and all, but he’s a total dick.”
Despite it all, I bite back a smile. Jason never fails to have my back, and I love him for it.
And that’s the biggest problem of them all.
“Sean might not be the easiest of brothers, it’s true, but I know he’s always trying to look out for me, to give me opportunities I wouldn’t otherwise have. He may go about it in a domineering, OTT way—all my siblings do—but at his heart, he’s a good guy and I know he loves me.”
Jason shakes his head, his gaze not leaving my face. “Is it what you want, Soph?”
The tenderness in his voice has my heart contracting despite the heavy brick in the pit of my stomach. “What I want, I can’t have, so I’ve got to go for the next best thing.”
“And that’s Baby-ness?”
I nod. “Caitlin’s agreed to pay me a wage. It’ll grow to a full-time salary once I’m up to speed with the business. She’s going to mentor me. I’ll learn a lot from her.”
He studies my face for a beat, two. Eventually, he says, “Does this mean you’re moving out of our apartment?”
I allow my shoulders to slump as I look down at my feet. “That’s another thing I’ve got to do.”
And then he does something I don’t expect. Instead of telling me I’m crazy, he takes me by the hand and says, “Come with me.”
“Where?” I ask, confused.
“Sophie McCarthy, for once in your life, can you do something I ask you to do without questioning it?”
His warm hand still holding mine, I scrunch up my nose and reply, “Okay. Just this once.”
He leads the way out to the covered courtyard at the back of the room. It’s empty but for some tables and chairs and fairy lights adorning the walls. Once in the middle of the space, he turns to face me and takes my other hand in his.
My heart is pounding like one of those huge drums at the back of an orchestra, and as I look up and see the intensity in his dark eyes, my breath hitches in my throat.
Doesn’t he know what this is doing to me? To my heart?
“Erin told me you’re not dating Cameron Lewis.”
Confused by the unexpected change in topic, I say, “I . . . what?”
“Don’t be annoyed with her. She slipped up and felt bad about it.” He squeezes my hands. “Soph, did you ever wonder why I didn’t come to his vetting that night?”
I shake my head. I had assumed he was on a date with Megan, but by the way he’s looking at me right now, I’m not so sure.
“My fear was that I wouldn’t find a reason for you not to date him. So, I stayed away.”
I try to swallow, but my throat has dried up so much it’s like a couple of pieces of parchment paper rubbing together. “Wh-why are you telling me this, Jas? I don’t get what me not dating Cameron has to do with me working at Baby-ness and leaving the apartment.”
His face lights up as he laughs. “I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but you’re leaving, and I don’t care about our friendship.”
I blink at him. “You don’t care about our friendship? What are you talking about?”
“Soph, I know this is probably going to freak you out, and I get it. Really, I do. I’ve wrestled with this for so long now, and I’ve had enough of keeping this inside.” He takes a deep breath, the emotion written across his face intensifying. “Sophie, I don’t want to be friends with you anymore. I’ve-I’ve fallen in love with you.” He holds his breath.
My jaw drops to the floor. “You’re in love with me?” I feel like I’m in a dream, only the last thing I want to do is wake up from it.
He lets go of my hands and runs his fingers through his hair, clearly agitated. “I shouldn’t have said anything. I’m so stupid .” He rests his hands on the back of his neck and looks at me. “I’ve wrecked it, haven’t I? I’ve totally wrecked the most important thing in my life. I can’t believe I did this. What the heck was I thinking?”
“You’re in love with me?” I repeat like I’m some sort of robot. “But . . . but Megan.”
He shakes his head. “We broke up. She worked it out.”
“Worked what out?” I breathe.
“That I was in love with someone else. They all work it out, eventually.”
I blink at him, trying to process his words. The revolving door of girlfriends has all been because he’s in love with me ?
“Just forget it. Please.” He bows his head and I reach out to touch his face. When he lifts his eyes to meet mine, I see the pain and anguish lurking beneath, and I know exactly what to do. It’s what I’ve wanted to do—no, what I’ve needed to do—for so long.
I step closer to him and put my hand on his cheek. I push myself up onto the tips of my toes, and as I close my eyes, I brush my lips against his. He responds in an instant by wrapping his strong arms around me and pulling me close. And we kiss. And kiss. It’s breathtakingly perfect, the kind of kiss you can easily live your whole life without experiencing. The kind of kiss you can only ever have with someone you love with all your heart and soul.
I pull back and look up into his eyes, my heart full. “Did you know that I am totally and completely in love with you, too, Jason Christie?”
The biggest grin I’ve ever seen busts out over his gorgeous face. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to hear you say that to me.” He kisses me again, long and passionately, and if he wasn’t holding me so tightly, I think I might have swooned right here in the courtyard.
“I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you,” I say as I pepper his face with kisses. He laughs such a warm, deep laugh, it has electricity shooting through me.
He pulls back and looks deep into my eyes. “You know, a girl I know once told me she wants a guy to quote some lame Arianna Grande song to her and really, really mean it.”
“That girl has got some good taste in music,” I jest.
“That’s debatable.”
I punch him lightly on the arm.
“Sophie McCarthy? I am so in love with you, I can barely breathe.”
I’ve never been this happy in my entire life. I bite my lip as tears prick my eyes. “Right back atcha, Christie.”