Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
VANESSA
Vanessa woke early. She smiled. It had been the perfect evening with Joey.
She was amazed the woman had opened up so readily to her.
She still longed to know more about her neighbour, but it felt like something had shifted the night before on the balcony.
She still couldn’t get over the candlelight, and the food and drink, and the glow of Joey’s eyes.
Before she left, she’d been so tempted to kiss Joey.
She was glad they’d only been drinking lemonade, otherwise she may have gone with her gut.
But she knew that wasn’t what Joey wanted.
Or at least, Joey had said she didn’t do relationships.
Vanessa felt certain that wasn’t because she didn’t have desires.
She knew she might be fooling herself with the notion that Joey had any feelings for her, but there was something about how she’d looked at Vanessa last night that made her wonder.
She had relished the feeling of Joey’s strong shoulders on her arms, but had broken off the hug before she did anything she’d regret.
She wondered how Joey would be this morning.
Would she still be as open as she had been the night before?
Or would she return to the taciturn version of herself that Vanessa had first met?
Over breakfast she picked up her grandmother’s recipe book.
It was so thick, with so many pages, and she tried to read a few every day, with the help of an English–Spanish dictionary, increasingly recognising words since she’d started Dani’s classes.
She smiled. She was making progress. She definitely wasn’t going to abandon this plan.
She checked her watch. It was time to head down to the bakery and meet Joey. She closed the book, but as she did so she caught a glimpse of something on the inside of the back page.
There was a hand-drawn heart. It was tiny, but big enough that two letters had been written inside it.
TS.
Vanessa traced her fingers over the letters, which looked like they had been written a very long time ago. Who or what was TS? Vanessa flipped back to the front of the book, where the names of the previous owners had been written.
Alma, Sophia, Maria.
Sophia was her great grandmother, and Alma, she thought, was probably her great, great grandmother. So who was TS? Someone that one of her family had loved? Had someone given this TS the torn-out recipe?
She closed the book, mindful of the time. She would come back to this.
Joey was already hard at work by the time she reached the kitchen. “Have you been here long?” asked Vanessa.
Joey didn’t look up, instead focusing on the mixture she was putting together. “I couldn’t sleep, so I made an early start.” She seemed unable to tear her eyes from her work.
Vanessa decided to give her some space. Every instinct in her wanted to ask if Joey was ok. But she also knew that this was a woman who sometimes needed to be left alone. “I’ll make a start on the Napolitanas, then.”
Joey grunted in response. Vanessa pursed her lips but forced herself to stay quiet. Had she done something to offend Joey? Did Joey regret telling Vanessa about her family? Vanessa didn’t know, but one thing she was sure of was that buzzing around Joey like a mosquito would not end well.
“Good morning, my dears,” said Carmen, sweeping into the kitchen with a beaming smile and her dark hair pulled back into a bun. “It’s a beautiful morning, and I can smell beautiful things in this kitchen.”
Vanessa grinned at Carmen. “Morning, Carmen. It is a lovely day.” In spite of Joey’s silence, she felt buoyed up by the closeness of the night before. “I’m making Napolitanas, and then I’m going to make some jam tarts.”
“With your homemade raspberry jam, I hope?” Carmen put her hands on her ample hips.
“Of course.” Vanessa enjoyed being part of this bakery, contributing treats from her own country and learning these Catalan and Spanish delicacies.
“Then I look forward to tasting them later. And you,” she said to Joey, “are you not going to say good morning to your Aunty Carmen?”
Joey gave a wry smile and finally put down her mixing bowl. She turned to face Carmen and Vanessa. “Good morning, Carmen, how are you?”
“I am wonderful,” said Carmen. “My son is coming to stay next week with his wife and their baby. I cannot wait to spoil him rotten.” Her cheeks were red with exuberance.
“Spoiling your son, or your grandson?” asked Joey, folding her arms across her chest, flour speckled up to her elbows.
“Both, of course,” replied Carmen with a laugh. “And my daughter-in-law too. She is an angel.”
“Well that sounds lovely,” said Vanessa.
“One day, my dear, maybe you will have children, too,” said Carmen.
Joey snorted. Vanessa looked across at her. “I’d like to have children one day,” said Vanessa, softly.
Joey sighed and returned to her mixing.
“What bee has gone into her hat today?” asked Carmen, not quite nailing the metaphor.
“There is no bee in my hat,” said Joey. “I just didn’t sleep well.”
Carmen left the pair to their work, and Vanessa opted to leave Joey to herself for an hour or so before trying any conversation. Every now and again one of them would ask the other to pass a utensil or a baking tray, but there was a comfort to their quiet work.
Once everything was in the oven, Joey finally spoke. “Coffee?”
“Sure,” said Vanessa. The cafe wasn’t open yet, so they had the pick of the tables. They opted for the one outside, so they could enjoy the last of the cooling breeze before the fearsome summer heat rose.
Carefully, after a moment or two of silence, Vanessa spoke. “Are you ok?”
“Sure,” said Joey, not quite making eye contact.
“Did you hear from your father again?” Vanessa took a different tack.
“No. Thankfully not,” said Joey with a grim smile. “Sorry, I know I’m a bit grumpy this morning. It’s not you.”
“You’re not grumpy,” Vanessa told her. “Just, um, economical with your words.”
Joey laughed out loud. “That’s the most diplomatic thing I’ve ever heard. It’s ok, I’m sorry, I know I’m being a bit grumpy.”
Vanessa felt relief, and rested her hand on Joey’s.
“I always get a bit like this after I hear from him,” said Joey. She looked down at Vanessa’s hand, and Vanessa felt suddenly self-conscious. She removed it.
“Would it help to talk to him, do you think?” asked Vanessa. “I obviously know nothing about your situation, so feel free to tell me to back off. I just wondered. And you don’t have to answer.”
Joey smiled, her eyebrows raised. “You’re very kind. I don’t know. Maybe it would help.” She took a sip of her coffee. “Where are you going for your next exploration of Barcelona?”
“Not sure yet,” said Vanessa. “There’s so much to choose from. Do you have any recommendations?”
“Well, as it happens, I do,” said Joey. “Dani and I often visit the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya. It’s an amazing place at the top of the hill looking out over the city, and there’s always something to see.”
“Oh yes, Carmen mentioned it. Now that sounds perfect,” said Vanessa.
“Dani and I were thinking of heading over there later this week if you fancy joining us?” Joey looked away from Vanessa and fiddled with her apron strings.
Vanessa was surprised and delighted by the invitation. “That sounds great, as long as I’m not intruding.”
Joey waved a hand. “I think you’ll like it there.”
Vanessa felt happy. She had begun to feel like she and Joey could be friends, and here was evidence that Joey seemed to agree with that idea. There was an insistent voice inside her telling her that perhaps she wanted to be more than friends, but she knew that wasn’t an option with Joey.
Besides, she didn’t need the distraction. She had a business to create.