Chapter 7 #2
After three more coffees and three more spandauer, Milly walked into Lykke feeling like her stomach was about to explode.
The amount of coffee she’d drunk hadn’t quite absorbed into the copious amounts of pastry, and she felt like it was swishing around her tummy.
She looked down, sure her stomach had doubled in size since the morning began.
‘I was going to ask if you wanted a drink,’ Theo said, ‘but if I have to look at a coffee again I might throw up. Luckily we don’t have any customers, ever, because I might vomit if I have to make one too.’
He flopped into a chair and stared out of the window at the canal, the water moving gently around them. ‘I do love it here though. I still think it’s nicer than all the other cafés.’
‘I agree,’ Milly replied and Theo turned around, meeting her eye.
Again something passed between them, but this wasn’t the crackle of electricity; this was gentle, meaningful.
Like invisible threads were reaching out from each of them, attempting to bind together in the space in between.
Feeling a sort of pressure mount in her chest, Milly forced herself to speak.
‘Can I get some water?’ she asked, motioning to behind the counter.
‘Of course. You don’t have to ask. You’re here for the summer; come and help yourself.’
‘Do you want one?’
‘Yes. Thank you.’
She poured two glasses of water and sat with him at one of the tables. The sun was streaming in through the tall windows, sending golden light into the café. The canal was calm and, again, she could have been on dry land for how much the boat moved.
‘So what did you make of this morning?’ she asked.
‘That it’s given me stomach ache.’ He leaned over the table, burying his head on his crossed elbows and Milly resisted the urge to giggle.
She also had to resist reaching out and pushing her fingers into his thick, dark hair.
To distract herself, she took out her phone and, as she did so, Theo lifted his head.
‘So what did you learn that will save my business?’
She chewed her lip considering, then looked up to see Theo watching her, his eyes on her mouth. The back of her neck prickled, and she cleared her throat. ‘So the thing I noticed most was that the other cafés all offer the same thing.’
‘There are a few things all Copenhagen cafés should offer,’ he added. ‘Spandauer are one of them.’
‘Yes, but you do those things so much better and—’
‘Wait! Was that a compliment?’
‘It was. I’ll give you a minute to enjoy it. But you should think about offering other things too.’
‘Like what?’
She stared around her. ‘Well, you loved tinkering with the cinnamon bun recipe, yes?’
‘Tinkering is not what I do.’ His eyebrows had pulled together as he scowled.
Realising she’d inadvertently insulted him, she said, ‘Sorry, I don’t know bakery-type words. What would you call it?’
‘Enhancing.’
‘Okay. Enhancing. What other things do you like to make that you didn’t see in the other cafés?’
He ran a hand over his face, pulling it down the stubble lining his jaw. It looked soft and strokable. ‘I do have a passion for flavour pairings but haven’t really explored that. I thought I needed to do the same as everyone else – what the tourists expect.’
An idea suddenly occurred to her, and excitement grew, forcing away the queasiness from all the pastry. ‘You could appeal to locals as well as tourists.’
‘I thought you said I had to be niche?’
‘Your offering should be niche, but you can still appeal to different sets of customers through that niche offering.’
‘That’s not what you said earlier.’
She glanced at him to see if he was joking, but that mischievous glint wasn’t there. Was he growing defensive again?
‘Yes it is.’
‘It’s not.’
They were definitely back into defensive territory now and rather than retreat, which would waste all the work they’d done this morning, she decided to press on and challenge him to change his view.
He wouldn’t get anywhere all the while he refused to take stock. ‘Why are you being so argumentative?’
‘I’m not.’
‘Yes you are. What exactly is the matter?’ She sat back and cleaned her glasses that were marked with pastry fingerprints. ‘Is it that you don’t like a woman making clever suggestions?’ She’d met enough men like that in her line of work.
Theo frowned. ‘It has nothing to do with you being a woman!’
‘Then what it is?’
He stood up and began pacing. ‘How would you feel if I looked at your precious Instagram and told you everything you were doing is wrong.’
‘That’s not what I’ve done at all.’
‘Maybe not, but you said I tinker with recipes!’
‘That was a mistake!’ She opened her mouth to speak again but Theo continued.
‘I’ve invested everything I have into this business. If it doesn’t work, I’ll be bankrupt, and you want me to just throw more money at it? At more ingredients, at—’
‘What other option do you have? You can’t carry on as you are.’
‘Maybe I’ll figure something else out. Something that doesn’t involve this sort of thing and—’
‘And me?’
She shot up to standing even though it made sick rise into the base of her throat.
So he knew better did he? How many men like that had she met over the course of her career?
More than she could count, but she hadn’t thought Theo was one of them.
Anger rose inside. She was wasting her time.
Come all this way for no reason. The thought sent a flame of annoyance through her.
‘If that’s what you want, go ahead.’ She grabbed her bag and walked towards the door.
‘Fine! I will!’
She spun back to face him. ‘And by the way, you’re the most annoying man I think I’ve ever met.’
‘And you’re the most annoying woman I’ve ever met!’
‘Good!’
‘Good!’
She marched onto the bank and stomped off down the street leaving Theo stood in his empty café. If he wasn’t going to take her expertise on board, then that was down to him. She’d go and enjoy Copenhagen instead.