Chapter 13 #2
‘Of course it is!’ Though she was nervous of mentioning it, her mind flew to the image of the woman with Theo on the café’s old Instagram account. ‘Ada mentioned that someone else was originally going to invest,’ she said tentatively.
‘They were.’ He didn’t offer any more, but she had to ask.
‘What happened?’
Theo shook his head. ‘It doesn’t matter. But I was supposed to have far more capital than I’ve got. If things had gone according to plan I wouldn’t be in this mess.’
‘It’s not a mess,’ Milly reassured him. ‘It really isn’t.
At least, not yet. But it could be if we don’t better control overheads and maximise profits.
’ She pushed down the urge to press for more details on what had happened – on the woman – but she remained focused.
‘You’d make so much more profit per item if we changed some of the ingredients, and I don’t think it would affect the taste. ’
‘But you’re not a chef.’ Previously his tone might have been sharper, this time it was gentle but with a hint of authority.
‘I know I’m not,’ she replied just as gently. ‘But I do know what I’m talking about.’
While she wanted him to see what she was saying, she could understand his reticence and his professional integrity.
If she’d been speaking to Tom he’d have been rude and snippy, firmly putting her in her place, but Theo was still looking at her pleadingly and it made her heart ache having to put him through this.
She went to the other side of the counter. He stopped cleaning and she placed a hand over his. ‘I know this is hard.’
He sighed deeply. ‘I know you’re right. I just don’t want to have to compromise.
My café isn’t the most famous or busiest in Copenhagen and I’ve always wanted it to do better, but it’s always been a comfort to me to know that though I might not be full of paying customers, I was at least serving the few I had the best I could give them. ’
‘I understand. But it doesn’t have to be one thing or another. We can find a way to compromise. Why don’t you think about the ingredients that have to be the best and others you could maybe try something else?’
‘Like what?’
‘I don’t know. If you want the café to be famous for its coffee, then we keep the coffee beans but cut back on that crazily priced vanilla extract I spotted.
Or if you want the pastries to be the most famous thing about Lykke, we can buy cheaper, but still nice, coffee beans and spend more on … I don’t know. Butter or flour.’
‘I suppose a lot of it is in the roasting,’ he replied. ‘And I think my priority is in the food rather than the coffee. So we could compromise there.’
‘Another idea might be for you to specialise in one or two types of pastry and use the best ingredients for those. I think a lot of how good they are is in the making. Which is you.’
He smiled at her. ‘Okay. I promise I will think about where we can use cheaper options.’
‘Thank you for listening to me.’
‘Thank you for understanding,’ he replied, his eyes darting down to where her hand still covered his.
Their eyes caught for a moment, the atmosphere changing, and she was sure his fingers twitched as though he was going to reach out for her.
With no reason to keep her hand there any longer, she reluctantly pulled away.
Theo suddenly busied himself as though embarrassed.
‘I should get started planning a menu for the festival and thinking of the ingredients we need.’
‘Sure, I’ll – I’ll—’ She stood too, eager to get away as the strange atmosphere became too much.
Awkwardness inched up her spine. ‘I might go and get some footage of the city. I got quite a lot from our little canal cruise—’ As she said it, her eyes drifted up towards his.
She had to see his face, see if his mind was replaying the same moment hers was.
From the way he glanced away, his cheeks turning pink, she knew he was, but he didn’t turn back.
‘I could umm, just do with some more iconic shots of the city.’
‘Yes, yes, good idea. Maybe try Christianshavn again.’
‘I will, yeah—’ She edged towards the door. ‘Great idea. Bye.’
She darted outside and lifted her head, feeling the sun on her face and the air release from her lungs. The attraction between them was undeniable, yet they were both pretending it wasn’t there. It was frustrating. She took a deep breath in and let it out through her nose.
Using the metro, she made her way to Christianshavn.
While she loved seeing the city with Theo, she also loved exploring on her own.
She’d never felt as safe as she did in Copenhagen and as everywhere was also signposted in English, or people spoke it perfectly, she didn’t feel at a disadvantage.
She stood at the side of the pavement and took out her notebook and began writing.
That was another thing – another feeling or experience – that made her happy and content.
Feeling safe and secure was important to her.
It had been since the accident and though coming here had taken her outside of that comfort zone, it also somehow felt like home the longer she stayed.
Milly wandered the beautiful streets of Christianshavn in the sunshine.
She’d already seen parts of it from the canal, but actually being in the district and strolling around the beautiful streets gave her a more permanent sense of the city.
Though it was technically part of the city centre according to Theo, it had its own relaxed vibe that she enjoyed.
It felt like a place people lived rather than visited.
There were small coffee shops, cute restaurants and shops and she enjoyed winding her way through the cobbled streets darting into stores that looked particularly interesting.
As she came out of one store selling cool Scandi clothing her phone rang and with a sinking feeling, she answered it.
‘Hello, darling!’ her mum said. ‘It feels like ages since you called.’
‘Sorry, Mum, it’s been busy.’
‘So,’ her mum continued. ‘How’re things in Copenhagen? Are you enjoying your break?’
‘I am, yes. Very much.’
‘I’m surprised you’re not bored having nothing to do all day.’
Milly weaved through the crowd as she spoke, eyeing the shops and deciding which one to visit next. ‘I’m actually very busy helping Ada’s friend with his café.’
‘Yes, I remember you saying.’ She didn’t add anything more, but there was an undercurrent of tension in her words. ‘So when are you coming home?’
This stopped her in her tracks, and she quickly pulled to the side of the road, not wanting to get in the way of pedestrians or cyclists. ‘My sabbatical is due to end in just under two months.’
That would give her a few weeks after the cooking festival to help Theo maximise everything but then, she’d have to leave.
Her throat felt horribly tight as all this suddenly crashed in on her.
Spying a café across the street, the building painted a bright inviting yellow, she made her way over as her mum spoke of how lovely it would be to have her back and how they’d have to make sure they saw each other more often because she’d missed her so much.
‘I do prefer having you in England where I can keep an eye on you,’ Jane said. ‘Especially after—’ She stopped herself, but Milly knew straight away what she was referring to.
‘The accident was a long time ago, Mum,’ she said gently, wishing her mum could move on as much as she had.
‘I know but I’ll always worry about my little girl. It’s what parents do.’