Chapter 20 #2
Theo smiled his lopsided grin, and she resisted the urge to kiss him.
‘It’s the same here, Milly. It actually rains a lot in Denmark.
We’ve had a very good summer so far. But when it rains, you just have to get on with it.
I promise it’ll be fine.’ He lifted his head and kissed her cheek. ‘Come on, we better get up.’
Milly wasn’t convinced he was right, but at least they were both up and ready to get started.
They could barely talk to each other on the walk to the café as the rain continued to deafen them. Her umbrella just about managed to withstand the wind. Theo opened the door and turned on the heaters as soon as they stepped inside.
‘I have to admit …’ he said, looking out of the windows as the water rebounded on the surface of the canal. The boat was swaying more than it ever had before in the wind. ‘This is heavier than I thought. I had hoped it might calm down by now.’
‘See! And you thought I was worrying over nothing.’
He shook his head, ignoring her teasing. ‘We’d better have a drink and then get the place ready, just in case. I have everything ready to go. I just need to pull the pork and plate up some sandwiches.’
Milly was excited for the pulled-pork-inspired sm?rrebr?d that Theo was combining with traditional Danish pickled cucumber, which would cut through the smoky, rich barbecue sauce wonderfully. She left him to it and began to set the tables but kept looking at the clock and the time ticking down.
An hour later, as they were about to open for the event, only a few customers had arrived, and Theo and Milly looked at each other with dread clear in their eyes.
This had been one of the costliest events in terms of ingredients and while people had paid for tickets in advance, she worried about refunds and that the weather would stop the knock-on effect that had been happening since the festival began, filling them up with walk-ins before and after events.
With no choice but to get underway, Theo was just beginning to serve the few customers who’d arrived when a giant crack of thunder, and a fork of lightning so bright it lit the sky all around them, made them all jump.
The English customer smiled at her husband and said, ‘I’m glad we’re in here and not out there.’
They at least were enjoying their meal, but the street outside was empty.
The other customers who had booked clearly figuring it wasn’t worth getting soaked on the way to lunch.
All the way through the event, the seats remained sadly empty and when the English couple went to leave, Theo presented them with some more goodies he’d prepared for them to take away.
‘Please take them. It’s better than them going to waste.’
‘Are you sure?’ the woman asked. ‘We’re happy to pay for them.’
‘No, no, no! I insist.’
She beamed and leaned in conspiratorially. ‘We’ll smuggle them into our hotel and have a picnic on our balcony.’
‘If the rain stops,’ her husband added.
Everyone looked at the sky, the rain still battering the roof of the café.
For two hours, Theo and Milly watched the rain batter the surface of the canal.
Then the rain slowed, and the clouds drifted away.
Blue sky began to peek through the grey and before they knew it, the café was bathed in sunshine, the streets full of customers and it was as if the morning of biblical rain had never happened.
The café attracted a few customers, and Theo was able to offer them some of the sm?rrebr?d as a special, but Milly could see the disappointment in his eyes.
He stood dejectedly behind the counter, wiping already clean surfaces and moving containers back and forth for no real reason.
Milly joined him and slid her hand into his.
‘It’s only one event and it seems other people had it just as bad.
Look.’ She showed him her phone and swiped through pictures from the cooking festival’s feed urging people to still take advantage of the events and showing pictures of empty restaurants.
‘And we still have our big event tomorrow.’
‘At least the weather is supposed to be better for that,’ he replied. ‘I’m sorry.’ He dipped his head, resting both hands on the counter. ‘I know I’m being miserable. It’s just that with this place—’ he motioned to the café ‘—it always feels like it’s two steps forwards and one step back.’
‘I understand that.’ She felt like her life was like that at the moment and had done particularly when she was starting her content creation and her follower count went up and down like a yoyo.
‘But we’re doing better than we were before this, so don’t let this one hiccup discourage you. We are getting there, I promise.’
Theo turned to her and, without speaking, cupped her face, drawing her mouth towards him.
He kissed her slowly and tenderly and she was reminded of him calling her his love.
He hadn’t said the word again since, and she hadn’t mentioned it.
Yes, she’d run the moment through her head several times, overanalysed it and then tried not to think about it, but she hadn’t said anything back.
Right now, staring into his face, she wanted to tell him how in love with him she was, how she wanted to move to Copenhagen to be with him, to build a new life for herself there. To start living properly.
‘I’m glad I met you, Milly,’ he said breathily, his forehead resting against her own.
She opened her mouth, trying to gather her courage, but the nerves in her stomach tightened, strangling her voice and brain. ‘I’m glad I met you,’ she whispered.
‘Excuse me,’ called an American customer. ‘Sorry, but I did ask for a double shot. Is this a double shot?’
They both smiled at each other and Theo turned. ‘I think so. But let me make another just to be sure.’
‘Thanks. I appreciate it.’
Milly glanced at him, and they shared a giggle as her phone pinged. It was a message sent to the Lykke Instagram account.
‘What’s wrong?’ Theo asked as he made the coffee.
Her eyes widened as she read the message, unable to take it in.
‘A food critic has messaged asking for a seat at the brunch tomorrow. She came to the event the other day with the Middle Eastern flavours and loved it. She’s excited to see what we’re doing with this big brunch. She likes the title too.’
‘Are we sold out?’ Theo asked.
‘Yes, but I think we can squeeze her in. We have to.’
‘But what if she hates it?’
There it was again, that flash of vulnerability.
‘What if she doesn’t?’ Milly replied. She clicked to view her profile. ‘I’ve just checked her out online. She writes for loads of foodie magazines and outlets; she has a huge following too. We can’t let this opportunity go, Theo.’
He shook his head. ‘I’m not sure. It’s too risky. She could ruin us if she doesn’t like it.’
‘I don’t think that’ll happen. Firstly, you’re an amazing chef and secondly, she’s already eaten some of your food and wants to come back for more. That’s a great sign. Please, Theo, I really think we should do this. We have to take chances sometime.’
As their eyes met, it was as if unspoken words and undeclared feelings swam between them. She wanted to take his hand as though she could say everything she wanted to in a single touch, but instead she gripped her phone, silently pleading he’d agree.
‘Okay,’ he said after a second. ‘Okay. Yes, you’re right. We’ve come this far. We might as well do it properly. Let’s do it. But if I want to impress her, I might have to make some last-minute changes to the menu.’
‘That’s fine. We haven’t advertised the exact food anywhere. As long as we stick to pastries and sm?rrebr?d it’ll be fine. What do you plan to do?’
He grinned and she was glad to see his shoulders relax down. ‘Something special. Something that will blow her away.’