Chapter Twenty-Seven
‘Oh, wow Eff, this looks amazing!’ Maddie exclaimed as she threw herself onto one of the armchairs. ‘How do you get any work done with that view?’
The Polcarrow branch of Books by the Sea had been open for four days and things had calmed to a steady pace following the launch, which Effie was secretly relieved about. She was also thrilled to see Maddie, who had announced via text the previous evening that she was visiting on her day off.
‘It’s so charming, and these book cushions are adorable.’ She plumped one up. ‘How did you get Clive to agree to all this?’
‘I didn’t give him much choice. The shop was in a right state when I arrived so I think he felt a bit guilty.’
‘Guilty? Clive? Really?’
‘You know what he’s like, anything for an easy life.’
‘Hmm. So where is this hunky man I’ve heard so much about? And those scones you keep posting photos of?’
‘The scones are next door; we can go for lunch when I take my break.’ Effie had decided to close the shop for half an hour each day so that she could have a lunch break.
She still hadn’t had a chance to speak to Clive about the practicalities of employing someone else.
Effie turned her attention back to the postcards she was sorting into the display carousel.
‘And this . . . Jake, is it? Eff! You’re blushing. Come on! Spill! Is he fit?’
‘Maddie!’ Effie shushed her, her eyes darting around as if he might pop in at any moment. ‘Keep your voice down, please.’
‘Why? There’s no one here.’
Effie squirmed. She loved Maddie but she had the tendency to be a bit loud, especially at inappropriate moments. ‘I know, but, well, I think I like him. Like that, you know. But . . . things with him are complicated. Anyway, he might not feel the same.’
‘Clive told me he dashed off to play the hero when Christie got stuck,’ Maddie scoffed.
‘Yes, well, Clive should’ve done that, don’t you think?’ Effie deflected.
‘Maybe, but that would be far less romantic,’ Maddie pointed out as she hauled herself out of the chair and started to peruse the shelves, even though the shop stocked exactly the same books as the one in Penzance.
Effie said nothing and instead concentrated very hard on making sure the postcards were perfectly lined up in their holders. She could feel Maddie’s eyes on her.
‘Sorry, Eff, you know me, I get carried away. I just want you to have some real-life romance, not just the stuff you get in books, but a man who can properly look after you.’
‘I know,’ Effie said. ‘But I need Jake as a friend right now. He’s not sure if he’s staying permanently.
He broke up with his fiancée before coming here.
Or they’re on a break or something.’ She shrugged as if to pretend she didn’t care, when in reality she’d done nothing other than turn Jake’s revelation over in her head since the Easter egg hunt.
What on earth did being on a break actually mean though?
Maddie rolled her eyes. ‘In that case, keep it casual, have some fun. And don’t look so shocked!’
‘Maddie! You know I’m a relationship girl.’ The fact that Effie had been chronically single hung between them. ‘Anyway, she’s an influencer. So probably super glamourous.’
Pulling her phone from her pocket, Maddie asked, ‘What’s her name?’
‘Oh Maddie, no, I don’t want to know.’
‘Are you not curious?’
Effie dropped onto the space beside her. ‘Well, of course I am, a bit, but I don’t want to go snooping.’
‘Pah! It’s research. Checking out the competition.’
Effie stared at Maddie’s phone, which was open on Instagram. ‘Her name is Tara, that’s all I know.’
‘Hmm, there’ll be hundreds of them. What’s Jake’s surname?’
Effie paused, not sure that she really wanted to go snooping, but Maddie fixed her with a look that dissolved her. ‘Jake Penwith.’
Maddie typed ‘Jake Penwith’ into the Instagram search.
Effie leaned over her shoulder as Maddie scrolled through the results until she could identify the profile photo.
Effie clicked on it. The first few posts were shots of the Cornish coast, all dreamy sunsets and bright, bursting dawns.
Effie held her breath as Maddie scrolled down.
‘Phwoar.’ Maddie fanned herself as she opened one of the posts showing a shirtless Jake emerging from some tropical waves like a god.
Effie’s face flushed. ‘Maddie,’ she hissed, ‘stop it, what if you accidently like something?’
‘So, I’ll unlike it.’ She shrugged. ‘Right, here we go.’ She opened up a photo that showed Jake with a stunning dark-haired girl almost wrapped around him. ‘Found her!’
Effie watched as Maddie clicked on Tara’s Travels handle.
‘Bingo!’ Maddie held the phone up to Effie.
The pinned post was one of Tara and Jake.
Tara, all flawless makeup and expertly styled long dark hair, was showing off a flashy engagement ring.
Effie skimmed through a few other photos, until she’d had enough of eyeing up ‘the competition’.
‘I really didn’t need to see that,’ she grumbled as she turned away from Maddie.
Tara’s profile made it seem that she and Jake were very much still together.
Confused as to what was really going on between Jake and Tara, Effie stood up and distracted herself by straightening some already very straight books.
‘So, how are you getting on down here, really? It’s lovely but very quiet.’ Maddie broke the silence.
Effie, relieved by the change in conversation, replied, ‘I like it. I’ve been so busy I’ve not had much time to miss Mum and Dad.
Plus, they’ve popped down a couple of times.
Everyone has been so friendly. I’ve started swimming again.
I feel content.’ When she glanced up she saw Maddie studying her.
‘You do look a bit different. More confident. No – don’t get me wrong, you are more confident than you think you are, but this place suits you. I think you were a bit lost in the old shop with Clive always on at us, or Zach coming in and shifting things around.’
Effie made a disgusted face at Zach’s name. ‘Is he still away?’
‘Yes, as far as I know.’ Maddie picked a map up off the shelf, leafed through it and replaced it. ‘I don’t think he’ll be bothering you for a while. So, Clive was telling us you’re full of ideas. What’s going on?’
‘I’m going to do a book club. Not just any book club, I’m going to allow people to come along and talk about the books they’ve enjoyed.
Sue, she’s in charge of the village committee and a force to be reckoned with, has wanted to set one up for ages, so we’ll be doing it together.
I’ll also be doing kids story time once a week. ’
‘Story time? That’s brave! Fantastic ideas though.’
‘I think I’ve forgotten the shop isn’t actually mine,’ Effie admitted. ‘It’s nice to pretend it is though.’
‘Polcarrow suits you, Effie,’ Maddie said as her stomach let out a rumble. ‘Ooh that’s the cream tea alarm. Can we take a break?’
Effie checked her watch. It was only half eleven but there hadn’t been a customer for a little while. ‘Sure. Let me grab my things.’
Once the shop was locked up and the ‘Back in Thirty Minutes’ sign hung, Effie walked Maddie the short distance to Lola’s café. Pushing open the door, they found Freya behind the counter, bent over a crossword. She quickly straightened up only to relax when she saw it was Effie.
‘How’s it going?’ Freya asked.
‘Slow today,’ Effie admitted. ‘This is my friend Maddie, we worked together in Penzance.’
‘Nice to meet you,’ Freya greeted.
‘I’ve heard all about these famous scones.’ Maddie almost drooled as she took in the goods in the display cabinet. ‘Oh, carrot cake, my favourite! Do you have takeaway boxes?’
‘We do,’ Freya said. ‘So what would you like?’
‘Two cream teas please,’ said Effie. ‘We’ll just take the seat by the window if that’s OK?’
‘Sure, go for it, I’ll bring them over,’ Freya said.
Maddie had already plonked herself down on one of the chairs and was sighing at the sea view when Effie joined her.
‘I am so insanely jealous that you got chosen for this gig.’
‘Sorry, Maddie, I know it probably wasn’t done fairly.’
Maddie batted this away. ‘It doesn’t matter. I don’t think I have your drive and ambition anyway. I’m just hoping Clive lets us come down here and cover when you’re on holiday or something. Do you think the shop will be a success?’
‘I hope so. It’s been quiet today but we’re still out of season. I guess only time will tell. There’s no way Clive would’ve invested if he didn’t think it’d be viable, you know what he’s like.’
‘Yes, slightly on the stingy side. Oh wow!’ Maddie’s eyes grew as large as saucers as Freya placed two cream teas in front of them.
‘I know! They are quite big,’ Freya said, ‘let me know if you need anything else. Enjoy.’
‘Thank you, we will,’ Effie replied.
Maddie picked her scone up, ‘It’s enormous! I am so glad I am wearing an elasticated waist. How are you staying so skinny with all this temptation?’
‘Daily swims,’ Effie said as she sliced her warm scone in half.
Maddie shuddered. ‘I don’t know how you do it.’
‘It’s invigorating!’
‘I know what else would be invigorating.’ She waggled her eyebrows.
‘Maddie, no,’ Effie groaned as she heaped cream onto her scone.
Maddie dropped her voice. ‘A nice sexy, hunky manly man to throw you over his shoulder and carry you up to—’
Before Maddie could finish her sentence, the door opened and Lola stepped in, followed by Jake, who had his camera bag slung across his body.
‘Effie!’ He beamed as he saw her.
‘Jake!’
Maddie swivelled around, her mouth dropping open as she took in Jake’s rugged sandy good looks, the spotless white T-shirt, the thigh-hugging jeans, the tattoos.
‘This is my friend Maddie,’ Effie managed.
‘How do you do?’ He held his hand out. Maddie almost melted under his attention.
‘I’m good, very good,’ she purred.
‘Nice to meet you. I won’t interrupt.’ Jake’s eyes flitted to Effie.
‘No, it’s fine,’ Effie said, ‘Maddie wanted to try the scones.’
‘How are they?’ Lola interrupted. ‘I made them fresh this morning.’
Effie watched Maddie, who didn’t seem to know where to look.
‘Erm, they’re great. Lived up to the hype.’ Maddie held up her half-eaten scone.
‘Well, I’ll leave you to it,’ Lola said. ‘Thanks for today, Jake. I can’t wait to see the photos. Engagement shoot,’ she informed Effie and Maddie.
‘No worries, Lola, I’ll send them over to you later, I just want to give them a once-over. Check they’re up to standard.’
‘I’m sure they’ll be brilliant, and anyway, no offence but it’s not like there are any other photographers available. Righto, enjoy your scones, ladies.’ Lola waved at them as she headed back into the kitchen.
Jake stood in the middle of the café, not quite sure where to go.
‘Flat white, Jake?’ Freya asked.
‘Yeah sure, I’ll have it to go though.’
Effie’s face fell, which Maddie caught and saved with, ‘Oh don’t mind us, there’s a spare seat. I’ve heard all about your heroics, Jake.’
Effie was sure she was as red as a tomato when Jake pulled out the spare chair and asked, ‘You have?’
‘Umm-hmm. Effie said you’re a dab hand with a paintbrush.’
‘Oh yeah, that, the shop was awful. What kind of man is your boss? Honestly? I’m not impressed. Cheers,’ he said as Freya placed his coffee in front of him. He added one sugar and took a sip.
‘How did the engagement shoot go?’ Effie asked, desperate to change the subject. She knew Jake had been worried about it, that he’d been feeling the pressure.
‘Let’s just say Lola knows what she wants!
’ He exhaled. ‘But that made it easy for me. The hardest thing is when the subject has no idea what they want, or how to get it. Look.’ He switched on his camera and turned the screen to Effie and Maddie and flicked through shots he’d taken of Lola and Tristan down on the hidden beach.
‘Wow, Jake, they are amazing,’ Effie enthused as she leaned further over his arm. ‘You can really see how in love they are, they’re beautiful.’
‘Thanks,’ he said slightly bashfully. ‘I’m hoping Lola will let me use them to showcase my skills. I’m setting up a business,’ he explained to Maddie, ‘portraits, weddings, birthdays, you know. I’ve taken some of the shop for Effie.’
‘Ah so that’s where the social media shots came from?’ Maddie said.
‘Did you think I’d suddenly become amazing with my camera phone?’
Maddie raised an eyebrow. ‘I did wonder. They were far too professional looking.’
‘Oi!’ Effie exclaimed.
‘Would you like me to take your photo?’ he asked. ‘I want to do a series about the people of Polcarrow and you have such a good set-up here, with the sea view, the light is sitting just right and those cream teas look amazing.’
Effie glanced at Maddie, who nodded. ‘Sure.’
‘How do you want us?’ Effie asked, which earned a smirk from Maddie.
Jake stood up and turned his camera on. ‘Just act natural, like I’m not here. I like to catch people in the moment, not posed.’
Effie instantly forgot how to do anything naturally.
Maddie picked up the teapot and began to pour.
Effie’s eyes ran all over the place, from Maddie, to Jake, to out at the sea.
She picked up her scone, but her hands shook under his scrutiny, so she put it down again so that she didn’t end up dropping it.
Although, she assumed that would be very natural, which Jake was aiming for.
‘Are you done?’ she asked eventually.
‘Yes.’
Effie relaxed and took a massive bite of her scone, eyes closed in pleasure at the taste of the jam and cream bursting on her tongue. Just as she did, the camera clicked. Her eyes snapped open. ‘Hey!’
Jake was laughing. He turned the camera to Effie and Maddie. ‘It was too good to miss.’
They burst into laughter at the blissful look on Effie’s face as she bit into the scone.
‘Right, I better be off. I’ll leave you ladies to it. Effie, I’ll see you soon.’ He drained his coffee, waved goodbye to Freya and headed out the door.
Effie watched him go. When she turned back, Maddie was looking at her. ‘What?’
‘Oh Eff, he’s dreamy, no wonder you like it so much down here.’
‘Only just broken up with his fiancée, remember,’ Effie sighed. She took a long drink of tea and wondered how much Jake was contributing to her enjoyment of being in Polcarrow. Would she be so keen to stay if he wasn’t around?