Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
N oah smiles at me as he enters the café the next day. ‘Morning, Alice, how was yesterday?’
I give him a weary smile. Lucas woke me at five in the morning to tell me he’d done a wee in the bed and once I was up changing his bedding all hope of returning to my own vanished as he wanted to play with his plastic figures.
We then spent an agonising couple of hours downstairs. Lucas wouldn’t stop climbing over Dad’s sofa, the washing machine broke while washing Lucas’s bedding, Bean did a poo in the kitchen and Dad came downstairs clutching yet more brochures of local houses to rent. They were all on Pete’s housing estate. When I asked him whether he was trying to tell me something, he said they were for a friend. It then took him a good five minutes to force out the words, ‘I love having you and my grandson living with me.’
‘Yesterday was good,’ I say, injecting some optimism into my voice. Noah does not need to know it was another disaster. Grabbing my order pad, I head over to two customers who have entered behind him. It’s a young man and woman. After I take their order, the woman asks me where the toilets are. Once she’s disappeared the man grins at Noah who is loitering at the table opposite. ‘You’re brave. I couldn’t run a café with my girlfriend.’
My response is instant. ‘We’re not together.’
The man looks surprised.
Noah says, ‘We used to go out with each other when we were teenagers but…’
I open my mouth and Noah interrupts me. To my horror he grins at the man and taps me on the shoulder. ‘I moved to Ireland thinking we could still be together, but Alice was having none of it. I was dumped by email a day later.’
My heart has stopped beating. Air is trapped in my throat. What the hell did he just say? I never dumped him by email. His email stopped working two days after he’d been in Ireland which I assumed was due to him moving countries, so I sent him weekly letters instead.
The man casts us both an awkward look and I glare at Noah. Anger is coursing through my veins.
Noah and I return to the counter. ‘I never dumped you by email, Noah,’ I hiss. ‘I didn’t want us to end.’
Confusion flashes across Noah’s face.
I continue. ‘You ghosted all my letters. I can’t believe the lie you have just told that customer.’
‘Alice, you emailed me to say you’d met someone else and that it was best if we split up,’ he snapped.
My eyes grow so wide I worry they are soon going to pop out of my face. Has he been living in an alternate universe all these years? ‘That is a lie, Noah!’ The couple turn around in their seats to stare at us. ‘You were the one who ghosted me. I waited for you–’
Something flickers across Noah’s face. ‘Now you’re the one who’s lying, Alice.’
I gasp. ‘Noah, I don’t want to spend any more time listening to your bullshit.’ Grabbing an empty tray, I turn my attention to the coffee machine.
He’s breathing fast behind me. ‘You hurt me all those years ago, Alice. However, I came back and agreed to work alongside you, thinking we could put the past behind us.’
‘Please stop lying, Noah,’ I snap. ‘Also, there are customers staring at us. You’re not being professional.’
He laughs, which infuriates me. ‘You’re the one who needs to think about being professional. Have you seen our social media lately?’ He brings out his phone and shows me The Little Love Café Facebook page. On today’s post there are a slew of negative comments
@JanineKingston36: Not great service today. #LittleLoveCafé
@RuthSayer: I agree @JanineKingston36 – the manager needs to start smiling more!
@KennyRichards45: Yesterday the waitress took half an hour to make our drinks. She told us she was busy. We were the ONLY customers in there.
I read a few and turned to Noah. ‘Isolated incidents. We’ll be fine.’
‘Alice, we have received these sorts of comments every day since Frankie left. You need to change your ways and stop being so angry. To be honest, I am the one who should be cross seeing how you treated me.’
I have had enough of him, this job, his patronising tone, and his lies. Placing down the milk jug and the espresso cup, I cast him a sugary smile. ‘I quit. Have a nice life, Noah.’ I collect my handbag, swing it over my shoulder and walk towards the door.
‘Alice, you can’t leave.’
At the doorway I turn around and look at him over my shoulder. ‘Watch me.’
It takes me awhile to calm down after I storm out. I sit on a bench on the promenade for ages and watch two white sailing boats head out of Blue Cove Bay. Everything feels so jumbled with Noah. Why was he lying about what happened? He knows full well he ghosted me after leaving for Ireland. My head feels like someone has secretly turned my kaleidoscope and all the bits of coloured glass at the end are in disarray.
Someone joins me on the bench. It’s Esme. She smiles, though her eyes are puffy and pink. Joy and Esme are identical twins, and both were blessed with thick dark hair, olive skin and amazing eyelashes, the ones that don’t need mascara. Even though they dress differently Joy is insistent they still both wear their long hair down and draped over their shoulders. I have never understood why Esme lets Joy have control over her hair.
‘Hello, Alice,’ says Esme, ‘thanks for the text the other day.’
I reach over and give her hand a squeeze. ‘Are you okay?’
‘Joy wants to sell the gift shop.’
‘I heard the other evening. I’m sorry, Esme.’
‘She has a plan for us,’ sighs Esme, casting her gaze out to sea. ‘I don’t want to leave Blue Cove Bay. This is my home… but Joy…’ She stops and wipes her cheek. ‘Ignore me. Joy makes good decisions. I should have faith in her.’
She’s trembling and looks like she needs a hug. Leaning over I pull her into one. ‘Esme, it’s okay to not do what Joy wants.’
She nods and changes the subject. ‘Are you taking a break from The Little Love Café? I heard you were working there.’
I shake my head. ‘I’ve just quit.’
Esme gasps. ‘Oh dear. Are you okay?’
‘I am now. It was too much, Esme. I need a different job.’ Flicking back my hair, I dismiss the worries about not having a job and a regular wage to pay Dad back, which are pinging into my brain at an astonishing rate.
‘Noah kept going about the customer complaints I have received and then he lied about me in front of some customers.’
Esme gives me a worried glance. ‘Customer complaints?’
I nod. ‘The first week was never going to be easy and I am struggling with seeing everyone so happy and in love.’
‘That must be hard,’ she says, ‘I’m sure Frankie will understand.’
‘Yes, he will,’ I say, thinking about how I will explain the complaints to Frankie. I could say that they all overreacted. Frankie will be fine, I reassure myself.
‘Everyone is talking about you and Noah in town,’ says Esme.
Sitting up I turn to Esme. ‘I’m fine. People need to find someone else to gossip about. Noah and I broke up twenty years ago. Let’s talk about you.’
She sighs into my shoulder before pulling away. ‘All my life I’ve accepted my place and happily let Joy navigate us both through our years as kids, our teens, our twenties, and thirties. Joy makes good decisions for us both, however she is hard work if I don’t agree with her, so it’s easier to just do what she proposed.’ Esme smooths down her hair. ‘It’s difficult because right now I love my life where I sell gifts on the seafront and go home to my cats. They don’t judge my life. They don’t compare me to my twin sister, don’t make me feel ashamed… and they don’t break my heart.’ She pauses and takes a lungful of sea air. ‘The other night when she told me about selling up, I found myself disagreeing with her for the first time in my life. Can you believe that, Alice? Joy looked visibly shocked.’
My eyes are widening at what I am hearing. Reaching over I give her hand another squeeze. ‘I’m proud of you, Esme.’
She shakes her head and watches a group of dog walkers venture onto the beach. ‘There’s something else. Another reason why I don’t want to leave Blue Cove Bay.’ She pauses. ‘I’ve got close to someone. It’s not Steve… or should I say the person who Joy wants me to get back with.’
Neither Frankie nor I liked Steve. He always seemed to be another version of Joy who ordered Esme around and made her look after his teenage daughter from his previous relationship while he spent all his time on the golf course.
I stare at her and wish Frankie was here to witness the change in our old friend. ‘Esme, this is brilliant to hear.’
Esme hangs her head and her hair falls over her face like two black curtains. ‘I don’t want to leave, Alice.’
I take hold of her hand. ‘Stay strong, Esme. Joy has controlled you for too long.’
I can hear footsteps behind us. I peer over my shoulder to see a stern looking Joy. ‘Esme, it’s busy in the gift shop. Can you come back, please?’
Esme shoots up from the bench. ‘Thanks for the chat, Alice.’
My brain is desperately trying to think of a piece of advice I can give her. ‘Frankie’s mum Rose has always told me to follow my heart. Maybe you should do that?’
Esme’s face brightens. ‘Has that worked for you?’
The urge to tell her at length about how that advice has been the worst piece of advice I have ever had is strong, but I sense Esme needs something to cling onto. I nod and she hurries away.