Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
@NaomiTheTiredMummyBlogger: As you can see from my pic of Rocco Reid striding out of the #LittleLoveCafé by himself, he and Lil Tia have SPLIT up – OMG I am in shock!
@Crazyfakebakeanna: WTF? Rocco Reid has SPLIT from his popstar girlfriend at the #LittleLoveCafé – my heart is broken. He and Lil Tia were everything. Will she scrap her new material and do a break-up album?’
@JennyCranon123 posts: I now agree with @JeremyLightYear – that place should be renamed #HeartBreakCafé
I t’s the day after my drama with Rocco Reid. I needed a crane to lift me out of bed and Dad and Lucas had laughed at me as I hobbled down to breakfast. Saving Rocco’s life in the rough sea has strained every muscle in my entire body.
I walk into work with aching legs and arms. At the café, I am met by Noah giving me an uncomfortable look. ‘Rocco Reid and his girlfriend have split up, Alice.’
‘Oh God, really? How do you know that?’
‘It’s plastered across social media. What exactly did you say to him in the Snug?’ His voice has an edge to it.
Staring at him I can feel a red filter sliding over my eyes. ‘What do you mean by that? Noah – I don’t like your accusatory tone.’
Noah’s face tenses. ‘You wrestle him out of the sea and then he splits up with his girlfriend after a lengthy chat with you in the Snug.’
‘I saved him from drowning, Noah.’ In a huff, I storm off to the counter.
Noah follows. ‘You kicked him, Alice.’
I spin round to face Noah. ‘Rocco Reid was pulling us both under the water. I kicked him to save our lives.’
Noah’s eyes are frantically scanning my face. ‘What did you say to him?’
‘We talked, that was it.’
Noah sighs. ‘Well, he’s dumped his girlfriend so you must have said something. Did he fancy you?’
The question robs me of breath. I stare at Noah. ‘No, Rocco didn’t fancy me but if he did – it would be none of your business.’
Something flickers across Noah’s face. ‘Did you fancy him?’
I let out a wail of frustration. ‘No, I did not fancy Rocco Reid.’
For a few seconds we face each other. Noah’s eyes are focused on my lips, and he’s breathing quickly. Something awakens inside of me, sending a rush of excitement around my body. I quickly suppress it and remind myself of everything he has done to hurt me.
Noah breaks our trance and gets his phone from the counter. ‘Social media has gone crazy. Everyone is now calling us Heartbreak Café and Rocco’s fans have given it a serious number of likes.’
Frankie’s face appears in my mind. There has been no word from him. As Noah shows me the social media, I become wrapped in a heavy cloak of guilt. In the space of a week, we’ve received a high number of complaints; I’ve somehow contributed to the break-up of a high-profile celebrity relationship at the café and everyone on social media is talking about heartbreak at The Little Love Café. This is all my fault.
As the morning progresses, the café becomes a graveyard for broken hearts. Everyone who has come here is either doing the dumping or is being dumped. Noah and I groan as two couples argue about their dull relationships and one half of a third couple storms out after his partner commented that his new hairstyle had aged him by ten years.
On my break I walk past the gift shop and give Esme a wave. I’m about to go in and see her when Joy comes into view. With Joy breathing down her neck Esme wouldn’t be able to talk.
Instead, I go into town and try to block out the sound of my argument with Noah playing on repeat in my mind. I find myself walking into Phoebe’s bookshop. It is an amazing place to go if, like me, you love books. And it’s even better if you don’t have to go hunting for Batman books with a bored six-year-old tugging on your arm.
Phoebe has split the bookshop into different sections and has used her creativity and artistic skills to bring them to life. Her Crime Scene section comes complete with police tape lining the shelves, tiny magnifying glasses attached to the two large bookcases and a table filled with crime and thriller books.
In Romance Land , she’s erected wooden shelves painted sugary pink. Romance books are scattered over a round table with a pink and white gingham tablecloth complete with little vases of plastic flowers and a fancy tea set.
Her Fairy Book Kingdom has a toadstool for the little ones to sit on, plastic flowers, and a magical castle painted onto a giant piece of card behind the shelves. I love the Young Adult section which has eye-catching gothic décor, black and silver walls and two high-backed vintage purple velvet chairs.
Phoebe is at the till. She gives me a friendly wave before attending to a customer.
Reading has always been a passion of mine. Whenever I am stressed, I gravitate towards bookshops. My eyes are drawn to the display of bestselling romance author Celia Black’s latest novel. The eye-catching cover features two figures sat on a snowy mountain looking up into a starry indigo sky.
Before my wedding and relationship with Scott crumbled, I was an avid reader of romance novels. Celia Black was one of my favourite authors. When I realised I didn’t love Pete anymore I found the strength to end that relationship by reading Celia’s book, The Approval List.
Her new book is titled Always You . An uplifting and romantic story about two exes who find themselves thrown together on a charity trek to Base Camp Everest. Over the course of the trek, they overcome many physical and mental struggles, and go on a journey of self-discovery. My eyes are drawn back to the cover. In view of how close the couple are sitting on the mountain; I’m sensing it’s a happy ending.
‘It’s her best romance yet,’ says Phoebe, jolting me out of my thoughts. ‘The couple hate each other at the start of the trek.’
Noah’s face comes into my head.
Phoebe continues. ‘She does a great job because when you start reading it you do worry one of the exes is going to push the other off the mountain.’
I smile. ‘I’m intrigued how they stop hating each other. Is it soppy though?’
Phoebe shakes her head. ‘It makes you think and laugh a lot.’
Keith, her assistant, looks over from stacking books. ‘Alice, do you follow Celia Black on social media? Her posts are always soppy and emotional. Personally, I prefer following the crime and thriller authors, they are hilarious. The darker and grizzlier the murders they write, the funnier the authors are on social media. Some of the ones who write about serial killers are such a hoot.’
Keith always makes me chuckle with his observations of the literary world.
‘I am going to buy it and treat myself.’
Phoebe pats me on the shoulder. ‘I have seen the café’s social media about Rocco Reid splitting with his girlfriend. How are you?’
‘I’m fine. I saved him from drowning.’
Phoebe and Keith gasp in unison and Keith hurries over.
‘I saved him. I saw him in trouble in the sea, so I stripped down to my bra and knickers and swam to save him.’
Keith takes out his hankie and mops his brow. ‘You saved Rocco Reid? This sounds like something from one of our romance books.’
I am about to talk more about Rocco Reid when an R.E.M. song comes booming through the wall. Phoebe mutters under her breath. ‘Stay here.’ She marches outside.
Keith giggles and rushes to the door and opens it. The music stops.
Through the open door, I can hear Phoebe shout, ‘One of my customers has just left my bookshop without buying a book because of the noise.’ That was a little lie, but I like her style.
A male voice replies, ‘Maybe that customer had decided to buy a record instead.’
With an angry screech Phoebe comes storming back. ‘That man has been here two days and already he’s annoying me.’ Once at her till she grins at me. ‘We need to get together so you can fill me on saving hunky actors and what underwear you opted for today because whatever you had on, he split up with his beautiful girlfriend hours later.’ She gives me a wink.
I laugh. ‘Phoebe, it wasn’t like that. Anyway, Rocco and I had more of a heart-to-heart talk in the Snug.’
‘I need all the details, Alice. Let’s get together soon.’
As I pay for the book, I can hear Keith behind me telling a customer about a gothic novel which has come out. ‘If you’re looking for dark secrets, a castle, random screaming sounds at night, a 200-year-old child ghost, and a lot of ravens that seem to know everything – this is for you.’
Phoebe grins. ‘I read that book a few months ago. It kept me awake most nights.’
Keith chuckled. ‘Phoebe texted me throughout the night whilst reading it. When I woke up the next morning, I thought someone had died. They were all from Phoebe who was sure ravens were at her window.’
‘This sounds exactly the sort of book I like reading,’ exclaims the customer which makes me smile. Phoebe and Keith are a good double act at bookselling.
The afternoon at the café is much the same: more tiffs between lovers and one man got a Cuddle Muffin thrown in his face by his angry boyfriend. Later that evening, after putting Lucas to bed, I sit and read Celia Black’s book.
The first few chapters make me smile – and laugh in places. The two exes couldn’t stand to be in each other’s company, let alone climb to Base Camp together. At one point I felt grateful for working in a love-inspired café with Noah, because at least I wasn’t hiking up part of a mountain with him whilst battling altitude sickness, extreme temperatures, and painful blisters. Noah and I would not have survived that scenario.
The next day, once I’ve dropped Lucas at school, I walk to work thinking about the book. What has become interesting is once the warring exes start to work with each other and help others, their fortunes on the mountain change. I have also noted that at the start they no longer believe in love, and it makes everything harder for them as they battle the elements and their strong feelings of love and hatred for each other. This thought makes me feel uncomfortable. I don’t believe in love anymore and my life at the café is getting harder. Maybe I need to adopt Celia Black’s advice.
At the café, Noah is pacing up and down looking anxious. The tables are all empty. ‘It’s not working – is it?’ He lifts his face towards mine. ‘You and me working together. I’m thinking of quitting, Alice.’
The news makes my stomach turn itself into knots which is unexpected. This is what I have been wanting – him to resign and leave. Why am I now feeling uncomfortable? A little voice from deep inside me whispers, Because it’s your fault the café is in this mess.
‘Noah, don’t quit. Frankie needs the both of us right now.’ I take a seat at a table and gesture for him to sit opposite me. ‘I’m the problem. I don’t believe in love anymore and it’s spilling over into the café.’
Something flickers across his eyes as he stares deep into my soul. My face feels like someone has shoved it underneath a grill and turned up the heat. ‘Why don’t you believe in love anymore, Alice?’
I take a deep breath. ‘Three months ago, I was supposed to marry Scott. Once again in my life I thought he was the one. The day before we were supposed to get married, I caught him cheating on me.’
‘I’m sorry, Alice,’ Noah says, quietly. ‘What was Scott like?’
Reaching for my tissues inside my jacket pocket I wait for the tears to come. Nothing happens. A few weeks ago, talking about Scott would have left me in floods of tears. ‘He was charming, blond and he reminded me of–’ My words stop as I realise what I was about to say.
We both flick our eyes to the table. Noah breaks the awkward silence first. ‘Pete is Lucas’s dad – isn’t he?’
His question robs me of breath, but I manage to say, ‘Lucas is Pete’s son.’
Noah scratches his blond hair. ‘Oh… you guys still speaking to each other?’
‘Pete’s just bought a house on the new housing estate as you come into Blue Cove Bay. Yes, we get on better now than we did when we were together.’
Noah nods. ‘So, when did you guys start dating?’
My heart pounds against my chest, and I grip the table. ‘Six months after you left, he asked me out. Noah – I’d not heard anything from you.’
Noah nods. ‘Pete was always jealous of you and me. He’s always been an opportunist. So, you must have been together for years then?’
I shake my head. ‘We dated for a few years and then split up as the arguments between us were huge. It was all my fault. I dated him for the wrong reason. Lucas came after a drunken one-night stand six years ago. Pete and I tried once again to make it work but I ended up telling him I didn’t love him.’
‘I can see why this place must be hard for you, Alice.’
‘Really?’
‘I know we agreed not to talk about this, but you were the one who ended…’
I can feel the old agitation at him creeping over me. ‘Noah, we had an agreement.’
Customers enter the shop behind us. I get the urge to shout at Noah but I must bite my tongue. Turning around, I greet them with a forced smile and welcome them to The Little Love Café.