Chapter 17
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
I t’s mid-morning. My head is awash with worries about what I have done to Frankie’s business. The Rocco Reid drama has not calmed down on social media. It’s ablaze with emotional fans saying that his ex-girlfriend is now devastated and has hit the studio with a new record producer.
This morning, two couples had arguments. One resulted in the man walking out leaving the woman he was with in floods of tears. Noah cast me a worried look as I consoled the girlfriend and tried my hardest not to share my own views on love and relationships. Once they’d gone, Noah pointed out that the woman had tagged us into an emotional Facebook post about her horrible break-up argument with her boyfriend, who was now her ex – the curse of Heartbreak Café strikes again. It had garnered a lot of likes.
I stand by the counter while Noah makes the coffees for table three. ‘I never had to worry about things like the atmosphere or public relations in The Starfish Tea Shop.’
Noah smiles. ‘You probably had other things to worry about. I can’t believe that place lasted as long as it did.’
‘Probably because Ronald was delusional and more interested in his love life. I need to turn this place around, Noah.’ I turn around and survey the café. ‘I got us into this mess, so I need to fix it.’ I decide to do some cleaning. ‘I’m going to do a quick check and clean of the café’s toilets as I need to distract myself.’
As I emerge from the final cubicle, I spot a woman washing her hands. Her mass of blonde curly hair is piled on top of her head, two giant golden hoops hang from her ears and her slender arms are covered in an array of colourful and striking tattoos. She turns off the tap and puts her hands under the blowers. Smiling at me in the mirror she squirts on some of Frankie’s Little Love Café moisturising cream. ‘We need more places like this.’
‘Really?’
She nods. ‘I spend a lot of time reading all the little heart-warming stories behind the photos on Facebook. When my daughter was born, she had a lot of medical problems with her heart.’ The woman holds my attention. ‘Sorry, am I keeping you from your work?’
‘No, please carry on.’
‘We were in and out of hospital. It was a tough time. Things broke down between my boyfriend and I, so we split up. I’d got pregnant on our third date, so we were not really used to being in a couple. There was a lot of stress. Our baby daughter didn’t need two bickering parents by her bedside.’ She stands and fiddles with a runaway strand of hair. ‘When I wasn’t at the hospital doing my shift with our daughter I used to log on to X and Facebook. It sounds mad but The Little Love Café gave me hope.’
‘Hope – what do you mean?’
‘I kept reading the café’s social media accounts and hoping things would turn out okay. We decided to give our relationship another go last month and are here to celebrate. Tomorrow is our little girl’s first birthday and she’s doing well.’
‘That’s great to hear.’
She turns to me. ‘I’ve seen the stuff about Heartbreak Café on Instagram.’
My shoulders sink. ‘It’s all my fault.’
‘Oh,’ says the woman, looking concerned. ‘Why is it all your fault?’
‘I lost control of my emotions. You see, I am nursing a broken heart and all my negativity around the concept of love has spilled into this place. I should never have asked my friend, Frankie, if I could manage it.’
The woman reaches out and rubs my arm. ‘The Rocco Reid drama wasn’t your fault. I never thought that was a real relationship. It was a publicity stunt.’
I cast her a knowing smile.
She continues. ‘Some say that this is just a gimmicky romance-themed café but it’s much more than that. It gives people hope. Everyone who comes here has a story to tell about love and how it got them through dark times in their lives or reunited two lost souls. Maybe you need to share more customer stories?’
‘Do you think so?’
She nods. ‘Put more love out into the world and you’ll get more back.’
Her words are still on my mind after lunch. Placing down the tray in front of two women sat in the pink booth nearest the flower wall, I can’t help but notice their beaming faces. ‘Here are your Cute Cappuccinos.’
‘Thanks.’ The woman with the stylish cropped brown hair nods at me.
‘How are you both today?’
The woman gestures to the grinning blonde woman sat opposite. ‘Good, my girlfriend here is treating me to a nice coffee.’
‘This is a magical place you have here,’ gushes the blonde woman.
‘Thanks.’
‘I have been a fan of The Little Love Café for ages,’ she explains. ‘Every morning me and all the nurses in the hospital I work at log on to The Love Café’s Facebook to see all the romance stories being shared. Some are so sweet.’ She turns to me. ‘Lately though, I haven’t seen the café sharing as many stories.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘You’ve only been sharing photos of coffee cups and the flower wall.’
Maybe I should get involved with the social media too? I’ve let Noah run that by himself. ‘Thanks for the valuable feedback,’ I say to the woman with the blonde hair. ‘Can I get you both a free Cuddle Muffin as a token of my appreciation?’
As we are closing the café, I remember the two women from earlier and the woman in the toilet. ‘Noah, can I have a go at managing the café’s social media?’
He nods. ‘Be my guest – why?’
‘I have been speaking to a few customers today and they think we can do more with social media. I want to give it some thought.’
When Lucas has gone to bed, I sit down with my iPad and look at The Little Love Café’s social media. The blonde woman was right. Even though Noah has been posting cute photos of the café, close-ups of drinks and plates filled with mouth-watering muffins, they are lacking something.
I scroll back a few months to when Frankie was managing it, and I can see a difference. Frankie was sharing customer stories and there was more engagement. His posts feel personal and bring out all sorts of funny and heart-warming customer stories about love.
I find myself smiling at the customer who proposed to his girlfriend by making her a mixtape of love songs and in the middle, he recorded himself asking her to marry him.
Then there was the customer whose daughter stuck a message in a balloon about her dad needing a girlfriend as he was lonely. A woman a hundred miles away found it and contacted him.
And the customers who met via a radio phone-in, the customers who met on a ski lift and the customer who married the woman next door after she kept baking him cakes and inserting little messages of love into them. I recall Jason’s proposal speech about him and Michelle sharing curry and chips under the stars. I can feel a twang of guilt at ruining their day by stopping their Facebook Live.
I’m about to put down my iPad when an idea for a social media promotion comes to mind. I could title it Give Love Get Love . We could encourage people to share their acts of love and tag us. Maybe do it as a seven-day challenge? We could offer a free drink or muffin at the café for the best ones. I am distracted by my bleeping phone. It’s Frankie and he’s video calling. Panic takes hold of me. With a trembling hand I hold out my phone and press accept.
‘What the hell is going on, Alice?’ His eyebrows have formed a sharp V and his face looks taut and tense. ‘I thought to myself, I’ll give them a week or two to get to grips with my café before I have a look to see how things are going.’ He places his head in his hands. ‘My bowels haven’t been the same since I saw all those complaints, that Heartbreak Café hashtag and what did you do to Rocco Reid? Mum has had to buy me some stomach settlers.’
‘Frankie, listen to me. I’m sorry.’
He lifts his face to the screen. ‘I want to fire you both and send Jake in to turn things around.’
‘Please don’t do that. Noah and I can do this.’ I rub my aching chest.
Frankie runs his hand through his hair. ‘Jake’s father is still unwell so I can’t do that, but I need to see a visible change soon, Alice. I can’t have all this bad publicity. You are destroying all my hard work. On a separate note, did you end up snogging Rocco Reid or something?’
‘No, I did not!’ I exclaim. ‘For goodness’ sake I saved his life in the sea and then we had a heart-to-heart in the Snug about his fake relationship.’
‘Oh,’ says Frankie, looking surprised. ‘I didn’t know you’d been in the sea with him. I thought you were busy trying to make Noah jealous.’
I arch my eyebrows at Frankie. ‘By throwing myself at a famous actor in the Snug?’
Frankie giggles. ‘Trust me I have witnessed some bizarre things in the Snug.’
‘How’s your mum?’
His face softens. ‘She’s doing great. I mean she’s at the start of a long journey, but her positivity and optimism are so inspiring.’
‘Give her our love.’
‘Don’t let me down, Alice,’ he says. ‘Control your emotions and sort out the café’s social media. I’m not renaming my business – Heartbreak Café.’
As I climb into the camp bed his words are still ringing in my ears.