Chapter 30
CHAPTER THIRTY
F rankie has his face in his hands and talks through the gaps between his fingers when the video call connects. ‘Just tell me everything, Alice.’
I’ve stayed late in the café to speak to Frankie in private. Noah left half an hour ago.
‘Oh God, I am so sorry. Please don’t fire me.’ My heart is hammering against my ribcage. This is the conversation I have been dreading. ‘Pete made me so angry. Please, Frankie, I promise to–’
He lifts his reddened face at the camera. ‘Let me stop you there. Can we talk about what has been going on because when I checked the other day, everything was great. You’d managed to silence the naysayers; the Rocco Reid drama had calmed down and the wedding reception looked stunning. Once again, I find myself reaching for those stomach settlers as some YouTuber has posted a shocking video of you and Pete yelling at each other.’
‘Oh God,’ I cry, placing my face in my hands. ‘This is all my fault.’
‘Alice,’ snaps Frankie. ‘When are you going to learn to control your emotions?’
I shake my head.
‘Did you know she was filming in the café?’
I nod. ‘She asked me if she could film.’
Frankie lets out what can only be described as a deafening howl. ‘Alice, the next time a YouTuber comes into my café, take your arguments outside. Even Mum saw the clip and she said, “It’s like watching a soap opera, Frankie.” I had to remind her that I own that bloody café and I don’t expect to see you and Pete auditioning for Eastenders .’
He takes a drink of water and I want the ground to open and swallow me whole.
‘Tell me what’s been going on,’ Frankie says, after calming down.
Taking a deep breath, I tell him everything; how Noah and I have learnt to work together, how I ran my promotion, how I turned around the Donna and Jon situation and how Noah and I have grown close. I also tell him about Dad, Pete, and the rumours.
Frankie’s silent for a few moments and then turns to whisper something to his mum in the background. Rose comes into view. Nausea swirls around in my belly as Frankie gets up to put his arm over her shoulders. He lets her have his chair. My guilt at causing him stress over The Little Love Café gets so tight I can hardly breathe.
Rose smiles. ‘Hello, Alice.’
‘Hey, Rose.’ It’s so nice to see her. ‘How’s life with Frankie nursing you?’
‘He’s brilliant, Alice. I am so glad he was able to come out here and support me. Your YouTube clip caused much debate here.’ Her smile fades. ‘I watched the clip and Pete said some hurtful things. I shouldn’t be the one telling you about the rumours as your father should be doing this. It will upset you, Alice, and I’m sorry.’
Fighting the urge to shout about how everyone should stop treating me like a child I regain my composure.
‘I’m sorry about keeping this from you.’ She takes a deep breath. ‘I want you to know that the reason I didn’t say anything was that I never believed what your dad claimed. One of the reasons why I moved back to Sydney was because of your father.’
‘What?’ I notice Frankie is standing behind Rose.
She takes a sip of water. ‘I didn’t believe Brian. Julie was my best mate. I knew her years before she met Brian. I knew my best mate more than he did. She would not have had an affair with Dave Coombes.’
‘An affair with Noah’s Dad – what?’ My shoulders and neck feel like someone has inserted a rod of iron inside them.
‘Your father started to overthink the rumours after your mum died.’ Rose takes a sip of water. ‘People said it was grief playing with his mind. He found some photos of your mum and Dave Coombes sat together during a hike. They looked close and then at the wedding reception he got drunk and confronted him. To Dave’s credit, he denied it. I moved to Sydney because I couldn’t believe what Brian was saying. It hurt me that he believed all that gossip, so I decided to move away.’
‘Really?’
Rose nods her head. ‘Brian and I have been mates for years. He’s a good man but I think he’s wrong.’
My response shoots out without a second thought. ‘Mum wouldn’t have had an affair with Dave Coombes. She loved Dad; I know she did.’ My childhood memories are of her cuddled up to Dad on the sofa, she and Dad watching her beloved Star Trek videos and coming into the kitchen to see her kissing Dad. My heart is hammering away inside my chest.
‘Alice, look at me,’ urges Rose. ‘Your mum and Dave Coombes having an affair was a ridiculous rumour. She and Dave were close, but your mum would never have cheated on your father. If she had, I would have had a stern word with her. Believe me. I know what it’s like to be on the receiving end of that.’
‘Why did Dad believe the rumour then?’
Rose sighs. ‘Your mum loved hiking and she did loads of things with the hiking club. She was always out with them on a Saturday.’
‘I remember watching her pull on her boots when I was younger,’ I say. ‘She used to make me laugh by saying they were stinky. Every Saturday Dad and I would wave her off.’
Rose smiles.
‘Even as a child I could feel Mum’s excitement on the morning of one of her walks. She’d be laughing as Dad poured her tea into a flask and would always moan about how she had packed her rucksack.’
Rose leans closer to the screen. ‘Dave Coombes joined the hiking club, and they became friends. He was lonely and needed someone to listen to. Noah’s mum left him for his best mate and it really cut him up. I think he’d had a battle with booze and hiking was his way of dealing with that.’
She pauses and takes a breath. ‘Dave Coombes was an attractive man back then. He had a Harrison Ford look about him; tall, well built, square faced and wavy brown hair. Dave had quite a few admirers in Blue Cove Bay.’
I gesture for her to continue.
‘What you need to understand, Alice, is that your father has never had much confidence. When we were all teenagers, he was the shy one. Your mum made the first move with their relationship and asked him out, which was a big thing back then. I don’t think he’d had many girlfriends. After they got married Brian would always joke and say that your mum could have done better.’
She takes a sip of water and I recall the old photos of Mum and Dad in the family albums. Dad would always be at the back of any gathering and if there was one of him and Mum, he would always stand behind her. I never picked up on Dad not having much confidence.
Rose continues. ‘Your father used to get upset at hearing she’d been walking with Dave. Your parents had a series of rows and there were a few occasions where your mum ended up sleeping in my spare room.’
‘I never knew this.’
‘They made friends the next day but talking about the hiking club became difficult for your mum.’ Rose fidgets in her chair. ‘It got to the point where she chose not to mention Dave being at hiking club and if Brian asked her whether Dave had been there, she lied and said he’d stopped going. She claimed it wasn’t worth the hassle. Looking back, she should have talked to your father about his insecurities, I think your dad assumed Dave had left the hiking club. But Dave hadn’t left.’
An uncomfortable feeling passes over me.
Rose takes another sip of water. ‘Your dad also has a lot of guilt over not being with your mum when she died. He’s very protective – which I am sure you know. Anyway, on the day she died, your dad didn’t want her to go hiking. He claimed the conditions were bad. Your mum loved an adventure, and she loved difficult hikes. Brian told me she’d shrugged off his worries and walked off telling him she’d see him later.’
I sense Rose is building up to something as she keeps wetting her lips. ‘Dave Coombes was with your mum when she died on the coastal path.’
Noah’s dad was with Mum in her final moments. ‘But I thought she was with her hiking club when she slipped?’
Rose nods. ‘She was with her hiking club and there are few in the town who were there. The trouble was that Dave was there too. Your mum died in Dave’s arms.’
‘Mum died in Noah’s dad’s arms?’ Tears rush to my eyes, and I blink them away.
‘Your father was told this and he took it badly,’ sighs Rose. ‘He thought Dave had left the hiking club. He claimed Julie had been lying to cover up their affair. I don’t know whether it was shock or grief, but your dad became obsessed with the rumour that before she died, your mum and Dave were having an affair. He confronted Dave Coombes at a wedding reception, and you know how that ended. All this negativity and fear has turned Brian into a different person. I spent years trying to convince him Julie would not have been unfaithful. This is why Brian hated the Coombes family so much.’
‘This is why he’s getting stressed about Noah being back.’
Rose nods. ‘He’s scared, Alice. He’s been afraid of you knowing the truth for years. Seeing you with Noah has reawakened all that bad stuff.’
‘Thank you for telling me, Rose.’
She shakes her head. ‘I shouldn’t be the one telling you this. I’m sorry it got to this.’
‘I appreciate you telling me.’
Frankie gets back in his chair. ‘Look, Alice, you’ve been through a lot. I am not going to fire you. I have messaged this Matilda and asked her to take down the YouTube video. Even though you deleted it on Facebook, the link has appeared on Instagram and X.
‘Thanks, Frankie.’
‘You look like you need a glass of wine. Before I go, how is everyone in Blue Cove Bay? Any local drama I should be aware of?’
‘Joy is selling the gift shop. Wants to move to North Devon.’
Frankie’s eyes widen. ‘How’s Esme taken this?’
‘She doesn’t want to go and has started standing up to Joy.’
He scratches his stubble-coated chin. ‘Esme has spent years telling us all she’s not going to let Joy walk all over her. It never happens.’
‘I think you might be surprised to hear she’s changing. After all these years I finally think she’s going to do the unthinkable and stand up to Joy. I lent her a book which she loved and she got her hair cut into a short bob a few days later. Can you believe that? Esme has cut her hair. It looks amazing. She has also revealed she and Keith from the bookshop have started dating.
Frankie’s mouth has fallen open in surprise. ‘Blimey, Alice, that’s big news. What book did you lend her?’
‘ The Approval List by Celia Black – you know the one…’
He grins. ‘The one you read and a week later you asked Pete to leave. A word of advice – do not leave that book around The Little Love Café or I’ll come back to no business whatsoever.’
We both smile and it feels like old times again. After ending the call, I get up and spot Noah at the door. In his hand is a bottle of wine. I’m an emotional and snotty mess by the time I unlock the door and let him in. He pulls me into a hug and holds me tight. ‘Tell me everything,’ he instructs, gesturing me to one of the booths. After removing his jacket, he goes to fetch two Little Love Café mugs and pours us both some wine.
Everything comes out in a snotty, tear-fuelled torrent. After, Noah is silent. He traces the outer edge of his mug with his thumb. ‘I didn’t know she died in Dad’s arms.’
‘Nor did I.’
Noah looks shocked. He takes my hand. ‘Alice, listen to me. I need to talk to my father about this. Hearing all this is making me uncomfortable. I also need to talk to Becky.’
‘Becky?’ I gasp.
‘Alice, I want to be a part of your life.’ He leans over and kisses me. ‘I want us to be together, you, me, Lucas… and Batman.’
We both chuckle at his Batman comment.
‘I need to go back to Ireland. I want to talk to Dad about what happened all those years ago and I want to tell Becky that I want a divorce.’
‘You’re leaving me again .’
Cupping my face in his hand he whispers, ‘I’ll be back to meet you down by our rock very soon.’
‘How long will you be gone for?’ Hot, stinging tears are filling up my eyes.
‘You need to believe in me when I say that I will be back, Alice. I don’t want to live a life full of regrets and what-ifs anymore. You are the one and only person I have ever truly loved.’
Half of me wants to believe him. He’s saying things with sincerity, and I must believe in him. The other half of me is slipping into a pit of despair and frustration. What if Becky convinces him they need a second chance? Noah and I might never be together. Maybe we are destined to be apart?