Chapter 26
IZZI
Izzi glanced at the clock in the Candy Apple Café kitchen as she dipped plump apples into melted chocolate, then sprinkled generous amounts of hundreds and thousands over them before checking on the cinnamon biscuits baking in the oven.
Her eyes were gritty and her heart felt heavy.
It was almost seven am, and she was exhausted because she’d been working for most of the night.
She only had a couple of hours left before Maud arrived for her shift and she wanted to get everything out of the kitchen and clean it up before then.
She didn’t want to do anything to spoil the Halloween surprise.
She planned to leave Honey Haven after her afternoon shift finished, and wanted to make sure everything for the Halloween festival was ready before heading off.
It was important to her that the whole thing went off without a hitch.
She couldn’t fix Sophie’s deception – but she could at least help Maud have a wonderful Halloween.
She’d used the last of her money to buy ingredients to make the treats. She wasn’t going to give Cameron any more reasons to think she’d cheated him. If she took money from the Candy Apple Lassies, he’d probably read something into it. Besides, it was her parting gift to his grandmother.
She cared deeply for the older woman – perhaps even more after what had happened today. Because Maud had told her in no uncertain terms that Cameron was wrong. That he was struggling to unpick his feelings, but he’d made a mistake.
Maud hadn’t shared much about his mother – nothing Izzi didn’t already know. But she’d told her that his history with her, coupled with what had happened with Sophie, had taught him not to trust and Izzi had unfortunately got caught up in those feelings.
But Izzi wondered if what had happened with Cameron had simply been inevitable, that even if her cousin hadn’t turned out to be his ex-partner, he’d have found some other way to push her away.
After years of living with Regina, it was difficult to deal with.
This was the first time in years she’d felt loved and now she had to walk away.
But she knew she had to get on with things.
She’d never been able to change her aunt’s perception of her – she wasn’t going to hang around and let her heart get dented more by begging Cameron to believe in her. It was a lost cause.
She heard a quiet knock and walked into the café. She immediately saw Sophie standing by the door. Izzi wasn’t sure that she was ready to talk to her, but it didn’t make sense to avoid her either. So she opened up and stood back, watched as Sophie made her way into the café.
‘Why are you here?’ she asked, studying her.
‘I wanted to talk to you,’ she said, scouring the café and pointing to one of the sofas. Most of the tables were covered in pumpkins – Izzi had been carving them in between cooking sprints ready for the festival. ‘Is it okay if we sit?’ she asked.
‘Sure.’ Izzi glanced over her shoulder towards the kitchen.
‘I’ve got fifteen minutes before I need to get on.
’ The oven timer would go off then, and she still had to decorate the biscuits and cakes, not to mention carving the rest of the pumpkins and tidying up.
There was a lot to do, and she was running out of time.
Sophie jerked her chin and took a seat and Izzi slumped into the sofa opposite.
‘Before you say anything, I need to tell you I don’t believe Cameron cheated you,’ Izzi said, pressing her teeth into her bottom lip.
It was difficult to challenge her cousin.
Especially when she’d been so excited about meeting her.
It had been her only chance of connecting with family, but after speaking with Maud, after taking time to really think about the man she’d fallen for, Izzi knew Sophie had been lying.
Deflecting attention had been smart – if it hadn’t been so unfair, she might even have admired it.
Her cousin nodded. ‘Ah well, it was worth a shot,’ she said cheekily.
‘So it is true, you did steal from Cameron and Maud?’ Izzi checked. A part of her had been hoping there would be some explanation, some way her cousin could make everything right.
Sophie shrugged, her expression impassive. ‘Nobody ever gave me anything, Izzi. I learned at a young age that I had to take what I needed for myself.’
‘Even if it didn’t belong to you?’ Izzi asked. She grabbed a velvet cushion from beside her on the sofa and hugged it, seeking comfort from the cosy texture. ‘Even if you hurt someone?’ she checked.
‘Did I, though?’ Sophie pulled a face. ‘I didn’t come here to argue with you about right and wrong, or to discuss my life choices, or yours.’ She sighed. ‘I have a feeling that despite our shared DNA, we have very different ways of seeing the world.’
‘I think you’re right,’ Izzi agreed. Whatever life threw at her, she doubted she’d ever resort to stealing from anyone. She only wished Cameron had realised that too. That he’d seen what kind of person she was at her core. ‘So, why are you here, what do you want to say?’ she asked.
Her cousin gazed at her. ‘When I started looking for family on Descendants via DNA, I didn’t know what I might find – or what I wanted from it.’
‘Family? That’s the only reason I was there,’ Izzi said.
Sophie shrugged. ‘I think that’s one reason. I’ll also admit, I wondered if whoever I found might be wealthy.’ Her smile was wry. ‘It’s always been a fantasy of mine to be related to a billionaire or maybe even royalty.’ She chuckled.
‘I must have been a big disappointment,’ Izzi said, hugging the pillow tighter. ‘My aunt was disappointed in me too, but I tried not to let it bother me, or to change the person I was. I can’t do it for you either.’
Sophie winced. ‘I don’t think I want you to. I’m only disappointed you’re not rich, Izzi. You seem like a good person,’ she said. ‘That’s rare in my world, something to be valued.’
‘Maud and Cameron are good people too,’ Izzi said, ignoring the compliment.
Sophie nodded. ‘Maud was always good to me. I’ll admit. I usually have rules when it comes to who I take from. I might have broken those with her.’ Her forehead creased.
‘So you’re sorry?’ Izzi asked surprised.
‘Sorry is a strong word,’ Sophie said with humour.
‘But I take what people can afford to lose and after what Cameron said last night –’ Her mouth pinched.
‘– about the café being in financial trouble… I’ve been thinking about it ever since and it doesn’t sit well with me.
’ She shuffled through the pocket of her coat and drew out an envelope, put it on the coffee table between them.
‘What’s that?’ Izzi asked, staring at it. ‘An “I shouldn’t have done it” card?’
Sophie grinned and she looked so like Izzi in that moment she could have been gazing into a mirror.
She felt a stab of disappointment that her cousin hadn’t turned out to be anything like her.
‘It’s for Maud,’ she said. ‘Everything I took. I had no idea it might affect the café.’ She looked around.
‘As I said, I take from those who can afford it, it’s my code. ’
‘And Cameron, what about his money?’ Izzi asked, taking the envelope and gripping it tightly in her hand. It felt thick, but she wasn’t going to look inside now. At least not while Sophie was staring at her.
Her cousin shook her head. ‘Not that one, he’s young and he can cope with the loss. If he can’t, he can always sell the La Cornue.’
Izzi flinched, but then again, it wasn’t like she’d ever use it again, and Cameron certainly wouldn’t be baking her any more cakes. She wondered if he’d cook for someone new. If he’d ever allow himself to fall in love. She swallowed.
Sophie stood suddenly and swiped her hands on her coat.
‘I should go. There might be a few other people who’d like to bump into me here.
’ Her gaze darted to the window and the high street beyond.
‘I tend to hang around in other places now. I’m not sure we’ll see each other again,’ she said, looking genuinely upset.
‘You’re really not good for business. I can’t go developing a conscience in this game.
’ She smiled as she offered Izzi her hand.
‘I wish you luck with your life, Izzi Beaumont. I get the feeling you deserve a good one.’
Izzi took her hand and gave her cousin a long look. ‘I wish you a good life too,’ she said, feeling a ball of emotion rise in her throat.
‘I’ll leave you with one piece of advice,’ Sophie said. ‘Something I’ve learned over the years. Don’t walk away – even when you think things are hopeless. Because there’s always a way of getting what you want.’
‘I think it’s too late for that,’ Izzi whispered, thinking about Cameron, about staying in Honey Haven.
‘I hope you’re wrong,’ Sophie said as she let go of Izzi’s hand before walking out of the café and her life.
Izzi watched her go, feeling sad – there were so many endings today. So many people she was leaving behind. But it was time for her to make a new start back in London. She’d call Lottie later and let her know she was on her way.
She carefully opened the envelope and gasped when she saw the wad of cash. She had no idea what kind of money Maud had loaned Sophie, but hopefully this would be enough to put things right.
Her cousin might not have been everything she’d wanted to find, but it was clear she wasn’t all bad. Not that Cameron would agree.
The timer buzzed in the kitchen and Izzi took in a long, sad breath. She had finished what she’d come here to do, and it was time to get on with the rest of her life.