Chapter 10 #2
With a gentle glance at him, she shook her head, disagreeing. ‘I don’t think there can ever be too much too soon. In anything.’
‘Well, there you are most definitely wrong.’
Her brow creased. What did that mean? Milly’s mind flashed to the woman in the Instagram photos, but he could have easily been talking about his business.
She was just summoning her courage to ask but the look on his face told her it would only end in an argument.
Now, it seemed, wasn’t the time to press, but she would soon.
Disappointment at his refusal shot through her, but she wasn’t ready to give up just yet.
‘You are ready,’ she said gently, softly touching his arm.
She wanted him to know how much she believed in him.
As she did, she felt the tension of his muscles beneath his shirt and her body grew warmer.
‘Your food is amazing, and I’ve been looking and it doesn’t seem like they worry about where you are or what your venue looks like, it’s more about what you produce.
The café is gorgeous, as is your food. Don’t …
’ She paused, then gathered her courage to ask the question that was forefront of her mind. ‘Don’t you think you’re talented?’
Theo chuckled sarcastically as he shook his head. ‘I’m no more talented than any other café owner in Copenhagen. No more so than any stallholder here.’
‘I don’t think that’s true. I think you’re exceptionally talented. You understand flavour in a way no one else seems to, and your food is delicious.’
‘Thank you for the compliments but they won’t change my mind. I don’t— I’m not—’ His words stumbled, and he didn’t finish the sentence, instead looking away at the expanse of water they’d cross to get home.
‘Are you sure we can’t enter?’ she asked gently.
She’d never seen this raw, self-conscious side of him before.
Hadn’t imagined he could be insecure about his baking, and she wondered if that had played a part in the café’s fortunes so far.
Had that been what was holding him back?
No social media presence, combined with no advertising and being down the furthest end of the canal with so many restaurants and cafés ahead of him were all going to make life hard enough, but if he wasn’t sure what he did was worth shouting about, that added yet another obstacle in their path.
Still keeping his eyes away he answered. ‘I really, really don’t want to, Milly. Okay?’
As much as she disagreed and wanted him to be proud of his abilities, it was his business, and she had to respect his decision. It wouldn’t stop her trying to convince him before the deadline passed, but for now, she’d bide her time. ‘Okay, fine. I won’t bully you about it anymore.’
He laughed, his shoulders dropping as he visibly relaxed.
‘Thank you. And I haven’t forgotten you’ve asked for the financials.
I will sort out all that for you. I’m not hiding anything, I’ve just been busy.
Now, shall we finish these and go and get something to eat?
This is one of my favourite areas of the city. ’
‘I meant to ask. Had you not brought me here because of the cooking festival? So I didn’t see the posters?’
‘What? No!’ His eyes were wide with indignation, but his lopsided smile had returned. ‘That’s giving me too much credit as an evil genius. I just hadn’t had chance yet. I had planned to bring you here later, but we’ve been busy making stupid videos remember?’
‘They’re not stupid. You should see the numbers from the kneading one.’
‘Hmm.’ He clearly didn’t believe her, yet a slight redness appeared above the stubble on his jaw. ‘What do you want to eat?’
She glanced around, but her nose was still only finding the delicious spices that made her mouth water. ‘I quite liked the smell of the Kurdish street food, but I also passed a Canadian place doing poutine, which I’ve never even heard of. I also quite like the idea of some barbecue but then again—’
Theo laughed. ‘They’re all good choices. Have you tried a Nordic hot dog yet though?’
Now that did sound good. Who didn’t love a hot dog? But wouldn’t it be a bit boring and would it live up to the more well-known American version? ‘No, not yet but I might be convinced.’ She sat back and crossed her arms. ‘Sell it to me. Is it Nordic because it’s made out of fish or something?’
‘What? No! That would be gross and not a hot dog. It would be a hot—’
‘—Fish,’ she finished for him, giggling.
He threw his head back and laughed and she loved the way the deep sound rumbled through her chest. ‘Gross. Not a flavour pairing I’m in favour of.
A Nordic hot dog is a Danish classic. A proper sausage covered with crispy fried onions and pickles.
It is delicious.’ He made the motion of a chef’s kiss, and she couldn’t stop her eyes lingering on his kissable lips, only dropping her gaze when he looked at her.
‘Let’s get one of those.’
‘And then we can get some gelato, the best you can eat outside of Italy.’
‘Sounds perfect.’
Theo led the way and as they moved through the crowd, his hand pressing gently into her upper back, keeping her close until eventually she found the courage to slip her arm through his. His hand felt perfect in hers, warm and strong, making her nerves tingle.
They ordered and, food in hand, found two deck chairs facing out over the water. Over the other side of the canal, on the opposite bank, she watched a crowd gathering and pointed towards it.
‘What’s over there?’ she asked, after taking a bite of her hot dog. It was delicious and Theo chuckled as her eyes widened, and she began nodding to show how much she liked it.
‘The Little Mermaid statue. You know the tale? Hans Christian Andersen?’
‘Of course. I’ll have to take a wander along and have a look.’
‘I’ll take you. It’s iconic in Copenhagen.’
Her mind seemed to add ‘before you leave’, and Milly looked away, pretending to be taking in the scenery but really her emotions were swirling inside her.
Suddenly it felt like her time there was counting down.
However, much she wanted it right now, her time in Copenhagen wasn’t endless.
It wasn’t just beginning. Each day done was time lost and the thought that it would eventually run out and she’d pack her case, leave the café and the gorgeously ramshackle canal house, made the back of her nose sting.
The stronger breeze blew her long blonde hair into her face, and she brushed it behind her ear, though she would have liked to keep it covering her face, hiding her feelings.
She was starting to feel as if she never wanted to go home for so many reasons, including the man sat next to her, and that was a problem. It was a big, big problem.