Chapter 19
Sasha plucked a fresh champagne bottle from the silver bucket of ice on the counter.
‘Great party,’ a low voice murmured in her ear.
A tremble went through her as the hairs rose on her arms. She caught sandalwood aftershave.
A trace of woodsmoke. Turning, she found Ben, right behind her, the crowd squashing him so close she was pressed right up against him.
She could feel the heat from his body, exuding through the silk of her blouse.
Her gaze fixed on his collarbone, revealed by his open-necked linen shirt.
She admired the constellation of freckles on his creamy skin.
‘Champagne?’ She tilted back, holding up the bottle and smiling. ‘Or a matcha mojito? There’s a mixologist.’
‘Champagne would be lovely, thanks.’ He looked delighted to see her. Both dimples were back.
She handed him a champagne flute and held the neck of the bottle on the glass. Her hand shook as she poured and he leaned forward to hold her arm steady. She jerked back as the champagne bubbles foamed up, dripping down her hand. ‘Oops, sorry!’
His hand moved, his warm fingers brushing hers, cleaning away the champagne. It reminded her of yesterday’s teacup incident and heat pooled low in her belly.
She flicked a look around the room to check if anyone was staring at her. No one seemed to have noticed her and Ben standing so close, although Paloma’s mother was hovering with a bottle, filling glasses.
She could feel Ben’s eyes fixed on her. A slight tilt of her head and she would catch his gaze.
Ting ting ting!
A spoon rang on a glass and everyone looked towards the sound.
Nathan scythed through the crowd, grabbed her wrist and dragged her up to the cake. She looked back at Ben, and his lips tugged to one side in a smile as he shrugged.
‘Ting! Tingtingting!’ Nathan sang out, while tapping the spoon, linking arms with Sasha by the cake. The music paused as people gathered round. There were ‘Ooohs’ and ‘Aaahs’ of amazement as people noticed the anniversary cake for the first time.
‘Welcome, everyone!’ Nathan declared. ‘I give you – Mollie and Paloma – the happy couple!’
Everyone burst into applause and cheers as Casey’s smooth saxophone played the opening bars of ‘Strangers in the Night’, their theme tune. Sasha clapped hard as Mollie and Paloma stepped forward, eyes glowing and arms around each other, and there were cries of ‘Speech!’
Mollie took the mic first. ‘If anyone told me I would find my true love right here in this café, at a book club meeting, I would have laughed. But because of one talented matchmaker, here we are, celebrating our first year of bliss.’
The café filled with cheers and whoops. Paloma squeezed Sasha’s hand and Mollie blew her a kiss. Sasha felt her cheeks burn and she backed away, as far as she could without knocking the cake over.
Mollie started her speech. ‘It’s fitting we should be celebrating here with matcha cocktails and Nathan’s astounding cake.
This was where we first met, over matcha lattes and pastries.
And it’s wonderful to declare our love in front of you all – our friends and family from all over the world as well as the fabulous community in this lovely café.
‘So many happy couples have met their life partner through Sasha’s matcha readings. We’d like to say thank you to Sasha, for letting us have our party here, and for helping us see each other. Long may the Matcha Moments Matchmaker reign over our high street!’
Mollie and Paloma held up their glasses and turned towards Sasha again.
She blushed with pleasure and alarm. The main emotion swamping her was overwhelm.
She’d never been an attention seeker. She was used to being in the background; all these eyes on her was really quite painful.
Much as she was proud of her matchmaking efforts, she would rather work behind the scenes than be publicly thanked.
Paloma took the mic and Sasha edged away to the side. ‘Yes – what Mollie said, and if anyone is still searching for that special someone, do book a reading with the wonderful matchmaking expert, Sasha Lee. Mr Davis, Rowena, Mark – so many of us here owe our happiness to her.’
There was a burst of applause. Nathan held up his glass. ‘To the happy couple!’
Sasha’s smile was strained as she clapped. While everyone’s attention switched to Mollie and Paloma she plotted her escape. A quick glance told her Nathan had the cake under control. Annie and Klara were filling glasses. She backed away from the cake area.
‘Ah, Sasha, glad I’ve caught you, I need a word,’ an upper-class voice cut through the bustle.
Eleanor. No. She just couldn’t face talking to her. Sasha quickly ducked away towards the back of the café and the courtyard.
She pushed through the door and breathed in cooler air.
What a relief it was, to be out of the press of the partygoers.
The courtyard was lit only by sparkling fairy lights and lanterns.
A couple of Mollie’s cousins were chatting on the rocking sofa.
The prospect of small talk was too much for her at the moment.
She needed to be on her own, somewhere Eleanor couldn’t find her.
She nipped through the gate which led to her private garden.
It was a tiny paved area, with room for only a few plants in pots and a wooden bench under a rose arbour. Last summer, when it was warm, she’d often sit out after work, with a glass of wine, enjoying the evening sun.
Sasha collapsed on the bench with relief. Every muscle in her body had been holding on to tension. She was buzzing with adrenalin but totally overwhelmed. Just a few minutes here, and she would go back to the party.
Of course, she was proud of the couples she’d brought together.
And it had been sweet of Mollie and Paloma to thank her.
But seeing Eleanor brought back her worries about the future of the café.
Mollie’s and Paloma’s speeches, full of love and good intentions, had served to remind her how she’d be letting the townspeople down if she closed.
She leaned back under the arbour and took a few deep breaths. The fragrance of the garden, fresh grass and a few early rose blooms, was calming. The tension in her chest started to release.
The gate squeaked open and footsteps rustled through the garden.
‘Sasha?’ a low voice called through the darkness. ‘Are you OK?’