Chapter 36
Saturday was the main day of the festival.
Sasha didn’t have a minute to think about Ben.
She still didn’t know if she was doing the right thing.
Occasionally, a shooting pain gripped her chest. Transference or not, it felt like heartbreak.
But she had to stick a plaster on the wound and keep smiling. At least for today.
To make things worse, Ben had set up his pottery stall near The Bookery so that Leo could help the children with the modelling and Klara’s colouring.
Their stalls were right opposite the pavement area of the café.
Sasha made sure she kept her eyes trained on her customers, so the pottery stall remained in her peripheral vision only.
Chloé came bursting in around lunchtime. She skipped around the counter and hugged Sasha tightly. ‘Guess what, Sasha? Ben’s asked me to the feast tonight!’
‘Wow – great!’ Sasha tried her best to match Chloé’s enthusiasm.
‘Do you think – it could be Ben you saw in the vision – my vision?’
‘Who knows? I’ll follow up with a matcha reading when things calm down.’
‘Could you? That would be fabulous! I’m so excited for tonight!’ She clasped her hands to her heart and squealed.
After the day’s activities had finished, trestle tables were put together in a long line for a massive feast. With Chloé’s help, they’d completely sold out of tickets. A catering company was providing lamb chops, burgers and barbecue sausages with vegetarian and vegan options and plenty of salads.
Nathan had baked a few matcha and white chocolate raspberry roulades and matcha tiramisu for the dessert choices. Sasha made up jugs of Long Island iced matcha, alcoholic and non-alcoholic versions, and matcha lemonade for the children.
Casey and Leo were on saxophone and double bass, playing some relaxing jazz and blues while people feasted.
After the meal, tables would be cleared away for the disco.
Lucas from the Three Bells moved the pub sound system out into the street, so everyone could dance.
Sasha, Annie and the rest of her hired waiting staff had agreed to help Nathan plate up and serve the desserts until late.
‘Why don’t you have something to eat first?
’ Annie handed Sasha a plate of salad and lamb chops with mint sauce.
It smelled delicious. But she looked out of the window just as Chloé skipped up to Ben.
His ruffled hair bent close to her dark curls.
Thorns of jealousy were spiking Sasha’s chest. She attempted to breathe deeply, but her diaphragm refused to relax.
It felt as if it was stuck near her armpits.
She smiled as brightly as she could at Annie. ‘Thanks, lovely – I’ll have a bite now.’ She was forcing herself to chew a mouthful when the doorbell chimed merrily.
‘Aahh – Sasha – we need a word.’ It was Paloma and Mollie, with Mr Davis and Gloria behind them. Mollie pinged a spoon on a glass.
‘We’re calling a quick impromptu meeting of the festival award committee,’ announced Paloma.
‘Oh – OK.’ Sasha stood up and abandoned her plate. ‘Let me clean some tables – how many of you are there?’
‘No need, Sasha dear,’ said Mr Davis.
‘We come bearing good tidings!’ Mollie announced grandly. ‘Gather round!’ She beckoned to Nathan and Annie. ‘We have good news.’
‘What good news?’ Sasha asked, puzzled. ‘Can we work while we listen?’
She and Nathan needed to carry on filling the roulades with fresh matcha-flavoured cream and raspberries. Annie was loading trays to serve the tables.
‘As you may know, every year, we donate a portion of our festival fundraising to a business that wins the Heart of Bramleigh Green Award. And this year, the winner is . . . drum roll, please . . . Matcha Moments. Congratulations, Sasha!’
Sasha was astounded. She looked at her friends smiling, clapping and cheering her.
Paloma and Mollie hugged her. ‘We hope the prize money will cover the lease renewal, so you can carry on running Matcha Moments for the foreseeable future. Mollie will talk to Eleanor and help with the legalities.’
Sasha looked at them wide-eyed and unbelieving. ‘You’d do this? For me?’ Completely overwhelmed by their kindness, she burst into tears.
Her friends took turns to hug and congratulate her. ‘It’s purely selfish, really. Many of us on the committee love this tea shop and café. We all need somewhere to meet in town, sit and have a gossip, and run the Book Clubbers,’ said Paloma.
‘This is my favourite spot to “work from home”,’ added Mollie.
‘You’ve created the most wonderful cosy community space, dear Sasha.’ Mr Davis hugged her. ‘We just can’t bear to let it go. We can’t bear to let you go, either.’
Sasha was amazed. How could she tell them it wouldn’t be enough?
But Casey had found Eleanor and brought her to the café. She was only too happy to enlighten them with the bad news that their gesture had come too late.
‘Congratulations, Sasha! I heard you’ve won the prize for the Heart of Bramleigh Green. Really wonderful that you managed to raise the thirty thousand pounds for Sasha’s lease extension.’
‘Thirty thousand? We thought it was an extra . . .’ said Mr Davis.
‘I’m sorry, Mollie, Paloma, Mr Davis. Since my first offer was declined by default, we’ve had a better offer.
You will have to beat the Wisdom Kitchen Company.
They’ve offered us a very generous amount.
I’m afraid Sasha overran her deadline. But even if she hadn’t overrun, she and the committee would be hard put to pay the increased cost of the lease every year. ’
Paloma frowned. ‘Have you really no heart, Eleanor Jones-Smythe? Your father would be ashamed. He loved this town and this community. You are not following in his footsteps to help the Bramleigh Green community. Not at all.’
‘Exactly!’ said Mollie. ‘This café is the beating heart of Bramleigh Green, and you plan to turn it into a kitchen showroom?’
‘I’m not sure Lucas or Casey would agree. And there’s the pizza place and the Olive Tree restaurant. All marvellous establishments for Bramleigh’s community. We already mocked up a leaflet explaining the coming changes. Sasha has been preparing to leave after this weekend – didn’t she tell you?’
‘I’m so sorry,’ Sasha said to the shocked Mollie, Paloma and Mr Davis.
‘You guys did the most wonderful thing. And I’m so grateful.
But Eleanor won’t accept it. She’s had a better offer, and even with the amount you’ve raised – much as I appreciate it – I can’t make the figures work.
This is the last weekend for Matcha Moments.
’ Her voice broke and she took a deep breath, trying to compose herself.
‘And on a more celebratory note – I hope you’ll all come tomorrow for the last Sunday at the café – we planned a jazz evening, don’t forget! ’
Sasha hugged Mollie, Paloma and everyone again. Even though it hadn’t worked out, they’d tried their best to help her. They would always be family to her. Mr Davis too.
‘I can’t believe that woman!’ Mollie kept saying.
‘Try and enjoy the rest of the evening,’ said Sasha. ‘There’s the disco and Casablanca on the green. Klara’s already out there, helping to set up.’
Mollie groaned and slammed her fist on a table. ‘Imagine being so sure of yourself that you think nothing of going against the entire town’s festival committee!’
‘No one wants a kitchen showroom here on the high street. And what a waste of this wonderful view, overlooking the green. Why can’t you see that?’ Paloma tried talking to Eleanor again.
‘Rafe is a friend of my husband’s from Eton.
He’ll be an asset to the community, I’m sure.
And he has a local partner who is also a fine craftsman who’ll be displaying his collection.
If the people who can afford Rafe’s kitchens frequent our high street, it’ll be a win for the community.
Including our high-street solicitors’ firm.
Surely you can see that, Mollie. I know for a fact that you love a handcrafted kitchen. ’ Eleanor strode towards the door.
‘But it won’t be the same as our café! I’m all for a bespoke kitchen, lord knows we spent enough on ours. But why does a kitchen showroom have to be based on our high street?’ Mollie practically yelled.
Paloma nodded. ‘There’s a place for kitchen showrooms and it’s not in this building.’
Eleanor swept her arm round the room. ‘They want prime footfall, of course. And this corner of the green is the best for footfall.’
‘The view of the green will be wasted on their customers.’ Mollie shook her head.
‘Exactly, they’ll be too busy looking at the handcrafted detail and tiling rather than taking in the view,’ said Paloma.
‘You’re entitled to your opinions, of course. But unless Sasha can match their offer, the lease will go to Wisdom Kitchens.’
‘Thanks, Eleanor,’ said Sasha, steering her out of the café. ‘Thanks for informing the whole town where we’re at. But this café is still mine for one more week and I need to get on with serving the desserts for the feast.’