Chapter 23
Dragging himself from Frankie’s bed in the wee small hours was one of the hardest things Ed had ever had to do.
‘You don’t have to go,’ she murmured, snuggling herself into his side.
‘Don’t make this any harder for me,’ he pleaded with a half-groan. ‘I’ve got an early start in the morning and I wasn’t prepared for an overnight stay. I don’t even have a toothbrush with me.’
She pulled a face and pretended to push him away. ‘Ugh, then you definitely need to go home.’
Ed laughed and leaned over to kiss her forehead. ‘I’ll bring it with me next time.’
‘Oh, you think there’s going to be a next time, do you?’ Frankie rolled onto her back and curled one arm over her head. She was posing for him, the little minx, and Ed didn’t know whether to fall on top of her or roll her over and smack her bottom for being a tease.
‘Stop that! I’m going.’ Ed got up, flinging the quilt further back than he needed to.
Frankie shrieked and scrabbled for it, tugging it back up to her chin. ‘That was mean.’
‘So is teasing me.’ Ed fumbled around on the floor, hunting for his clothes in the dim light of the single bedside lamp. ‘Where the hell are my pants?’
Frankie burrowed under the quilt and he watched in bemusement as the shape of her wriggled down towards the foot of the bed.
‘Ah-ha,’ her muffled voice declared, and she emerged from underneath the bedding with his red-and-white-checked boxer shorts in one hand.
She waved them in the air like a striker celebrating a goal and he snatched them from her with a laugh and quickly pulled them on.
It was chilly in the room now the heating had gone off and he made fast work of pulling on the rest of his clothes.
Frankie sat like a little buddha all bundled up in the quilt and watched him. ‘Are you sure you need to go?’
‘Do you remember how garlicky those roasted vegetables were?’ he reminded her.
‘Bleurgh.’ Frankie pulled a face. ‘Yes, you definitely need to go home.’ Her expression grew serious. ‘What time does the fayre start tomorrow?’
‘At 10 a.m. but I promised Rick I’d be available early to help with any last-minute snafus. I’m meeting him and the others in the café for breakfast at seven-thirty – you’d be welcome to join us if that’s not too early for you.’
She seemed to consider it for a moment before nodding. ‘No, I can do that. And I’d like the chance to catch up with the girls and smooth things over before everyone gets too busy.’
Her expression had turned a little pensive so Ed swooped down and pressed a quick, hard kiss to her lips.
‘It’ll be fine, I promise. None of us are the type to hold a grudge, well, apart from Issy, but that was only with Liam and they sorted themselves out in the end.
You wouldn’t believe the stuff they’ve forgiven me for over the years. ’
Frankie’s expression brightened. ‘Ooh, I can’t wait to find out.’
‘No way.’ He laughed as he pointed a finger at her.
‘Don’t you dare listen to a word any of them has to say about me.
It’ll all be lies, anyway. And now I’m definitely going before I dig this hole any bigger.
’ He snatched one final kiss, then hurried out of the room before he changed his mind and crawled back under the duvet with her.
* * *
He thought he’d managed to sneak back into Harry’s place without disturbing either him or Kat, but when he got up later that morning the first thing Harry said to him was, ‘Late night?’
‘I went to bed quite early, actually.’ Not technically a lie.
‘Note he doesn’t say whose bed,’ Kat said with a snort and a shake of her head as she reached for her coat. ‘Come on or we’ll be late for breakfast.’
They bundled up against the cold and trooped down the iron staircase that led into the back yard behind the restaurant and through the big security gate into the rear alley.
It was freezing cold, but the weather forecast had proven true and the post-dawn sky was brightening every minute to reveal a blanket of the palest blue overhead.
Ed tucked his hands in his pockets to keep them warm, hoping the clear sky was a good omen for the day ahead.
Everyone had worked so hard to put the fayre together and they deserved it to be a success.
They rounded the corner onto Harbour Road and crossed straight over to the café. Ed stepped ahead of them and pulled open the door. ‘Umm, Frankie might join us for breakfast. I said that would be all right,’ he said, keeping his voice casual.
‘Sounds good to me,’ Harry replied with a broad grin as he passed him.
Ed touched a hand to Kat’s sleeve and she paused to look at him. ‘Frankie’s still a bit worried about the other night.’
Kat’s smile softened, her eyes lighting up with warmth and understanding. ‘There’s no need to be. We’re all as desperate to put it behind us as she is, so I’m really glad she’s joining us.’ She stepped closer, keeping her voice low. ‘You two are together, then?’
Ed nodded. ‘Just for now. I really like spending time with her, Kitty.’
Kat bit her lip. ‘You’ve told me you both know what you’re doing so I’m going to trust you on that. I won’t say anything and neither will anyone else, I’ll make sure of it.’
That meant more to him than he could say. Kat was special to him, and not just because of her relationship with Harry. ‘Thanks.’
‘Shut the door!’ Liam yelled from behind the counter. He had a dark apron around his neck and was placing steaming cups of coffee in the collection area. Next to the counter, Harry and Matt were busy pushing several tables together.
With a laugh, Ed ushered Kat inside and he quickly closed the door behind them.
He might as well not have bothered as it opened again moments later to admit Rick and Anya.
They exchanged hugs and greetings as they took off their coats and hung them up.
Rick had barely got his off before his phone started ringing and he excused himself and walked over to the quiet community hub area he’d been instrumental in helping Issy set up a few years previously.
Anya sighed as he sat down and pulled his notebook out of his bag and began scribbling. ‘It’s been like this for days. I know how important today is for him, but I’ll be glad when it’s over and he can take a few days off and relax.’
‘Relax? Him?’ Ed said with a laugh, which quickly faded when she didn’t join in. He put an arm around her shoulders. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on him today and do whatever I can to help, and we’ll make it our mission to see he chills out over Christmas.’
Anya leaned her head against his shoulder briefly. ‘Thanks, Ed, that makes me feel better. I’d do it myself but Chloe and I will be busy with our stall all day.’
‘Leave it to me,’ he promised.
They’d just reached the tables when the bell over the door chimed again and Chloe and Frankie walked in arm in arm.
‘Look who I bumped into!’ Chloe declared, all smiles as she released Frankie to push the door closed.
Both Anya and Kat immediately abandoned Ed and hurried over and the four women were all hugs and chattering laughter as Chloe and Frankie hung up their coats.
They walked straight past the table still talking a mile a minute and disappeared out the back into the kitchen, where Issy was no doubt busy.
‘You’ll have to get used to that.’ Harry sidled up to Ed and nudged him with a grin.
‘Get used to what?’
‘There’s a pecking order and none of us are close to being first on it,’ his twin replied, nodding first towards Liam, who had his back to them and was busy at the coffee machine, and then at Rick, who was finally off the phone and coming to join them.
‘What’s that?’ he asked. Before they could answer, his phone rang again and he held up a hand with an apologetic grimace as he answered it.
‘Oh, hey there, Kathleen. How are you?’ Kathleen was head of the local Beachcombers’ group that took on responsibility for keeping the beach clear of litter.
She was a stalwart of the community and always in the thick of it when there were things to be done.
Ed watched as Rick’s shoulders relaxed a little and a smile eased some of the strain on his face.
‘I knew I could rely on you. No, no, I’ll leave it up to you to organise if you’re happy to do it.
It’s one less thing for me to worry about today!
Okay, yes, okay. Speak later, cheers, Kathleen.
’ Rick hung up. ‘Sorry about that, what were you saying, Harry?’
‘I was just telling Ed to get used to not being the centre of attention when Frankie is with our ladies.’
Rick raised his eyebrows. ‘Like that, is it?’
Ed shrugged one shoulder. ‘Let’s just say I’ve been a very good boy this year so Santa came through early for me.’ He glanced towards the closed kitchen door then back at his brothers. ‘Don’t make it a thing, okay? Frankie and I are just hanging out a bit over the holidays.’
‘Whatever makes you happy, bro, is fine with me,’ Rick assured him. His phone rang again. ‘Give me strength,’ he groaned but his voice was chirpy when he answered the call and walked away.
Harry and Ed exchanged a concerned glance. ‘I’m going to stick with him as much as I can today,’ Ed said. ‘Take some of the strain, if he’ll let me.’
‘And I’ll do the same,’ Matt added as he finished arranging the tables to his satisfaction. ‘I’ve got my tools handy so I’ll be able to do any running repairs to the stalls if needed, and between us we should be able to keep an eye on Rick, make sure he’s not swamped.’
‘That makes me feel better,’ Harry said with a relieved smile. ‘I’ll be tied up at the cookery school.’
‘What have you got planned?’ Ed asked him as he pulled out a chair and they all sat down.
‘We’re running an open house for people to come and have a look around.
There’ll be easy hot snacks on offer – sausage rolls, mini Cornish pasties and what have you.
Now the catering gig for the show is over, we’ve been able to pivot to preparing for today.
The kids are sick of the sight of pastry,’ he added with a laugh.
‘But I’m letting them keep the profits on what they sell so that’s been more than enough to keep them motivated.
I’ll give tours and talks to anyone who is interested and hopefully show them that booking a private course will teach them not only new things, but how we’re investing what they pay us into a new generation of cooks and chefs. ’
Ed loved the way Harry talked about his work.
He always seemed to grow in stature and confidence and it made his heart swell with pride to see Harry turning his dream into a success.
It made him want to find a way to give something back to the community that helped raise them, and he thought again about his conversation with his dad.
He considered mentioning it there and then, but decided to wait until it was just him and Harry.
He loved all his brothers, but give Liam or Rick a sniff of anything and one would be putting together a business plan and the other would be hunting out a suitable workspace for him before he’d finished explaining the idea.
Harry would listen and though he’d offer his opinion, he would also give Ed the space he needed to figure things out in his own time.
It was still too soon to be making those bigger plans for the future, and Ed needed to put the hard yards in first. Learn the skills he needed the way Harry had as he’d worked through his apprenticeship under Russ Armstrong.
A renowned chef and one of the foremost restaurateurs in the county, Russ owned Prime Catch, the successful restaurant on Harbour Road where Harry had ended up as his sous chef before venturing out on his own with the cookery school.
The girls emerged from the kitchen on a gale of warm laughter and Ed stood to pull out the chair next to him for Frankie.
She accepted it with a smile, her fingers straying to touch his where they rested on the back of her chair.
It was a fleeting, feather-light touch but it sent a thrill through him as he got her settled and sat down beside her.
Conversation flowed easily around them and Ed let himself relax and join in. There was plenty of time for him to sort out his future plans. All that mattered was the here and now and enjoying the gift of Frankie’s company while he was lucky enough to have it.