Chapter 28
They woke on Sunday morning to the patter of rain against the window.
Frankie’s first thought was that it was the perfect excuse to stay in bed and was just snuggling into Ed’s side to suggest it when his phone pinged.
He picked it up and listened to a voice message.
‘It’s Harry, wants to know if we want to join them for breakfast.’
‘We can if you want…’ Frankie couldn’t hide her lack of enthusiasm.
‘We need to go over there at some point to collect all your shopping from yesterday,’ Ed reminded her. ‘Plus I kind of promised Harry we’d hang out today.’
It was on the tip of her tongue to protest that she wanted to spend time with him but she immediately pulled herself up.
Ed was home for only a couple of weeks, of course he would want to spend time with his family – they were the reason he’d come back, after all.
Plus the arrangement they’d agreed upon was supposed to be casual.
They’d been around each other a lot the past forty-eight hours so a little time apart would be good for both of them.
She had stuff to do anyway, presents to wrap for one thing, and she’d barely done any preparation work on her next script.
She smiled at Ed and patted his chest. ‘Then of course you must spend time with him. If he’s happy to make us breakfast then I’m more than happy to eat it. ’
‘You’re sure you don’t mind?’
Frankie shook her head as she let a smile tease the corners of her lips. ‘I didn’t have anything planned other than debauching you.’
Ed’s eyes lit up. ‘Debauching, you say?’ He tapped his phone and with his gaze firmly fixed on Frankie’s began to speak as soon as Harry answered.
‘Hey, bro, I got your message about breakfast. Any chance we can make it brunch? Frankie and I have a few things we need to do first.’ Harry must’ve answered in the affirmative because Ed said, ‘Yep, great, see you at eleven.’ He tossed the phone on the bedside cabinet then reached for Frankie with a determined gleam in his eye. ‘Come here, you.’
* * *
They arrived at Harry and Kat’s flat on the dot of eleven, both of them more than ready to eat.
Thankfully, Harry had laid on a feast of bacon, sausages and a mountain of French toast. Frankie piled her plate high, promising herself she’d add an extra lap to her morning run.
In between mouthfuls, Frankie made a point of telling Harry and Kat how impressed she’d been with the set-up at their cookery school.
‘The décor is fantastic. I loved how each workstation was colour coded too.’
‘That was Chloe’s idea. She and Anya helped us with the design throughout,’ Kat told her.
‘They both have such a great eye. I could’ve bought pretty much everything they had on their stall yesterday,’ Frankie replied.
‘I thought you had, given how many bags are piled up in my room,’ Ed said with a grin, earning a laugh from the others and a playful swipe from her.
‘Very funny.’ Frankie turned her attention back to Harry. ‘It’s amazing what you’ve done for those kids, though. It was clear when I was chatting to them how much it means to them learning from you. It’s obvious how inspired they are by you and what you’ve been able to achieve for yourself.’
‘I find them pretty inspiring too,’ Harry said. ‘If it hadn’t been for Russ, I don’t know where I might have ended up, and it feels good to be able to pass the opportunity he gave me onto other kids who are in a similar situation.’
‘I can tell you from experience how much it will mean to have someone believe in them. I was lucky enough one of my foster-mothers was happy to drive me to a local drama club I’d been involved with when I still lived at home.
She didn’t mind it was nearly an hour each way and said if it was important to me then it was important to her.
’ The memory brought a smile to her lips.
‘It’s like you said, who knows where we might’ve ended up without the right person coming into our lives at the right time. ’
‘And now you’re a star of stage and screen,’ Harry said. ‘Who knows, maybe one of my kids will go on to open their own restaurant and earn a Michelin star one day. It’s a nice thought.’
‘You didn’t fancy opening a restaurant yourself, then?’
Harry shook his head. ‘No chance. Don’t get me wrong, I loved working under Russ, but you need to love the adrenaline rush of a busy evening service. I always preferred the quieter prep times when I had more time to focus on the trainee chefs and help them improve their skills.’
‘A natural-born teacher, then,’ Frankie replied, with a smile.
‘If you’d seen me at school, you wouldn’t think so!
’ Harry replied with a laugh. ‘I’m so dyslexic I can barely spell my own name.
Thankfully, I found the perfect partner and not just for the business.
’ He extended a hand towards Kat, his eyes shining with a love so deep it brought a lump to Frankie’s throat to see it.
‘You might not be the only one going into teaching,’ Ed said to his twin. ‘I had a long chat with Dad the other night when I went over there for dinner and we’re going to explore the possibility of opening a sailing school together once he retires as harbour master.’
‘Seriously?’ Harry’s eyes opened wide. ‘But what about all your conservation stuff? I thought you loved that.’
‘I do! Hopefully we can combine the two.’ Ed shrugged. ‘It’s just an idea we’re kicking around.’
‘Well, I think it sounds brilliant,’ Kat said as she stood and pushed back her chair. She picked up her empty plate then gestured towards Frankie’s. ‘Are you done?’
‘Yes, thank you, that was wonderful.’
Kat continued around the small table, gathering the dirty plates, which she took to the sink. She returned to collect their coffee cups, pausing to press a kiss to Harry’s cheek. ‘Why don’t you all head into the lounge and Ed can tell you more about his plans and I’ll finish tidying up?’
‘I’m not sure we’ve got as far as a plan,’ Ed protested with a laugh that set Frankie’s teeth a little on edge. It was clear he was excited about the idea, so why was he trying to talk it down already?
‘All the more reason for you to chat to Harry about it, then,’ she told him as she got up. ‘I’m sure he’ll have loads of useful insights about working with young people. I’ll help Kat clear up and then I’m going to head back to the cottage.’
Ed frowned. ‘Do you want me to come with you?’
‘No, I’ve got stuff to do. Those presents I bought aren’t going to wrap themselves and then I really must spend some time going over the script for my new film.’
‘And I want to clear this table so I can sit down with my laptop and do a bit of writing,’ Kat added.
‘I think they’re trying to get rid of us,’ Harry told his twin.
‘I think you’re right!’
The two of them left and suddenly the small kitchen seemed much larger with just her and Kat in it. ‘If you wash, I can dry?’ she offered.
‘Sounds like a plan. So are you able to talk about your new film or is it all hush-hush?’ Kat asked as they finished clearing the table and moved everything over to the sink.
‘I can talk a bit about it, but it hasn’t been formally announced yet,’ Frankie said as she picked up a tea towel and rested her hip against the counter.
‘Only whatever you’re comfortable with, but you know I won’t say anything about it, not even to the others if it’s all still under wraps.’
‘I’ll tell you a bit about it on the condition you tell me what you’re writing about.’ It was the first time Kat had mentioned anything about it and Frankie was fascinated to learn more.
Kat’s cheeks flushed. ‘Oh, I’m not sure I can. It’s still in the early stages and I haven’t really shown it to anyone.’
Frankie was even more intrigued, but she also didn’t want to put her friend on the spot. ‘No pressure if you’re not ready. Hey, if you want some peace and quiet, why don’t you bring your laptop over to mine? I’ll be working on my script so you won’t be disturbed.’
Kat glanced over her shoulder towards the kitchen door.
‘It would be nice not to worry about those two disturbing me every five minutes. I thought I’d have the flat to myself as they’d planned to go hiking, but that’s not looking likely in this weather.
’ She turned back to Frankie. ‘Are you sure I wouldn’t be disturbing you, though? ’
Frankie shook her head. ‘Not at all. I usually put my earbuds in with some focus music so I’ll be miles away. I bought the most amazing-looking lemon drizzle cake off one of the stalls yesterday. We can light the fire and treat ourselves to a little afternoon tea, if you like.’
‘I like!’ She glanced back towards the open kitchen door. ‘It’ll be good for Harry and Ed to spend some time just the two of them.’ She sighed. ‘I know that going away was the right thing for Ed, but Harry missed him like crazy.’
‘I can’t imagine what it’s like to have a bond like they must have,’ Frankie admitted.
‘I can’t get my head around it either, if I’m honest,’ Kat agreed. ‘I’m an only child and the household I grew up in is nothing like the Penroses’.’
‘You don’t get on with your parents?’
Kat shook her head. ‘Their relationship is pretty toxic and they’ve always been more interested in each other than me. When Harry and I moved in together we both agreed we’d keep it as friends only.’
‘What happened?’
Kat laughed. ‘Harry happened. Life happened. The more time I spent with him, the more time I wanted to spend with him.’
Frankie was starting to understand that feeling. She picked up a plate and began to dry it. ‘When did you change your mind?’
‘When I realised everything about my life was better with him in it.’ Kat set down the brush she’d been using to scrub the dishes and turned to face Frankie. ‘Look, you can tell me to mind my own business, but are you sure you know what you’re doing getting involved with Ed?’
Frankie frowned. ‘I wouldn’t call what we’re doing getting involved. We’ve just agreed to spend the next couple of weeks having fun together, that’s all. Why? Is there something I don’t know about Ed that I should be worried about?’
Kat shook her head with a laugh. ‘Oh no, nothing like that. Just watch yourself, though, because these Penrose men have a sneaky habit of getting under your skin without you realising it.’
‘Oh, I see what you mean! Well, you don’t have to worry about that. Ed and I both know exactly where we stand and come the new year we’ll be bidding each other a fond farewell.’