Chapter 17
Mal got his opportunity the next day. With the wedding only two days away, both he and Elodie had been working late pretty much every night. He had been preparing and freezing what he could manage. She had done most of her cake, but needed to assemble it. As far as he knew, she was on track to get everything done, apart from things she could only do the night before. He, on the other hand, was struggling. Despite working flat-out for days, he was behind on making his snacks. He had most of the ingredients made up and stored, but he needed to assemble them.
‘Liz,’ he said, when she came in to start her afternoon shift. ‘Any chance you could stay on an extra hour or two tomorrow night?’
She frowned. ‘Why? Is it wedding prep?’
‘Yes. I need to assemble things. Maple coconut rolls and Vietnamese summer rolls need rolling, the bao buns have to be filled and the burgers assembled, but without the relish.’
‘Okay.’ She checked her phone. ‘I can do an extra hour in your time of need.’
‘I’ll see if Archie can too.’ He texted him. ‘I’m still going to need more hands.’ He called Priya, who agreed that she and the kids could come over. Dilan would potentially not be much help, but he would want to be included. He hung up and tried to work out who would do what. His phone rang.
Saffron. Oh no. That wasn’t going to be good at this late stage. As the wedding got closer, Saffron, and by extension, Jamie, got wound tighter and tighter. Jamie had been working out like he hated the machines. So much so that Jake had had to talk to him about stress management and breathing.
‘Hi, Saffron!’ He hoped he sounded upbeat and positive and not drowning in cortisol himself.
‘Waiters,’ Saffron said. ‘I would like there to be waiters circulating, handing out drinks and some of the canapés.’
‘I thought you were having a buffet-style—’
‘Waiters would be better.’
Mal took a deep breath. ‘Saffron. The wedding is two days away. I don’t think I can find a cohort of waiters in that ti—’
‘Please.’ Her voice cracked a little. ‘I thought the hotel would provide them, but they don’t. We have all the drink and glasses sorted. Your people would just have to circulate and hand out champagne. Only for a couple of hours.’ She sounded close to tears.
Mal wanted to say no. He really should because what she was asking was impossible.
‘Can you ask some people from your gym? Having fit men doing the waiting would be very on brand for Jamie. He can’t do it because he’s all tied up here with other stuff. Please, Mal.’
He sighed. ‘I’ll see what I can do, Saffron.’
He hung up and put his head in his hands.
‘Did you just agree to do something impossible?’ Liz said.
‘Might have done,’ he said into his hands.
‘Oh boss, when will you ever learn?’ she said. ‘It’s a good job Archie and I are conscientious people. Otherwise we’d walk all over you.’
He had to admit that she had a point. He had been lucky there.
A few hours later, Elodie said the same thing. ‘Why didn’t you just say no? She called me first and I said it wasn’t something I could do.’
‘She called you first?’ He had started popping across with a coffee for her whenever he had a break. Sometimes she was busy and he got to watch her decorate. Other times, she put down her tools and they stood around in her tiny kitchen talking. The more time he spent with her, the more he liked her. She could be prickly and easy to anger, but once she relaxed, she was thoughtful and determined and big hearted.
‘Yep. I told her no.’ Today was a working day. Elodie was doing complicated things with icing. Mal was standing well out of the way while he drank his coffee.
‘Have you found some people?’ she asked.
‘No. I mean, there’s me and Marty and I’m sure Jake will do it, but that’s it. I tried the temp agency, but it’s too short notice and most of their people are at some event at the town hall.’ He closed his eyes and groaned. ‘I’m so behind on everything. Why did I think this was a good idea?’
‘Because it is a good idea,’ said Elodie firmly.
He opened his eyes. She was looking straight at him. Her expression was stern, but eye contact still had an impact on him.
‘Sorry,’ he said. ‘You’re right. I’m just having a wobble.’
‘You’re not allowed,’ she said. ‘I’m the flaky one. You’ve got to be the steady one.’ The smile took away any sting in the words.
‘You are definitely not the flaky one,’ he said. ‘But point taken. I shall be the solid rock in the storm.’
She pointed at him. ‘Exactly.’
‘In fact, I will call Jake and ask if he can get some of the guys from the gym to do us a favour. Most of those guys know Jamie. They would probably love to be part of it.’ He took out his phone. ‘They’re more likely to do it if Jake asks anyway. Most of them only know me because I used to work for Jake as a personal trainer.’
‘You were a personal trainer?’ Elodie’s voice sounded distant and strained.
He didn’t look up because he was texting Jake. ‘Yeah. Only stopped a few years ago when the catering stuff took off.’ He sent his text. ‘There. Done.’ He looked up to find Elodie staring at him. She looked away, reddening.
‘I don’t think it’ll be a problem,’ he said.
Elodie cleared her throat and returned to her work, kneading icing with her fingertips, rolling it out, cutting, shaping. Flowers took shape in her hands. It was like magic. Mal watched her face. The fierce concentration on it was endearing. Her hair was tucked into a hairnet, leaving her neck exposed. She had a very nice neck. He wondered what it would be like to kiss it. Did her skin taste like sugar? He caught his own train of thought and forced himself to look at the floor.
Elodie hadn’t mentioned Leon at all since they’d started collaborating. As far as he knew, she had done nothing but work and go home to sleep, so there couldn’t have been any other dates. Jake was right. He should ask. He cleared his throat. ‘So … how are things going with Leon?’
She looked sideways at him. ‘Leon? I haven’t seen him in weeks. Why?’
It was a fight to keep his face under control and not grin. ‘Just wondered. I thought you guys were together.’
‘Ah. No. It didn’t work out.’
‘I’m sorry.’
She lowered the fondant flower she was making and turned to him. ‘Are you?’ she said, her head tilted to one side.
‘No, not really.’
Her eyes met his and it was as though a current passed between them. He felt it go right through him. Slowly, he lowered his coffee cup. His pulse sounded louder. Did her skin taste of sugar? Could he find out?
He saw her chest rise and she drew a deep breath. His gaze drifted down to her delightful pink lips that had parted slightly. He could kiss her. He was pretty sure she would let him.
The bell above the shop door rang. The spell shattered. Mal looked across to see that the man from the second-hand bookshop had come in. Marty was chatting animatedly to him.
Mal swallowed and turned back to Elodie. She was working again, with fierce concentration. The moment was gone.
He drained the last of his coffee. ‘I should get back,’ he said. ‘I’ll be working until late tonight and tomorrow, I reckon, just to get everything done.’
She nodded, not looking up. ‘Me too. I’ll see you later.’
As he left, he wondered if that was merely small talk or whether it was more of a promise.
All of Mal’s frantic ringing round for help had produced only Archie and Liz that night. Jake was busy, but he had promised to try and source him some waiters for the next day. Priya had called to say that Dilan wasn’t very well, so she couldn’t come either. Oh well, they would have to do their best.
He set up workstations like they normally did, giving each person a task. The ingredients for the summer rolls had to be done fresh. He had sorted out the avocados during the afternoon, but the cucumber and radishes needed slicing. He and Archie set about doing that. Liz was tasked with maple coconut rolls.
They had the music on and it was just like a normal evening. Archie was telling them about his brother’s band when Mal’s phone buzzed with a message from Priya. Since he knew that Dilan might be unwell, Mal went through the whole rigmarole of removing his gloves and checking his messages.
Priya’s message simply said: You two need to talk. TALK to him.
What was she on about? Who was ‘him’?
Mal was about to call back when someone rapped on the door.
‘I’ll get it.’ He went to the front and found his brother standing outside, shifting his weight from foot to foot. Suddenly, Priya’s message made sense.
‘Pubudu, what are you doing here?’ he said when he’d opened the door.
His brother looked uncomfortable. ‘Priya said you needed help and she couldn’t come. So, I’m here,’ he said. ‘To help.’
He let Pubudu in and shut the door again. ‘Is Dilan okay?’ He gestured in the direction of the kitchen.
‘I think so. His ketones were dipping a bit, so we figured it was best if we kept an eye on him. Nilupa is staying with a friend tonight, so you just get me.’
‘I need all the help I can get.’
He got his brother set up, stacking and rolling summer rolls. His presence changed the dynamic of the room and they all worked quietly for a bit, until the atmosphere thawed and the chatter returned.
When it got to 9.30 p.m., Mal suggested that the teenagers leave. They had already stayed well past their usual clocking-off time. He would pay them overtime, but he didn’t want to take advantage of their goodwill. Which meant that there was only him and his brother left.
Mal did a quick stretch and roll of his shoulders before he sat back down. ‘You can leave too, if you want to.’
Pubudu shook his head. ‘I’m okay to do another hour.’
‘That’s very kind of you. Thank you.’ Mal grabbed his mug. ‘More coffee?’
‘Yes please!’
When he returned, he passed Pubudu the coffee and, mindful of Priya’s text, said, ‘I really appreciate you coming to help.’
Pubudu shrugged. ‘You needed help. I’m your brother.’ He raised the mug and blew on it.
‘I know, but after what I did … I didn’t think you’d forgiven me.’
His brother lowered the mug. ‘Forgiven you?’
‘For ruining your life.’
Pubudu stared at him. ‘You didn’t ruin my life. Do you seriously believe that? Still? That’s ridiculous.’
What? Hadn’t he? What was going on? ‘When I ran away the night before your A-level exam and made you lose your university place to do medicine.’
Pubudu huffed. ‘That was bad, sure. But I wouldn’t say it ruined my life.’
Nope. No. That made no sense. ‘I don’t understand,’ Mal said, flatly. ‘I thought you wanted to be a doctor. You ended up doing something else because of me. I ruined your life. You told me that. Very loudly. You were very clear.’
His brother closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, which was something he did when his kids were being exasperating. ‘Okay. Okay, yes. That was bad and I was pissed off with you at the time.’
Oh boy, had he been! That summer had been one of stony silences and slammed doors. Then Pubudu had left for his second-rate degree course to pursue a second-rate career, according to their parents, because Mal had been selfish enough to create chaos and disappear for a night. What was more, he had made his parents contact the police to look for him – something no immigrant parent wanted to do. Ever.
Pubudu opened his eyes and leaned forward. ‘But you know what, once I was away from home and all the …’ he waved a hand, ‘all the pressure, I realised that being a doctor wasn’t my dream. It was Ammi and Thatha’s. They said it so often that I started to believe it was what I wanted. I don’t think I’d have enjoyed being a doctor. Too stressful. Biochemistry was more my speed.’
Mal goggled at him. ‘But … Ammi said …’
‘Ammi and Thatha had big dreams for us both. Me more than you, I think because of the science thing. But those were their dreams and the pressure was …’ He blew out his cheeks.
Mal sniffed. ‘Yeah. I know all about the pressure. Trust me.’
Pubudu shook his head. ‘I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you, Malli. I know you didn’t run away for no reason. I should have noticed that you were being bullied. I was so wrapped up in my own stuff that I just didn’t see it.’ He reached out and touched Mal’s arm. ‘I let you down.’
Mal felt like his world was out of kilter. This conversation was slowly dismantling years’ worth of certainty.
‘Did you seriously think I hated you for ruining my life? Is that why you’ve been so … weird around me?’ Pubudu asked.
‘I’m not weird around you. You’re the one who’s weird around me. Every time I come round, you palm me off to Priya and run away.’
‘Because I get the impression that you can’t stand to be in the same room as me. Priya and the kids are fond of you and I didn’t want my presence to ruin that.’
They stared at each other for a moment, then Pubudu started chuckling. ‘Look at us. What a pair of idiots.’
Mal smiled too. ‘I’m going to have to rethink my whole life now.’
‘Me too. I thought we had the classic “family rift” with Priya holding the threads together,’ Pubidu said. ‘I’ll tell you what. You did me a huge favour. If I’d done medicine, I wouldn’t have met Priya and had my kids. Those guys are my life.’
He felt something change inside. A weight in his chest, slowly dissolving. ‘That’s … wow. It’s going to take a bit to get my head around that.’
Pubudu nodded. ‘It is. I suppose, in the meantime, we should get on with your rolls here.’
‘Yes. Yes, we should.’
They both sipped coffee and bent their heads to their tasks. Somehow the atmosphere between them was lighter.
Mal locked up the shop. It was now nearly 11 p.m., but everything he could possibly make ready ahead of the wedding was done. Since it was a Saturday, at least he didn’t have to drop off lunches to the gyms. The shop would remain closed through the day. He slipped his key into his pocket. He was still wired, partly from the surprise of reconciling with his brother, partly from all the coffee. He desperately wanted to talk to someone. The light was on in the cake shop. He could tell Elodie.
He hesitated at the door. She was busy too. Should he be disturbing her? Well, if she needed help, he would help. Besides, he had held on to this imagined animosity from his brother simply because they had shouted at each other years ago and never communicated about it again. If he’d told Pubudu how he was feeling a few years ago, things could have been different for years.
He knocked on the door and waited. What would happen if he told Elodie how he felt? Would she be amenable to going out on a date with him, maybe? He thought about the moment of tension that afternoon. Maybe she was attracted to him too?
Elodie opened the door. ‘Hey,’ she said, wearily. ‘Come in.’
A few wisps of hair had escaped her hairnet. The bags under her eyes were bruise blue. She looked exhausted. Now was not the time for heartfelt declarations, he thought regretfully. After the wedding. He would ask her out after the wedding.
Elodie went back to stacking her plastic cake boxes after letting Mal in. She just had to get these put away and wipe down the kitchen and then she could fall into bed and sleep for a few hours. Right now, she felt she could sleep for a month, but she had to be at the wedding venue by noon tomorrow. She turned Classic FM off so that there was silence apart from the noisy hum of the refrigerator and their breathing.
‘I’m nearly done. I think.’ She patted the boxes. ‘I think I’m as ready as I’m going to be.’
‘Same here,’ he said. There was something strange about his voice.
When she looked at him properly, she could see that he was jittery, moving a little as though he couldn’t stand still.
‘Are you okay?’
‘Um. Yes,’ he said. ‘Yes. Just a bit … It’s been a weird day.’
Ha. She could relate to that. ‘Tell me about it.’
He must have taken that literally because he blurted out, ‘I spoke to my brother and it turns out he doesn’t hate me.’
She blinked. ‘Wow. That is a big day.’ He had told her about his brother. She had mentioned that her own brother didn’t like her much. That and parents whose expectations they had failed were two things that they had in common. This was a big deal for him.
He gave her a smile that seemed wobbly at the edges. ‘Yeah. For all these years I thought he hated me because I ruined his career, but it turns out he forgave me years ago … and I never knew, so I kept avoiding him and … it was all a massive, weird misunderstanding.’
‘That’s fantastic.’ She genuinely was happy for him. On an impulse, she threw her arms around him and gave him a hug. ‘I’m so pleased for you.’
His arms came around her and hugged her tight. She buried her face against him and let herself absorb the warmth of him. He smelled of coffee and peppermint. He was excellent at hugging. She relaxed. Leaning against him, she felt fortified as though she was strengthened and protected at the same time. The hug was going on for a little longer than was normal. She should step back. She loosened her arms from around him and felt a pang of regret when his arms moved away from her back.
She took a tiny step back, so that she could look at him. ‘You must be so relieved,’ she said, trying to look into his eyes. He said something in return, but she didn’t have the focus to work out what it was.
He was standing so close, she could sense every time he moved. She looked up and met his eyes. Up close, she could see that they weren’t black, as she’d previously thought, but very dark brown. The light caught them in such a way that she could see hints of lighter browns in there. She could search them for hours. Heat flooded into her, making her breathing short. He was so … beautiful.
Mal wasn’t saying anything, but he didn’t break eye contact. He had turned his head a little. His mouth looked so inviting. What would he taste like if she kissed him? She could find out. With almost no input from her conscious brain, she leaned forward, closed her eyes and pressed her lips to his.
His lips were dry and warm … and tasted of coffee. He didn’t move.
Elodie broke contact and moved back. Oh god. What did she just do?
‘I’m s-sorry.’ Mortified now, she took a step back.
Mal shook his head.
Another step back. ‘I don’t know what came over me. I’m so—’
He closed the distance between them and kissed her. Momentum carried her further back and she came up against the fridge. He cupped the side of her face with his warm hand. She put her arms around his neck. As though he’d been waiting for permission, the kiss deepened. He moved closer. Elodie’s world spiralled away as they kissed, her back pressed against the thrumming fridge, her legs turning into jelly. He moved away from her mouth, and kissed his way down her neck, making her arch closer. A small gasp escaped her. Heat pooled lower in her belly.
Behind her, the fridge motor switched down making the fridge judder and remind her of where she was. ‘Not here,’ she said. ‘Not now.’
He froze. ‘What?’ It was barely a murmur against her arched throat. He started to move away.
‘No!’ It came out louder and more needy than she’d expected. She grabbed his shirt at both shoulders, holding him where he was. He tilted his head, frowning.
‘I mean,’ she said, quickly. ‘Yes, to this. Just … not here.’
Confusion cleared from his face. ‘The kitchen.’ He slid his hands down her side until they rested on her hips. ‘Yes. You’re right. Not here.’ He leaned in and placed a kiss just below her ear. ‘And probably not now, either.’
‘We both have an early start tomorrow.’ She closed her eyes briefly, and when she opened them again, he was looking at her.
‘Later, then?’ he said. ‘After the wedding?’
‘Yes.’ She loosened her grip on his shirt and ran a finger down his throat into the top of his collar and was gratified to see his eyes half close.
He leaned forward and rested his forehead against hers. ‘How much more do you need to do here?’
Oh god, what had she been doing? She gently pushed him back so that she could focus on something other than the insistent throb of her body. She touched her hair. She was still wearing a hair net. And her apron. She couldn’t have looked less sexy if she’d tried. And yet … Mal still had his hands on her waist, as though he couldn’t bear to break contact any more than she could.
‘Ten minutes,’ she said.
‘Can I help?’
‘No. It’ll be easier on my own.’ Less distracting.
‘Okay. I’m just going to go and wait in the other room …’ He gave her a look that made her want to say, To hell with the wedding. ‘I will walk you to your car.’
She smiled. ‘That would be great.’ Neither of them had moved apart. ‘I … do have to move,’ she said.
‘Of course.’ He grinned and loosened his arms from around her. ‘Just so you know,’ he said. ‘I really, really like you, cake lady.’
‘I like you too, man bun.’
He gave her a kiss on the cheek and hurried away, leaving her with her heart pounding, trying to remember what her evening clean-up ritual was.