The Cosy Seaside Chocolate Shop: The perfect heartwarming summer escape from the Kindle bestselling author

Copyright

HarperImpulse an imprint of

HarperCollinsPublishers

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk

First published in Great Britain by HarperImpulse 2018

Copyright © Caroline Roberts 2018

Cover design © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2018 Cover illustrations © Shutterstock.com

Caroline Roberts asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

Source ISBN: 9780008295547

Ebook Edition © June 2018 ISBN: 9780008295554

Version: 2018-09-21

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Epigraph

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Chapter 48

Chapter 49

Chapter 50

A Letter from Caroline

Acknowledgements

Recipes

Keep Reading …

About the Author

Also by Caroline Roberts

About the Publisher

Dedication

For Julie and Kathryn

– onwards and upwards

Epigraph

‘There is nothing better than a friend,

Unless it is a friend with chocolate.’

Linda Grayson

1

‘Is it ready yet?’ The young man stood at the counter smiling, a hint of nervous anticipation in his blue eyes.

‘Yes, of course. I added the final touches to it this morning,’ Emma answered.

‘I can’t wait to see it. And did it fit in okay?’

‘Yep, no problem at all. I used one of the little cellophane bags I usually put the truffles in to protect it – didn’t want any chocolate smears to spoil the box. It looks great, honestly. I’m sure she’ll be happy with it. Anyway, I’ll go and fetch it from the crafting kitchen, where I’ve kept it safe for you, then you can see for yourself.’

It had been an unusual and rather lovely request: to place an engagement ring inside a hand-crafted chocolate Easter egg. Emma had been asked to design several creations, or add special messages to gifts, over the eight years since she had opened The Chocolate Shop by the Sea, but never this. She’d thought it wise to keep the ring in its jeweller’s box, so the lucky girl in question didn’t spoil the moment of revelation by eating it accidentally and ending up in A&E!

Emma had spent many hours designing and crafting the delicate, filigree-inspired sugar-paste design of hearts and flowers that adorned its moulded dark chocolate sides (dark chocolate being the fiancée-to-be’s favourite). With some trepidation, and not wanting any breakages at the last moment, she carried it carefully through to the shop, praying that it would be everything that Mark, the young man waiting at the counter, was hoping for.

‘Wow, that’s amazing.’ The young man’s jaw dropped.

Emma felt her shoulders relax as she placed the very special chocolate egg on the counter-top.

He smiled ecstatically at her. ‘The design is just stunning. She’ll love it, I’m sure. Let’s hope she loves what’s inside too.’

‘She’d better,’ Emma grinned. ‘If someone had made that much effort for me, well …’ She let the words trail. Someone had, once, many years ago. Just the memories and the love she still felt for that wonderful person took her back – and still, after all these years, it had the power to make her feel raw, bruised.

‘Well, best of luck,’ Emma rallied, not wanting her own past to tarnish someone else’s bright, shiny future. ‘Here, let me pack it up for you. I have a box and bubble wrap to make it as safe as I can.’

‘I’ll drive home steadily, I promise.’

And a few minutes later, the young man was setting off with his ‘engagement egg’ safely stowed in his arms, along with a heart full of hopes and dreams.

Emma stood at the counter, waving a cheery goodbye to him, but he could only manage a small nod in reply for fear of dropping his precious cargo, although he was smiling broadly.

Emma sighed happily. She loved this job so much. Well, it was more than a job to be honest – it was her own business, with her gorgeous little flat above the shop that was compact but cosy. ‘The Chocolate Shop by the Sea’ had been her refuge all those years ago, and now it was her joy. Coming down in the mornings to the scent of cocoa and vanilla, and sometimes warming whisky or orange, depending on what she’d been crafting the night before. The flavours and smells changed by the seasons, as did the colourful displays in the shop. Now, it was spring with wraps, boxes, ribbons and tags in Easter-bright yellows, pinks, blues and greens.

She looked around her. The shop, with its café, was fairly small, having been someone’s front room once upon a time. It had a traditional wooden floor and the original stone cottage walls and there were two round tables set in the window-seat area that overlooked the quaint village street. The counter area had a refrigerated unit to store the cream-based truffles and ganaches safely and wooden shelves for her fabulous displays of chocolate, including a quirky boat-hull-styled unit that she kept filled with pretty packs of truffles, fudge and hand-crafted chocolate bars.

She had re-styled the shop to echo the pretty harbour location, with new sky-blue seat pads for the window seats and stripy cushions in blues, cream and greys. Even the chocolates on the counter featured puffins, shells, anchors and boats.

Holly, her seventeen-year-old assistant, was due in any minute. She usually started at ten o’clock on a Saturday. Holly, a bubbly, pretty girl with a mass of wavy brown hair was in her final year at the local Sixth Form and worked for Emma at weekends and holidays. Emma knew she would likely lose her after the summer, when university or a college course beckoned. They had chatted about it recently after closing one day, both perched on stools with hot chocolates at the counter. The young girl would be a real miss at the shop, with her sunny nature and diligent attitude, though of course Emma wished her well for her future. They had worked hard together this last year, turning the business around and making its new coffee shop a success. There had been much fun and laughter along the way too.

Em spotted Holly’s dark curls bouncing by the front window.

‘Hi, Em.’ Holly was grinning happily as she came into the shop.

‘Morning, Holly.’

She was followed by a smart-looking lady in her sixties, who approached the counter with a friendly smile.

‘Hello, I’m looking to buy three chocolate eggs for my grandchildren. Something a bit different for each. Any ideas?’

‘Boys? Girls? Any hobbies?’ Emma asked.

‘Well then, Laura’s seven and into football, having just got into the school team.’

‘Ooh, well done to her.’

‘Her little sister is just a toddler who adores all things pink. And my grandson’s nine and mad about all those Xbox games and cricket.’

‘Okay, I have some suggestions.’ And with that, Emma brought forward some examples to the counter. ‘So, I do have a football egg, and believe it or not an Xbox-controller-shaped egg. It’s been popular, I can tell you. Or I can personalise a traditional egg with a name and a message, and there are large chocolate Easter bunnies and chicks, with varying ribbons and decorations. I can certainly go large on a fancy pink ribbon for the toddler with any of those. There are also hamper-style gifts with a selection of things in.’

‘Hmm, I can see I’m spoilt for choice. These all look fabulous. I’m so glad the young man at our hotel told me to call down here.’

Holly was now standing beside Em, with her stripy blue apron on. Em felt her positively glow. The young man in question being her boyfriend, Adam, who worked as the assistant manager of The Seaview Hotel at the top of the village.

‘I’ll go with the football egg and two of the bunnies, please,’ the lady continued. ‘Can I have one with a pink ribbon and the other with a green spotty bow tie?’

‘Of course. Let me pop them into bags for you. Can I help with anything else?’

‘Hmm, yes,’ The woman scanned the glass window of the refrigerated section. ‘Maybe a box of whisky truffles for my husband.’

After that, being the day before Easter Sunday, the customers kept piling in, and the café was buzzing all morning. The mini egg bags had run out by lunchtime, but there were plenty of other options. It was a fine balance, ensuring there was plenty of choice for those special occasion days, but also that you weren’t left with too much. Emma and Holly didn’t stop. Thank goodness Emma’s close friend, Bev, had agreed to help this afternoon too; she usually worked for a couple of days in the week.

The Chocolate Shop was in full swing right up to the close of business – an hour later than normal at six o’clock. Emma saw the last gentleman out with his huge fancy marbled milk-and-white egg filled with truffles, checked the street for any last-minute stragglers and seeing there were just a couple of tourists heading down the hill towards the harbour, she shut the door, turning the painted wooden sign to Closed. Wow! That was some day – feet throbbing, hands sore from all the wrapping and tying of bows, and a till hopefully laden with cash ready to pay next month’s rent.

‘Thanks for all your hard work, ladies.’ Emma turned to Bev and Holly.

‘You’re welcome,’ Bev replied.

‘No worries.’ Holly smiled at her boss. ‘I’m going home to get ready to go out with Adam. I think he’s taking me for a meal.’

‘Ooh, lovely. And, hang on, I have a gift for you both. You can’t be working in a chocolate shop and not be getting any perks.’ Em trotted off to the back kitchen to fetch the two chocolate eggs she had hand-crafted especially for her staff. Both had their names carefully written in white chocolate across them. Holly’s was milk with white chocolate spots all over it and Bev’s was dark with hand-crafted flowers in white and dark chocolate, both filled with their favourites: Eton Mess truffles with meringue and strawberry pieces for Bev, and Baileys truffles plus some salted caramels for Holly.

‘Oh my, that is amaze-balls.’ Holly beamed. ‘It’s almost too good to eat.’

‘That is so pretty,’ Bev added. ‘Mind you, I’ll have no trouble tucking into mine. It looks divine. Thanks so much.’ She gave Em a hug.

‘You only love me for my chocolate,’ Emma jested as they pulled away.

‘Absolutely.’ Bev grinned.

‘Right, well, time to get yourselves home then. We’ve already run well over time, so thank you. I’ll do the last bit of tidying here.’

‘You sure?’ Holly checked; she’d quite gladly help for a while longer.

‘I’m fine, honest. Go get your glad rags on, young lady, and enjoy your evening. Tomorrow’s a day off for me too. Yee-es.’ Em was more than ready for it, the run-up to Easter being particularly hectic. It was one of the few Sundays of the year when she closed.

The perfect antidote to a hectic day in the shop was a walk along the beach. After her staff had gone home, Emma nipped upstairs, took off her work apron, and found the lead for Alfie, her much-loved springer spaniel. He leapt out of his bed in her upstairs kitchen and was soon bouncing around her ankles.

‘Come on then, boy. Time for the beach.’

He knew the routine off by heart and didn’t need asking twice; he bounded off down the stairs then sat waiting, tail wagging eagerly, by the back door. They left by the courtyard, a lovely stone-flagged area to the rear of the shop, turned out through the side alley to join the main village street of quaint stone cottages, and headed down the hill to the harbour, past the grocer’s store and the new arts-and-crafts shop. It was breezy but mild, and a few fishing boats bobbed alongside the harbour wall; two of the traditional cobles had been brought up to the shoreline and rested amongst lobster pots, colourful buoys and thick-corded ropes. Emma said ‘hello’ to a group of tourists she passed, and gave a wave to Danny, her friend from the pub. The Fisherman’s Arms was set on top of the slope that rose gently to the right of the harbour and Danny happened to be out in the front car park, chatting to some guests.

Within five minutes she and Alfie were walking along the sandy track through the dunes, coming out upon a golden sweep of crescent-curved beach. Emma let Alfie off the lead and he ran joyfully down to the water’s edge, where rolling waves foamed in from the pewter-grey North Sea. It was beautiful there and strolling along the soft sands calmed her instantly. The hush of the waves, the breeze on her face, Alfie in his element – Warkton-by-the-Sea, with its beach, harbour, village of stone cottages and warm local hearts – this was home. This was her happy place – at last.

She walked the length of the bay to where the rock pools gathered before the low cliffs. The evening was beginning to creep in, the sky gently fading to a peachy-grey before night came. She’d get back; she needed to get ready to see Max anyhow. It wasn’t only Holly who had a date night to look forward to. Emma’s boyfriend would be with her in an hour or so. Wow, she could still hardly believe all that had happened in the past year. She never imagined she could fall in love again – after the pains of the past she could hardly bear to think about – yet here she was – they were – still in the early, tentative, but oh-so-sweet-and-sexy days of their relationship. Another love.

2

Emma woke the next morning to find Max asleep beside her. It was rather wonderful, but it still took a little getting used to. He’d arrived a little later than expected last night, so they had had a chilled-out evening in the flat above the shop, catching up on their week apart over a supper of chicken and salad.

The morning light glowed on his face, which was framed by short, mid-brown hair. She studied the dark lashes on his closed lids, the shallow lines on his forehead, deeper laughter lines around his eyes that she knew were hazel-green, the sensual curve of his lip, the cropped beard. It was a handsome face, a little lived-in and rather gorgeous. Watching him made her melt and then spin inside. It was hard to pin down these new emotions. She had been self-contained for so many years; a case of necessity. And day by day she felt her heart unravelling just a little more. It felt beautiful … and somewhat scary.

She reached to gently touch his shoulder which was bare above the covers. He was well-built, the muscles defined. There was the small scar where he had injured it just before Christmas. He still had to be careful, the dislocation to his shoulder making it likely that it might happen again. She loved him for his scars, his hurts, as well as his bloody sexy body. And hey, there were worse things to get used to than waking up to a strong, caring guy who looked a bit like Gerard Butler.

His eyes blinked open. ‘Morning, beautiful.’ His just-awake smile was warm in his voice.

‘Hello, gorgeous.’ Their morning greeting had become their ‘thing’ as they welcomed another day. It started off as a cheesy joke but had stuck and it never failed to make her smile. ‘Oh, hang on,’ she added, ‘Happy Easter.’

‘Happy Easter, Em. Now then, I haven’t got you a chocolate egg – thought you might be all chocolated-out by now. But I did get you this …’ He got out of bed, totally starkers, and wandered across to the chair where he had placed his clothes and overnight bag. She loved that he was happy in his own skin, uninhibited. He lifted out a small gift from his luggage. ‘For you.’

He climbed back into bed, as she opened the gift bag to reveal a very cute soft toy rabbit.

‘Well, you seem to be the one doing all the Easter-egg making and delivering around here, so I thought your very own Easter Bunny might be quite fitting.’

‘Aw, how sweet. He’s really lovely.’ The toy was gorgeous, all soft beige fur, with a white fluffy bib area and a yellow-spotted bow tie. ‘Thanks.’

With that, she leaned down to find her gift for him where she’d hidden it under the bed. ‘And this … is not your average Easter egg, by the way.’

‘Oh, I can’t wait.’ Max opened the medium-sized cardboard box, unwrapping layers of tissue paper to find a set of chocolate tools: spanner, hammer, nuts and bolts, and a screwdriver with screws.

‘Hah, this is brilliant!’

‘All edible,’ Emma announced. She had seen the moulds online and knew that was just the thing for Max, who owned his own building company. It had taken a while to get the silver-metallic finish just right, but she was pleased with the end result.

‘Wow, I’ve never seen anything like this. It’s so cool. I’m gonna have to show the lads at work. Thank you.’ He beamed at her. ‘I love it.’

‘You’re welcome.’

He leant across to give her the most tender kiss – an embrace that promised so much more.

‘We have no rush this morning,’ she hinted. ‘I’m not opening the shop today.’ After three weeks of manic build-up, creating chocolate eggs of all shapes and sizes, filled chocolate bonnets, moulded Easter chicks and bunnies, she was more than ready for a day off – a rare treat. Running your own business meant long hours, and busy days.

‘Hmmn, no rush at all then. So, I’m going to make love to you very, very slowly indeed.’

Em felt her whole body tingle just at the thought of it.

‘And … I might even find a use for that chocolate spanner,’ he added jokingly, with such a wickedly naughty grin on his face, that the pair of them dissolved into laughter.

Making love in the morning left you with a warm glow for the rest of the day. There had been no rush for Emma and Max to be out early, but there were two special chocolate Easter eggs she had yet to deliver to her twin nieces who lived nearby. They arrived late morning at her brother James’s house, which was in a small hamlet in the countryside outside the market town of Alnwick, a twenty-minute drive away through pretty country lanes.

After the annual Easter egg trail in the back garden for the girls, which had now become a bit of a tradition (and who better to bring the most delicious chocolate eggs than Auntie Emma?), they were chatting in the family kitchen over tea and simnel cake, with Easter ‘nests’ the girls had made themselves with lots of chocolate, cereal and mini eggs.

‘Uncle Max, do you like my chick?’ Lucy asked.

Emma had lovingly crafted two large and very cute chocolate Easter chicks, which had been the grand finale of the trail. They even had bow ties on – one red and spotty, the other yellow-striped.

‘He’s rather fabulous, isn’t he? Do you think it is a he?’ Max asked, noting with a smile that there was a large chunk of chocolate missing already from the back of his head.

‘Oh, yes. Of course.’

‘Mine’s a girl,’ Olivia piped up. ‘I’m going to call her Flick.’

‘Flick, the chick. That’s a cool name,’ Max said, grinning.

Max was a natural with the children, so at ease chatting away with them, despite having no nieces or nephews of his own. Lucy had started calling him Uncle Max soon after Christmas, when Emma had only been seeing him for a few months, and it had stuck. He seemed very much a part of Emma’s family already.

‘So, how’s the shop going, Em?’ Chloe, her sister-in-law, asked.

‘It’s been really hectic in the run-up to Easter, but that’s good. And I’m managing to keep up with the rent payments okay for now, so that’s a bit of a relief.’ There had been issues with a huge rent hike the year before, but Emma was managing to keep the wolf of a landlord from the door at the moment. The new café area was proving popular and her Chocolate Shop by the Sea was doing well; it certainly kept her busy.

‘That’s good news, Em. Glad to hear it. Anyone for a top-up?’ Chloe got up from the table where she’d been sitting with Emma and busied herself with the kettle and teapot.

The two men were standing chatting by the French windows that led to the garden. They were talking work too.

‘The accountancy practice has been full on lately,’ James, her brother, was saying, ‘what with the end of the financial year coming up. You?’

‘Yeah, lots on for me at the moment,’ Max replied. ‘Things have really picked up in the building industry again. New houses going up, conversions, all sorts. In fact, I’ve just been offered a great project down in Leeds.’

Emma’s ears pricked up – it was the first she’d heard of this.

‘Converting a warehouse into apartments, right by the side of one of the canals. The job’s worth a lot of money and sounds really interesting. I like working with original buildings, but then that has its problems too, and it’ll mean I’ll be travelling and being away quite a bit. Gotta go where the business is, though.’

‘Too right.’

Well, thanks for letting me know about this, Emma mused, feeling a little disgruntled that he hadn’t thought to tell her first. It was hard enough finding time to spend together as it was, with both of them running their own businesses.

‘Uncle Max, can you come and play dens with us?’ Lucy interrupted.

The girls had a Wendy house all set up in the lounge.

‘Yes, Uncle Max.’ Olivia was on the case too.