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

10

Soon afterwards, that same evening, Bev was wiping down the tables so the shop would be shipshape for opening in the morning.

‘Well, that seemed to go down well,’ her friend confirmed with a grin.

‘Yes, I’m so pleased. I really think it will work. Thanks so much for the idea.’

‘You’re welcome. Yep, it’s been great tonight.’

Emma didn’t answer. Tiredness, as well as all her tumbled thoughts over the past couple of days, were now creeping up on her.

‘Em, you okay, hun?’

‘Yeah, why?’

‘Just, you seem thoughtful. And you were a bit quiet when I first got here? That rent man’s not been hassling you again, has he?’

‘No, it’s not that.’

‘So?’

There was no hiding from Bev. How did best friends manage to suss you out in that way?

‘Okay, you’ve got me. I-I saw Luke’s brother yesterday.’

‘Oh, right. Whoa. That must have been a bit strange.’

‘Yeah. The last time I saw him was at Luke’s funeral. He was still a teenager, the kid brother.’ Emma sighed. ‘They got on so well those two, despite the age gap. Nathan adored him.’

The two ladies sat back down at the window-seat table. Bev placed a hand gently over Em’s where it rested on the tabletop. Emma hadn’t realised but she had started to cry.

‘Hey, it’s all right,’ her friend soothed.

‘Oh Bev, it was just weird yesterday. When I first saw him, just for that split second, I thought it was Luke. It was like an electric jolt right through my heart.’

‘Aw, bless.’

‘Of course, then I knew it couldn’t be. He just looked at me with those eyes … I didn’t think I ever would, but I had started to forget those eyes, how they really looked, and then the way he flicked his fringe out of them. Luke used to do just that when his hair got a bit longer. It took me right back …’ Em snuffled a bit.

Bev fumbled in her pocket, then passed her a tissue.

‘Ah, I’m sorry. This sounds silly.’

‘No, it doesn’t.’

‘It was just such a surprise … Hah, who’d have thought. The end to a perfect party night and me blubbing like a loon. I should be pleased that he’d thought to come and see me.’

‘Yeah, true. And I bet it’s been hard for him too.’

‘Yes, it must be. I suppose we have a lot in common, really. I think that’s why he disappeared off abroad for all those years. Just to get away from all the memories … That’s why it was easier for me to come here. To be somewhere else. I didn’t have to look at where Luke worked, where he ate, the bed where he’d slept with me, every day. It was hard enough without that.’

‘Yes, I can only imagine how awful that must be …’

‘I’m okay. Really. It was just a bit of a shock, that’s all. Come on …’ Emma stood up, needing to get on with a task, stop dwelling on seeing Nathan. Get back to her life here and now in The Chocolate Shop, and the fact the kitchen area was still a mess and needed a good tidy before opening tomorrow morning.

Blimey, Max would be here with her tomorrow, too. She wondered what he’d make of all this with Nate. But then, a part of her thought, she should just let it lie. She didn’t need to mention it. What if she got all upset in front of Max, like she just had with Bev? What might he think? They were just getting settled together. Yes, he knew about her fiancé Luke, but there was no point digging up the past. In fact, Nate might already be off on his way somewhere else and that’d be the last she’d see of him for years.

Bev stood up next to her, with her cleaning cloth in hand.

‘Thanks, Bev.’

Her friend realised she was saying thank you for more than the clearing up. ‘You’re welcome, hun. Hey, it was a great night. The prosecco party idea is going to be such a success, I tell you.’

‘I think you may be right, there, my lovely friend!’

They headed for the kitchen where they hand-washed the flutes and stacked the dishwasher with all the chocolatey pots and spoons. Then it was time for Bev to go. Em felt a little lonely pit in her stomach.

‘You okay? Shall I walk back with you?’ Em offered.

‘Don’t be daft. If you walk me, then I should have to walk you safely back too. Then we’d be to-ing and fro-ing all bloody night.’ She laughed. ‘I’ll be fine. This is Warkton we are talking about. The last major crime wave was when Mrs C left her walking stick at the post office section in the grocer’s and was convinced someone – in fact “a right bugger” – had stolen it. And it was only that Sheila had put it behind the counter for safekeeping.’

The friends giggled.

‘Night, Em.’

‘Night. Love you, Bev. Thank you … for everything.’ She found herself still feeling a bit emotional.

‘You are so welcome, my gorgeous chocolate-shop friend.’

‘Hah, you only love me for my chocolate.’ Em was smiling.

‘Foiled again,’ was Bev’s slick response.

The pair of them burst into laughter.

11

Emma’s head felt rather delicate when she turned the pretty wooden sign to ‘open’ on the shop door the next morning, despite her efforts to take it easy on the prosecco.

She served the early customers with their teas, coffees and brownies on autopilot, looking forward to ten-thirty when Holly would come in and she could then retire to the kitchen to do some crafting – something straightforward like making a batch of fudge might be good today.

Stan and Hilda, a sweet old couple, regulars from the village, appeared for a pot of tea and some cake.

‘So, how are you both keeping?’ Emma asked cheerily, after taking their order.

‘Grand we are, Emma. Just grand at the moment, thanks pet. Enjoying the better weather now that summer’s just around the corner. And you, pet?’

‘Yes, all fine here thanks, Stan. Keeping myself busy and out of mischief.’

He gave her a wink.

‘It’s lovely to be able to stop here a while now, Emma,’ Hilda took up, ‘what with the new café. It’s made a real difference. Very cosy.’

‘We make a morning of it now, don’t we, Hilda. Fetch the papers at Sheila’s on the way up, so we’ve got something to read. Then call back in for our weekend groceries on the way back down. Mind, when we saw Sheila earlier, she was looking a bit peaky. Reckon she’s going down with a cold or something,’ Stan added.

‘Ah, maybe.’ Emma smiled knowingly. There’d be a few sore heads in the village this morning for sure. She headed to the kitchen to prepare their tea and cakes. ‘Won’t be a minute,’ she called back over her shoulder. ‘Take a seat and make yourselves comfy.’

‘Oh, we will, lass,’ Hilda answered.

Holly arrived just as she was bringing a tray of drinks back out. Her assistant was carrying a brown paper bag that smelt suspiciously delicious.

‘Morning, Em.’ Holly sounded far too chirpy!

Oh, to have the recovery levels of a nearly eighteen-year-old, after a night out.

Emma served Stan and Hilda, then followed the aroma back to the kitchen. ‘What’s in the bag, Holly? And please, for goodness’ sake, say it’s for me or at least to share.’ She suddenly found herself with the appetite of a horse.

‘Hmm, thought you might like one. Mum made me a bacon sarnie just as I was coming out. There was one going spare, so I nabbed it for you before my brother could pig that down as well as his own.’

‘Ah, you are an angel – and thank your mum from me. This is so what I need right now.’ From feeling a little queasy when she’d got up, a little later than normal at seven-thirty, she had now turned ravenous.

She made a quick cup of tea for them both and dived into the soft malty bread and bacon. ‘Mmm. Just bliss.’

‘Right,’ Holly said, ‘I’ll head out to the counter and make sure Stan and Hilda are fine and have everything they want. Last night was brilliant by the way, such fun. Jess and I have been telling our mates all about it already.’

‘Great. Mind you, I’ll not be able to serve you as a paying guest until you’re officially eighteen, you know.’

‘Ah, yes. Well, Jess is already eighteen, and several of my friends. It’s only a month until my eighteenth birthday so I’m sure we can wait ’til then.’

‘So, have you got anything special planned for your birthday?’

‘I’m having a fancy meal out with the family. And then, I’m also planning a night out “on the Toon” in Newcastle with my mates. Yay – I can go out clubbing officially at last.’

‘Sounds great fun. Right, let’s get to work then.’ Emma finished off the sandwich, had another slurp of tea, then washed her hands ready for her fudge making.

The morning and lunch shift passed quickly. There was a lull by mid-afternoon, and the pair of them found themselves yawning once the shop emptied. Em offered to make them both a coffee to perk them up.

Sitting with a steaming mug in hand, Em started, ‘So, how’s the studying going? And are things still going well with Adam? All fine?’

‘Yes, pretty good. Just keeping my head down with the studies – needs must. And Adam, oh, he’s just so lovely. I don’t know how I got so lucky.’ Holly paused, looking thoughtful, then, ‘It’s going to be hard though, Em. I really want to go off to uni this September. I’ve got my nursing place for midwifery all sorted at Northumbria, as long as I get the grades in this summer’s exams, but then Adam’s going to be all the way back here because he’s got his job at the hotel.’

With her long-distance relationship with Max going on, Emma knew exactly how that felt. ‘Yes, it might be a bit tricky – but you know what, Hols? If it’s meant to be with Adam, you’ll make it work somehow. You need to think about your ambitions and goals in life too. You’re still so young and there’s a big world out there, Holly. Go grab it.’

‘Yeah, I know. I’ve always wanted to nurse and to look after people.’

‘Well, good for you. Hold on to your dreams, Holly, and your heart will work out the other stuff. If Adam’s serious about you too, you’ll both find a way.’

‘Yes, I suppose. I just feel a bit anxious about it all. But thanks, Em.’

It was like her and Max: despite all her concerns and fears, they had found a way. So far so good, anyhow. She was looking forward to seeing him tonight.

They heard the shop door chime and were soon back serving coffee and cake, filling gift boxes with truffles, and bagging up the new tray of fudge, then tying the bags with navy-blue curls of string. Delicious aromas of chocolate and fudge surrounded them, and Emma looked proudly out across the café where a host of happy customers were chatting and eating. The Chocolate Shop by the Sea was so charming with its cottage-style stone walls and cosy window seats – a place to truly warm your heart.

It was half an hour after closing time when Emma’s mobile rang.

‘Hi, Em. You okay?’ It was Max. The sound was a bit echoey, tinny. He must be driving and on the hands-free.

‘Yeah, where are you? Are you in the Jeep?’ She was hoping he’d be here with her within the hour.

‘Yes, but I’ve only just set off.’

Her heart sank. ‘From Leeds?’ That was about three hours away. ‘What’s happened?’

‘I’m sorry. Having a ’mare of a day here. Been waiting on steel girders being delivered and they were on the back of a wagon that’s been stuck in a jam on the motorway all afternoon. We needed to have them in place before we left today, to prop the structure securely.’

‘Oh, right. Well, couldn’t the others have stayed?’ She couldn’t hide the disappointment in her tone.

‘It’s my business, Em. Those girders cost a hell of a lot of money and they are such an important part of the structure; I needed to know it had been done right. You can’t get it wrong at his stage.’

‘Okay,’ she conceded. It was just so frustrating – she would be waiting for nearly three hours until he was here. What with all that had happened this week – with the landlord, seeing Nate out of the blue like that, still nursing a mild hangover – all she really wanted was to curl up in Max’s arms. She tried to buck up her mood. Max wouldn’t want to be coming back to some grumpy woman. ‘So, you’ll be here in what, just over two and a half hours?’

‘Probably, traffic permitting. It’s still slow getting out of Leeds. I’m sorry, babe.’

‘Ah, it’s all right.’ She tried to be a bit more understanding. ‘I’ll fix us some supper for when you get here.’ The earlier plan of a fish-and-chip takeaway from the pub might not work out now, as they finished serving food by nine. Well, she was bound to have something in the freezer; maybe a pizza would do. ‘Drive safely.’ That’s what really mattered, that he got to her safe and sound.

‘Yep, will do. Oh, and yeah, how did the prosecco party thing go last night?’

‘Really good. Well, a bit too good if my head’s anything to go by.’

‘Hah, don’t expect any sympathy from me – all self-inflicted,’ he jibed.

‘Cheers. Thanks for the support. But yeah, I really think the idea’s got potential and the girls seemed to love it.’

‘That’s great. And it should help keep the coffers full and Mr Miserable off your back for a bit.’

‘Hopefully.’

‘Right, well, I’ll crack on. See you soon.’ He sounded tired.

‘Yep, I’ll let you concentrate on the road. See ya.’ She switched off her mobile and sighed.

It was work getting in the way again and the new job for Max down in Leeds was making things even more difficult for them. It was frustrating more than anything, but hey ho, such was life. She knew all about long working hours and short breaks. You just had to get your head down and get on with it sometimes.

She couldn’t settle until he was there with her, so despite feeling tired, she used the time to make some raspberry-swirl chocolate bars – they looked so pretty with white and dark chocolate swirled together and freeze-dried raspberry pieces sprinkled over the top. She also made a batch of hazelnut pralines.

Alfie’s excited bark was the indicator that Max’s Jeep had finally pulled up outside. Em dashed through from the shop’s kitchen and opened the front door to save him having to do the usual after-hours walk around the back yard. He came to the door looking pale-faced and shattered.

‘Wow, what a day that was! Come here, you.’ He managed to smile, his arms opening.

They shared a hug and a slow, sweet kiss, right at the shop door.

A couple of teenage lads happened to be wandering by, who gave a wolf-whistle.

Emma and Max pulled away gently with a smile.

After a casual supper of pizza and garlic bread – the freezer having come up trumps – they sat in the upstairs lounge of the cottage flat above the shop. Em, comfortable with her legs curled up on the sofa, rested her head back against Max’s chest.

‘So, tell me all about this prosecco party, then.’

‘Yeah, it went off great. I thought the parties would need a bit of focus, so we made homemade truffles whilst enjoying the prosecco. And then there was time for chat and a bit of fun. The girls all loved it. I really think the party idea will work, once I get my licence completed. And, at least it’ll be another chocolate string to my bow.’

‘Exactly. It sounds good. What are you thinking of charging?’ Ever the business mind at work with Max.

‘Well, I’ve priced it out, and I was thinking, with say two glasses of prosecco included and all the chocolate-making ingredients, of charging £19.95 a head. That’s similar to a top-end afternoon tea, and quite fair as a glass of prosecco out is usually about six or seven pounds. If the group want to buy any extra bottles, I can charge that on top. It’ll keep the initial cost down per person but if a party are having fun, they can carry on with the bubbly that way.’

‘Yes, that seems sound. You’ll just need to keep an eye on your actual costs when you do the first few parties. You’ve got to make it worthwhile for the business too. You’ll be giving up a whole night of your time, remember.’

‘Yeah, I know, but I have to keep thinking of ways to improve the shop’s finances, especially with that bloody latest visit from Mr Neil.’

Max was stroking her hair gently as he spoke. ‘I hate to put a spanner in the works, but it may well be that your landlord has plans to sell the freehold on the shop, Em. There’s definitely something behind his month-on-month lease agreement.’

‘Yeah, so he can get out of it quickly, I know. But I’m just trying to pursue everything I can to make this business successful and to be the best chocolate shop along the Northumberland coast. That’s all I can do. There’s no way I’m going to give up now.’

‘That’s the spirit, Em. Good for you.’

‘Oh Max, if I think too much about the alternatives, the implications of maybe losing this place, it’d send me crazy.’

‘I know. But whatever your landlord is scheming is outside your control. Just keep focussing on what you can improve to make the business even better, and if The Chocolate Shop ever did have to move premises, at least your reputation and your business can move with you.’

‘Yeah, you’re right.’ But, even though his words made sense, the thought of ever having to leave this place, and maybe the village too, just broke her heart.

Later, as they sat, cosied up, watching some television, Emma realised Max’s breathing had slowed and looked up from his chest to see that he had fallen asleep. She got up carefully so as not to disturb him and went downstairs to let Alfie out the back yard, before locking up the back door for the night.

On her return, she gently shook Max’s shoulder. ‘Hey, sleepyhead. Time for bed.’

‘Wha—?’ He looked up, bleary-eyed and a bit startled.

‘You fell asleep in the middle of Poldark.’

‘Oh, right.’

They were soon settled in bed and within a minute he was off again, breathing heavily beside her. It was the first evening since he had started staying over of a weekend that they hadn’t made love. Emma sighed. He must be totally shattered, she reasoned. But still, she couldn’t help but feel disappointed. There was a time when he could hardly wait until he’d got inside the door to make love with her. And now this … Had things changed so much between them already?

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