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CHAPTER 25

Sophie was only working half a day and she turned up at one o’clock, full of beans and ready to start.

Although first, she needed to catch up on any gossip.

“Oh, my God, you’ve got a date tonight, and you didn’t tell me,” she said.

“I haven’t seen you to tell you,” Gemma said as she unloaded plates for the dishwasher. “It’s not a proper date, anyway. It’s a double date drink with one of Henry’s work colleagues.”

“And from what Nina says, he sounds amazing. She told me everything Fleur said on the phone. We are so excited for you.”

It was lovely how supportive the book club was of one another, although at the same time, it was undeniably annoying that nothing could be kept a secret.

“Well, I’ll let you know how it goes tomorrow,” Gemma said. “But don’t get your hopes up. You know what I’m like when it comes to dating.”

“Completely standoffish and unwilling to open your heart to anyone?” Sophie suggested.

“That feels a bit harsh.”

“Maybe, but it’s true.” A smile twisted on her lips. “And now, how’s today been? With Kent. Have you two got along well?”

Gemma had been anticipating this question, and thankfully, she had prepared a truthful and non-problematic answer.

“I’ve hardly seen him,” she said, skipping the part about the amazing sausage sandwich and him calling her out for checking on him first thing. “He’s been punctual with the food and we’ve had no customer complaints.”

“Well, you two are going to get on amazingly. I can feel it. Also, we should probably sort out the tables and chairs outside,” Sophie added.

“The chairs, why?”

Most of the time, they left the outside furniture where it was; it was only when they were expecting heavy rain that they ensured all the chairs were tucked under the tables so that they were useable after the rain had stopped.

“There’s a massive thundercloud coming this way,” Sophie said. “And haven’t you listened to the weather forecast? It’s meant to be pouring down all afternoon.”

“Are you sure?” Gemma went over to the window.

Just as Sophie had said, a massive black thundercloud was looming overhead, darkening the water to a deep, murky grey.

“Well, it’s going to go one of two ways,” Gemma said. “I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”

CHAPTER 26

Sudden downpours of rain meant one of two things for the Waterfront Café. The first thing that could happen was that everybody who had been outside, enjoying the view and walking their dogs, would make a dash for the nearest place undercover where they could wait out half an hour with a cup of coffee. On such occasions, the Waterfront Café would become rammed. Gemma and Sophie would inevitably be run off their feet until the rain stopped and the people dispersed en masse. The other option was that everyone headed for their cars or directly home, in which case, the café would be absolutely dead. And that was what happened that afternoon. Rain pelted down outside, and heavy droplets fell so densely that they blocked the view between the café and the waterfront. They hammered on the roof like hailstones.

“It’s going to be dead all afternoon now,” Sophie said.

“Not necessarily,” Kent replied. “I’m sure people will want to come out and stretch their legs when the rain stops. The shower is only meant to last a couple of hours.”

After receiving no orders for over twenty minutes, he had come out of the kitchen, wondering what was going on. Now, he was simply sitting at a table, staring outside with Sophie.

“I guess, in restaurants, people still come out; they’ve made bookings,” she said. “But here, it’ll be dead. It’s only really the dog walkers that will come out. None of the parents want their children splashing in all the puddles and getting crazily muddy. Plus, the paths here get quite slippery because of the hills, so none of the old folk like walking down when it’s really wet. Trust me, it’s going to be dead.”

“Why are you still here, anyway?” Gemma said before realising just how rude her question sounded. “I just mean, well, you’re done for the day. We stop serving hot meals now, you know that. Your day finishes at three.”

“I know,” Kent said, “but I wanted to see what a full day was like. And it’s not like I’ve got anywhere better to be.”

At his comment, Sophie shot Gemma a look that involved both a raised eyebrow and a smirk. However, Gemma masterfully ignored the expression entirely. She had enough matchmaking going on in her life. Sophie sticking her nose in when it definitely wasn’t wanted was the last thing Gemma was in the mood for. Still, at 3:30, with only one customer, Gemma made a decision.

“You go home, Sophie,” she said. “There’s no point in us both hanging around here when there’s no one to serve.”