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It was strange, really, he’d fallen for Gemma so fast. The meal at the yacht club was the moment he knew his life would never be the same. He was hooked. Then that first kiss, the one that followed the next day, and every one since had only confirmed it for him. She was the one he wanted to be with.

Every time they were together, he had wanted to tell her about the negotiations he’d been in with Coffee-X, but doing that would mean admitting the truth; he didn’t deserve her. He wasthe type of man who would buy a piece of real estate from his old, unwell uncle well below market value, just to sell it on at a profit. What kind of person did that? Not the type of person Gemma deserved, that would be for sure. Of course, all that had been before he’d actually started working at the place. And now, well, now the letter in his hand was evidence of just how big a mistake he’d made.

“You’re the new owner here, aren’t you?” The lady had said when she’d knocked on the door early yesterday morning. So early, he was the only one there. “You’re the one who bought the place from your uncle?”

“Yes, that’s right, that’s me,” Kent had replied.

“Would you be able to pass this on to Gemma?” she gestured to an envelope in her hand.

“Of course.”

He reached out to take it from her, but even when his fingers were on the paper, she didn’t let go.

“You might want to read that too, just so you know how special your staff are.”

He nodded and muttered something about food in the oven, at which point she had smiled and finally released the envelope to him.

Back in the kitchen, Kent placed it on the side, and for the longest time, he resisted looking inside. After all, it was addressed to Gemma. But then, just after lunch, she had sent him a message saying something had come up, and she wouldn’t be able to see him that evening. The disappointment had mingled with relief. After all, it meant another day without having to admit to her what he’d done. Or another day without having to lie to her. But after that, the envelope’s call had been even greater and, as soon as there was a lull in orders, he picked it up and pulled out the card inside.

Dear Gemma,

As you know, these weeks have been some of the toughest I have had to endure. And part of me feels that there are tougher weeks yet to come, what with the funeral and the sorting of the house and such things. But that wasn’t why I wanted to write this note. I wanted to say thank you for making me feel seen.

It probably feels like a small thing to somebody like you. You’re youthful, beautiful, and surrounded by people who clearly adore you. I, on the other hand, well, I’m old. There’s no way around it. I’ve spent the last eight years a widow, looking after my widowed mother while my children moved to the other side of the country to raise their own families. When Mum lived with me, it was okay. I knew I had a use, a purpose, but then she went into the home, and suddenly I was on my own. I always thought I was the type of person who didn’t mind solitude. I could read books, go for walks, spend time by myself, but the fact is we need people. Without them, we become invisible. That’s what it feels like some days. It feels like I’m invisible. That I could walk down the street, and no one would notice whether I was there or not. But you always notice. Every time I have walked in here, you’ve greeted me with a smile or a worried frown when you could see that something was wrong. You’ve asked about how I am doing, and made me feel like I was a human who was worth talking to. I am so grateful for that. And I wanted to let you know, that what you do makes a difference. Thank you. Please don’t ever change this wonderful place you have here.

Your dearest friend, Janice. (Also, there is £5 in here because I realised I didn’t pay for my last coffee and cake, and I know you’ll be too polite when I next come in.)

Kent’s stomach twisted with knots. The truth was, he knew his uncle would have never sold the coffee shop to a company like Coffee-X, regardless of how many times Kent told him he was sitting on a gold mine. Oscar had insisted that profits weren’t everything, and Kent had considered him an old fool. When he’d signed the papers, Kent had wondered if, deep down, his uncle had known what he’d planned. Or maybe he’d hoped Kent would realise he was the one who was the fool after all.

CHAPTER 81

It had been years since Gemma had cried over a man, and she desperately didn’t want to now. But she couldn’t help it. It was like all the emotions she had allowed herself to feel for Kent needed to escape her body, and tears were the only way that could happen. How had she been so foolish to fall for a man so quickly? And one she had worked with, no less. Now, he had taken so much from her in one fell swoop. Sure, her heart was broken, but hearts healed harder and more guarded than before. She had already learned that.

But the café—he had taken that from her too, and for that, she would never forgive herself. He had taken yacht clubs from her, not that she ever went to them normally, but he had also taken Hay-on-Wye, that one place she had always been desperate to visit. Now, she would never think of that tiny little village with all its quaint bookshops and half-crumbled castle without thinking about Kent, too, and she despised him for that. As she wiped the tears from her cheeks, she drew in a long breath. This was a lesson she would learn from. A lesson that would make her stronger in the long run—she knew it would. But finding that strength would have to wait until tomorrow because, for now, she was just going to cry.

Gemma had sent Sophie a message straight after her conversation with Kent, saying what she had done. After that, she put her phone on silent, but that didn’t stop the constant buzzing, which only increased as it reached evening. She was certain that Sophie would have told people the news, and everyone in the book club would know. That was most likely what the messages were. But she didn’t even open them. She didn’t have strength. At the back of her mind, the reality of money and bills and looking for a new job constantly whirred away, but for now, she was going to ignore it. It couldn’t wait forever, of course, but a couple of days wouldn’t make a difference.

The next morning, Gemma remained in bed, staring at the ceiling. Would Kent have already found someone to replace her or at least got someone to work out front? Dawn had agreed to cover for a couple of days, but Dawn was notoriously unreliable. Then again, who knew how long it would be until Coffee-X took over. Maybe her leaving would have just helped matters move more smoothly. Gemma’s heart ached as she thought of the customers. How would they find out? She doubted Kent would tell them in person, but Sophie would, as long as she had enough warning.

It was just gone nine when Gemma’s phone began ringing and Sophie’s name flashed up on the screen. Groaning, she rolled over and ignored it, but it had barely stopped when it started again. This time Gemma cancelled the call, but that didn’t stop Sophie. Gemma barely had time to flop back onto the bed when it started ringing again. Her first instinct was to turn her phone off entirely, but then there was a good chance Sophie would just turn up on her doorstep.

With a loud sigh, Gemma answered the call.

“Dawn’s coming in today,” she said, before Sophie could get a word in. Her head throbbed, and her throat was scratched dry from crying herself to sleep “I quit, remember.”

“Dawn’s here. That’s not the problem,” Sophie said.

“Well then, why are you ringing me?” Gemma’s voice sounded sharper than she’d expected. It wasn’t like Sophie was to blame in any of this, but she should have known that if Gemma was ready to talk about things, then she’d have let her know. Besides, anything to do with the cafe was no longer her concern.

“I’m ringing because there’s a strange man in our kitchen,” Sophie said.

“What do you mean, there’s a strange man?” Gemma didn’t want to get drawn into cafe talk, but it was difficult. Saying she had cut ties was one thing, making her emotions do the same was another.

“There’s a strange man. I don’t know who he is, but he’s cooking. He says Kent employed him.”

Just hearing his name was enough to make Gemma feel sick, but as she swallowed the feeling down, she found herself conflicted and suffering from a strange sense of nervousness. She may have told Kent she was resigning, but there were proper avenues that needed to be followed if she wanted any chance of getting a position elsewhere.

“Well, where is Kent?” Gemma asked, hating that she had to say his name.