I handed Sam the dripping coat and he set me to work. Thankfully it didn’t take all that long before I started to feel like my true self again.
‘Aren’t you going to light the fire?’ I asked, as he handed me a box of glass jars and tealights to set up along the windowsills.
‘Not until later,’ he explained. ‘I’m expecting quite a crowd and it isn’t particularly cold. If I light it too early, we’ll be roasting before George has even started to scare us witless. It’ll be more about creating ambience than warming us up tonight.’
Given the way my heart reacted when our fingers touched as he passed me the box, Sam was still more than capable of warming me up, but I wished he wasn’t. There might have been no chance of acting on my feelings for him, but that apparently wasn’t going to stop me having them. It was all very inconvenient, not to mention frustrating.
‘Tess?’
‘Hey, Hope.’ I flushed as she popped up right on cue and looked delighted to see me.
‘I thought I heard your voice,’ she beamed, rushing around the bar and relieving me of the box so she could administer the hug I had come to expect every time I saw either her or Sophie.
She looked beautiful with her dark hair braided and pulled away from her face and wearing clothes so full of colour it was impossible to believe the weather outside was wall to wall grey. Had I tried to wear anything like that, I would have looked as washed out as Wynmouth currently did, but with Hope’s stunning skin tone and natural vibrancy she was a reminder of the summer which was, hopefully, waiting in the wings.
‘You look amazing,’ I told her. ‘I can’t believe you can cook and still look like that.’
‘Mum’s doing most of it,’ she said, waving my compliment away. ‘I’m just her sous chef really. Come and see what she’s making.’
She took my hand and led me through to the kitchen where Sophie was rustling up another fascinating fusion using Norfolk produce and adding her own unique twist. The spiced chicken smelt delicious, as did the curried vegetables.
‘There’s not masses,’ said Hope, as her mum continued to alternately chop and stir with her back to us. ‘But there should be enough to give everyone a little taste.’
Noticing the size of the pans, there looked like there would be more than enough to go around, but I knew Sophie liked the people she was responsible for feeding to be well full. Her portion control at the café was testament to that and Hope obviously felt the same way.
‘Tess,’ said Sophie, turning to smile at the pair of us as we stood side by side with our arms linked, while trying not to interrupt her creative gastronomic flow. ‘Sam said he was hoping that you were going to come. It’s lovely to see you.’
Her eyes tracked from me to Hope and back again. There was something searching about her gaze, but it was gone in a moment. I hoped she hadn’t caught on to the fact that I had a bit of a crush on her daughter’s other half. That would be mortifying.
‘Anything beats staring at four walls,’ I told her, feeling my face colour. ‘Not that they aren’t lovely walls.’ I gabbled. ‘I didn’t mean that I’m not happy with the cottage.’
‘Oh Tess, don’t worry,’ she laughed. ‘I think I know what you meant and with this weather, I can’t blame you. You must have read every book in the place by now!’
‘Pretty much,’ I fibbed.
The only words I had devoured were the ones from Mum’s diary.
‘This all smells delicious, Mum,’ said Hope, releasing me so she could give one of the pans a stir.
The sight of mother and daughter working in well-practised unison brought a lump to my throat. I swallowed it away and banished the tears I could feel brewing.
‘Leave it now,’ said Sophie, tapping Hope’s hand with the back of a wooden spoon. ‘That one can just sit and simmer. I haven’t been able to make anything too adventurous, what with the limited facilities,’ she said to me, ‘but perhaps that’s no bad thing.’
‘Mum’s saving her best recipes for the beach party,’ grinned Hope, then spotting the wobbly smile on my face, quickly asked, ‘are you all right, Tess?’
‘Yes,’ I croaked, before clearing my throat. ‘I’m fine.’
I had to admit, I hadn’t given the solstice celebration all that much thought, but Sam, Hope and Sophie had. We sat in the bar and they told me what they had arranged so far. The council had voiced no objection to the idea, so the three of them had forged ahead, planning the menu, drinks and a list of entertainment ideas.
‘And we were wondering,’ Sam said to me, ‘if you would consider designing the posters, Tess, and adding the event to the online community notice board.’
‘Sam said you were a dab hand with the marketing things for the pub event,’ said Hope, smiling fondly at him.
‘She was brilliant,’ Sophie agreed, before heading back to the kitchen. ‘An absolute star.’
‘But we wouldn’t want to eat into your holiday time,’ Hope quickly added. ‘We don’t want you to feel obliged to get involved . . .’
‘Although it would be great to have you on board,’ Sam added.
It was impossible to resist the pair and, in truth, I was keen to take part. I had thought, before I arrived, that some peace, quiet and solitude would help get my life back on track, but the last few days were proof enough that I was wrong about that. What I needed was another project to sink my teeth into to help balance out the thinking time and give me some perspective. It turned out that you could have too much quiet, even if you had been craving it.
‘I’d love to help,’ I told them, ‘as long as no one thinks I’m butting in. I’m only a holidaymaker after all and I wouldn’t want to stand on any local toes.’
Sam shook his head.
‘After the success of last week’s event, no one’s going to think that. If anything, they’re all grateful to you for getting me to shake things up a bit.’
‘A bit?’ said Hope, raising her eyebrows.
‘All right,’ Sam laughed, ‘a lot.’
‘And now there’s no stopping you,’ I smiled.
‘And Hope,’ said Sam, giving her a nudge. ‘She’s got plans too.’
‘All still in the early stages,’ she said softly.
‘What’s this?’ I asked.
Sam slipped away and Hope told me about her potential business venture. She explained how her recent trip to see family and her visit to Blossom’s Bakery in Norwich had inspired her to come up with the idea. She was planning to develop a range of mail-order Caribbean-inspired cookies. Blossom already sold a couple and apparently they sold out almost before they’d cooled.
‘Blossom has given me the recipe for her ginger and lime ones,’ Hope said, ‘and there’s potential to develop lots more. Mum said I can trial them in the café.’
‘So, you’ll be able to build up a local reputation first,’ I said, ‘and gauge what works and what doesn’t.’
That sounded like a great idea to me.
‘Exactly,’ she said. ‘Although really, I’d like to just set up a mail-order business and go for it.’