Despite the fact that Ben doesn’t live here, that his life is in York and London, for the first time since I was a teenager I feel as though I’m home.
Marcus is already up and about when I get to the café, setting out the tables and chairs.
‘I thought Abi was going to open up,’ I say. I feel awkward and uncomfortable that it’s Marcus here to witness me coming home in last night’s clothes.
‘I told her I’d do it,’ Marcus says. He sounds pissed off. ‘I wanted to make sure you’re OK.’
‘I don’t need you checking up on me. I just need to pop upstairs and get changed and I can take it from here.’
‘Ellie,’ he calls after me.
I turn around. ‘Yes.’
‘This Ben,’ he says. ‘How well do you know him?’
‘Marcus…’ I warn.
‘Do you know he works for Moby’s?’
‘Of course I know.’
‘Well don’t you think it’s a bit of a coincidence that he just turns up here out of the blue? It was Moby’s who were trying to pressure your aunt and uncle into selling this place to them wasn’t it?’
‘Look, Marcus, I was suspicious at first too but that’s not why he’s here.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘I’m sure,’ I reply. ‘He grew up here and…’ I pause. None of this is Marcus’s business.
‘And what?’ Marcus asks. ‘Admit it, he hasn’t told you why he’s here, has he?’
I have no intention of admitting any such thing. ‘How do you know he works at Moby’s anyway,’ I ask.
‘I googled him.’
‘You what?’
‘Don’t you google new people you meet?’
‘No,’ I reply. ‘Not unless I’m about to employ them.’
‘So you googled Abi?’
‘Yes, did you?’
He has the decency to look abashed. ‘Yeah.’
‘Marcus, don’t you have any faith in human beings at all?’
‘Not really,’ he says. ‘Abi’s OK though.’
‘Well I won’t tell her you’ve been stalking her online. Now let me go and get changed and please stop checking up on me.’
‘I’m not checking up on you. I’m just—’
‘Whatever it is you’re doing stop. You don’t need to prove that you’ve changed – it doesn’t matter anymore, Marcus—’
‘There’s a pile of post from yesterday on the counter,’ he interrupts as though he knows I’m about to tell him for the umpteenth time that there is no chance of us getting back together and he just doesn’t want to hear it. I don’t know what I’m going to do to make him understand or to make him try to move on with his own life. He can’t stay in my spare room forever.
I pick the post up and put it on the shelf at the back of the café. It can wait until Monday.
*
It’s a busy day at The Two Teas with Christmas afternoon tea bookings taking up most of the afternoon, so by the time I finish up I’ve got seven text messages from Sascha demanding to know all the gory details from last night. Before I call her back I reply to the message from Ben.
Are you doing anything tonight? he asks. Can I see you?
‘What are you doing tonight?’ I ask Marcus as he stands at the counter nearby.
‘Nothing,’ he says, his face lighting up. ‘Would you like to do something?’
‘No, Marcus, I wouldn’t,’ I reply more harshly than I mean to.
‘We could do something, Marcus,’ Abi says as she comes towards us with a tray of empty cups. ‘There’s a film on in Hull I was thinking of going to. Do you fancy coming with me?’
I could kiss her and I can’t work out if she’s trying to get Marcus to go out with her because she likes him or because she’s worked out I would quite like the flat to myself tonight.
Marcus sighs. ‘I suppose so.’
‘There’s no need to sound so eager,’ I say. ‘It’ll be good for you. A change of scene might help you work out what you’re going to do next.’
‘Ellie,’ Marcus says as Abi goes to serve some new customers. ‘About Ben…’
‘Don’t start again, Marcus,’ I say holding up my hand. ‘I don’t know how many times I have to tell you that. I’ve moved on and I thought you had too.’
‘He works for Moby’s,’ Marcus presses on regardless. ‘Doesn’t that ring any alarm bells for you?’
‘I thought we’d talked about this.’
‘Are you seeing him tonight?’
‘Yes and I’d like to invite him over if you’re going out.’
Marcus looks at me for a moment and then walks away to talk to Abi. I make an assumption that he’s going to go into Hull tonight.
Would you like to come here? I reply to Ben. I’ll cook.
And then I go into the storeroom to phone Sascha. She answers on the first ring.
‘Tell me everything,’ she says.
‘Stop being so nosy,’ I reply.
‘I’m so bored here, always resting. Let me live vicariously through you.’
‘Did you find out about the new notices in the rooms?’ I ask. ‘The ones about no overnight guests and not making noise?’
‘Yes I did and I’ve been into every room and taken them down,’ Sascha grumbles. ‘That woman has no right to make rules in my hotel. I apologised to Ben about it too.’
‘You didn’t!’ I’m slightly embarrassed at the thought of her talking to Ben about it.
‘I did of course. I told him he could have overnight guests whenever he liked.’
‘Oh my God, Sascha! What did he say?’
‘He blushed bright red and mumbled something before walking away.’ She laughs. ‘You two are made for each other.’
‘Sascha, for heaven’s sake—’ I begin.
‘So come on, tell me,’ she interrupts. ‘What was it like?’
‘We had a lovely evening, we got along really well and the food was fantastic.’
‘And the sex?’
‘Sascha, I’m not telling you about the sex.’
‘Good?’
‘Yes,’ I mutter in reply.
‘How good?’
‘Very – now shut up.’
She’s cackling in my ear.
‘I’ll be glad when this baby is born and you have something to occupy your time,’ I say.
‘They say it’s going to snow more tonight you know,’ Sascha says seemingly changing the subject. ‘And they won’t get the snowploughs out until Monday from what I’ve heard, so lover boy is snowed in until after the weekend at least.’
‘How did he seem when you saw him?’ I can’t help myself from asking.
‘Fine,’ she says. ‘Certainly about you. He did say he was looking forward to seeing you again. But he’s been shut in his room working all day.’
‘Yeah, there’s something going on at his work he’s reluctant to talk about but he seems quite stressed.’