‘I’ve got a feeling that Abi might have changed his mind on that one,’ I reply.
‘Really?’ Sascha’s eyes light up with the potential gossip.
‘I don’t know anything for sure,’ I say. ‘So don’t go round spreading rumours. But apparently he’s moving into her share house after Christmas.’
‘How do you feel about that?’
‘Gets him off my back,’ I say. ‘Maybe he’s finally got the message that we’re not getting back together again, even though Ben is out of the picture.’
‘Is Ben completely out of the picture?’ Sascha asks.
I hesitate for a moment before pulling out my phone. ‘He texted me last night,’ I say, showing her the message. ‘I don’t know whether to reply.’
I watch her read the message which simply reads: I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you truth. I thought I could stop it and I was wrong. I hope you had a lovely Christmas, Ellie. Thinking of you xx. The two kisses sitting there reminding me of those two almost kisses we shared back before any of this had happened.
‘Of course you should reply!’ Sascha screeches and then she looks at me, her face a little calmer. ‘If you want to of course,’ she says.
‘I do want to but I don’t know what to say.’
‘Why don’t you invite him for New Year’s Eve?’
‘And what if he can’t come? Or worse, what if he doesn’t want to come?’
‘Then at least you’d know,’ Sascha replies.
Before I have a chance to think about that any more we both look up because we’ve heard sirens in the distance, coming closer.
‘I wonder what that’s all about,’ Sascha says getting up to look out of the window. ‘I hope everything’s OK at the marina.’
I’m about to go and join Sascha at the window when Eric bursts into the dining room.
‘Oh, Ellie, there you are, thank God!’ he says out of breath. ‘I’ve been looking all over for you. The café is on fire!’
27
The fire trucks arrive at the same time as we do.
‘Oh my God!’ I hear myself scream. ‘What happened?’ Instinct makes me run towards the café, towards the door to try to do something to save my home and my livelihood, but somebody grabs my arm and pulls me back.
‘Let the fire crew do their work,’ Eric says calmly as he takes me back to where Sascha is standing.
‘How did it happen?’ I hear Sascha ask beside me. Everything feels as though I’m a character in a film, as though I’m looking down on the whole situation from above. I feel as though it’s not really me watching my café burning down taking with it my home, my teas, my herb garden and everything I own in the world. I feel as though I will awaken from this hideous dream at any moment.
‘We’re not sure,’ Eric says. ‘It was Bessie who first spotted it and called the fire brigade. You weren’t open today, love, I take it?’
I shake my head slowly. ‘No,’ I say. ‘I didn’t open today but…’ Oh God no!
‘Marcus,’ I scream. ‘Where the hell is Marcus?’ When I left that morning to go and see Sascha, Marcus had still been in bed. He’d had Christmas lunch in the pub with Abi and I hadn’t seen him since.
‘Marcus!’ I scream again as an ambulance arrives on the scene.
‘Calm down, El,’ Sascha says quietly and I feel her arm, warm around my waist. ‘Everything’s going to be all right.’
I spin round to face her. ‘How can you say that?’ I shout. ‘Everything I ever worked for is in there, everything I’ve ever been able to call home is in there.’ I pause for a moment, catching my breath as the smoke sticks in my throat. ‘Marcus is in there.’
‘Marcus isn’t in there,’ Eric says quietly from behind me. I turn and follow Eric’s finger that is pointing towards Marcus, who thankfully seems very much alive. He’s wrapped in a red blanket and is being led towards an ambulance by a paramedic. I break away from Sascha’s firm grip and run towards him.
‘Marcus,’ I call breathlessly and he turns towards me and smiles. He looks pale and tired and is covered in black smuts of ash. He tries to say something but starts coughing instead.
‘Don’t try to talk,’ the paramedic says to him.
‘Is he OK?’ I ask.
‘Just some smoke inhalation, love,’ she says as Marcus carries on coughing and wheezing alarmingly. ‘We just need to give him some oxygen and get him checked out at the hospital but he should be fine. Are you a relative?’
‘No, I… He… I own the café,’ I say gesturing towards the mess that used to be my pride and joy. One of the windows is cracked and there’s smoke pouring out of the door. Plus of course now the fire brigade are doing their job I can already see how much water damage there’ll be. Oh God please don’t let there be any structural damage. ‘Marcus and I work together,’ I go on. I turn to him then. ‘Nobody else was in there were they?’
He shakes his head as the other paramedic fixes an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth.
‘Do you know what happened?’ I ask. ‘Do you know how much damage there is to the building?’
‘That’s the fire department’s call,’ the paramedic says. ‘You’ll have to ask them. We have to get Marcus to the hospital.’
Marcus reaches out his hand and grabs my wrist. ‘Come with me,’ he says through the oxygen mask. I look at him properly then and can see how scared he must have been, how relieved he is to be in the fresh air. What the hell started this fire? Did I leave something on? Did I not unplug something?
‘You can come with him but we need to leave now,’ the paramedic tells me and I look from Marcus to the café wondering what to do? Should I go with Marcus or stay here?
‘Ellie,’ someone shouts from across the street. I turn and scan the growing crowd. The whole town must be here now, abandoning the yacht race for the more exciting entertainment of a fire. ‘Ellie!’
It’s my uncle James. He strides across the road and envelops me in a huge bear hug. ‘Thank God you’re all right,’ he says. ‘Eric called us and told us what was happening. I had to come down and check on you. Do you know what happened?’
I shake my head but suddenly I remember how Marcus had moved the café around and put the tree in the window for Christmas. He told me he’d used an extension lead but I’d never checked it to see if it was PAT tested, never checked to make sure he hadn’t overloaded the plug. I remember leaving the Christmas lights on this morning when I left for the hotel. Part of me is suddenly furious with Marcus, for turning up here so suddenly, for taking over, for moving everything around, for shaking everything up. But part of me is just glad that he’s all right.
James turns to Marcus then. ‘Are you all right, mate?’ he asks, his forehead crinkling in concern. Marcus nods and tries to talk but I stop him.
‘Smoke inhalation,’ I say. ‘He needs to go to hospital and I don’t know if I should go with him or wait here to see what the fire brigade say.’