‘So are you going to forgive him for the whole Moby’s thing?’ she asks.
‘I know he was trying to do the right thing,’ I reply. ‘And I know Marcus was stirring up trouble but—’
‘So it’s on?’ Sascha interrupts.
‘Me and Ben? I don’t know.’
‘You should give it a chance. It might be exactly what you need right now.’
‘Really?’ I look at her gleeful face. ‘There’s so much going on at the moment, so much I need to think about. It doesn’t seem like the right time to start a new relationship, especially one that got off to such a rocky start.’
‘You like him don’t you?’
I nod. ‘Yeah, I like him. A lot.’
‘If you wait for the right time you’ll be waiting forever,’ Sascha says sagely. ‘There’s never a right time to start something new so you may as well go for it and see what happens.’
31
‘Ready?’ Mo asks as we put the finishing touches to the three-tier afternoon tea plates, which are now piled up with sandwiches, scones, butter, jam, cream and individual slices of Christmas cake, blondie and brownie. My aunt’s angel biscuits take pride of place on the top tier.
‘As I’ll ever be,’ I reply. Nothing about this is how I’d planned but I’m beginning to learn that life doesn’t have a plan. Most of the time we don’t seem to have any control so it’s best to just try to go with the flow and make the most of every moment. Despite how beautiful Terry and Mo have made my corner of the pub look, it’s not The Two Teas and there is a part of me that would have been much more comfortable cancelling this evening altogether, but I know that would have been a cop-out. Hiding away in the hotel burying my head in the sand and ignoring what has happened at the café wouldn’t have helped. I need to be out here, showing that I’m still a part of the community, that I’m sorry for any trouble Marcus and I have caused, and that the café will be business as usual as soon as possible. Even if that doesn’t feel as though it’s true.
‘Right,’ Mo says. ‘I’ll start taking these plates out to the hungry hordes and you start bringing the tea. Once all that’s done we’ll start serving the champagne.’
The little alcove of the pub that has been transformed into The Two Teas for the occasion is buzzing with excited chat when I walk out into the pub with the first two teapots – Darjeeling for my aunt and, in the light of us not having any Assam, Earl Grey for Lisa. Everyone has pre-ordered their tea and sandwich fillings so all I have to do is make sure everyone has what they want. I feel a huge wave of relief wash over me when I see all the friendly faces smiling and chatting away. I can even almost tolerate the terrible tacky Christmas music that Terry has put on.
The champagne tea is taking place earlier than I’d originally planned so that Terry can get the pub ready for his New Year’s Eve quiz, but it doesn’t seem to have put anybody off – everyone who booked is here plus a few extras squeezed into the small space. I’m particularly surprised to see Celia back, sitting next to Sascha and chatting away as though the two of them are the best friends in the world. Sascha had mentioned feeling guilty about how she’d treated her mother-in-law; she’d even mentioned feeling bad that Celia would be on her own for New Year but she hadn’t mentioned this. Clearly Sanderson Bay is weaving its magic once again.
But there is one person missing and when I realise my stomach drops.
Ben.
I wouldn’t miss it for the world.
‘Hello, Celia,’ I say as I take her and Sascha’s tea over. ‘It’s nice to see you again.’
‘It’s nice to be back,’ Celia replies. ‘I was just telling Sascha that she should do afternoon teas at the hotel and—’
‘I’ve told you, Celia, I’m not treading on Ellie’s toes,’ Sascha snaps back. So Celia may be here for New Year but nothing has changed it seems.
As I move away Sascha touches my arm. ‘He’ll be here,’ she whispers to me.
But I’m not here to moon over Ben, I’m here to work.
I spend the rest of the afternoon delivering more tea and sandwiches to everyone who wants them and stopping to chat to everyone, thanking them for supporting the café even when it’s not open. I’m surrounded by a chorus of ‘If there’s anything I can do to help…’ as everyone wants to do what they can to get the café up and running again as quickly as possible. The sense of support and community is so strong that it’s almost overwhelming and, during a quiet moment I sneak into the ladies’ just to have a few minutes to myself.
I lean my head against the cold tiles on the wall of the bathroom and take a few breaths. Everything is going to be all right, I tell myself. Nobody blames me for the fire except me and the whole town seems to have forgiven Marcus for his various misdemeanours, more interested in his near-death experience in the fire. I just have to forgive myself and move on.
‘Are you OK, Ellie?’ my aunt’s voice interrupts my thoughts.
‘I’m fine,’ I say, turning towards her. ‘So much has happened over the last week and I’ve had so much support from you and James and from the town in general. Everyone knows everybody’s business here but it’s worth it.’
‘I’ve always thought so,’ Miranda says holding out her arms to me. I step towards her and she envelops me in a hug. She smells of the lavender perfume she has always worn and it takes me back to being a lonely teenager who missed her mum.
‘Thank you for telling me about Maman,’ I say.
‘Perhaps I should have told you sooner. I’m sorry, I was only trying to protect you.’
‘Perhaps I don’t need quite so much protection anymore,’ I reply thinking again of Ben and how he didn’t tell me about the plans that Moby’s had for my café because he was trying to protect me. ‘I’m stronger than everyone thinks, stronger than I think.’
‘You’re right,’ Miranda says, stepping away from me. ‘You are and your café are such an important part of this community. Everyone wants it back up and running as quickly as possible and we’ll all help.’
I nod. ‘I know,’ I say. I notice a wince of pain flash across my aunt’s face. ‘Are you OK?’ I ask.
‘I’m as OK as I’ll ever be, Ellie,’ she replies. ‘I have to learn to live with this condition and you and your uncle have to learn to stop fussing all the time. I have good days and bad days.’
‘Do you need to go home to rest?’
‘What did I just say about fussing?’ Miranda laughs. ‘No I’m in for the long haul. Do you think The Teacups can win the pub quiz tonight?’
Not without Ben, I think.
‘No,’ I reply. ‘But we’ll give it a good hard crack!’
‘Why don’t you go back to the hotel for a little while and have a rest?’ Miranda says.
‘I wouldn’t mind getting a shower before the pub quiz, but I should stay and help Terry and Mo clear up.’
‘Your uncle can do that. You’ve been working flat out for the last three days to get this ready. Go and have a rest. I need you on top form to beat The Brainboxes!’