The Waffle House on the Pier: A gorgeous feel-good romantic comedy

by Tilly Tennant

  ‘Something smells good.’ Her father took a seat in the conservatory and Sadie put a cold glass of his favourite ginger beer in front of him.

  ‘Fish pie,’ she said.

  ‘Oh, and what have we done to deserve such manna from heaven?’ he asked, taking his drink with a warm smile.

  ‘Nothing. I just thought I was here doing nothing and you were all out working hard so I might as well cook.’

  ‘If you’re going to cook every night then we might just keep you on as a parlour maid.’

  ‘Oi!’ Sadie admonished with a laugh. ‘Don’t worry, in light of that comment I won’t be cooking tomorrow night!’

  Her mother came through, after freshening herself up, and gave Sadie a kiss on the cheek. ‘How’s your day been? Did you manage to get some rest?’

  ‘Yes. Thanks for taking Gammy with you…’ Sadie looked around. ‘Where is she, by the way?’

  ‘She’s gone for a lie-down – she said she had a headache.’

  ‘Oh. I got… never mind, I can give them to her later. How has she been today?’

  ‘Complaining. I’ve never heard anyone complain so much. And I’m afraid her memory has been quite sharp today, because she’s told just about everyone who would listen what happened in our house last night, word for word.’

  ‘So everyone thinks it’s my fault the waffle house is closed?’

  ‘Don’t worry, we set the record straight where we could. But I think we’re going to have to grin and bear it for a while, until things settle and she’s a little happier.’

  ‘You mean I’m going to have to grin and bear it? She’s not blaming anyone else.’

  ‘Oh, she is,’ Graham said. ‘Apparently it’s our fault for bringing up such an ungrateful brat.’

  ‘Oh, Mum!’ Sadie cried. ‘What are we going to do?’

  ‘We’re going to do what we agreed last night. As soon as the waffle house is sold things will settle again. She’ll see in time that what appeared to be cruel was in actual fact a kindness.’

  ‘I don’t think I can last that long with her hating me.’

  ‘You really are worrying too much,’ Henny said, heading towards the kitchen. ‘Smells divine, by the way. Shall I go and check on it?’

  Sadie collapsed into a chair and nodded. ‘If you like.’ She turned to her father. ‘I can’t bear it, Dad. There must be some way I can get Gammy on side again.’

  ‘If you find what it is please tell me; I could do with a bit of help too.’ Graham let out a sigh. ‘You’re never prepared for the death of a parent, but you’re certainly never prepared for what comes afterwards.’

  Sadie watched as he closed his eyes for a moment and sank into the chair. He looked exhausted, and she suddenly felt like the most selfish person alive. She’d been so wrapped up in what was happening to her she’d forgotten that at the heart of all this was the fact that her dad had lost his own dad. She couldn’t imagine what life would be like without her father, but he was living it now, having lost Kenneth not so long ago. They’d all concerned themselves with how April was coping without her husband and nobody had stopped for a moment to consider how Graham was coping without his dad because he’d seemed so strong, so stoic that it was like he hadn’t been affected at all. But if he’d loved his dad half as much as Sadie loved hers, then he must have been keeping a lot of hurt locked up tight and that couldn’t be a good thing.

  * * *

  They ate dinner without April, who’d fallen asleep, and they saved a portion so she could eat when she woke. Though Sadie was relieved not to have to face her, she was also frustrated because she’d worked herself up to that meeting and she’d been ready for it, and then it hadn’t happened. Now it was hanging over her still, and the longer she waited the more anxious she became, the more impatient to get it over and done with. In fact, she was all for waking April, and did her best to make more noise than usual as she washed up with Graham, though it didn’t work.

  After dinner she went into the drawing room to watch TV with Graham and Henny for a while. They were all full and content and happy to sit, though Sadie’s mind wandered a lot and she found it hard to concentrate on the complex plot of the police drama they were trying to follow.

  And then she jumped as the phone she’d balanced on the arm of the sofa next to her began to ring. Natalie’s photo came up on the display.

  ‘Hello,’ Sadie said, taking it out into the hallway so she didn’t disturb her parents’ viewing, ‘I was just thinking about you.’

  ‘You’ll never guess what I’ve just heard!’

  No preamble, just straight in there. Natalie sounded breathless, almost as if she’d run to get her phone, or perhaps it was just excitement. Whatever it was, it must be huge news.

  ‘Go on,’ Sadie said, ready to hear some tawdry gossip about someone in the town or someone Natalie worked with, or even some new sexual conquest she’d fallen instantly in love with who was probably going to become husband number three.

  ‘Declan and Melissa have split up!’

  Chapter Eighteen

  Sadie took the phone out to the garden. ‘Who’s told you that?’

  ‘Vivien. She got it from Nessa at the chip shop; says he came to see his dad in a right state. She overheard them talking in the back and then Dec’s dad took him home because he was drunk and couldn’t drive.’

  ‘She overheard them? What did they say?’

  ‘Just that Melissa did the dumping. I don’t know any more than that.’

  Sadie was silent for a moment, processing what she’d heard, desperately trying to figure out what she was supposed to do – or even if she was supposed to do anything at all. Declan needed her, and if it had been the other way around, he’d have done what he could for her. She knew that, but if she got involved, might that make things worse? What if it was a temporary spat and Sadie getting in the middle of things turned it into something permanent? She knew Declan and Melissa had been having problems but she never imagined they were this serious. At least, she hadn’t got that impression from Declan, but then, perhaps even he hadn’t realised they were this serious. It was often the way with these things – that one partner saw the problems as bigger than the other did.

  ‘Do you know how long ago this was?’ Sadie asked finally.

  ‘Not long. I think early this evening – at least, that’s when Nessa would have finished her shift and gone for a quick one at the Ship before she went home.’

  ‘So Declan could be at his place?’

  ‘He could. His dad came back to work though, as far as I know. I don’t know if his mum is with him or if he’s alone. What are you going to do? Wait until the dust settles and then reclaim him? I would if I were you. This is it – your perfect opportunity. You two were meant to be together – everyone knows that. Melissa was never going to be the one for him, not while you were in the bay.’

  ‘He loves Melissa – he said so, loads of times.’

  ‘Well he was going to say that, wasn’t he? He wasn’t going to tell you that he was still pining for you and Melissa was just there to keep the bed warm, was he?’

  Sadie shook her head to clear it. Of all the complications she might have seen coming, this wasn’t one of them. As if her life wasn’t complicated enough right now.

  ‘I should probably call him to see if he’s OK.’

  ‘You’re going to go to him, right? Strike while the iron’s hot?’

  ‘I don’t think…’

  ‘Sadie, he’s ripe for the plucking. He’s yours – he always has been! Don’t let Melissa get in first and get him back!’

  ‘Natalie, I’m seeing someone else.’

  ‘Oh, I know. That man who’s got the Old Chapel. Everyone knows, although you never told me and, frankly, I’m a bit offended about that. But he doesn’t matter. You’ve been out with loads of blokes since Declan and they’ve all been crap. That’s because Declan is your soulmate. He’s the one.’

  ‘What if he isn’t? I like Luke. I like him a
lot, and maybe Declan was never the one. Maybe I only thought he was because the real one hadn’t come into my life yet.’

  ‘Of course he is! Sadie, I don’t think you realise just what you’ve got here. Hardly anyone finds their real soulmate, the one they were destined to be with. God knows I’ve made plenty of mistakes looking for mine. Yours is there, right in front of your face, and if you don’t go to him you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.’

  Sadie didn’t doubt that Natalie was right – perhaps her soulmate was right in front of her face. But which man was it? Her feelings were strong for both of them, despite having known Luke only a short time, but in very different ways that were difficult to compare. And only a matter of hours ago, hadn’t she promised Luke that she wouldn’t hurt him as Christa had done?

  She took a breath and made a decision.

  ‘I’d better phone him,’ she said. ‘Can I call you later?’

  ‘You’d bloody better! I want to know everything!’

  ‘Don’t worry, I will.’

  Sadie ended the call to Natalie and dialled Declan’s number. She hadn’t really expected him to answer so it was no surprise when he didn’t. So if she couldn’t speak to him, what next? Perhaps Melissa would be on duty at the arcade. Could Sadie talk to her to find out exactly what had happened? Would Melissa even give Sadie the time of day? It was a long shot but worth the risk, because other than going to Declan’s house to see him (and she wasn’t sure that was wise given the conversation she’d had with Luke that day) she had no other choice – she had to find out exactly what the situation was. And if she could help, then she owed it to them both to try.

  * * *

  Melissa was sitting behind the little glass window in the booth where people got their change for the slot machines. If she hadn’t looked happy when Sadie walked in she looked positively murderous when she spotted her. Sadie had to concede pretty quickly that coming here might have been a mistake, but it was too late to back out now.

  ‘Come to gloat?’ Melissa asked sourly.

  So, she knew that Sadie knew, or at least she’d taken an educated guess. The amusement arcade wasn’t one of Sadie’s usual haunts and certainly not since Melissa had started to work there. There would be very few reasons that would take her in there.

  ‘Of course not…’ Sadie said, keeping her voice level. ‘But it’s true?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Why? What happened?’

  ‘You really have to ask?’

  ‘Well, yes… I’m asking.’

  ‘I don’t feel like talking about it. Why don’t you go and ask Declan about it; I’m sure he’ll be happy to fill you in. I mean, you run to him for everything else so this is like all your birthdays at once, isn’t it?’

  ‘Melissa, I—’

  ‘Oh, get lost, Sadie, otherwise I might be forced to come out of this booth and throw something at you and I wouldn’t want to break one of the fruit machines on your head.’

  ‘Look, for what it’s worth, I’m sorry.’

  ‘You’re sorry?’ Melissa’s laugh had no humour in it. ‘You’re sorry? Don’t tell me you’re sorry. Maybe if you’d stopped making gooey eyes at him for five minutes, sharing your private little jokes and giving him your private little looks and making the whole town believe that you were some fairy-tale couple that only ended because I broke it up – which I didn’t – then you could talk to me about being sorry. Otherwise, save it, because you’re wasting your breath.’

  Sadie was about to say something else, but then stopped. What was the point? Melissa clearly wasn’t in the mood to listen to her and she could hardly blame her for that. Perhaps Sadie had been too familiar with Declan and perhaps they’d been too close for comfort at times. But it was hard to explain to anyone else why that was; she’d even struggled to explain it to Luke as she’d lain in his arms, so it was no wonder Melissa didn’t understand. And perhaps she had given the town cause to think that one day she and Declan would end up back together, and sometimes she’d even wished for it herself. But things had changed now, though it felt too late to undo what had been done. Was it?

  ‘I really am sorry,’ she said again.

  ‘Save it,’ Melissa said. ‘He’s yours if you want him, and good riddance to the both of you.’

  ‘I don’t—’ Sadie began, but Melissa simply scowled at her, and Sadie realised that there was no point in continuing this conversation. So she simply turned and headed for the exit.

  * * *

  Uncertain what to do next, Sadie headed for the beach. There were so many pressing things that needed addressing she hardly knew where to start. She hadn’t yet been able to make things up with Gammy, for one thing, who had still been sleeping when Sadie had left the house. And though she still wanted to go to Declan, she knew she shouldn’t. She pulled out her phone to check it, but he hadn’t returned her call and she didn’t know whether it was a good idea to try again or not. One thing was certain: she was public enemy number one as far as Melissa was concerned, and that worried Sadie, because she had to wonder now how much of what had led up to the split had happened because of her. The thought filled her with guilt and sadness because she hated to think that she might be the cause of Declan’s current unhappiness.

  Dusk was fast approaching, the beach enveloped in a grainy light, like a photo taken on the wrong setting. The sea was choppy, whisked into grey peaks, and the sky was steely; though the storm her father had predicted had yet to materialise, Sadie could feel it in the air. There was something she’d always loved about the sea when it was like this. It was dynamic, dangerous, something entirely different than the clear blue swell of a summer’s day – though she loved that too. As a child she’d imagine being a mermaid beneath it, swimming like a fish as it churned and boiled above her, just like a child safe inside a house while the rains fell and the wind howled outside. And because she didn’t know what else to do now, she sat on the sand to watch it for a while, careless of the fact that the beach was damp and clammy. Part of her wished she could swim away now, if only for a while, to swim away from her problems and give herself real time and space to think.

  ‘Mum said I might find you down here.’

  Sadie whipped round to see Ewan behind her. She stood up.

  ‘Is everything OK?’

  ‘Of course. I could ask you the same question – Mum said the phone rang and then you rushed off on a mission that you couldn’t tell her about. So what’s happened?’

  ‘Where do you want me to start?’

  ‘Is it anything to do with that Goldman guy? Because if it is—’

  ‘No.’ Sadie gave a small smile. ‘No, it’s not him.’

  ‘This business with Grandma then? She’ll come round, you know.’

  ‘I know,’ Sadie said, although it was part of it and she wasn’t entirely convinced that Gammy would come round. ‘It’s not that either. It’s nothing really, nothing that should concern me.’

  ‘Clearly it does. Want to tell me about it anyway?’

  ‘Not really. You’ll only say I’m an idiot for getting involved, and you’d be right.’

  ‘I might, but when have you ever cared about that?’

  Sadie had to laugh, despite herself. But then she noticed a figure on the pier. He was walking – or rather weaving – along towards the amusement arcade, and it looked like he had some kind of bottle in his hand.

  ‘Oh…’ she said in a small voice. Even though she couldn’t make out his face from this distance, she knew the gait and the build well enough. The figure stopped outside the arcade and started to shout, waving his bottle in the air.

  ‘Gotta go!’ Sadie said and broke into a run.

  ‘Where are you going now?’ Ewan shouted, but there was no time to reply.

  * * *

  A few breathless minutes later Sadie was on the pier, running towards him.

  ‘Dec!’

  He turned to her, bleary-eyed and slurring. ‘She won’t come out and talk to me!’
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  ‘She’s working, that’s why.’ Sadie grimaced as she got closer. ‘And you stink! How much have you had?’

  ‘I don’t know… Get Melissa for me.’

  ‘She won’t come because I say so, trust me.’

  ‘But you can try.’

  ‘Why don’t you pull yourself together and come back for her later?’

  ‘I need her now.’

  ‘Now is not the time to talk to her. I’m telling you, Dec, you need to sober up.’

  He swayed for a moment, looking at Sadie. ‘She says you wanted us to split up.’

  ‘I didn’t.’

  ‘She says you still want me for yourself.’

  ‘Dec, you’re drunk and this is silly.’

  ‘Do you?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘But if… I love you.’

  ‘I love you too but it’s not the same, is it? We’re best friends, aren’t we? Declan, do you love Melissa?’

  ‘With all my heart. She’s my world and I can’t go on without her.’

  Sadie felt her own world crack, just a little. She’d spent so long thinking that he might hold a candle for her, a spark, however small, in the same way she had for him, that to hear him proclaim real and proper love for Melissa suddenly made her understand just how much of her life she’d wasted on some silly fantasy. Declan was never going to come back to her, no matter how much she or the people of Sea Salt Bay might have been convinced of it. The strange thing was, she now realised that it had never really been what she’d wanted either. A few weeks ago she might have jumped at the chance to persuade him that they belonged back together, but that had changed.