‘There you go,’ he said, thrusting it at me. Then he placed a cappuccino on the bedside table and proceeded to load another plate with a pain au chocolate, a Danish pastry and a farmhouse luxurious lemon-curd yoghurt. He delivered them alongside the coffee on to the table with a flourish.
‘Breakfast is served, madam!’
Relieved of his waiter-ly obligations, Neil plonked himself down on the bed and crossed his arms, looking at me expectantly.
‘Mmm, lovely! But, um, I don’t think I actually ordered this.’ I tentatively stuck my spoon into the cereal bowl, toying with the idea of eating it. The temptation was far too great. I tucked in greedily.
‘I was worried about you! When you didn’t come down for breakfast I thought you must have got lucky with Mr Mystery Man and then I had this dreadful thought that something terrible may have happened to you. You could have been murdered or trafficked into the porn trade or something. If I hadn’t come and checked on you and something had happened I’d never have been able to forgive myself. I just needed to see the whites of your eyes to check you were okay.’
I smiled. It made me feel a whole lot better to think I wasn’t the only person in the world who was prone to ridiculous flights of fancy. Although I thought it wasn’t worth mentioning that I’d nearly got shot, but it was all a silly misunderstanding. I still wasn’t sure I understood it myself.
‘Aw, well, thank you very much for your concern, Neil, but as you can see I didn’t succumb to any of those terrible fates. I am still here and very much alive and kicking. Just a bit tired, that’s all. I can’t believe I slept in so late.’
I plumped up the pillows onto the headboard and settled back on the bed, pulling the duvet round me. I had a feeling we could be here some time.
‘So how did it go? The big date? You need to tell me all about it. And don’t spare me any of the details. Did you end up having wild passionate sex on the beach?’
‘Well, you know, we thought about it, but it was far too nippy for that! I think we’d have got hypothermia!’
‘You’ve got no sense of adventure, do you know that!’
‘Actually,’ I said, ‘Dave was the perfect gentleman.’
Neil curled his lip in disdain.
‘That must have been disappointing.’
‘No, it wasn’t! He was absolutely lovely. We had an amazing meal at this wonderful little Italian restaurant and then we came back into town and drank cocktails at a bar and then we ended up on the pier. We sat on a bench there just chatting for ages.’
‘Sounds lovely.’ Neil couldn’t have sounded more insincere if he tried. ‘Then what?’
‘What do you mean, “then what”? That was it. He brought me back to the hotel and he went back to his. Well, I suppose that’s what he did. It was all a bit odd at the end of the evening.’
I tried to make it sound as though it was exactly what I’d been expecting, but if I was being honest I couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed that Dave hadn’t wanted to make the night last longer. I was beginning to wonder if overnight I’d been stripped of my ability to attract any member of the opposite sex. Not only had Dave shown no inclination at wanting to make a pass at me but he hadn’t even asked for my telephone number. Which didn’t do a lot for a girl’s ego when she’d just been dumped by her fiancé.
Still, I don’t know why I had expected anything else. All Dave wanted was someone to pass the time with while he was away from home, wasn’t that what he told me that first night we met? And that’s what I’d wanted too, so why had my fleeting relationship with Dave left me feeling so unsettled and disappointed?
‘Odd?’ Neil turned on me as if he’d only just realised what I’d said. ‘In what way was it odd?’
‘Well, it was just a bit weird that was all. We were saying goodbye in the foyer when there was bit of a commotion.’ I decided to spare him the details. ‘I think someone was trying to take photos of us, something silly like that. Dave got really twitchy about it and pushed me inside. It kind of spoilt the end of the evening. I could tell Dave was really annoyed and just wanted to get away.’
‘Ooh, I wonder what that was all about. Perhaps he’s married and his wife has put a tail on him. You never know, you might be branded as the “other woman” in a divorce case.’
I gave Neil a scathing look.
‘He’s already divorced. He told me about it last night. Said his divorce had come through that day, actually.’
‘Right, okay. Maybe he’s a famous celebrity, then, being followed by the paparazzi?’
‘Hmm, well, I think I might have known if he was, don’t you? Anyway, it doesn’t matter now. It’s not as though I’m going to be seeing him again, is it? I’m going home on Friday.’
‘Shame,’ said Neil, sounding as disappointed as I felt. ‘It could have been just what you needed to get over that love-rat ex of yours.’
I didn’t like to point out that Ed wasn’t officially in the ex-category yet.
‘Maybe, although it might just have made me feel ten times worse. I’ve never had a one-night stand and I’m not certain now’s the time to start.’
Neil helped himself to a croissant from the trolley and shuffled alongside me on the bed, mirroring my position. I looked at him, not quite able to believe that there was a waiter in my bed.
‘Shouldn’t you be working?’
‘I’m on my break. I’m been on my feet since five thirty this morning. You don’t mind, do you?’ He wiped crumbs away from his mouth with his thumb.
‘No. It’s nice to have you here,’ I said, meaning it. I felt no embarrassment at having Neil in my room, seeing me in my bleary-eyed make-up-less state. It was like sitting in bed with my long-lost brother. Not that I had one of those, but Neil would be absolutely perfect for the part.
‘Actually, I’ve been thinking,’ I said, not quite sure where the mad idea forming in my mind had sprung from, ‘but you know you mentioned about being my plus one for the Maldives. I think it’s a brilliant idea. I wonder if we could do that. Get the ticket transferred into your name. What do you reckon?’
Was this the defining moment when I’d decided I wasn’t going to marry Ed after all?
‘Oh my God! You want me to come to the Maldives with you! On Saturday? OMG, that is so amazing.’ He pumped his fists above his head excitedly. ‘I would love to go. I can’t believe you’re actually asking me. I would simply love to go, but …’ He sighed exaggeratedly. ‘I can’t.’
‘What do you mean, you can’t?’ I said, feeling miffed that Neil might actually be on the verge of turning me down.
‘Oh darling.’ he turned to me in bed and grabbed both of my hands, looking at me imploringly. If he wasn’t in all his waiting garb and gay to boot, it might just have been romantic. ‘There is nothing more I would like to do than swan off to the Maldives with you at the weekend. It’s the best offer I’ve had in a long while, but honestly, darling, I can’t!’
‘You can’t?’
I had a two-week luxury, all-expenses-paid holiday going begging and it seemed no one in the world wanted to go with me.
‘No, I can’t.’ He slumped back down on the bed, sounding as disappointed as I was feeling. ‘I’ve only been in this job for three weeks. I’ve got to do three months before I get any holiday and I just know they wouldn’t give me any time off before then. Besides, I need the money. The thing is I made a pledge to myself when I landed this job that I wouldn’t mess things up. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve done that in the past. I’ve been through a really rough patch recently. My parents chucked me out of home, I quit college and I came here and ended up living in a squat. This is my chance to make a new start.’
‘Oh no,’ I said, feeling desperately sorry for him. ‘That can’t have been fun.’
‘It wasn’t. It was awful and the last thing I want is to go back there. I got this job through a friend of a friend. I know it’s nothing marvellous, but it’s a job and most importantly it comes with
digs. I’ve got my own room in the staff quarters. This is my attempt at being a responsible grown-up. I don’t want to mess it up.’
‘Of course you don’t!’ Now I felt guilty for having invited him in the first place. ‘Don’t worry about it. It was a silly idea anyway. A bit of a long shot. I don’t suppose I’d be able to transfer the ticket anyway.’
‘No.’ Neil sighed. ‘I can’t tell you what a wonderful idea it is, though. I don’t suppose you could postpone it for six months, could you?’
‘Nice try, but no.’ I was beginning to think that even if I advertised this freebie holiday on eBay I still wouldn’t get any takers. ‘It doesn’t matter. I’ll just have to go on my own.’ Either that or take Ed, and at the moment that idea really didn’t appeal.
Neil grimaced and looked at me doubtfully.
‘Really?’
‘Yes. Why not? It’ll be fun.’ My voice cracked just at the wrong moment.
‘Oh, I’m sure it will. It’s just a shame. If you’re going somewhere amazing like that you really need to share the experience with someone special to get the most out of it.’
‘You sound like Dave.’
‘Your fiancé?’
‘No, the guy I had dinner with last night.’
‘Oh … Oh, I see! Did you ask him to go to the Maldives with you too? Am I your second choice, is that it?’ He folded his arms and looked suitably affronted. ‘How very rude!’ I couldn’t help giggling.
‘No, I just happened to mention that I was going. Although I forgot to mention the fact that it was meant to be my honeymoon. I said I was going with a friend who’d let me down at the last moment.’
‘Well, you don’t know, maybe he would have gone with you if you’d asked him.’
‘He sort of offered, like you did, but I knew he was only joking. Besides, he’s just got divorced, I’ve just been dumped. I’m not sure the two of us together would have been the best combination.’
Neil put an arm around my shoulder and pulled me in close to his side, just as Dave had done last night, although this was a much different experience. There were no exciting tingling feelings, just a sense of warmth and reassurance. I wondered if Neil might fancy jumping under the covers with me and watching soppy rom-coms for the rest of the day, but then I remembered he was only on his break.
‘It will be okay, you know that. You’ll jet off to the Maldives and have the most wonderful time and then when you come home again you’ll be feeling much more positive about the future.’
‘Oh yeah, yeah,’ I said, as though I actually believed it. ‘And we must keep in touch now. You can always come and visit me in London. I’m not sure where I’ll be living yet but when I do I’ll contact you and you must come and stay. I can show you the sights.’
‘I’d love that,’ Neil said, the air punctuated now by a waft of disappointment.
We both turned to look to the side where my phone was doing a slow-shoe shuffle across the table.
‘Well, aren’t you going to answer that?’
I’d been deliberately avoiding looking at my phone. Last time I’d taken a sneaky peek I’d noticed over a dozen unopened texts looking at me accusingly, demanding my attention.
I snatched up the phone expecting it to be my mum, Ed or Ben. It was none of those people and the number was one I didn’t even recognise. Maybe it was Dave ringing to ask me out on another date, but then I remembered he didn’t have my number.
‘Hello?’ I said, Neil’s presence somehow making it harder to ignore the phone’s insistent vibrations.
‘Anna? Is that you Anna?’
‘Yes.’ A worm of alarm crawled around my stomach. I vaguely recognised the woman’s voice but I couldn’t think where from.
‘Oh, thank goodness. It’s Mandy. From the café. Are you busy?’
‘No, I’m just sitting in my hotel room at the moment. Why? What’s the matter?’ The note of panic in her voice had me sitting up straight in bed.
‘You couldn’t come and help me out for a couple of hours, could you? I wouldn’t ask, but I’ve got a café full of customers and Bob has had some sort of funny turn. It was awful, he just collapsed on the floor.’
‘Oh no!’
‘He’s come round a bit now but he’s still a dreadful colour. An ambulance is on the way, but I don’t want to turf out all these customers. I’ve tried ringing a couple of local people but I can’t get hold of anyone. I just wondered if you wouldn’t mind holding the fort until these people have finished their meals.’
‘Of course. Don’t worry about a thing. I’ll be there in five minutes.’
‘Oh, bless you, Anna. You’re a sweetheart. I’ll see you later.’
I jumped out of bed and made shooshing motions towards Neil to get out of bed.
‘Whoa! Where’s the fire?’ He rolled over and off the side of the bed, landing deftly on his feet like a cat.
‘No fire, but I do need to get ready.’ I pointed to my just-out-of-bed state. ‘Sorry, I’ve got to go. It’s the lady from the café down the road; her hubby’s being taken into hospital and she wants me to look after the place while they’re away.’ I threw my arms around him, planting a kiss on his cheek. ‘But thank you so much for bringing me breakfast. It was really lovely. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?’
‘Yes, sure thing, sweetie.’
Back in waiter mode, Neil quickly loaded up his trolley with all the dirty plates and wheeled his way to the door, before he turned round to face me.
‘That’s really cool, I didn’t realise you were in the catering industry too.’
‘I’m not,’ I said, laughing. ‘But how hard can it be?’
***
The ambulance was outside the café when I arrived and Bob was sitting in a wheelchair, being tended to by a paramedic, looking a lot healthier than Mandy whose face was drained of colour, her features flecked with anxiety. Her face lit up when she saw me.
‘Oh Anna, you came! I can’t tell you what a relief it is to see you. There’s about five tables occupied at the moment, and they’ve all got their food, thankfully, so you’ll only need to top up any teas and coffees. Once everyone’s gone then you’ll be fine just to shut up shop. I can sort out the mess later.’
‘Don’t worry; I’ll sort it all out. How’s Bob doing now?’ We both turned to look at him as he was lifted into the ambulance and he gave an apologetic wave.
‘Oh look. Bless him. He’ll hate all this, the fuss. He’s looking a lot better than he did fifteen minutes ago. I think they just want to take him in and check him over.’ Mandy let out a huge sigh of relief. ‘That’s it, though. I’ve been telling him for weeks that he’s been working too hard. We’ve not been able to afford to take anyone else on and it’s too much for him – looking after the kitchen all by himself. It’s taking a toll. And he’s not getting any younger. It’s time we made that move, Anna, once and for all. I’ll have nothing if I don’t have Bob by my side.’
‘Well, just worry about getting him better first and then you can decide what it is you want to do. Give him my love, won’t you? And I’ll see you later.’
I hurried into the café, gave a cheery little wave to the customers who were all chatting away to each other in that semi-excited way of the general public when something out of the ordinary has happened.
‘It’s okay, everyone,’ I called, holding my hands up as though the cavalry had arrived. ‘Bob’s going to be fine and you’re all in safe hands with me. If anyone wants anything just give me a shout,’ I said, sounding as though I knew exactly what I was doing. I slipped off my jacket and rolled up the sleeves of my jumper, picking up Mandy’s pinny from the back of the door and placing it over my head. I pulled my hair back off my face and tied it up into a haphazard bun.
I’d never worked in a café before but when I was a teenager my Tuesday nights were spent preparing the teas and coffees for the bridge club and that hadn’t been too difficult so I felt certain I’d be able to manage this marvellously. And whilst I
wasn’t pleased about what had happened to Bob, I felt quite relieved that I now had the rest of my day planned and I would have no time to think about Ed or Ben or Dave.
First I went round all the tables making polite conversation, picking up the dirty plates and generally wiping a cloth over where required.
Within fifteen minutes all of the tables had emptied so I was able to tackle the kitchen. There seemed to be an industrial-sized dishwasher, but as I wasn’t sure how it worked I decided to do the washing-up the old-fashioned way in the sink.
I found it quite therapeutic just standing there, my arms elbow-deep in suds as I ran a cloth over the dirty dishes. It had been three days now since my life had come to a halt with such a violent emergency stop. In some ways it seemed like three months ago. So much had happened in such a short space of time. I’d met some lovely people, people I would never have met if it hadn’t been for Ed’s deceit, and I felt a small swell of sadness at the thought of going home tomorrow and the possibility that I may never see them again.
Still, it wasn’t as if Hollisea was on the other side of world. I would definitely make an effort to stay in touch with Neil and Mandy and Bob. It would be all too easy to lose touch when I got home and to forget the kindness they’d shown me. Honestly, I’m not sure what I would have done if I hadn’t met them. They’d given me a sense of normality, a feeling that I was liked and valued for being me. They didn’t know the Anna who worked in the accounts department of a luxury goods company, who lived with her best friend Sophie and who had been boring everyone silly for the last six months about her upcoming marriage to her fiancé Ed. No, they only knew the Anna who’d done a runner after finding out her fiancé was a lying, two-faced toerag. Funnily enough, they seemed to quite like her.
I was just mopping the floor when I heard the bell of the door ringing indicating that a new customer had arrived. I’d considered putting up the closed sign on the door, as Mandy had suggested, but when I’d looked at the menu I reckoned there wasn’t anything on there that I couldn’t rustle up without too much difficulty. I wasn’t much of a cook but even I could manage sandwiches, jacket potatoes and salads.
Let's Call the Whole Thing Off Page 13
