Frosty Mornings at Castle Court

by Holly Hepburn

  Earl grunted. ‘I suppose you’re right. I can’t believe how unlucky you’ve been, running into someone who’d go bleating back to the guy who harassed you.’ He gave her a crooked smile. ‘Of all the food courts in all the world, you had to open a shop in this one.’

  ‘Tell me about it,’ Cat sighed. ‘Then again, François knows a lot of people. It was inevitable that I’d run into one of his cronies sooner or later.’

  ‘Greg is an ass,’ Earl said, dismissively. ‘He and this François dude are welcome to each other. Just let us know what you need us to do – we’ll happily tell this bozo what really happened in December.’

  ‘Thanks,’ Cat said, patting his arm. ‘I really appreciate that.’

  *

  Sadie looked as though she might explode with impatience when Cat arrived back at Smart Cookies twenty minutes later.

  ‘I was starting to get worried,’ she said, giving her an exasperated look. ‘Is everything okay?’

  ‘Fine,’ Cat said. ‘I went to see whether I could count on Elin, Jaren and the Bus Stop boys to support me against François.’

  ‘And?’

  ‘Elin and Earl are on board. I’m catching up with Jaren later.’

  Sadie smiled. ‘Of course they want to help. No one likes a bully.’

  ‘It does still mean at least one trip to Paris,’ Cat said, frowning. ‘I expect I can get away with instructing my lawyer over the phone – any witness statements I get can be emailed across to her. But I’ll have to go to the meeting.’

  ‘I’ll come with you,’ Sadie said instantly.

  ‘You can’t,’ Cat objected. ‘I need you to keep things running here. And I doubt Seb will be able to get away – the meeting is the day before Valentine’s Day. The bar will be packed.’

  Her best friend’s shoulders sagged. ‘But you can’t go on your own.’

  ‘I’ll have to,’ Cat said. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll make sure we’ve got more than enough stock before I go. In fact, now might be the perfect time to teach Adam the recipes, just in case I get held up on my way back.’

  Sadie nodded. ‘That reminds me – we’ve just had a last-minute order for wedding favours. The bride’s supplier has let her down and she needs two hundred personalised heart-shaped biscuits by – you guessed it – Valentine’s Day.’

  Cat let out a frustrated groan. ‘Of course she does. Have you said yes?’

  Sadie pulled a face. ‘I haven’t said no, although it’s going to be a tall order to get them finished in four days, especially since you’ll be away. The trouble is, she’s no ordinary bride – it’s Charlotte Dennis.’

  The name tugged at Cat’s memory. ‘The one who’s marrying the footballer?’

  ‘That’s the one – the wedding is going to be featured in Hello! and everything. And I thought it might be good PR, but we don’t have to do it.’

  ‘Are you crazy?’ Cat said, widening her eyes. ‘Of course we do. It’s a great opportunity. We’ll cope somehow.’

  ‘I thought you’d say that,’ Sadie said, with a wry twist of her lips. ‘I’ll get back to Charlotte now.’ She started to get up and then paused to place a hand on Cat’s arm. ‘Are you sure you’re okay, though? This François thing must be dredging up all kinds of unwanted memories.’

  Cat tilted her head. ‘I’m okay. I can’t say I’m looking forward to seeing François again, but I’ll be well armed.’ She managed a half-smile. ‘I’ll channel my inner Amazon warrior.’

  ‘He won’t know what’s hit him,’ Sadie said. ‘But you’re not planning on confronting Greg in the meantime, are you?’

  There was more than a hint of anxiety in Sadie’s eyes and Cat had to fight to control her rising anger. How dare Greg and François do this? ‘Don’t worry,’ she reassured her friend. ‘I’m keeping well away from him until this is over. But afterwards? From what Seb and Earl had to say, I think we’ll have to form an orderly queue.’

  Sadie pressed her lips together. ‘I might even join you.’ She glanced at the stairs. ‘Do you want me to go and tell Adam it’s time for his education to begin?’

  Cat gave herself a brisk mental shake and squared her shoulders. ‘Send him down. Besides, there’s nothing quite like dough for pounding out your frustrations – it’s cheaper than therapy. And we’ve got a lot of biscuits to bake.’

  Chapter Five

  ‘Bloody hell, Sadie, it’s like an explosion in a McVitie’s factory.’

  Daniel stood in the doorway of Sadie’s kitchen early on Friday evening, surveying the sea of iced hearts with an incredulous gaze. ‘Has anyone ever explained the concept of work–life balance to you?’

  ‘It’s a rush job for the wedding of Manchester City’s star striker,’ she explained, concentrating on placing a series of delicate dots around the outside of the white icing heart.

  ‘The big time, then,’ Daniel observed, sounding almost impressed.

  Sadie finished icing and looked up. ‘Something like that. Thanks for agreeing to have Lissy tonight.’

  Daniel’s blue eyes were steady. ‘That’s okay – you know I’m happy to step in.’ He hesitated. ‘You know, the kitchen at my place is a lot bigger than this.’

  Sadie raised her eyebrows. ‘I do know – I used to live there, remember?’

  ‘What I mean is that if you wanted more space, you could always pack this lot up and work at my house. We could get a takeaway.’

  She frowned. ‘The whole point of you having Lissy is that I can get on with my work uninterrupted,’ she said. ‘I don’t have time for a takeaway.’

  ‘But you do have to eat,’ he persisted. ‘And I promise not to bother you. Come on – what do you say?’

  Sadie shifted uncomfortably. It wasn’t a bad idea and she might be half tempted if it wasn’t for one tiny problem; she’d invited Adam round for an icing lesson. Somehow, she couldn’t see Daniel being quite so keen on sharing a takeaway for three . . .

  She took a deep breath. ‘The thing is, one of our assistants is coming round to help out. So it wouldn’t just be me and—’

  ‘Tell her to come to the house, then,’ Daniel said. ‘Like I said, I’ll make myself scarce.’

  ‘That’s the thing,’ Sadie said, wondering if the situation could possibly get any more awkward. ‘It’s not a—’

  The doorbell rang, cutting Sadie off mid-sentence. A hot wave of panic flooded through her; it couldn’t be Adam, surely? He wasn’t due for another hour.

  Daniel was already moving towards the hallway. ‘Don’t stop. I’ll get it.’

  ‘No, it’s fine . . .’ she started to gabble, dropping her bag of icing and jumping to her feet. But it was too late; Daniel had reached the front door.

  She heard the rumble of male voices and hoped with all her heart that it was a delivery for one of the neighbours. But she knew from Daniel’s expression when he came back into the kitchen that she was out of luck. And sure enough, behind him trailed an embarrassed-looking Adam, his beanie hat twisting in his hands.

  ‘I’m guessing you didn’t get my message,’ he said, red-cheeked and mortified.

  Sadie lifted her sticky hands in a helpless shrug. ‘I’ve been busy.’

  Adam glanced sideways at Daniel. ‘Sorry, I should have known you’d be up to your elbows in icing. Basically, I suggested that the sooner we got started the better.’

  ‘And here you are,’ Daniel said, his tone dry. ‘Keen as mustard.’

  Sadie flashed him a look. The words were innocent enough and maybe he meant nothing by them. But the Daniel who’d betrayed her would never have been able to resist a snide insinuation and she wasn’t convinced he’d entirely changed. ‘This is Adam – the assistant I was just telling you about,’ she said, keeping her voice as even as she could. ‘And Adam, this is my husband, Daniel.’

  She watched them shake hands, guilt nipping at her nerves. It wouldn’t be so bad if she could convince herself once and for all that Adam was just an employee. But the attraction she’d felt for him befor
e Christmas was still there; the only way she could get rid of it would be to stop seeing Adam entirely and that was impossible.

  ‘I suppose I’d better get out of your way, then,’ Daniel said. ‘I wouldn’t want to be responsible for ruining the wedding of the year.’

  Sadie managed a weak smile. ‘Thanks. Are you okay to take Lissy swimming in the morning or shall I pick her up first thing?’

  Daniel’s gaze flickered towards Adam. ‘Could you pick her up? I need to be in to the office early tomorrow.’

  ‘Of course,’ Sadie said. She waited for Daniel to head into the living room to collect Lissy from where she sat colouring, but he showed no sign of moving. ‘I’ll just go and get Lissy’s overnight bag.’

  She left the two men standing in mute awkwardness while she went to gather up Lissy and her things. It took longer than she expected, mostly because Lissy insisted on taking Travis the triceratops but had no idea where she had left him. Sadie finally found the plush cuddly toy at the very bottom of her daughter’s bed and, by that time, more than five minutes had ticked by.

  Grabbing Lissy’s coat, she hurried into the kitchen. The little girl followed and her eyes lit up when she saw Adam.

  ‘Hello. How are your bees?’

  He smiled. ‘They’re fine. Still shivering, I expect.’

  Lissy frowned. ‘Why? Are they cold?’

  ‘Hopefully not,’ Adam said. ‘The bees have one job to do in winter and that’s to keep the Queen safe. So, they snuggle around her and flutter their wings, which makes them shiver, and the movement keeps her warm. They all move around the hive too, so no one gets too cold, and they eat some of the honey they made when the sun was shining.’

  Daniel stared at him. ‘Are you a beekeeper as well as a shop assistant?’

  Sadie cringed. Lissy would probably miss the emphasis on the last two words but Adam wouldn’t. If he was insulted, he took it all in his stride.

  ‘Actually, I’m a gardener who fell into beekeeping when I moved into my cottage. I’m only working at Smart Cookies while things are dormant over the winter.’

  ‘He’s been a great help,’ Sadie said, feeling as though she needed to stick up for him. ‘We couldn’t have coped over Christmas without Adam and Clare.’

  ‘And sometimes, Mummy and Adam take me to school in the mornings,’ Lissy said, beaming up at Adam.

  The silence was so sharp it could have cut glass.

  ‘Adam lives just down the road,’ Sadie said hurriedly. ‘At Waverton Farm. He doesn’t drive and the buses are so irregular that it makes sense to car-share sometimes.’

  Daniel glanced back and forth between Adam and Sadie. ‘I see.’

  She didn’t know what to say; if she tried to explain any further, then it might seem as though she was protesting too much. But if she said nothing, then she could force Daniel into voicing the suspicions he was almost certainly considering and that would open up an entire conversation she had no intention of having – not in front of Adam and Lissy, at least. She had no doubt that Daniel would demand to know what was going on the moment they were alone

  ‘And, of course, it’s cost-effective,’ Sadie went on, clutching at straws. ‘Adam contributes petrol-wise too.’

  It wasn’t strictly a lie; Adam had offered to pay, but Sadie hadn’t ever got round to telling him how much.

  ‘Right,’ Daniel said. ‘Yeah, I can see how that might be helpful.’

  Adam opened his mouth to say something, but Sadie cut him off.

  ‘Anyway, we really ought to get to work on those biscuits. They’re not going to ice themselves.’

  It was a clumsy attempt to change the subject and Sadie wanted to wince from the moment the words left her mouth. But Daniel took the hint.

  ‘We’ll get out of your way. Come on, Lissy, let’s go and see if Travis can triumph in his battle over Ted the T-Rex.’

  Lissy nodded enthusiastically: she was dinosaur mad and didn’t need much encouragement to play with her many toys. ‘Of course he can, Daddy. Travis can do anything.’

  He reached out to ruffle her auburn hair. ‘He sounds like my kind of dinosaur. Give Mummy a kiss goodbye.’

  Lissy did as she was told.

  Daniel shook hands with Adam again and glanced at Sadie. ‘Good luck with the order. See you in the morning.’

  ‘Thanks,’ Sadie said. ‘I’ll come and wave you off.’

  At the door, Daniel lowered his voice as Lissy danced along the path with Travis, making growling noises as she passed the darkened bushes that lined the gravel. ‘You could have told me you were expecting company.’

  ‘Honestly, I thought you’d be long gone by the time he arrived,’ Sadie replied, uncomfortably aware that was only part of the reason she hadn’t said anything. ‘Sorry.’

  Daniel grunted. ‘And you could have mentioned this whole car-sharing business too. I’m entitled to know who our daughter is spending time with.’

  Annoyingly, he had a point, Sadie decided. ‘Yes. I’m sorry.’

  ‘Okay,’ Daniel said. He glanced at Lissy, who was now attacking the barren branches with her dinosaur. ‘Apology accepted. And I really did mean it when I wished you luck tonight.’

  ‘Thanks,’ Sadie said with a rueful sigh. ‘I think we’re going to need it.’

  He paused for a moment, studying her carefully. ‘Listen, I wanted to ask you about Valentine’s Day. Do you want to do something? We could get a babysitter and go out for dinner.’

  Sadie blinked. He’d never made a big deal out of Valentine’s Day before – the best she’d been able to hope for was a bunch of last-on-the-shelf flowers and even those had disappeared when he’d been having his affair with Emma. This was uncharted territory and definitely a milestone in their journey back to being a couple. ‘Um . . . okay.’

  ‘Great,’ he said, and his relieved smile reminded Sadie of the first time he’d asked her out, all those years ago. ‘I looked up a couple of nanny agencies in Chester. Why don’t I see if they’ve got anyone who can help?’

  He’d given it some thought, Sadie realised. ‘Okay,’ she said with more conviction. ‘Although we might have left it too late.’

  ‘Then I’ll cook,’ he said simply. ‘I promise you won’t have to lift a finger.’

  And that was something else that had changed, Sadie thought. A year ago she would have insisted that Daniel didn’t even know where the saucepans were kept. Living on his own had encouraged him to learn how to cook and he often made her dinner now.

  *

  Even the tips of Adam’s ears were red when she came back into the kitchen. ‘I dropped you in it. Sorry.’

  ‘Of course you didn’t,’ Sadie said, with as much firmness as she could muster. ‘Everything is fine.’

  He looked unconvinced. ‘But—’

  Sadie took a deep calming breath. ‘Adam. I said it’s fine and it is. Now, can I get you a drink? I don’t know about you but I could use a cup of tea.’

  She could actually use something stronger, Sadie thought wistfully, but she didn’t say so. She needed to remember that this evening was 100 per cent work and alcohol would only make that harder.

  ‘Okay,’ she said, once she and Adam were seated side by side at the kitchen table, two steaming mugs of tea placed a safe distance from the precious batches of biscuits. ‘You must have seen me do this hundreds of times already, so I don’t need to explain the principle.’

  He nodded. ‘So, what’s the best way to do this? Given that the last time I did any art was probably at primary school.’

  Sadie smiled. ‘As long as you’ve got a steady hand, you’ll be fine. But how about I do the delicate outlines and you flood the middle? Then I can pipe the names of the happy couple on top.’

  ‘Deal,’ Adam said.

  They worked well together, as Sadie had known they would. Adam gave the job his full attention, his movements slow and deliberate, the way she imagined he was when he handled his bees. Once they’d filled a baking tray with delicate wh
ite hearts, Sadie got up to put them in the oven.

  ‘That wasn’t so bad,’ Adam said, stretching. ‘How many more have we got to go?’

  ‘A hundred and eighty-four,’ Sadie replied cheerfully. ‘You’re going to be sick of seeing the names Charlotte and Sonny by the time we’re finished.’

  ‘I already feel a bit like that,’ he confessed. ‘Isn’t it weird how words start to look wrong when you see them over and over?’

  Sadie laughed. ‘Absolutely. I live in terror of making a mistake.’ She reached for the line icing. ‘Ready for round two?’

  Adam took a long sip of tea and smacked his lips. ‘Bring it on.’

  By nine-thirty, they had seventy-five perfectly iced biscuits and three that Adam had enthusiastically over-flooded so that the icing spilled over the sides of the heart. Sadie sat back and stretched, wincing as her spine cracked. ‘Ow. I think it’s time to call it a night.’

  He nodded. ‘I never thought I’d be sick of the smell of sugar. I think I’ve got it up my nose.’

  Sadie laughed. ‘And in your beard.’

  He touched his face, transferring more stickiness to the sandy blond hair that half covered his cheeks and chin. ‘This stuff is worse than honey.’

  ‘Here,’ she said, dampening a sheet of kitchen roll. ‘Let me.’

  He stood perfectly still as she reached up and wiped the sugar from his beard and cheeks. She concentrated on the task, not daring to look up at him, hoping he couldn’t hear her heart thudding.

  ‘Thank you,’ he said gravely, once she’d finished.

  ‘My pleasure,’ she murmured, wondering whether he knew how true her words were. This was why she had to keep a professional distance between them, she thought, stepping back hurriedly; the attraction she’d felt for Adam back in December was always there, simmering below the surface.

  Sadie reached for a box and started to pack the finished biscuits between layers of corrugated card. ‘I’m working from home tomorrow, but there’ll be no time for anyone to work on these at the shop,’ she said, thinking of how bustling Castle Court became on an average weekend, let alone the one before Valentine’s Day. ‘I think you’re going to be run off your feet coping with Chester’s lovers, looking for the perfect gift.’