The Heavenly Italian Ice Cream Shop

by Abby Clements

  ‘I want her and Matteo to be happy, and I think they probably would be – if the setup was right. But the truth is I don’t really want her to leave,’ Imogen said. It was upsetting her now even thinking of it as a genuine possibility.

  Finn covered her hand with his, and their eyes met. She felt instantly reassured, by his touch, the steadiness of his gaze. Finn had a way of making her feel grounded, complete.

  ‘I’d miss them too. But I guess I can understand where Matteo’s coming from. He must want Bella to see some of the country that he grew up in. I imagine if it were me, and we had a kid—’

  ‘Well, yes,’ Imogen said, eager to change the subject.

  ‘How likely d’you think it is that they’ll go?’

  ‘I’m not sure. There’s no plan yet.’

  ‘They’ll make the right decision for them. For what it’s worth, I think it’s great that you’re supporting her. And, if she does go, I’m sure you’ll be able to work something out – with the business, I mean.’

  ‘Yes,’ Imogen agreed, her heart heavy as she said it. ‘God knows what we’re going to do about that.’

  ‘Anna knows you’re going to Brazil, right?’

  ‘Yes. And, even if I weren’t, she knows that my days of running that place are firmly behind me.’

  ‘Talking of plans,’ Finn said, ‘I’ve given some thought to what we were talking about – expanding the business.’

  ‘Oh, yes?’ Imogen replied.

  ‘It really does feel like time to grow. As well as the surf lessons, I’d like a space for video screenings, so that we can film the students when they’re surfing and they can see how they look out there. That way we can work on fine-tuning their skills. Andy and I have been talking about a shop, too, selling surfboards, bikinis, wetsuits . . .’

  ‘Sounds good.’

  ‘I actually went out to see a couple of places today.’ He pulled some brochures out of his bag. ‘There’s a new build down the coast, about half an hour away. It wouldn’t be cheap to lease, but it would give us a lot of room.’

  Imogen cast her eye over the photos of the commercial seafront units, shiny glass and steel contrasting with the colourful beach huts and Georgian houses nearby.

  ‘What do you think?’ Finn asked tentatively.

  ‘Honestly?’

  ‘Of course,’ he said. ‘That’s why I’m asking. You know I value your opinion on this stuff.’

  ‘I think they’re horrible,’ Imogen said, wrinkling her nose. ‘Sorry. Cold and characterless. Not like the surf school at all.’

  ‘I’m with you,’ he said. ‘Damn. I was kind of hoping you’d disagree.’

  ‘There must be other places out there,’ Imogen said.

  ‘Yes. I’m sure there are, and Andy and I will keep looking. It’s just going to be hard – leaving the arches. It’s where we started, and neither of us really want to move.’

  ‘There are compromises, and compromises,’ Imogen said, closing the brochures and passing them back to Finn. ‘And this would definitely be going too far.’ Imogen’s mind drifted back to a recent conversation with her sister.

  ‘What are you thinking?’ Finn asked.

  ‘That maybe you should have a talk with Evie about all this,’ Imogen said, her mind whirring.

  ‘Evie? Why?’

  ‘You might be able to help each other out. I’ve only just thought of it. Anna mentioned that Evie’s been having financial issues at the shop and was considering selling up. Maybe you could offer her a deal.’

  ‘You see, this is just one of the many reasons I love you, Imo. You’re full of good ideas – and always tell it like it is.’

  ‘That’s what I’m here for.’

  He kissed her.

  Even as she enjoyed the kiss, the moment of being close to Finn, she felt a stab of guilt, because the truth was that, even then, part of her wasn’t there at all. She was already daydreaming about going away, about bright sunlight, and adventure, and the colours of life she’d not yet seen – and she just hoped that it didn’t show.

  The next day, Imogen made a couple of phone calls, to Anna and Evie, and that afternoon they all met, together with Finn, at Vivien’s Heavenly Ice Cream Shop.

  Once Anna had brought over the drinks, Imogen got straight to the point.

  ‘OK,’ she said. ‘Evie, Finn’ – she pointed to them both – ‘you work next door to each other and yet there’s something really important that I don’t think you’ve been talking about. And so I thought it was worth us all getting together.’

  Evie looked at Imogen quizzically, but Anna caught her eye, urging patience. ‘Hear her out. I think this might be useful to you.’

  ‘Finn wants to expand his business – but not just anywhere. Right?’

  ‘Yes,’ Finn said, gently. Imogen could tell that he didn’t want to make Evie feel uncomfortable. ‘I mean, ideally, Andy and I want to stay here at the arches. But it’s just a question of . . .’ He trailed off.

  ‘Well, I have the feeling Anna’s already mentioned this to you, or I suspect we wouldn’t all be here now,’ Evie said. ‘But I’ve come to the conclusion it’s time to make a new start, cut my losses. The souvenir shop’s been good to me over the years, but times have changed, and I need to move on with them.’

  ‘Would you consider selling to Finn?’ Imogen asked. ‘To create a surf shop attached to the current surf school?’

  ‘Yes,’ Evie said, with certainty. ‘I think I would. One of the things that’s been holding me back is the idea of selling to strangers, not knowing what the place would be used for after I’ve moved on. Not that I’d want to control that, but, you know, having an idea would be nice.’

  ‘Well,’ Finn said, ‘I’m pleased to hear that. Obviously, this is only the start – we’ll have a lot of facts and figures to put together before we agree to anything. But I’m really happy that you’ll consider it.’

  Finn’s face had lit up, and Imogen took his hand under the table, squeezing it. Anna looked over at Evie. ‘You OK, Evie? This must be quite emotional for you.’

  Evie paused, as if she were mulling it over. ‘You know what. I thought it would be. I really did. But now that it might be really happening . . .’

  They all waited to see what she would say, and Imogen desperately hoped for confirmation that they weren’t pushing Evie into anything.

  ‘I just feel relieved,’ Evie said. ‘And, actually, a little bit excited.’

  That afternoon, Imogen met with Sally at her house over on the other side of town, near Preston Park. They’d planned the meeting to go over the final details for the trip before fixing their travel dates for Brazil. On the walk over, Imogen thought about what Finn had said. It seemed as if they were putting roots down in Brighton, more and more. It wasn’t as if she wanted to live anywhere else, but, at the same time, it made her feel uneasy. She was still young. There was so much that might change. And maybe she wanted some of that change.

  When Sally opened the door to Imogen, it was clear something was wrong. Her eyes were red, and she looked exhausted.

  ‘Come in,’ Sally said. ‘But I’m afraid I’ve got bad news for you. The publishers have cancelled the trip.’

  ‘What?’ Imogen said in disbelief. ‘They haven’t.’

  ‘They have. Budget restrictions. That’s it – no final research, and no new images.’

  The words sank in, but the news still didn’t feel real to Imogen. ‘But . . . Why?’

  ‘They had a worse year than expected,’ Sally explained, ‘and have decided to run my story as narrative-led, using the pictures that I took when I was out there.’

  ‘There’s nothing for any more photos?’ Imogen said, her spirit sinking.

  ‘Nothing,’ Sally confirmed. ‘I’m so sorry. I’ve let you down, and I feel like I’m letting the project down, too. The photos I have don’t do the place or the animals justice at all.’

  ‘It’s not your fault,’ Imogen said, still numb and dazed from the news.
‘It’s just one of those things, I suppose.’

  ‘I shouldn’t have made it seem so certain.’

  ‘Don’t worry,’ Imogen said. She’d have no work for the next month, she realised glumly. And the closest she was going to get to a rainforest that year would be watching nature documentaries on iPlayer.

  ‘I wish there was something I could do,’ Sally said.

  ‘I’ll be fine.’ Imogen waved away her concern. Inside, though, she felt crushed.

  ‘Something else’ll come up,’ Sally said.

  ‘Of course it will,’ Imogen said. ‘I’m sure it will.’

  Chapter 7

  On the following Saturday evening, Anna and Matteo bathed Bella, read her some stories together, and then Anna tucked her into bed with her soft rabbit, pulling the string on a musical toy to help her drift off to sleep. Anna pulled her bedroom door closed softly behind her.

  She crept into the kitchen, poured herself and Matteo a glass of red wine, then passed one to him. ‘And . . . relax,’ she said, smiling.

  Matteo gave her a hug. ‘I love Bella. In all her craziness. But this time,’ he said, ‘it’s special.’

  Anna smiled. ‘Definitely.’

  ‘Come over here,’ Matteo said, beckoning Anna over to the sofa. ‘There’s something I’ve been wanting to show you.’

  He picked up his tablet and opened a page. ‘Since we talked, I’ve been looking at a couple of places for rent on the Amalfi coast.’

  Anna leaned closer to him on the sofa, full of anticipation and also slightly nervous. This Italy plan was moving on already – from a chat to something more concrete.

  ‘So this one really stood out,’ Matteo said, his eyes bright with enthusiasm.

  Anna looked over the details in the ‘For Rent’ advert. It was an established gelateria in one of Sorrento’s most popular squares, housed in a handsome stone building with an apartment above.

  ‘I like the look of it,’ Anna said.

  ‘The owners are retiring – so they’re looking for someone to rent the place for six months. After that – well, it would be up to us, but I wonder if there might be an option to buy it. Look at the photos, Anna. It could be really special, I think.’

  She looked over the images of the interior – black-and-white marble floor and glass cabinets full of gelato. ‘Actually, it is a bit gorgeous, isn’t it?’ Anna said. ‘A little old-fashioned, perhaps, but we could work with that.’

  ‘I’m sure we could do a few things with the décor, and, of course, if we ended up buying it, we’d have free rein on that.’

  ‘I think I can picture us there,’ Anna said. She imagined them running the place, and her own positive feelings surprised her.

  ‘Let’s call them,’ Matteo said decisively. ‘Make it happen.’

  ‘Hang on a minute,’ Anna said. ‘We don’t want to rush into this. All we’ve seen is a couple of photos.’

  ‘OK. Sorry. Maybe I am getting a bit carried away.’

  ‘I like that you’re excited – it’s just, it all feels like a bit of a leap in the dark right now,’ Anna said. ‘A bit more information would go a long way. I wish we were a little closer by, so that we could go and see it for ourselves.’

  Matteo seemed to be mulling it over. ‘Why don’t we ask Carolina to go and have a look?’

  Anna thought about it for a moment. She trusted Carolina’s opinion completely – the two women had similar taste, and Carolina was smart with good business sense. They’d clicked from the moment they’d first met, and Anna often felt that, if Carolina lived nearer, the two of them would have been good friends.

  ‘I’d love it if she could go and view the place. But it’s a long way for her to travel, isn’t it?’ Anna said.

  ‘She loves a road trip. And she was saying the other day that she could do with a break from Siena. Filippo’s been away for work a lot lately and she says the house feels too big with just her in it.’

  ‘OK, great. It would certainly give us more of an idea.’

  ‘I’ll talk to her now,’ Matteo said, getting to his feet.

  It was all starting to feel more real – a genuine possibility that she and Matteo might be giving up their lives in Brighton.

  ‘Are you all right?’ Matteo asked.

  ‘Sort of,’ Anna said. ‘But sort of not. I mean, what about this place?’ she asked, gesturing to the flat. ‘I saved up for years for it. And now what? We rent it to strangers?’

  ‘I’m sure we could find someone who’d look after it. A friend of a friend maybe.’

  Anna recalled how she’d felt in the days leading up to the opening of the ice cream shop – the meetings in banks, the nagging doubts that she might be making a huge mistake. It had been a really stressful time in her life. Was she really willing to enter into that uncertainty all over again so soon, and now, when they had their young daughter to think about?

  ‘Shall I still call her?’ Matteo asked.

  This was her chance, Anna thought. She could still back out.

  Then she thought again about Vivien’s. OK, so setting up the business hadn’t been easy, but without a doubt it had been one of the best decisions she’d ever made.

  ‘Call her,’ Anna said, excitement building. ‘Let’s find out if this shop is the one.’

  Carolina’s face – her tanned skin and large brown eyes – filled the screen of Matteo’s tablet and she spoke animatedly. ‘I’ve just had a very quick look and a chat to the current owners,’ she said. Behind her was a sun-drenched square, with pretty stone buildings. ‘But look at this place.’ She panned round with her tablet’s camera so that they could see the town. ‘I think you are going to love it.’

  There was something contagious about Carolina’s enthusiasm. Anna had warmed to her sister-in-law from their first meeting, in her family’s gelateria in Siena. Back then she’d been working as a graphic designer, busy but never hesitating to linger over a coffee or ice cream with friends and family. She had come over to England at Christmas with her parents, Elisa and Giacomo, but had stayed fairly quiet during the visit. Carolina’s husband Filippo had been busy with the business and hadn’t been able to make it.

  ‘So the owners are getting ready to retire. It seems like it would be a fantastic opportunity for you to put your own mark on the place.’

  ‘Great,’ Matteo said, the excitement in his voice echoing his sister’s.

  ‘It’s only a short walk from the coast, and it’s a proper old-fashioned gelateria, well loved in the town. And the Amalfi coast . . . Well, I had the most fantastic drive down here. Matteo, you already know it – but Anna, you’ll need to take my word for it. It’s totally spectacular.’

  Anna pictured the place, Bella playing in the sunshine on the picturesque Amalfi coast, rather than stuck indoors on one of the many rainy days like this one.

  ‘Anyway, follow me,’ Carolina said. Holding her tablet up, she showed them the front of the shop, with a pretty balcony with tall wooden shutters above it. ‘Look up there – the apartment comes with the shop, and it’s two bedrooms, so there’d be plenty of room for all of you. There’s this outside area.’

  She panned round to show a few tables and chairs in the square, and then revealed a fountain in the middle, with children playing around it. ‘And inside . . .’ She pushed open the glass door, and Anna could hear her talking to the owners in Italian, explaining what she was doing. ‘You’ve got all of this space out the front, and then a good kitchen . . .’

  Anna took in the traditional décor – some stylish but a lot of it tired, and she felt a wave of excitement about doing it up.

  Carolina showed the tables, full of people enjoying their weekend ice creams. ‘You’ll have the existing customer base, with room to build on that – and this is winter, of course. Your plan is to come out for the summer, isn’t it?’

  Matteo and Anna looked at each other, and he waited for her answer.

  ‘Yes,’ Anna said, nodding. ‘That’s right.’

 
; ‘Just the summer?’ Carolina asked.

  ‘Well, maybe longer,’ Anna said.

  ‘Really?’ Matteo said hopefully.

  ‘We’ll need to stay long enough to make the investment worthwhile, won’t we?’ Anna said. The thought still unnerved her, but it excited her too.

  Chapter 8

  Imogen sipped from a bottle of Sol, her gaze drifting out to the seagulls that were swooping down on to the pebbles, hoping to find a discarded chip wrapper. She and Finn were sitting at a bar down by the arches, after he’d closed the surf school.

  ‘How did it go today?’ Finn asked her.

  She looked back at him, feeling bad that she’d drifted off. ‘It was OK. Lauren’s offered to give me some assistant work on some of her shoots, weddings, kids’ photography sessions. It’ll help pay the bills.’

  ‘That’s good,’ he said. He noticed the look on her face. ‘Isn’t it?’

  ‘Yes.’ She shrugged. ‘I guess. I mean work is work. But I just thought . . .’ She tried to fight back the feelings of disappointment. ‘It’s assistant work. It feels like a bit of a backwards step, to be honest. I thought I’d be out in Brazil now, putting together photos for the book, and instead I’m going to be here, helping Lauren take photos of people’s weddings and babies.’

  ‘It won’t be for ever,’ Finn said. ‘And at least it’s photography.’

  ‘I know. I’m being impatient,’ she said. ‘I just thought, after New York, you know, all of those photos getting sold. I thought I was going to get somewhere.’

  ‘You are somewhere,’ Finn said. ‘You’re just not quite where you want to be yet, that’s all. Anything worth having takes time.’

  ‘I thought I’d already put in that time, back when we first got together – and now I feel like I’m treading water,’ she said. She felt frustrated. She was stuck here on the south coast while there was a whole world to explore.