Aunt Coral had sobbed off and on throughout the evening due in part to how proud she was of Daisy but mainly due to her large gin consumption. Before Daisy knew it it was almost eleven o’clock. As she was keen to keep hold of her licence, she politely but firmly thanked her guests then herded them on their way. When the last stragglers had left and they finally closed the doors, Daisy, Jason and Tamsyn all slumped onto the bench seat.
‘I’m sooooo knackered,’ said Tamsyn.
‘Come on, tidying up to do first,’ said Max, as he came back from locking the new car park bollard in place. There was a series of groans and everyone got reluctantly to their feet apart from Aunt Coral who tried but wobbled a lot and sat back down.
‘I think I’ll wait here,’ she said, in a slurred half whisper.
The four of them set about collecting glasses, stacking the glasswasher and wiping down surfaces.
‘I can’t believe someone left their glass in the loo,’ said Jason, shaking his head as he put it on the counter. ‘Some people, really.’
‘Maybe they were multitasking?’ suggested Tamsyn.
‘That’s what worries me,’ said Jason, and a weak smile passed between them.
With the four of them working, and the glasswasher already having been on a couple of times during the evening, things started to look orderly quite quickly. Jason rounded up Aunt Coral and Tamsyn. ‘Come on you two,’ he said to Daisy and Max who were arguing over what to do with a remaining half of a grapefruit.
‘I think I’ll walk back. I need to clear my head,’ said Max, giving Daisy an unreadable look.
Daisy faltered. Everyone was watching her. ‘Erm … yeah. Me too.’ She felt all giddy and then slightly panicked about what she was doing. Seizing an opportunity to be alone with Max – this was not part of the plan.
‘Okay, if you’re sure,’ said Jason, and he and Tamsyn steadied a meandering Aunt Coral, steered her through the door and closed it behind them.
‘You did well tonight,’ said Max, his eyes closely studying Daisy’s face making her feel a warm glow rise from her core.
‘So did you.’ She realised her voice had gone a little husky. She looked up slowly and their eyes met and she knew what was going to happen next. Her heart was speeding up while her head was full of question marks. Max bent forward and their lips touched. Was this a good idea? No. Would it change things between them? Probably. Did she want to do it anyway? Yes.
The kiss took over and they were lost in the moment until Max started to pull at her shirt and she broke free. ‘Hang on, let’s think about this,’ she said, quite breathless.
‘Let’s not,’ said Max and he kissed her again.
Then something distracted him and he glanced at the window. Daisy turned too and saw the shadows change in the darkness – there was someone outside, most likely a local looking for one last freebie.
It was enough to kill the moment. Max pulled away from Daisy who had been rapidly warming to the idea of carrying on. ‘You’re right,’ said Max, looking awkward. ‘Sorry.’
‘No, no, it’s fine. More than fine.’
Max looked distractedly out of the window. ‘I’ll just check everything’s okay outside then we’ll make a move.’
‘Great,’ said Daisy, trying to cover her tinge of embarrassment at getting carried away. It was definitely for the best; she needed to have a think about this before they went any further. She would be looking to sell up and leave next summer, but that was quite a while away and some fun with Max between now and then might be, well, fun.
Daisy locked up whilst Max patrolled the perimeter. She put her hands in her pockets and walked over to him. ‘You okay?’
‘Hmm,’ he said distractedly. ‘Er, yeah. Sorry. We all locked up?’
‘Yes, we are.’ She appraised him. He was gorgeous when he was smartened up.
Max put an arm protectively around Daisy. ‘Okay?’
‘Yeah,’ she replied, enjoying the closeness of the gesture and they set off for home as unbeknown to them a figure watched from the shadows.
Daisy didn’t sleep well; she was thinking through every tiny detail of the evening, particularly her kiss with Max. She had hoped she would get a repeat performance when he dropped her home but he seemed preoccupied and had only given her a hug and then walked off.
Her alarm woke her and she dragged herself out of bed, made some toast and said a brief ‘Good morning’ to Aunt Coral who was nursing what looked like a monster hangover. Daisy left her with her an Alka-Seltzer and went to work. She didn’t need to get there this early, she wasn’t opening up until the evening but she had some work to do on getting the hot chocolate cabin side of the business up and running.
She stood outside for a few minutes grinning inanely at the sign. She was glad there was nobody about to witness it but just looking at the name on the little railway building made her happy. She loved the fact it was hers, all her own work with the help of some good friends, and it felt terrific. This was a master class in setting up a business for resale. All the time she was investing here was about making Locos the best it could be and for it to be turning a profit before she had to put it up for sale and get top dollar. She’d be able to repay Aunt Coral and have the money she needed to travel.
Daisy’s first big test was the lantern parade. With only a day between opening and the parade it was all a bit too close for comfort but Daisy had already shown she was up for a challenge and this was no different. She had sourced and tested a number of hot chocolates and had settled on a good quality real chocolate flake variety – it was more expensive but gave a rich and smooth flavour she was sure children and adults would adore. As soon as she’d tasted it she’d been transported back in time to when she was a little girl and Great Uncle Reg would melt his special chocolate chips into hot milk – it tasted exactly the same. She had also found a creamy white hot chocolate and a sumptuous dark version too. A variety of syrups including some sugar free also made for a multitude of variations but all were available with whipped cream, chocolate shavings and marshmallows – obviously.
The lantern parade was akin to a launch party for the hot chocolate side of the business and because it was a great opportunity to promote Locos Daisy was prepared to put the cost down to marketing.
Daisy was testing her favourite combinations in small measures to decide on her finalists for the big event when there was a knock on the door.
‘Hiya.’ Tamsyn popped a head around the door as Daisy crossed one off the list. Dark chocolate with peppermint was probably better suited to a smaller audience.
‘Perfect timing, Tamsyn. Tell me what you think of these three flavours for after the lantern parade.’ She produced three filled shot glasses and gestured for Tamsyn to try them.
She lifted the first one tentatively to her lips and Daisy leaned in, keen to judge her reaction. Tamsyn closed her eyes and took a sip. ‘Blimey, it’s gorgeous. Mega thick and creamy.’
‘Great, that’s our standard offering, try this one next.’ She offered the next glass and Tamsyn wrinkled her nose.
‘White chocolate?’
‘Yep, try it.’ Daisy was smiling, she knew how amazing it tasted with the most delicate hint of vanilla.
‘Scrumptious,’ said Tamsyn, draining the glass and licking her lips. ‘It’s like drinking a bar of white chocolate.’
‘That’s the general idea.’
Tamsyn picked up the last one without being asked and took a sip. ‘Ooh is there a hint of cherry?’
Daisy nodded. ‘I’ll serve it with cream and a drizzle of sauce, it’s like a black forest gateau in a glass.’
‘They’re all amazing. I’m going to be the size of a house working here,’ said Tamsyn, sticking her finger into the glass and mopping up the dregs.
Daisy was pleased with Tamsyn’s reaction; she hoped everyone else felt the same tomorrow night.
‘Are we having food too? Because I was thinking we could make something nativity themed like cow pies and
donkey sausage.’
Daisy wasn’t sure how these were related to the Christmas story but neither sounded appropriate. ‘It’s okay. Old Man Burgess is making some shortbread stars.’
‘Oh goody,’ said Tamsyn, jiggling on the high stool. Something fell from her pocket. Daisy bent to pick it up and placed The Beginners’ Guide to Tarot Reading on the bar.
‘Are you dabbling in the occult again?’ asked Daisy, with a grin.
‘I’m thinking about doing Tarot readings on the side,’ said Tamsyn, pulling a pack of Tarot cards from her bra.
‘Okay,’ said Daisy, getting an ominous feeling.
‘Can I practise on you?’
Daisy was already shaking her head. ‘I’m not sure, Tams. Tarot’s not my kind of thing. Have you done it on yourself yet?’
It turned out to be a good distraction technique. ‘Not really. I guess I should do me first,’ said Tamsyn and Daisy vehemently agreed.
Tamsyn shuffled the cards and slowly separated the deck into three piles in front of her. Daisy watched her intently. Tamsyn turned over four cards and Daisy scanned them quickly.
‘What do they mean?’ asked Daisy.
‘They all mean something slightly different in relation to the main card.’ Tamsyn touched the card above the three in a row. ‘Most readers use their psychic intuition to read them as well as their knowledge of the cards.’ She sounded well informed.
‘Right. What does your psychic intuition tell you about these?’
Tamsyn touched the top card. ‘This is the two of swords. I’ve had that before and I think it means a decision is needed.’ Tamsyn touched the first card in the row of three with her fingertip. ‘This is my Past. Hmm, Page of Wands, now what does that mean?’ She rifled through the Tarot book. ‘Ah, a bringer of news. It could be someone who’s always been in my life.’
‘Jason,’ said Daisy getting excited.
‘Or you.’
‘Oh,’ said Daisy. ‘Carry on.’ She was getting quite into it.
‘This is my Present,’ said Tamsyn moving her finger to the next card and scrabbling through to the right page in the guide. ‘The nine of wands denotes completion of projects and the number nine is associated with the Moon. It warns of delusions and dreams not being as they seem.’ She looked up from the page.
‘Are the cards telling you you’re wrong about keeping Jason at a distance?’
Tamsyn ignored her and moved her finger to the last card. ‘My Future.’ She took a deep breath and Daisy waited while Tamsyn checked the book. ‘This card is Judgement, Karma or The Angeli; it means a second chance.’
Daisy clapped her hands together making Tamsyn jump. ‘They’re telling you to take another chance with Jason.’
Tamsyn gathered the cards up. ‘I’m not sure. I wasn’t getting that as a psychic message.’
Daisy stopped Tamsyn by placing a hand on top of hers. ‘What does your heart tell you?’
Tamsyn hurriedly got off the high stool tipping the cards onto the floor. Daisy rushed to help pick them up.
Tamsyn looked panicked as she pointed at the strewn cards and a single one lying face up – the death card. ‘Oh no, I don’t need to look that one up.’
‘It doesn’t mean anything, Tamsyn.’ Daisy saw the word death and quickly collected it up with the others.
Tamsyn gasped. ‘But Old Man Burgess is making the biscuits for the lantern parade tomorrow.’
Daisy laughed. ‘I’m sure we’ll all be fine.’
Chapter Five
Daisy and Tamsyn were on their way back from grabbing sandwiches for lunch when Tamsyn spotted Jason coming out of the fudge shop. She ran to catch him before he got into his police car. ‘Jason,’ she called from the other side of the road.
He looked across at the sound of his name but his expression wasn’t the usual happy smile she’d come to expect or even take for granted.
‘Hiya,’ said Jason, his hand on the car door.
‘Actually, Jason, I’d like to explain the other day and the kiss and everything.’
‘It’s fine.’ He didn’t look fine.
‘Okay, but I don’t want either of us to get hurt.’
‘I’m not sure avoiding things is the best approach to not getting hurt.’
‘I think it is in our case. I’d worry we’d both feel we had to change and try to be the person the other one wants us to be.’
Jason looked as if he understood. ‘Just promise me one thing?’
‘Anything,’ said Tamsyn, brightly throwing open her arms in an elaborate Tamsyn-style gesture.
‘Don’t rule us out forever. You know in the future there might be a time when it would be right for us to be together and I’d hate to think we let it pass us by.’
Tamsyn hesitated. ‘Okay. I promise.’
‘Good,’ said Jason, appearing to relax a little. ‘Did you fancy coming round tonight for a Doctor Who marathon? It’s just me, Max and a couple of large pizzas.’
‘I’d love to,’ she said. Daisy hovered nearby not wanting to interrupt.
‘You’re welcome too, Daisy, if Doctor Who and pizza float your boat,’ said Jason.
‘Sorry, Doctor Who kind of sinks mine, but thanks for asking.’
Whilst everything seemed fine between Tamsyn and Jason, Daisy couldn’t help feeling something fundamental had changed.
Lantern parade day dawned and Daisy knew it was going to be one of those days that dragged on forever, a bit like Christmas Eve when you were a child. The parade wasn’t until the evening and she couldn’t make the hot chocolate until just before the parade started because she needed to serve it hot. She had managed to get hold of a ten-litre hot water urn, which the manufacturer assured her would heat milk just as efficiently as it did water although the urn would need a thorough clean afterwards. Daisy decided the cost was a worthwhile investment to enable her to serve real hot chocolate on the promenade thanks to an extension cable they were going to rig up from the beach café.
Daisy and Tamsyn decided to put up some lanterns of their own. Daisy wanted it to look traditional and as close to what the Victorians would have had as possible whereas Tamsyn favoured anything brightly coloured and preferably sparkly.
‘How about this?’ asked Tamsyn, holding up some bright pink glittery paper.
‘No way,’ said Daisy.
Tamsyn didn’t reply, she thumbed the paper with a glum look on her face.
‘What’s up?’ asked Daisy, pausing at the top of a stepladder with a cylinder-shaped lantern in her hand.
‘I saw Jason last night.’
‘Oh, yeah. How was Doctor Who?’ Daisy tried hard not to pull a face like she was eating a sour sweet.
‘Max was there, it wasn’t totally awkward but I could tell Jason wasn’t relaxed. I’ve ruined things between us.’ Her shoulders slumped forward and Daisy came down the stepladder and put an arm around her. ‘Things will settle down again.’
Tamsyn pouted. ‘What if the cards were right? What if I should give me and Jason a second chance?’
Daisy exhaled. ‘I don’t think one kiss was even a first chance to be honest.’
‘Hmm, maybe not. I just want some sort of sign it’s the right thing to do.’ Tamsyn scanned the bar as if waiting for something to happen. It made Daisy glance about too but everything was silent.
A sudden banging on the door made them both jump. ‘Cock-a-doodle-doo,’ said Daisy, her heart leaping in panic. She rushed to unlock the door.
‘Hello Daisy, I’ve come to give you a hand ahead of tonight,’ said Old Man Burgess, shuffling inside. How a frail old gent could knock on a door that hard was beyond Daisy. She looked across at Tamsyn and she gave a weak smile, Daisy guessed Old Man Burgess was not the sign Tamsyn had been hoping for.
Night descended on the bay and Daisy went into full-on efficient-boss mode. She had Tamsyn checking the list of everything they needed to serve the drinks remotely and Max was tasked with loading it into the back of Tamsyn’s car. Once on the pr
om they did everything in reverse and set themselves up on the beach café’s picnic tables, which had been pulled out of winter storage. Daisy filled up the urn with milk, switched it on, checked the temperature gauge and set to work on measuring out the chocolate flakes into the plain white mugs Tamsyn was putting out in neat rows.
Daisy received a text from Jason to say the children were setting off from the church and her stomach did a flip. This was like the gin bar unveiling all over again but this time she felt she probably had harder critics because if kids didn’t like something they were brutally honest.
Before long they could see the lights appear in the distance. There was a mass of glowing objects bobbing along – it was lovely to watch the lights snake their way down the hill. As the group grew closer so did the accompanying jolly chatter. Daisy checked the temperature gauge on the urn and all was well. Max was standing by with the whipped cream. A wicked thought danced through her mind but the sight of lanterns turning onto the promenade brought her back to the present.
Daisy marvelled at the variety of lanterns as the children and accompanying adults proudly neared them. It was a sight to behold with the different coloured lanterns all glowing in the dark, but what touched her most was the look of sheer delight on the children’s faces. They lined up their lanterns by the sea wall to be judged and then all at once the children seemed to rush towards the picnic tables for their hot chocolates. Old Man Burgess did his best at queue management but it was rather like trying to herd hyperactive cats.
They got in a rhythm with Daisy reeling off the choices and calling out the order and Tamsyn filling the appropriate mug with milk and syrup if required and then passing it to Max for toppings and delivery to the child. It was nice to catch a glimpse of the children’s faces as they sipped their drinks – not one had pulled an ‘I don’t like it’ face, which was miraculous.
Ottercombe Bay – Part Three Page 5
