by Rebecca Pugh
Laurie had nodded and the tour had begun. Despite the evidence of children, and despite the haphazard piles of toys dotted around in each room, she couldn’t deny that there was something about the place that took her back to her own childhood, and in turn made her think of Mia.
Now, towel-drying her hair near the window that offered her a perfect view of Sunset Bay, Laurie finally returned to the news that had befallen her the night before in Honeysuckle Cottage.
It was only now that she was able to think about it clearly, after a refreshing shower and a good night’s sleep, and she was pleased to feel herself approaching the subject more calmly and collectedly this morning. It was still a shock, though, to think that all this time she’d been spending her life feeling like she was trapped in a career she didn’t want, when the diner could have been her salvation in the same way it had been Mia’s. What she wasn’t coming to terms with too well, though, was that this information had been hidden from her.
No matter how much she tried to understand how it had happened, it didn’t make sense. Why would their mother hide something so fantastic from her? She’d had a goddam right to know! It made her seethe, and what she wanted to do more than anything was ring up her mother and give her a mouthful down the phone. But of course, she couldn’t do that without explaining why she was even in Sunset Bay in the first place, which would then lead to her having to admit that she’d taken a six-month break, split up from Neil and pretty much ruined everything.
In regards to Mia, Laurie knew that things hadn’t been patched up just yet. She reckoned it would take a while for Mia to get her head around the whole thing, too. After all, her little sister had been hating Laurie since Grandma Dolly’s will reading, it seemed, and that was a long time to have bad feelings towards someone, even if that someone was your sister. It would take time, Laurie knew, to get their relationship back to where it had been all that time ago. She hoped it was possible. They’d once been the best of friends, been so close and confided in each other about everything. She always looked back on her childhood alongside Mia with the fondest of memories. They’d been inseparable. Laurie felt like she’d sacrificed that bond with Mia to appease her mother, and she knew there was definitely some truth in that. Because she had done exactly that, hadn’t she? Studied harder than hard, had her head stuck in books day after day, and then set off for university. She guessed that, from Mia’s perspective, she’d probably appeared eager to get through university, begin a career and start her life, but the opposite had been the case. She’d been eager to get away from home, from the suffocating presence of their mother who was always pushing, pushing, pushing. She sighed as she realised that her and Mia’s wires had been ridiculously and hopelessly crossed somewhere along the way.
***
After a fry-up in the noisy, child-filled kitchen, Laurie decided to take a walk around town and maybe try one of the pasties from Minnie’s pasty shop. According to Debbie, they were the best she’d ever had so Laurie was eager to see what the fuss was about. She stepped out into the sunshine, shielding her eyes as she stepped off the doorstep, and strolled down the path.
As she crossed the road and walked along with no set destination in mind, it was hard to ignore the obvious influx of out-of-towners that had suddenly taken over Sunset Bay. There was barely enough room on the narrow pavements for them all and Laurie found herself growing frustrated each time she had to step into the road to allow them space to pass. She had thought about popping into the diner to see how Mia was doing but decided against it. She’d leave her sister alone until Mia felt ready to talk again. She hoped it wouldn’t be too long, though. She hoped they could return to what they’d once been.
She passed by Minnie’s pasty shop and glanced at the golden pockets of filling sitting snugly on a shelf in the glass counter. She popped inside, bought herself two and then continued on her way down the street, trying to figure out what she could do with the rest of her day.
Without realising where she’d gone, she found herself passing by the diner. This time, as she looked at it, she saw it in a completely different light, knowing that she was partly responsible for it. She spotted Mia and the other members of staff gathered around a red Ford outside. It looked like they were saying goodbye to the young girl who stood with them, as they hugged each other. She thought about heading over to say hello but quickly dashed the idea from her mind. She’d be an outsider, plus Cal was there, and the last time they’d spoken it hadn’t been on the friendliest of terms. Instead she walked on and decided to find somewhere she could sit while she tried out the Cornish pasty.
***
Sitting on a short, stone wall with her legs dangling down and the sea directly in front of her, Laurie pulled out the first pasty and eyed it hungrily. She was loving food so much at the moment, and was completely aware that she’d lost a few pounds since the whole Neil fiasco, so she felt like she had good reason to stuff her face as much as she chose to with no one to tell her any different. It was Sunset Bay, too. As ridiculous as it sounded, the very air of the place was almost reviving her senses, especially sight and smell. Everything just seemed so much fresher and invigorating, and being able to sit down with something to munch, the sea rolling in and out just in front of her, was perfect.
The pasty crumbled and flaked in her hands as Laurie raised it to her mouth and took her first bite. Surprisingly, it was delicious and incredibly moreish, and in no time at all she’d finished it and was on to her second. The filling was tasty, meshing gorgeously against her taste buds and reigniting her new-found hunger even more.
‘Hello.’
A pair of legs appeared beside her. Laurie glanced up and almost rolled her eyes when she saw who it was. ‘Hello, Cal. How nice to see you.’ She hoped he could detect the sarcasm in her voice, because it wasn’t nice to see him at all, and if he thought for a single second that she was going to sit there and take another mouthful off him then he had another thing coming.
‘Is that sarcasm I detect?’ He sat down beside her on the wall, his legs dangling, too, and sighed heavily as he scrubbed at his face with his hands. ‘Look, Laurie, I wanted to apologise for the way I spoke to you in the diner the other day. I was rude and you didn’t deserve that. I just …’ He shook his head to himself. ‘I just care about Mia, and I wouldn’t want to see her get hurt, that’s all.’
Laurie wiped the flakes of pastry from off her legs before turning to look at him. She shrugged. ‘It’s fine, don’t worry about it. I get that you care about Mia. I care about her, too, but obviously you’ve done a better job of showing her than I have.’ She turned back to look out at the sea. Watching it move was hypnotising, the way it roved back and forth like a machine. ‘You like Mia, don’t you?’ She decided she may as well put it out there, because if Cal thought he was doing a good job of keeping his feelings towards Mia secret, then he should know he wasn’t.
He cleared his throat. ‘No.’
She glanced sideways at him. ‘Liar. I know you do.’
He laughed loudly and his grin widened to reveal his teeth. ‘That obvious, huh?’
‘Just a bit.’ She joined in with the laughter. ‘I’m confused, though. Where does your girlfriend come into this?’
She watched curiously as he looked down into his lap. ‘It’s a bit tricky, really. And her name’s Hannah, by the way. She’s my girlfriend and … that’s all there is to it.’
‘So you’re going out with Hannah, even though you have feelings for Mia?’ She shook her head in bewilderment. ‘That makes perfect sense. I hope you don’t mind my asking this but, what on earth are you doing?’
‘Honestly, Laurie? I have no idea.’ His earlier amusement completely disappeared and his eyes locked on to the sea in front of them. ‘I really like her, don’t get me wrong, but if I’m going to be honest, I can’t see us becoming serious in the future. I don’t want serious. The last time I tried serious, everything came crashing down and I ended up here. Serious isn’t on the agenda, an
d I don’t think it’s on Hannah’s either. How could I do that to Mia? I’d want to give it my all with Mia but I can’t. In the end, I’d just let her down, I’d disappoint her and I couldn’t do that. Not to her.’
‘Does Mia know you like her?’ Laurie couldn’t help but warm to Cal after what he’d just said. His care for Mia ran so much deeper than she’d initially thought. Hell, he cared so much he didn’t even want to go near her, not in the relationship sense anyway, and to Laurie, that was a big deal.
‘No idea.’ Cal let out a throaty chuckle as he shook his head. ‘Listen to us. We sound like a bunch of teenagers. Anyway, Mia wouldn’t have time for me. Have you seen her in that diner? She works non-stop. I’d never get the chance to take her out, spend time with her properly.’
Laurie chewed her lip. ‘Has she always been like that? Working non-stop I mean?’
‘Pretty much,’ confirmed Cal with a quick nod. ‘The only day she has off is Sunday, but I think she just potters about in the cottage for the day, relaxing and whatnot. Can’t blame her. She works her arse off every other day of the week.’ He turned to her. ‘Have you spoken yet?’
Laurie nodded. ‘Yeah, we had a bit of a chat yesterday. It was good to talk to her after so long. I think we managed to clear the air a little, which felt good. We used to be so close, you wouldn’t believe it. Life got in the way, though, and we ended up going our separate ways, as you do.’ She scrunched up the empty brown paper bag. ‘I’m hoping that we can sort things out before I leave again. Oh, that reminds me. What were you all doing standing outside the diner earlier? I walked by but didn’t want to intrude.’
‘Oh,’ Cal said, ‘we were saying goodbye to the waitress, Pollyanna. She’s going off to university but going travelling first. Gonna miss her. She’s a lovely girl, but can’t blame her for wanting to get out of Sunset Bay and spread her wings a bit. This is a lovely town but it can seem so small sometimes. So, the diner is a waitress down now. Maybe you should try and get in there, temporary job for while you’re in town? It’s easy work taking people’s orders and refilling coffee. Nothing to it.’
Laurie smiled. ‘That’s a good idea. Thanks, I’ll mention it to Mia when I next see her, although no idea when that will be. I don’t want to foist myself on her, you know? We still have things to talk about and it might be too soon for me to suddenly pop up in the diner as the new waitress.’ She laughed. ‘But I’ll definitely keep it in mind.’
‘Good. Perhaps it will bring you two closer together. Anyway, I’ve gone way off track here. I just wanted to apologise, that’s all. I get a bit protective over her because, as you so rightly guessed, I do, indeed, have feelings for her, and seeing her hurt isn’t something I enjoy.’
Laurie looked closer at Cal and smiled. ‘Me neither, but it’s good to know she has back-up.’
Cal slapped his hands against his thighs and pushed himself back up into a standing position. ‘Well, I’d better go and get something to eat seeing as I’m on my lunch. Don’t forget to ask Mia about the waitress position, will you? I think it’d be good for you both. See you around.’
Laurie watched him as he strode off and her heart warmed at the fact he was so fond of her little sister. If only Hannah wasn’t in the way, she reckoned they’d make a pretty cute couple.
Chapter Eleven
The diner was busier than ever. Locals and non-locals alike were flowing in and out like nobody’s business. Trust it to be when Pollyanna had just set off, too. Mia realised she needed all the help she could get.
She glanced up from scribbling an order onto her notepad as Cal strode in from his lunchbreak. ‘Sheesh, want me to come out front and help?’ he asked as he arrived beside her. His aftershave wafted over towards her and wrapped around her like a silky shawl. ‘Didn’t realise it was this busy.’
‘No, I think you’ll be more use in the kitchen,’ said Mia quickly. ‘The orders are coming in thick and fast. I can handle it out here, don’t worry. Go on, I feel sorry for Marco all alone in there.’
Cal sped off and Mia returned behind the counter to prepare four banana milkshakes. She wasn’t keeping up like she usually did and she needed help out front more than she cared to admit. Usually, with Pollyanna whizzing about, they handled these rushes with ease, but without the waitress, who Mia was missing more and more as each minute passed by, it was clear she was struggling.
‘Hey, you.’
Mia turned to find Laurie sitting on a stool at the counter. ‘Oh, hey. Listen, Laurie. I really can’t stop and chat. We’re busier than ever. We lost a waitress this morning and I’m chasing my tail as it is. I’ll text you later and we can –’
‘That’s why I’m here, actually. I saw your friend Cal a while ago. He mentioned the waitress issue. I was wondering if I could help.’ She looked over her shoulder at the bustling, noisy booths before turning back. ‘If you don’t mind, of course. I know we still have things to discuss, but I’d really like to help you if I can. What do you say? I could start now?’
Mia swallowed. It was ridiculous, but suddenly she felt protective of the diner and hesitated before answering. ‘Erm. I don’t know.’ She was completely aware that Laurie part-owned the diner but that still didn’t stop her from feeling like she was the one responsible for it. She realised then that Laurie, even though only having just found out, had a say in the diner. It was written down in the will, stated in ink. She spotted another group of people walk in. She had to hurry up with these bloody milkshakes. The orders were falling way behind. ‘Starting now sounds like a good idea to me. Go in back – there should be a spare apron in the stockroom somewhere, and don’t worry about the dress, I’ll sort one out for you later.’ She hurried back to the milkshakes but before she carried on, she turned to look at Laurie who was heading towards the kitchen. ‘Oh, and Laurie?’
‘Yeah?’ She paused before she stepped through the doors.
‘Thank you.’
A warm smile appeared on Laurie’s face and Mia let out a sigh of relief.
***
Figuring that Laurie didn’t have a clue about serving the desserts and milkshakes, Mia took control of that, while Laurie focused on taking the orders and table requests for coffee refills, sauces and napkins. To Mia’s surprise, her sister took to the waitressing like a duck to water. She was nifty on her feet, polite and smiley, and the customers seemed to like her, too, which was always a bonus. It was true – Laurie wasn’t Pollyanna, but as Mia watched when she managed to steal a couple of seconds to do so, she couldn’t help but think that Laurie looked … happy? There was a grin on her face that Mia hadn’t seen since Laurie had first appeared on the night of the diner’s anniversary celebration. Her cheeks were flushed and she was laughing with the customers, too. Once Mia felt assured that Laurie had that part under control, she felt herself calm down and, finally, relax.
The day whizzed by as the diner team worked together, food orders coming through the doors at a rapid-fire rate as Cal and Marco worked their magic behind the doors. The diner was constantly buzzing and busy, the atmosphere noisy with chatter and the sound of forks hitting plates. Families of five and six squished themselves into the booths, the stools lining the bar were almost constantly occupied and Mia thought she’d never made so many milkshakes before now. It was non-stop, and by the time she closed the diner door and flipped round the sign to announce they were ‘closed’, she felt ready to collapse into a heap on the floor and sleep through until the next morning.
‘Wow. What a rush!’
Mia turned to see Laurie grinning as she undid the strings of her apron, both hands behind her back. It was clear she was struggling so, with an amused smile, Mia indicated for her to turn around and untied the bow quickly. ‘It’s probably going to be like that all summer,’ Mia said as she beckoned for Laurie to follow her into the kitchen, then through to the stockroom.
She began pushing around boxes on the shelves until she found what she looking for. ‘What size would you say you are?’ she as
ked, flicking a glance at Laurie.
‘Probably a medium.’
Mia rummaged around in the box and tugged out a spare dress. She checked the label and, low and behold, it was a medium. ‘What do you know? It’s as if the diner knew you were coming.’ She stood and passed it over. ‘Oh, that’s if you decide you can cope with another day like today. I understand if not. It gets crazy in here. I think it can be a bit much sometimes but, if you’re up for it, then it’s all yours.’
Laurie took the dress gently from Mia’s grasp. She stared at it for a while, then glanced up. Mia was surprised to see a sparkle in her sister’s eyes that usually indicated oncoming tears. ‘Are you okay?’
‘Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,’ she laughed, looking flustered. ‘Think I got some dust in my eye or something. This is great, thank you. And if you’ll have me, I’d love to come back tomorrow. And the day after that, and the day after that, too. I’m serious at making things better between us, Mia. I hope you know that. I have no idea what happened, how I never found out about the diner until now, but I’ll get to the bottom of it, I promise. I didn’t mean to hurt you, or make you feel like I’d just abandoned you.’
Mia swallowed, now overcome with her own wave of emotion. ‘Its fine,’ she said, shaking her head quickly. It wasn’t, but here in the stockroom wasn’t the place to have a heart to heart.
Laurie nodded, but it was clear to Mia that if she had told Laurie to carry on with her speech then she would have. ‘So, I’ll see you in the morning then. Eight, isn’t it?’
‘Yep. Eight on the dot. Don’t be late.’
Laurie snorted, took a last long look at Mia, then left the stockroom.
Now alone, Mia took a couple of deep breaths and straightened herself out before heading back into the kitchen. Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad having Laurie around, after all. In fact, she’d helped Mia out more than she’d ever know today and she was grateful for it. The last thing she wanted was to appear incapable in front of Laurie but her sister hadn’t seemed bothered by helping out. In fact, Laurie had looked as if she’d enjoyed her diner that day very much.
