The Waffle House on the Pier: A gorgeous feel-good romantic comedy

by Tilly Tennant

  ‘Speak of the devil and he will appear… And he’s got your nemesis with him.’

  ‘I wish you’d stop with that,’ Sadie said, her head snapping back round to face Natalie and her voice dropping. ‘It really doesn’t bother me as much as you seem to enjoy thinking it does. He’s with Melissa now – they’re together and he’s happy. End of.’

  ‘Happy?’ Georgia leaned in to join Sadie and Natalie. ‘That’s not what we’ve been hearing.’

  ‘Well—’ Sadie began, but was interrupted by the man hailing them.

  ‘How’s it going?’

  All three women set their faces in bright, innocent smiles as the couple walked over to their table.

  ‘Hey, Dec,’ Natalie said. ‘How are you?’ She looked at the woman, her blithe smile growing even wider. ‘Melissa… have you lost weight? You look amazing!’

  ‘About half a stone, that’s all,’ Melissa replied, beaming.

  Sadie offered her most encouraging, open smile. Not because she liked Melissa – she didn’t, despite the fact that Melissa had really done nothing to deserve her dislike except date Declan after Sadie had finished with him – but for Declan’s sake, because she still considered him a dear friend and he seemed genuinely happy with Melissa. If she made him happy, then she couldn’t be all that bad, could she? Even if Natalie and Georgia, and to some extent Sadie herself, said that there was something off about her that none of them could quite put their fingers on.

  Natalie was right about the weight. Sadie couldn’t deny that Melissa looked great this evening too – her dark shoulder-length hair was glossy like Natalie’s but much finer and poker-straight. The weight she’d lost sharpened her already quite spectacular cheekbones, and though she favoured heavier make-up and tighter clothes than Sadie would ever dare wear, they suited her. This evening she was in a short white jersey dress that possibly nobody else in the world could pull off. Declan was his usual relaxed self, giving all three women at the table an easy smile as he rested his beer on a nearby table for a moment so he could roll up the sleeves of his denim shirt.

  ‘I think Sea Salt Bay’s amateur dramatics society are missing the three witches from their production of Macbeth,’ he said, his smile turning into a broad and cheeky grin. ‘What are you three cooking up? You look shifty as hell sitting huddled in this corner.’

  ‘Hubble, bubble, toil and trouble,’ Georgia said.

  ‘We’re actually making a voodoo doll of you and deciding what to do with it,’ Natalie added sweetly.

  Declan’s grin spread further still. ‘Make it something nice, won’t you?’

  ‘I can’t think of anything nice that you might deserve,’ Natalie replied airily.

  ‘Aww, come on, there must be something.’

  ‘Hang on… Nope.’ Natalie laughed. ‘Nothing.’

  Declan chuckled. Then he looked at Sadie and the merriment disappeared. Sadie hated when that happened, but it happened a lot. He laughed all the time at Natalie and Georgia, but always, when it came to her, though they were friends and things were good-natured, he was more serious. He didn’t use to be serious, once upon a time. Things had changed and he had become this different man with her. There was no way back and the thought made Sadie sad.

  ‘How’s your gran today?’ he asked. ‘I saw earlier that the waffle house is still closed. Is that it now? Have you all made up your minds?’

  ‘It’s locked up,’ Sadie replied, a little confused.

  ‘I know, but he was hoping it would be open so he could eat,’ Melissa said. ‘I don’t know what I would have eaten if it had been open – everything your grandma serves is covered in sugar.’

  ‘A hollow banana?’ Georgia offered, and if Melissa noticed the sarcasm she didn’t show it.

  ‘Probably. I’d have had to watch Dec stuff something nice into his face while I drank water. It’s hardly fair, is it?’

  ‘Well, beauty is pain,’ Natalie said, with almost the same degree of subtle mockery as Georgia. Melissa didn’t appear to be concerned by this either, though to Sadie there was no mistaking it was there, and she had to stop herself from frowning at Natalie in disapproval. Natalie and Georgia were doing their friend thing, backing Sadie because they thought that Dec and Sadie ought to be together. They’d never really understood or believed that Sadie had accepted her fate and were essentially siding with Sadie in an argument that didn’t really exist.

  ‘I can’t help that my job burns lots of calories,’ Dec said cheerfully. ‘And I keep telling you that you don’t need to diet; you’re perfect as you are.’

  Melissa threw him a flirtatious look. ‘No, I’m not,’ she said, though clearly she wanted to hear more about how perfect he thought she was.

  ‘So have you decided?’ Declan asked, turning to Sadie again.

  ‘It’s not really up to me,’ Sadie said.

  ‘But what about your family? What have they said?’

  ‘Mum thinks it ought to be sold. Ewan agrees but I don’t think Dad is convinced.’

  ‘And what about you?’ he asked, and Sadie saw that serious man again, the one reserved only for her these days, the one that made her feel as if the ground was giving way beneath her. She gave her head a slight shake.

  ‘Doesn’t matter what I want.’

  ‘Doesn’t it?’

  ‘It ought to be about what Gammy wants, if anything.’

  ‘Hmm, you said that the other night but—’

  ‘The other night?’ Melissa cut in.

  ‘Oh,’ Declan said, seemingly oblivious to the sharpness of her tone, ‘we bumped into each other when Sadie was checking up on the waffle house.’

  Melissa said no more, but she suddenly looked as if someone had shoved half a lemon into her mouth.

  ‘You’ve always been very fond of Sadie’s grandparents, haven’t you, Dec?’ Natalie said with the utmost innocence, chancing a keen glance at Melissa. She seemed to be enjoying a new sport she’d just invented on the spot: Melissa-baiting. ‘You were very close when you and Sadie were going out, weren’t you? Like an extra grandson… They spoilt you rotten…’

  ‘I was there often enough, that’s for sure,’ Declan said, continuing to be blissfully unaware of the dark shadow crossing Melissa’s features. She still looked gorgeous, but more sort of evil gorgeous now. And she also looked like a woman determined to put an end to the current conversation.

  ‘We’d better find a table,’ she said, nudging him hard. ‘Our food will be out in a minute and the waiter won’t be able to find us.’

  ‘I’m sure Josiah can shout up,’ Declan replied. ‘And he’s hardly going to miss us – it’s not like the place is packed.’

  Nobody could deny that he had a point. Apart from the five of them, there was only one other occupied table in the garden. They looked like a family of tourists – it was usually easy enough to spot them.

  ‘Still…’ Melissa said lamely.

  Georgia had run out of strawberries in her drink and had now started on the slices of cucumber. ‘We were just about to drink up and leave anyway,’ she said.

  ‘I might get another actually,’ Natalie decided. Sadie stared at her. They had agreed to leave after a quick round because they all had things to do. What was Natalie up to? Sadie had a feeling that she might be in the mood to cause mischief with Melissa – she was often in the mood to cause mischief with anyone unfortunate enough to be in the vicinity. And maybe Natalie thought she was doing Sadie a favour, giving her more time to sit with Declan, but she wasn’t – far from it. However, once Declan spoke again it was clear that Sadie was stuck with Natalie’s unasked-for favour.

  ‘In that case maybe we can sit with you for a while,’ Declan said.

  Natalie looked at Georgia. ‘Shove up,’ she said, before patting the bench next to her for Declan to sit.

  Declan took the offered space, leaving Melissa to take the only other available one, next to Sadie at the other side of the table. While there had never been any observable animosity betwee
n the women – despite Melissa being fully aware of Sadie’s past with Declan – the situation they found themselves in now was still one neither would have chosen.

  ‘It seems like ages since I’ve seen the gang together,’ Declan said.

  ‘Well, we’ve been out and about,’ Natalie said. ‘So I don’t know where you’ve been.’

  ‘Clearly not in the Listing Ship,’ Georgia said.

  Declan grinned. He turned to Melissa. ‘When I was at school with these three they were inseparable, always up to some mischief, but they were jammy; the teachers never managed to catch them, even though they knew.’

  Melissa tried to smile and Sadie had to feel a little sorry for her. Sea Salt Bay could sometimes be the sort of place where it was hard to fit in if you hadn’t been born there. It wasn’t that it was unfriendly or unaccepting, but everyone who grew up there together also grew close. It was almost like the town was one big, extended family and there was a shared history so entwined that it was often hard for a newcomer to insert themselves into the fabric of it.

  It had to be doubly hard for Melissa. Not only had she not grown up in the bay, but she was now dating Declan. He was a popular member of the community, as Sadie and her family were, and when Sadie and Declan had been dating, many people in the community had openly expressed hopes that they would marry one day. They still said this, even after Sadie had broken his heart and left for university. It was no wonder really that Melissa looked so sour when Sadie was around. But then, it worked both ways because nobody wanted to see that the ex they regretted giving up every day had gone on to someone better than them. Melissa was prettier, sexier, better dressed and arguably more worldly-wise than Sadie, and nobody felt that comparison more keenly than Sadie herself. Melissa was almost thirty too, compared to Sadie’s twenty-six, and so she had experience and maturity on her side to go with everything else. She was at an age when she was probably ready to settle down – which Sadie hadn’t been when she and Declan were together. But it had been something he’d always talked of because he’d known from a much younger age than Sadie that family and stability were the things he craved and needed more than anything else. He’d always appreciated how good that kind of life could be, whereas Sadie, who’d already had it, had wanted nothing more than to turn her back on it and find adventure.

  In fact, the one puzzling thing about Melissa and Declan was that after three years together they still weren’t engaged. What were they waiting for? Who was holding who back? Nor were they living together – though, according to Declan the last time he’d chatted to Sadie, that would soon change.

  ‘I think we’ve all been sort of busy,’ Georgia said.

  ‘I know how that feels,’ Declan said.

  ‘Still apologising to the trees before you chop them down?’ Natalie asked.

  Declan grinned again. ‘You have to have a quiet word to explain yourself before you tackle the job,’ he said. ‘I think they understand it’s for the greater good.’

  ‘I still don’t see how cutting anything down helps the forest,’ Georgia said. ‘I’d feel so guilty if I had to do it.’

  ‘I don’t actually cut that many down,’ Declan said. ‘I suppose some of the things I do for the commission do seem a bit counter-intuitive to anyone who doesn’t know all the ins and outs of forest management.’

  ‘Don’t get him talking about his job,’ Melissa said, ‘not unless you have a month to spare so he can talk to you about what a crime it is that half of the bugs that ought to live there are becoming extinct.’

  Sadie gave a small smile. When she and Declan had been together he’d been volunteering as a ranger and studying long-distance for the necessary qualifications to work in conservation. He’d often come to her house so full of excitement and passion for the subject, and for what his training would enable him to do, and she wished now that she’d taken more notice back then, offered more encouragement and praise. Instead, she’d been too wrapped up in her own plans to escape the bay and that had really been the beginning of the end for their relationship.

  She tried to convince herself that this was how the universe had meant things to be, but sometimes it was hard. Like now, to see him so happy, so relaxed and content, handsome and mature. She’d had plenty of time to reflect, since her decision to come home to the bay, that she’d left a boy when she’d gone, but she’d returned to find him a man. A man, she’d been stunned to find, that she was still very much in love with. But by then it had been too late, even if she could have swallowed her pride for long enough to admit she’d been wrong to let him go – and that was one thing she’d been unable to do.

  ‘Sorry,’ he said, looking adorably sheepish. ‘Melissa might have a point there; I know I must bore her to tears most nights going on about work.’

  ‘It’s nice to do something you feel passionate about,’ Sadie said tightly, suddenly feeling the overwhelming urge to defend him.

  ‘Like you?’ he asked.

  ‘Well, yes…’ Sadie replied, though instantly she found herself on uncertain ground again. Hadn’t she just been mooting the possibility of giving up teaching? The profession she’d been training so hard for and given up so much to pursue didn’t seem so appealing these days and it made her feel sad to acknowledge it.

  ‘I wouldn’t know,’ Georgia said. ‘The discount store wasn’t exactly where I saw myself when I left school full of bright hopes.’

  ‘At least you had the bright hopes,’ Natalie said. ‘And you worked your way up to manager so it’s not all bad. I just wanted to earn money as soon as I could and I didn’t care how – well, within reason, of course.’

  ‘But you did alright in the end too,’ Declan said.

  ‘I suppose, if it’s your sort of thing,’ Natalie said.

  Melissa looked at her. ‘What do you do?’

  ‘Housing officer. It could be worse; at least the area I work in is nice. I’d hate to do it in a big city. It still means commuting out from the bay every day and I wish I didn’t have to do that.’

  ‘That’s the thing about the bay,’ Sadie said. ‘There’s not a lot work-wise here if you don’t want to sell buckets and spades or work in the chip shop.’ She looked at Declan with an apologetic grimace. ‘No offence,’ she said.

  He smiled. ‘Don’t worry; I know you didn’t mean anything by it. My dad loves the chip shop but it wasn’t for me either, even though he was disappointed when he realised that I had no intention of taking over when he retires.’

  ‘I’m glad you won’t be taking it over,’ Melissa said. ‘I don’t think I could cope with you smelling of fish and chip fat all the time.’

  ‘All I meant was,’ Sadie said, not dignifying Melissa’s comment with a response and preventing anyone else from doing so either, ‘it was inevitable that most of us would end up working away from the bay.’

  ‘Your family does alright.’ Natalie turned to Sadie. ‘I guess it shows that if you use your imagination the work is there. Perhaps we’re all just not very imaginative.’

  ‘They do more than alright,’ Declan agreed.

  ‘It is hard to find work here,’ Melissa said. ‘When my parents bought the amusement arcade on the pier and moved here I thought it would be fun to move here too and live by the sea in a lovely little town. If I’d known I’d end up having to work for them dishing out bowls of coins all day I might have thought twice about it.’

  ‘But then you wouldn’t have met me,’ Declan said, turning to her with a soppy grin.

  Sadie studied them as they looked at each other. Much as Sadie liked Melissa’s parents, and as kind and neighbourly as they’d been to Kenneth and April since they’d taken over the amusement arcade not far from the waffle house, Sadie couldn’t help but share at least that wish with Melissa. If Melissa had never moved to Sea Salt Bay with her parents, what would that have meant for her and Declan? And why was Sadie even thinking about any of this at all? More to the point, why did it sting so much more today, at this moment, than it usuall
y did? Was it because the rest of Sadie’s life seemed so uncertain right now? Was it because she was beginning to wonder if she’d thrown what she’d had with Declan away for nothing if she gave up her teaching course and came back to work in Sea Salt Bay? It certainly felt like that, and yet, she was still torn over the decision.

  ‘Anyway, Sadie might yet end up taking over at the waffle house,’ Georgia said airily.

  Sadie stared at her, but Georgia didn’t seem to realise she was being stared at. That hadn’t been a discussion for sharing and Sadie had by no means decided. She looked to see both Melissa and Declan regarding her keenly, though she suspected that they both had very different reasons for that.

  Declan nodded slowly. ‘I think it’s a brilliant idea. Everyone in the bay would miss that old place if it closed down.’

  ‘You have the ice-cream parlour,’ Melissa said. ‘And what about your dad’s restaurant?’

  Declan turned to her. ‘It’s hardly the same. The waffle house has been there forever. I just can’t imagine this town without it. Anyway, I don’t think fish and chips are any substitute for pancakes and waffles.’

  ‘I certainly put most of my puppy fat on in there,’ Natalie said.

  ‘It was lovely,’ Georgia agreed. ‘Your grandma loved to spoil us rotten, didn’t she? Every day after school we’d call in – remember, Sadie? I used to go home full of whatever yummy thing April had cooked for us and not wanting what my mum had cooked. I didn’t dare tell her why I couldn’t eat her food and in the end she was convinced I had an eating disorder. When she found out what was really going on, that was the first time I saw someone in the bay get angry with April, but even my mum couldn’t stay angry for long because who can? April is just so lovely and sweet it’d be like shouting at a puppy.’

  Declan and Natalie laughed, but Melissa simply aimed an uncertain smile at Sadie. Georgia’s recollection of their schooldays was probably just the sort of shared childhood memory, growing up as they all did in the bay, that she must have felt put her at a disadvantage. She must have felt there was a part of Declan’s life that she could never know. It happened to many couples, of course, but in this case, the only woman that she might perceive to be a threat – Sadie – did know that. In fact, she’d been a huge part of it. Once again, Sadie found herself feeling a bit sorry for Melissa, though it did nothing to allay the weird, intensified sense of rivalry she was suddenly gripped by.