by Melissa Hill
By the time they left it was dark.
As they walked, Penny got the distinct feeling that Mike was stalling, but for what she couldn’t imagine. They walked 5th Avenue again, and she was once more in awe of the lights and displays. She still wasn’t sure where they were headed, and honestly, she wasn’t bothered.
She was having fun and she was going to enjoy it while it lasted.
“What’s this?” she asked as they arrived at Radio City Music Hall.
“This,” he smirked, “is where we’re going.”
“The Rockettes? We’re going to see the Rockettes?” Her voice was several octaves higher than normal, and her smile brilliant.
Mike offered his arm, hooking Penny’s into it. “Let’s see the show.”
The choir sung a medley in harmony and the orchestra played as the curtain rose, illuminated in twinkling white lights. Then came the first act, a wintery night complete with full moon, glowing white trees and of course the highlight, the dancing Rockette reindeer and a singing Santa. She shook his hand as the jolly soul came into the crowd to greet them. She was mesmerised, and it only grew the longer they watched.
Mike loved this show, it was one his uncle had taken him to several times as a child. He knew Penny would love it. And while the audience watched the show, he watched her. The way she looked on in wonder, the way her smile lit up her face and the lights of the stage reflected in her eyes. He smiled, only because he knew she was enjoying it. He tried to settle in to do the same, but his eyes kept drifting back to her.
Chapter 14
The snow fell lightly as they walked towards Rockefeller Centre.
“Are we going skating again?” Penny asked, a rush in her veins at the prospect.
“Not this time. In fact I’m going to need you to put this on.” He pulled out a silk handkerchief. Penny looked at him puzzled. “Trust me.”
She turned and allowed him to blindfold her. The next thing she felt was him leading her, and the distinct sensation of rising. They had to be on an elevator.
The chime as they reached their floor confirmed it. Then she was walking again, gripping Mike’s hand to keep her wits about her.
“Now,” she felt the knot behind her head loosen. “Look.”
Stunning.
Penny’s lips parted as she took the sight before her, all of New York laid at her feet, glowing bright.
Central Park looked like a frozen tundra from there, the white of the snow almost overpowering the dark of the trees. She felt as if she were in another world, a happier place with happier people, at least for that moment.
Then she realised they were alone. At the Top of the Rock observation tower.
“Where is everyone?”
“It’s just us.”
“How –”
“I have my ways.”
She smiled, trying to contain the emotions welling inside her. She’d never had anyone do something this amazing for her before. She looked out over Manhattan and then back to Mike, as she tried to decipher what she was feeling.
“Mike, you’ve made this trip amazing. I’ve seen and done more now than any other before. Now this. I can’t begin to thank you.”
He took hold of her hand. “Say you’ll come back.”
“I don’t even want to go.” The worlds struck her as she uttered them, the first time she’d said them allowed, admitted what she felt.
Mike squeezed her hand gently, pulling her closer. “Penny?”
“Looking out here, seeing everything … it’s like there’s a world I could be part of. A world I can’t find back in London Everything I had, except for my work, I lost three years ago. I’ve been holding on to those memories for so long, that I stopped making new ones.”
She smiled and turned to him.
“You helped me make new ones, so I guess you did keep you word. This really was a Christmas to remember.”
“So don’t go.”
“I have to.”
“No, you don’t,” he breathed deeply. “Kate would love nothing more than to have you move here. So would I. You said it yourself, there is nothing but your work in London. But you could also work here. You would have family and friends here.” He stepped closer. “You can have the life you want, Penny. All you have to do is be open to it.”
His proximity was doing things to her heart, making it race, and her stomach flutter. She listened to his words, each one delving deeper and deeper inside her, to the place that wanted all he was offering.
As his face closed the space between them, her eyes focused only on his lips, she knew if she did this there was no going back. If she kissed him, she couldn’t go back to nothing. Couldn’t have all of this just be memories. She’d want more.
Then their lips met.
Cautious at first, Mike allowed her to decide whether she wanted him to continue. When she responded, her fingers curling into the chest of his jacket, he was filled with hope that spilled over.
He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her flush against him, as his lips knew her better, the taste of her mouth sweet. She did the same, grazing his bottom lip with her tongue before exploring his taste in return.
Both mingling, each growing increasingly more breathless as the kiss continued. It was dizzying.
When Mike finally broke away, not wanting to push her too far too fast, his pupils were wide with the thrill of their kiss. He licked his lips as Penny’s head rested against his chest, her soft breaths filling the air around him, her heart beating in tune with his.
“I don’t know how to do this … ” she whispered.
“You don’t have to do it alone. I’ll help you figure it - everything - out.” He pulled her close again. She lifted her head, looking into his eyes. “Say the words, and I promise I will be right there, every step of the way.”
Mike fought the urge to kiss her again, his jaw clenching as he waited for her response.
She pressed her head to his chest and tried to breathe.
It was a big decision, which would change her life utterly if she made it.
Could she make such a choice?
She raised her head, determination in her eyes, and kissed him. He needed no encouragement. Her words were barely audible over the sound of his pulse in his ears, as they melted between their lips. “I think I know what I want.”
He pressed his smile against her lips.
Finally they parted, and Mike turned her to the city’s skyline, Penny’s back pressed against his chest, as his arms wound round her.
They both looked out on the twinkling, snow-covered city, the future unknown, but their shared hopes as bright as the scene that lay before them.
“Merry Christmas,” he whispered softly.
And for Penny, for the first time in a very long time, it truly was.
From the Author:
Thank you for reading this story - I very hope you enjoyed it.
If you’re still feeling in a festive mood, please read on for a FREE excerpt of my Christmas novel, CHRISTMAS AT THE HEARTBREAK CAFE.
Or visit my Amazon page where you’ll find many more evocative tales set in gorgeous locations to escape to - such as Italy or the Greek Islands - in my Escape Series.
Save 50% by downloading all four Italy books in the Escape to Italy box set.
Christmas at The Heartbreak Cafe
The Heartbreak Cafe, situated in the picturesque Irish tourist village of Lakeview is a local institution, and owner Ella has run a thriving business since it first opened its doors thirty years before.
To honour all those happy years, Ella plans to host a huge Christmas party to thank the community for its support, and to bring all her loyal customers and staff together for a major celebration.
She has spent weeks preparing; baking the cafe’s all time-favourite treats, Christmas favourites like mince pies and mulled wine, and decorating the cafe’s interior in the finest festive garb. Everything is set for it to be an amazing celebration of not just the cafe, but of lif
e in Lakeview.
But Christmas week, only days before the party, Ella receives a devastating letter. Her landlord won’t be renewing her lease in the New Year, and her beloved cafe will have to close.
What will she tell her loyal customers? Will she have to start anew? Or is there any way Ella can save the business by harnessing support and convincing her landlord by Christmas that her cafe has a special place in Lakeview hearts and minds.
Read on for a FREE excerpt.
Chapter 1
Ella Harris shuffled down the empty Lakeview Main Street at breakneck speed.
At sixty-two, she was still the speed-walker she was when she was much younger, and as she shot through the early crisp winter air, the twinkling lights decorating the windows and roofs still lit from the night before flew past in a blur of reds, yellows, and greens.
But Ella had no time to enjoy this sparkling festive display on the first day of December. Instead, she had one thing on her mind: getting to her café on time. Nicknamed The Heartbreak Cafe by the locals for reasons that no-one could no longer quite remember, it was the perfect gathering place for all sorts of world-weary Lakeview residents and tourists looking for a warm drink and an even warmer welcome.
The popular tourist village, twenty minutes-drive from Dublin, was centred round a broad oxbow lake from which it took its name. The lake, surrounded by low-hanging beech and willow trees, wound its way around the centre, and a small humpback stone bridge joined all sides of the township together.
The cobbled streets and ornate lanterns on Main Street, as well as the beautiful one-hundred-year-old artisan cottages decorated with hanging floral baskets, had resulted in the village being designated heritage status by the Irish Tourist Board, and the chocolate-box look and feel was intentionally well preserved.
Ella’s café was situated in a small two-storey building with an enviable position right at the edge of the lake and on the corner where Main Street began. Early in their marriage, Ella and her husband took over the running the café from her father-in-law, and she spent nearly every waking moment since then ensuring that his legacy—and that of her dearly departed husband Gregory—lived on through good food, hot coffee, and warm conversation.
The interior hadn’t changed much over the years — it was still a warm cosy room with parquet oak flooring, shelves full of dried flowers and old country-style knick-knacks, along with haphazard seating and mismatched tables, one of which was an antique Singer sewing table.
In front of the kitchen and serving area was a long granite countertop, where various solo customers typically nursed their coffees and pastries atop a row of stools. Alongside this was a glass display case filled with a selection of freshly baked goods; muffins, doughnuts, carrot cake, brownies and cream puffs for the sweet-toothed, and pies, sausage rolls and Italian breads for the more savoury-orientated.
From early morning the place was flooded with families, friends, and neighbours, all there to grab a bite to eat—and to gossip. Ella thrived on the commotion and excitement, and the community had embraced her: she had become a figurehead in the town and a confidant to anyone who came in looking for a bit of conversation with their coffee.
But her job was never easy. The early morning start meant that Ella was up at 5am to make the mile-long trek from her home on the other side of town, across the humpback stone bridge to the café’s kitchen.
This morning, she was running atypically late. Late—it was such an unfamiliar word. She hadn’t slept late in nearly twenty years. She was gripped with an unsettling feeling of panic as she checked her watch.
6:15. Damn, she thought to herself.
This was going to be tight. She could certainly get the coffee started, and set her chef Colm’s baked breakfast favourites out on display, but would she have time to get the tables set and fried breakfasts prepped before her first customer arrived? Breakfast choices at the café typically ranged from yoghurt, muesli and bagels, to the Full Irish heart attack of fried sausages, mushrooms, eggs bacon and hash browns, complete with locally produced black pudding.
Ella turned her quick walk into a half-jog. It was tight, because many of her early-morning regulars were residents commuting to work in Dublin so she’d better pick up the pace.
She was speeding around the corner by the edge of the walkway to the lake when she felt her right shoe slip from underneath her. She grabbed for the silver tinsel hanging from the nearby lamppost when her left foot turned the other way and her back moved in reverse in an almost pained slow motion. She swirled in an almost elegant three-quarter turn and was suddenly staring skyward, her back on the ground.
Ouch.
She inched herself off the ground and quickly looked around her, stunned and a little embarrassed.
Thank goodness, she thought, seeing no other early morning walkers around. Using her hands for support and leverage, she pushed herself upright and on to her feet. As soon as she was able to lean her body weight to her right side, she let out a horrible yelp. Her ankle had failed her. She briefly cursed her love of old-fashioned Mary Jane heels and her neglectful landlord who always “forgot” to salt the path in frosty weather.
With her pride a bit battered, she hopped on one foot the rest of the way to the café.
Chapter 2
As she opened the side entrance, she wondered what she should do now.
Colm wasn’t due in until later this morning, so she had no other choice but to close for the morning—maybe even longer. She certainly couldn’t arrange breakfast and run the place all by herself.
As she sat in the back of the café’s darkened kitchen with her ankle elevated on a nearby chair, she teared up at the thought of having to call a taxi to bring herself to the hospital. Ella prided herself for being independent and for never asking for help. Now she had to, and the thought of it was both disheartening and frightening.
Just as she began to fall into a pit of despair, she heard a knock on the front door of the café. “We’re closed, sorry!” she cried loudly at the stranger. The knocking suddenly stopped and she heard heavy footsteps quickly moving away from the front door.
She let out a sigh of relief as she dropped her bad leg to the ground and used her arms and good leg to anchor her to stand again. She slowly made her way to where she left her handbag and as she rummaged through it for her mobile phone, the knocking started up again. This time, it was at the back door. The knock was forceful and urgent.
“Ella! Are you in there? Are you all right?” The voice was gruff, yet had a tinge of obvious concern, and she instantly recognised who was calling for her. That distinct, gravelly voice belonged to her most loyal customer, Joseph Evans. The owner of Lakeview riding school and stables, Joseph had been visiting the café every Monday since he was the new person in town almost thirty years before, about the same time as Ella and Gregory took over the café. Even though he lived a little way outside the village, he still stopped in faithfully every morning for a blueberry scone and a cup of coffee.
“Joseph? Is that you? Give me a second.” Ella dropped the handbag on the table, quickly smoothed her hands over her tightly braided hair, and realigned her dress. With all her might, she managed to use the tables and counter space to limp towards the back door.
As she opened the door, she caught a familiar earthy smell from the man towering over her—fresh pine trees and grass. His grey hair almost sparkled as gently falling snow touched the strands. Joseph had yet to lose the rugged good looks that had made him quite the catch in Lakeview for many years. Yet he’d never married.
“You sounded flustered,” he said gently as she opened the door. “You’re never flustered.”
“Oh,” she said, blushing slightly, “it’s—um—”
“What happened?” he asked. “Baking accident? Tell me it wasn’t the scones…” The lighthearted humour in his voice made her forget why he was here.
She shook her head bashfully. “It’s nothing,” she replied, shaking her head. “I just slid
on the ice out front. You would think that Paul would have salted the paths, but you know how cheap he is,” she added, referring to her landlord, a wealthy banker married to a local girl, who owned the properties housing over half the local businesses on Main Street.
“Ella,” Joseph insisted, “it’s obviously not nothing. You’re hurt. Why didn’t you call an ambulance?”
“An ambulance?” she asked, attempting to smile. “I don’t need an ambulance. I was just going to call a taxi to come pick me up and bring me to Jim Kelly to see if he’d put a bandage on it. It’s not that big a deal. I mean, I can still walk...”
“Not a big deal?” he said sardonically, looking down at her leg. “You can’t even put any weight on it. I’m sure Dr Kelly will agree and send you straight to A&E.”
“But I can,” she insisted.
“Prove it,” he challenged her.
Ella slowly lowered her foot, steadied her leg, and leaned to the side. The pain instantly shot through her body as she let out a loud squeal and stumbled forward. Joseph grabbed her arm as she nearly tumbled into his chest. Obviously, her pride had once again got the best of her.
“Okay, yeah,” he said, holding her up and shaking his head. “I’m taking you to the hospital myself. You can pay me back in scones and coffee when you’re back on your feet.”
Ella reluctantly nodded. Joseph helped her find a seat and quickly ran out the back door to retrieve his Land Rover. As she waited, she made a list of all the things she would need to do to get the café opened by this afternoon.
Maybe she could just serve drinks instead of food today. That would keep her off her feet. Or perhaps she should serve food, considering that Monday was always her most profitable day. And she knew that she had to alert the waiting staff one way or another, so she quickly jotted down a note to her chef Colm and a small crew that explained why she wouldn’t be in this morning.