by Sarah Morgan
“You don’t miss the bright lights of the city? How is Jason? Job still going well?”
“Yes. He’s been offered another promotion.”
“Promotions usually come with longer hours and that would be tough on you with two little ones.”
How was it her mother always understood?
“You had three little ones.” And we weren’t even yours. For some reason, her brain kept coming back to that. The conversation with Jason had made her think about the realities of having three children.
“And that was lucky for me.”
Was it? She’d never talked to her mother in depth about that time, about the decision she’d made. Had she ever considered saying no? Had she, like Beth, ever thought that’s too much?
Before she could decide whether or not to ask that question, Suzanne had pulled up outside the café.
“Have fun with your sister. I hope it’s not too busy.”
Beth hoped that, too. She wasn’t sure her head could stand too much noise.
She pushed open the door of the café, relishing the sudden rush of warmth.
Posy was behind the counter, serving generous slabs of chocolate cake onto plates. Her curls bounced around her face and her cheeks were flushed from the heat.
She smiled when she saw Beth. “How are you?”
“Honestly? I feel as if one of Santa’s reindeer kicked me in the head. And I keep wanting to cry.”
“If you must live a champagne lifestyle, then you have to pay the price.”
“Thanks for the sympathy. And for the water and painkillers.”
“You’re welcome. You can make it up to me by hanging your coat up and taking this to table 2.”
Beth suppressed a yawn. “Which is table 2?”
“The one by the fire. It’s the table everyone wants.” Posy loaded cups and a teapot onto a tray. “How’s Mom?”
“Fine, I think. She wanted to know when you’re going to fetch the tree.”
“I’m taking Luke to the forest tomorrow. We’ll get one for us and one for the barn.”
Luke?
Beth delivered the tea with a smile and a greeting and then walked behind the counter and studied the coffee machine. With its flashing lights and dials, it looked like the cockpit of a jumbo jet. “Who is Luke?”
“Our current lodger. He’s rented the barn for three months. Don’t touch that!” Posy nudged her to one side. “I can’t afford you to break the coffee machine right now.”
“Thanks for that vote of confidence.” Beth leaned against the counter and watched as Posy produced an espresso that would have impressed the most exacting New York barista. “I haven’t heard from Jason. I’m worried.”
“Worry is your middle name.” Posy put the coffee next to her and greeted a couple who walked through the door bringing with them a flurry of snow and freezing air. “Cold out there today. What can I get you?”
They ordered, and Beth sipped her coffee, remembering all the hours she’d spent here as a child.
Growing up, all three girls had come here after school and done their homework on one of the tables while waiting for their mother to finish work. There was always a treat. Sometimes it was a buttery, sugary square of crumbly shortbread warm from the oven, and sometimes their mother would make them hot chocolate with whipped cream and a chocolate flake.
Suzanne had recognized the nurturing properties of a cozy environment before it had become a global trend.
When they’d finished their homework, they’d snuggle down on the beanbags in front of the bookshelves and read until she was ready to close the café.
“Hey—” Posy pushed her gently to one side “—you’re in my way.”
“Maybe you haven’t noticed, but I’m having a personal crisis here.”
“I noticed. I’m the one who picked you up from the airport, sobered you up and lent you my favorite pajamas. I’m sympathetic, but your crisis is going to have to fit round my lunch orders. You said you wanted to go back to work—you can start now.” Posy handed her an apron and Beth sighed.
“What do you want me to do?”
“You can serve. And don’t forget the smile and the big Scottish welcome.”
“I live in Manhattan and I was born in Seattle.”
“And you spent your formative years right here in Scotland, so stop pretending you’re a city slicker.” Posy gestured to the board. “For specials today we have two soups—leek and potato, and creamy mushroom. Served with warm rosemary and sea salt bread, or plain sourdough. For vegetarians, we have a goat cheese and red onion tartlet—served with salad—and for raging carnivores, Mom’s venison and mushroom pies.”
Hearing it made Beth hungry. “My favorite.”
“You’re serving, not eating. But if there are any left, you can have one.”
“Do you ever have any left?”
“Never.”
Deciding that her sister was a sadist, Beth took an order from a couple of Australian tourists and vanished to the kitchen.
For the next two hours, she was rushed off her feet. She barely had time to talk to her sister, let alone pause to check her phone.
The café was busy, and so was the gift shop area.
While Beth was serving soup into bowls, Posy sold four of Suzanne’s blue sweaters with sparkles, eight hats and two pairs of fingerless gloves.
Beth yawned. “This place is insanely busy. How do you cope?”
“Normally we have Vicky, but she succumbed to the dreaded flu.”
“What if the mountain rescue team gets called out?”
“Then I drop everything and you end up running this place.” Posy bagged up three packets of Christmas cards painted by a local artist and added a hand-wrapped gingerbread man. “On the house.” She handed it over with a dazzling smile and another family of happy customers left the café.
“You’re lucky.”
“Excuse me?”
“You have your life sorted. You have your cozy loft, your animals, the mountains and this café. You know what you want and you’re doing it. I envy that.”
Posy didn’t look at her. “Seems to me you’re envying everyone right now. Did it ever occur to you that we might envy you?”
Beth helped herself to shortbread. “Why are you so snappy?”
“I’m not snappy. It’s just—”
“What?”
Posy shook her head. “Nothing. I think you make a lot of assumptions about people’s lives, that’s all.”
“Correct assumptions. Hannah doesn’t want a family, and you don’t want to live in Manhattan.”
“That last part is true.”
The bell on the door clanged and a tall, dark-haired man strolled into the café. He had a brooding, slightly dangerous air to him and Beth stood up a little straighter.
“Hot man alert,” she murmured. “Get his name and number. Alternatively you could hold him captive and warm yourself on him until the snow melts.”
“I already know his name and number. He’s my lodger.” Posy nodded to the man. “Productive morning?”
“I deleted more than I wrote. Hazards of the job, but nothing a good brownie won’t cure.” The man unzipped his coat and Beth saw her sister smile up at him.
“One brownie coming up. Usual coffee?”
“Please.”
“Anything else you need?”
“As a matter of fact, there is.” He reached out and hauled Posy close, kissing her as if the world was about to end and this was their last goodbye.
It was like watching the closing scene of a romantic movie.
Beth gaped. She was stunned and, yes, maybe a little envious.
She’d thought she knew everything about Posy’s life, but apparently not. This man was clearly more than her sister’s lodger. And now she remembered t
he comment Posy had made in the car. As it happens, I was in bed with a tall, dark, handsome man having the best sex of my life.
Beth had assumed it was a joke.
She glanced around the café, but all she saw was benign smiles.
Beth felt as if she was the only person not in on a secret.
When Luke finally lifted his head, the look he shared with Posy was so personal, so intimate, that Beth felt as if she’d walked into their bedroom.
When had she and Jason last looked at each other like that?
When had they last been spontaneous?
Their lives were scheduled down to the minute, and more often than not, their plans centered around the girls.
Luke finally released Posy, but it was clear to Beth that he only did so because they were in public.
She waited for her sister to introduce them, but Posy was staring dreamily into space.
No need to ask if he was a good kisser, Beth thought, and took the initiative.
“We haven’t met.” She stuck her hand out. “I’m Posy’s sister. The middle, married sister. Beth.” The boring one with a rotting brain. “Good to meet you.”
He shook her hand, his grip firm. “Luke Whittaker. Climber, writer and all-around bad influence. Good to meet you, too.” He turned back to Posy. “I’ll grab a table while one is available because we all know that situation won’t last long.”
Luke Whittaker. Bad influence.
Beth watched as he walked to the table.
Posy tipped fresh coffee beans into the grinder, spilling a fair few. “Oops.”
“Don’t apologize,” Beth said. “If I’d just been kissed like that, my hand wouldn’t be steady, either.”
“Do you mind not staring at my customers?”
“I’m only staring at one customer.” Beth didn’t shift her gaze. “Did he say his name was Luke Whittaker?”
“He did.” Posy cleared up the beans. “You’re still staring, by the way.”
“The name is familiar.”
“He’s written a book and been on TV. He’s Adventure Guy. The one who tells all those stories of survival. You know, your ship goes down in the Atlantic, how do you not get eaten by sharks, that kind of thing. Particularly useful information when you live in the Highlands of Scotland.” Posy knocked a carton of milk off the counter and Beth caught it midair.
“You need to take a breath before you break something.” She watched as he paused on his way to a table and exchanged a few friendly words with Mrs. Chappell, who owned a few holiday cottages in the village. “Adventure Guy. I’ve never watched that show, but...I guess that must be where I heard the name. How long has he been kissing you like that?”
“Not long enough.” Posy slid a large slice of brownie onto a plate.
“Now I understand why you kept hinting about things going on in your life, too.” Beth watched as he shrugged off his weatherproof jacket to reveal broad shoulders encased in a cable-knit sweater. “He looks like an advert for quality outdoor wear. Tough enough to withstand buffeting wind, sluicing rain and freezing ice.”
“He’s easy on the eye, that’s true.” Posy poured the silky milk onto the coffee, producing the pattern of a Christmas tree. She dusted it with cinnamon and carried the coffee and brownie to the table.
Beth waited until she returned. “So you weren’t kidding when you said you were in bed with a tall, dark, handsome man.”
“I wasn’t kidding. And can I just say I’m a little offended that the mere thought of me having a sex life seems so hilarious to you.”
“It was nothing to do with you, and everything to do with the fact that there aren’t exactly that many sexy strangers roaming the village.” Beth studied Luke. “And you left him to fetch me from the airport.”
“I did. Which means you owe me in a massive way.” Posy glanced at Beth. “Your eyes are shiny. Are you crying again?”
“I’m very emotional this morning.”
“That’s what happens when you drink ten bottles of champagne.” But Posy gave her arm a squeeze. “Everything will be fine. You need to chill.”
“I’m not a very chilled person.”
“Then go and roll in the snow or something, but stop crying or you’re going to worry Mom and Dad.”
“Do you ever think about the sacrifice they made taking us in?”
Posy looked incredulous. “Not in the middle of my working day, no. What is wrong with you?”
“I’ve been thinking about some stuff, that’s all.”
“Well, stop thinking. It’s bad for you and it makes your eyes red. Drink some strong coffee and put some makeup on, or whatever it is you do to make yourself feel normal. And stop wallowing.”
“I’m not wallowing.” But Beth whipped out her lip gloss and slicked it over her lips. In fact, Posy was right. She was wallowing, and she needed to stop. “It’s good to know your love life is flourishing, because mine certainly isn’t.” At that moment her phone rang and she grabbed it, relieved. “Finally! That must be Jason. I was starting to worry. Do you mind if I take this?”
“Go.” Posy gave her a gentle push. “Take it in the kitchen. I don’t want your emotional make-up session putting my customers off their food.”
Knowing that Duncan would be in the kitchen, Beth chose to step outside the café.
It was only as she pressed the button to answer that she realized it wasn’t Jason, it was Corinna.
“Hi, Corinna.” She should have been thrilled to hear from Corinna, but all she could think was how much she wished it had been Jason.
“I want you here this afternoon. We’re having a team meeting.”
No small talk. No how are you? No are you ready for the holidays? No question about whether it was convenient for Beth.
Still, at least Corinna was still keen to have her on the team.
“I’m not in Manhattan, Corinna. I’m in Scotland. I decided to travel early.”
There was a brief silence. “Beth, I’m asking myself if you’re taking this seriously. If you really want to be involved, then I need to be sure of your loyalty and commitment.”
When she’d worked for Corinna the first time round, she’d been bombarded with the same kind of emotional blackmail. It was as uncomfortable to listen to now as it had been then. “I’m committed, Corinna. I’ve been working hard, pulling together ideas.”
“Send them across. I’ll take a look.”
“I’ll email them later today.” She’d intended to think about the campaign on the flight, but instead she’d focused on champagne and the novelty of having a chair to herself and sole charge of the remote control.
“If you can get them to me by 2:00 p.m., I can take them into the meeting. We’ll send you a link and you can join us.”
“I can’t.” Beth cringed as she said it. Was she going to blow this chance because she’d come home early? “The signal isn’t strong enough where I am. I’ll email you.”
“I’ll be waiting.” Corinna’s disapproval traveled across thousands of miles.
“Thanks. I’ll—” But Corinna had gone, and Beth was standing with a phone in her hand and a creeping sense that nothing she did was ever going to be good enough.
The cold air seeped through her clothing and she shivered and pushed her way back into the café.
She’d forgotten how pressured and unforgiving work could be.
Posy glanced at her. “Are you getting a divorce?”
Sisters could be so blunt. “It wasn’t Jason. It was my old boss Corinna, who I was hoping would also be my new boss.” Divorce? There was no way she and Jason would get divorced. It was a disagreement—that was all. All marriages had them. “And if you could keep your voice down, that would be great.”
“Corinna?” Posy frowned. “Corinna the evil—I’m not saying the word here because my customers
are sensitive, but the word I’m thinking of rhymes with witch.”
Beth hated to be reminded of Corinna’s bad side, especially so soon after a call when it had been very much in evidence. “I have to send some ideas through to her by 2:00 p.m. her time, which means I have until 7:00 p.m. to come up with a genius idea that will knock her stilettos off her feet. Will you be okay if I go back to the house and work?”
“I’ll manage.” Posy glanced up as the door opened and Suzanne hurried in. “Mom. Everything okay? How is Vicky?”
“Worse. I’ve called Dr. Burn and asked him to check on her. I’ll go back tomorrow.”
“I thought you’d be on your way to the Christmas Market by now.”
“I was, but I had an email from Hannah. She must have sent it last night, but I only check my emails once a day.”
Beth contemplated a universe where a person checked their email only once a day. “What did she say?”
“She’s arriving earlier than planned.”
Posy was balancing a tray of coffee. “How much earlier?”
“Today.”
“Everyone is coming home early,” Posy said. “There must be something in the water.”
Suzanne was frowning. “I confess your dad and I are worried. Why would she be coming home early? Beth, have you talked to her lately? Do you know if something is wrong?”
“Last time I talked to her she seemed fine. Busy. She canceled dinner.” Beth felt a flash of guilt because she’d snapped at her sister. It hadn’t occurred to her that everything in Hannah’s life might not be perfect.
Suzanne glanced at the clock. “Her flight arrives in an hour. I’m going to call and let them know I’ll be late at the market.”
“I’ll pick up Hannah.” Posy moved swiftly to one of the tables, delivered the order with a big smile and then ripped off her apron. “You go to the Christmas Market and Beth can hold the fort here.”
Beth shook her head. “I can’t! I don’t know how to work the coffee machine, and anyway I have to spend the afternoon working on some ideas for Corinna.” She needed to compensate for not being part of that call. She needed to show Corinna she was both loyal and committed.
“Duncan knows how to work the coffee machine, and you have two kids, so I’m guessing you know how to multitask. Serving cake and coffee to happy people will stimulate your creative juices.” Posy hung up her apron and grabbed her coat. “You go to the market, Mom.”