‘Yes,’ Anna said softly.
‘Would have come to the funeral, only … ’ she drifted off for a moment. ‘Well, there’s an awful lot to think about, with the shop.’
‘Do you have time for a cuppa?’ Anna said. ‘We’ve got biscuits.’
Evie smiled. ‘You read my mind. I’ll put the sign up, but when I’m not here most of my customers know that the ice cream shop’s where they’ll find me.’
Anna smiled. ‘Great. You can meet my sister too.’
The two of them walked back to the shop together, and Anna opened the door to let Evie through first.
‘Well,’ Evie exclaimed as she looked around the shop. ‘This is looking a good deal better, isn’t it?’
‘It was a total mess when we arrived,’ Imogen said, stepping out from behind the counter. ‘Sorry – hi, I’m Imogen, by the way.’
‘Evie,’ she said, shaking Imogen’s hand. ‘Pleasure to meet you. I have to say I did wonder if your grandmother made the right decision employing Sue, but you know how she liked to see the best in people. I barely saw Sue do a stroke of work when she was here.’
‘That’s the impression we got,’ Imogen said, giving her sister an I told you so look.
‘You know how your grandma was; she never stopped. But since Sue took over from her, nothing seemed to get done – she was busy all right, but with the crossword, Sudoku, on the phone …’
‘Milk and sugar?’ Anna asked.
‘Both, please,’ Evie said. ‘Oh, custard creams,’ she said, reaching for one. ‘My favourite.’
‘Evie,’ Imogen said, looking at her inquisitively. ‘Funny question, I know, but were you ever in a three-legged race?’
Evie smiled. ‘Yes, I was once. Why do you ask?’
Imogen got Vivien’s photo album from the counter, and brought it over. ‘I found this newspaper cutting in the album Granny left us.’ She searched through and opened it at the right page. ‘It’s from 1989. “Charity Event – Local Business Owners Win Three-legged Beach Race”,’ she read.
‘That was a hoot,’ Evie said, glancing over to look at the picture of her and Vivien smiling, arms round each other, proudly displaying their medals. ‘We had some fun, me and your grandmother. It’s terribly quiet without her. We used to go swimming every morning, before opening up. Did she ever tell you that?’
‘Oh yes,’ Anna said. ‘She loved that. No idea how you did it – it must be freezing out there.’
‘Tough old birds,’ Evie said. ‘I still go out there on my own.’
‘Well, I’m impressed,’ Anna said.
‘It’s good to have some neighbours again,’ Evie said. ‘I look forward to seeing this place get back to how it was.’
‘We’re going to do our very best,’ Imogen assured her.
That evening, Anna emerged from her shower all cleaned up after the day’s work. It had taken ages to wash the grime from the shop off her arms and face, and out from under her fingernails.
‘Come here,’ Imogen said. ‘You’ve still got flecks of paint in your hair.’ She yanked at a paint-covered strand and Anna gave a yelp of protest.
‘Leave it,’ Anna said, ‘and get some wine out for us instead. I think we’ve earned it.’
‘I couldn’t agree more,’ Imogen said, choosing a bottle of Anna’s finest Malbec from the wine rack and opening it.
If there was ever a night to open an expensive bottle, Anna thought, it was now, after their first full day of work getting the shop ready. Imogen poured them generous glasses and passed one to Anna.
‘I know we’ve only just got started, but when do you think we’ll be ready to launch?’ Imogen asked.
Anna glanced over at the calendar. ‘How about the first Saturday in May? That would give us nearly three weeks. We could get Mum and Dad down, show the place off.’
‘Great,’ Imogen said. ‘I’m so excited that Dad’s going to see it.’
‘Have you heard anything more?’ Anna said.
‘Up and down, Mum says. He’s very withdrawn still, and doesn’t want to talk about Granny at all.’
‘What about his friends? Has anyone else been round to see him?’
‘He doesn’t want visitors, apparently. But I’m sure a trip down here would do him good. Mum says he’s been enjoying hearing our updates.’
‘Great. I think our launch will be just the thing to pull him out of this slump.’
On Monday morning Anna jumped at the sound of Jon’s alarm clock, mentally preparing herself to get up for work as usual. Then a wave of relief and excitement washed over her. She didn’t have to go to the office!
‘Your new life starts today,’ Jon said, giving her a gentle kiss on her bare shoulder.
‘I never thought I’d say this about work,’ Anna said, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. ‘But you know what? I can’t wait to get started.’
Jon smiled and slowly got to his feet. ‘Good luck, sweetheart,’ he said, grabbing a towel.
She heard the hot water go on and got up, walking into the kitchen and making coffee for herself and Imogen. She opened the spare-room door, and passed a dozy Imogen a large turquoise mug. ‘Here you go. Are you ready to get started?’
‘I was diving again,’ Imogen said contentedly, rubbing her eyes. ‘With clown fish and manta rays. All these colours.’
‘OK, dreamer,’ Anna said, ‘no time for that today. There’s still more clearing up to do at the shop.’
Imogen slowly sat up in bed, and Anna showed her the To Do list she’d drafted.
‘Oh, and I did some online research after you went to bed,’ she continued. ‘I found us some good suppliers for the retro lollies, and another one for soft drinks. With any luck we should have enough stock to open at the start of May, like we agreed, provided we have the décor all done by then.’
‘God, there’s a lot to do, isn’t there?’ Imogen said, casting an eye over the list.
‘We did say we were up for a challenge.’
‘I know, I know,’ Imogen said. ‘Ah. You forgot one thing. We’re going to have to call Sue and tell her we’re letting her go.’
‘Ouch,’ Anna said. ‘You’re right. I’m really not looking forward to that.’
‘I know, me neither. But by all accounts she’s a liability – and we can’t afford staff anyway. We’ll just be honest with her,’ Imogen said, wrinkling her nose. ‘It’ll be fine.’
By midday, the freezers and cupboards were clean and clear and the sisters agreed that the shop was looking much fresher.
Anna and Imogen looked back at their To Do list, where ‘Call Sue’ was the next unchecked item.
‘Toss a coin for it?’ Anna said, with a feeling of dread.
‘I think it might be a bit late for that,’ Imogen said, nodding over at the door, which Sue was pushing open.
‘Sue,’ Anna said, letting her breath out slowly. ‘Hi. Kind of you to drop by again.’
‘Well, I hadn’t heard from you, so I thought I should,’ she said, sounding a little irritated.
‘The thing is … ’ Anna said. Her courage ebbed away.
‘I’m sorry, Sue,’ Imogen said, more confidently. ‘But I’m afraid we’re not going to be able to re-employ you. I know you were a big help to our grandma, but there are two of us now so we’re planning on running the shop ourselves.’
‘You’re sacking me?’ Sue choked out, shocked.
‘Well, not exactly,’ Anna said. ‘But we won’t be able to offer you a job at Vivien’s under our management, I’m afraid. We’ll ensure you get a month of paid leave in lieu of notice, of course.’
‘Your grandma would be horrified,’ Sue said.
Anna struggled to find words to reply.
‘Well, good luck to you,’ Sue said. ‘You’re going to need it.’ With that, she turned on her heel and left the shop.
As the door slammed shut, Anna turned to her sister, holding in nervous laughter. ‘Wow, that went well.’
Imogen started to laugh, and An
na caught the giggles from her.
‘Oh dear,’ Anna said, steadying herself on the counter. ‘That was awful.’
‘She was awful,’ Imogen said. ‘Better that we did it now rather than later.’
‘I suppose so,’ Anna conceded.
‘A fresh start,’ Imogen said.
‘I still feel bad.’
‘Don’t. And I’m officially changing the subject. I’ve found this fantastic local sign makers who do fifties custom lettering that is just right for our new sign. Look, I’ll show you.’ She went over to the netbook and showed her sister the company’s webpage.
Anna looked at the beautiful vintage lettering and in an instant knew that it was perfect for the shop. ‘It’s stunning,’ she said, clicking through the image gallery and onto the prices page. ‘Not cheap though, are they?’ she said more cautiously.
She glanced over at the accounts book, but decided not to open it. They had the money from their grandma to get started with, and an eye-catching sign was essential if they were going to rebrand effectively. ‘Let’s order it.’
‘And here’s for stage two of the McAvoy Sisters’ Grand Ice Cream Project,’ Imogen said later that week, back at Anna’s flat in the afternoon.
‘Equipment, READY,’ Anna said, getting the ice cream makers out of their boxes, and then pulling out a thermometer.
Imogen looked at it suspiciously. ‘What on earth is that thing for?’ she asked.
‘I read something about how it’s safer to use them,’ Anna said, holding it up to the light. ‘So I bought one along with the makers.’
‘Do you think we might need more than one session to master all of this?’
‘We’ll be fine,’ Anna said confidently, excited about the cooking ahead. ‘You’ll see.’
They worked together through the afternoon and evening, mixing, heating and stirring, losing all track of time as they focused on their ice cream creations. They’d just finished a batch of blueberry when they heard Jon’s key in the front door.
‘Wow,’ Jon said, as he walked into the kitchen and saw the mess that Anna and Imogen had made in the kitchen. Mixing bowls covered every surface, and there were ice cream splatters on the wall from where they’d overfilled the maker on their first try. ‘What on earth … ?’
‘We’ve been experimenting,’ Imo piped up, offering him a bowl of one of their finished creations. ‘This one is blueberry.’
‘Very nice,’ Jon said, with a nod, then turned to flick the kettle on and get his regular mug out of the cupboard. ‘Anyone want a cuppa?’ he asked.
‘We just had one, thanks. But seriously, Jon, try some,’ Imogen said, passing him a silver spoon with blueberry ice on it.
Anna shook her head, and motioned for Imogen to put the spoon back. ‘He’s not our ideal ice cream tester.’
‘Afraid I’m lactose intolerant,’ Jon said, adding a dash of soy milk to his mug of PG Tips. ‘And even if I wasn’t, I’m trying to stay healthy. Sorry. It looks delicious though.’
‘Fair enough,’ Imogen said. She turned to Anna with a smile. ‘More for us, then.’
Jon took his tea through into the front room, and Imogen decanted the first of their ice cream creations – a rich vanilla – into a Tupperware freezable tub. ‘Not bad, for a first attempt.’
‘I think we achieved a lot today,’ Anna replied. She ran the hot tap until the sink was full of warm water and washing-up bubbles.
As she rinsed the whisk under the tap, it really started to sink in. They were doing, or at least were going to be doing, the thing she had always dreamed of – making a living through selling culinary creations, making money, yes, but hopefully making people happy along the way too.
‘Is Jon OK?’ Imogen whispered to her sister, once he’d left the room.
‘Oh, he’s fine,’ Anna said. ‘He likes a bit of space sometimes, that’s all.’
‘It’s me, isn’t it? I said I was only going to stay a couple of nights and I’m still here cramping your style two and a half weeks later. Well, don’t you worry,’ Imogen said. ‘I’ve got the keys to Granny V’s house. Mum suggested I move in there for a while actually, keep an eye on the place. She thinks she’s managed to stall Françoise and Martin on selling it to the developers, but she’s still not sure what they’re capable of.’
‘Are you sure? You’re welcome to stay here, you know. Don’t mind Jon, really. You’re family.’
‘It’s fine,’ Imogen said. ‘Honestly. You’ve been so generous already, and the house is only round the corner. I’ll move next weekend.’
‘Alfie,’ Anna said. A week had passed, and the sisters were at Anna’s flat on the night before their shop launch. ‘Can you come and help us with something? Me and Imogen are doing some colouring.’
Alfie scooted out of his bedroom and followed Anna into the living room of her flat. The floor was covered with newspaper and laid out in the middle was a large banner that Imogen had just finished the lettering on. It read: OPENING DAY!
‘Let’s get you an apron,’ Anna said, returning in a moment with a child-sized one. ‘We’ve got paints and crayons. Do you think you can help us?’
‘Yes!’ Alfie said, excitedly kneeling down and choosing a bright red crayon as Imogen did up his apron straps. ‘Alfie’s making letter A red.’ He scribbled over the outline, pressing hard with the crayon.
‘Bagsy blue,’ Imogen said, picking up another crayon and joining him on her hands and knees colouring in another letter.
‘Is this for Ice Cream?’ Alfie asked Anna, tilting his head towards her as she crouched down.
‘It’s for the shop, yes,’ Anna said, with a smile in Imogen’s direction. ‘We open tomorrow.’
Jon came in through the door, attracted by the noise. ‘What’s going on in here, and can I join in?’
‘Here, Daddy,’ Alfie said, passing him a paintbrush.
‘More the merrier,’ Anna smiled. ‘This banner’s going to go out the front,’ she said. ‘Pretty hard to miss, don’t you think?’
‘It looks terrific,’ Jon said. ‘Very striking. And you got all the flyers handed out OK?’
‘Yes,’ Imogen said. ‘We’ve been doing an hour here and there all week, so we should have a good turnout.’
‘I’m sorry Alfie and I will miss it,’ Jon said, looking disappointed. ‘But we’ve had this date booked in with Mum and Dad for weeks.’
‘Don’t worry, I totally understand,’ Anna said. ‘And to be honest we’ll probably be rushed off our feet.’ She turned to Alfie. ‘You’re going to the safari park tomorrow with Grandma and Grandpa, aren’t you?’
He stood up to his full height and roared. ‘Liyons,’ he said triumphantly.
‘Sounds like we’ve all got an exciting weekend ahead,’ Imogen said, moving on to a new letter. ‘I can’t wait to see everyone’s faces when they see the shop.’
‘We’re really doing it, aren’t we?’ Anna smiled at her sister.
‘Oh yes,’ Imogen said, laughing. ‘Nothing’s going to stop us now.’
Chapter Seven
The first weekend in May had come at last, and everything was set for the launch. Everything, that is, Imogen thought to herself, as she stared through her sister’s rain-lashed window, loud thunderclaps ringing out in the sky overhead – except the weather.
‘Oh God, Anna,’ Imogen said, nose almost pressed to the glass. ‘How are we meant to sell ice creams in this?’
She checked the Met Office website on her phone. They were predicting some of the most powerful thunderstorms ever to hit the south coast, and from the look of things the storms had already arrived.
Imogen had heard the rain during the night, and it had got steadily heavier through the early hours. Unable to sleep, she’d tossed and turned, praying that their launch day wouldn’t turn into a washout.
‘Get your boots on, Imogen,’ Anna said, ‘because there’s no way we’re backing out now. We’ve publicised the launch everywhere and we can’t change our minds j
ust because of a bit of rain out there.’
‘A bit of rain?’ Imogen countered. ‘It’s hardly that, sis. It looks like a typhoon. Noah’s probably herding the animals on as we speak.’
‘You’ve been out of Britain far too long, Imogen,’ Anna said. ‘What you need is a good dose of Blitz spirit. It’ll all be over in an hour or so. Grab some of my wellies from the hall cupboard and let’s get going.’
They made their way down to the seafront, dressed in bright yellow macs, trying desperately to keep hold of their umbrellas. They hurriedly hung the handmade banner up, knowing that it would be a soggy mess in minutes. Windblown wet flyers were stuck to the ground. Once inside the shop, they put the shop lights on, turned up the radiators, and walked back to the shop’s glass front to look out.
‘Are you sure this rain is going to stop?’ Imogen said mournfully. The sheets of rain were almost horizontal, deterring all but the hardiest stroller from the beach and seafront.
The phone rang and they both jumped in surprise. ‘I’ll get it,’ Anna said.
‘Oh, OK, Mum. See you in half an hour.’ She put the phone back in the cradle. ‘Mum’s on her way. Dad’s not feeling up to the trip.’
Imogen felt a stab of disappointment. But, she thought, maybe it was better that their dad didn’t see the place empty like this. It was increasingly apparent that the only people who had ventured down to the seashore – in waterproof trousers and anoraks, dutifully taking their dogs for walks – weren’t in the market for Fab ice lollies.
‘Do you think we should just close up?’ Imogen said, glancing at the stacks of Calippos in their freezers.
‘Of course not,’ Anna said. ‘It’s early still, and I’m sure I saw a patch of blue sky out there. You’d be surprised how quickly the weather can turn around on a day like this.’
‘You promise?’ Imogen said, squinting into the distance, and trying to fight her doubts. The clouds were heavy and grey, and a bolt of lightning briefly lit up the sky.
‘Oh, girls,’ Jan said, coming through the door to the café and turning to shake off her sodden umbrella outside, before she put it down. ‘Awful luck you’ve had with the weather.’
Vivien's Heavenly Ice Cream Shop Page 8