by Lynsey James
I nodded and mumbled an incoherent reply as I tucked into my pancake. The sensation brought my taste buds to life; it was such a change from blended-up kale and spinach.
Noah watched me with a curious blend of fascination and curiosity in his eyes.
‘Look at you; you’re like a kid at Christmas! Anyone would think you’d never had a pancake before.’
I chuckled as I finished off my half. ‘Course I’ve had pancakes before! Not recently, but I’ve had them. They were just never this good, that’s all.’
‘Go on then, when was the last time you had one?’ Noah’s face still bore the same bright smile as when we’d discovered our efforts had finally paid off. He looked blissfully happy, like he was floating high above the clouds and nothing could bring him down. Funny what getting a pancake right could do.
‘God, now you’re asking. Must be over ten years ago, at least. Mum wasn’t big on bringing cakes and biscuits into the house. My nickname at school was the Carrot Stick Kid!’
Noah let out a huge, rippling belly laugh, just like he had the day I’d exploded the eggs in the microwave. It was such a happy sound and such a contrast to his snarling and sarcastic comments.
‘You know, I’m starting to see why you’re so tightly wound; anyone would be with a name like the Carrot Stick Kid!’
I gave him a playful tap on the arm. ‘Hey, less of your lip or I’ll make you eat that lumpy gunk we made earlier!’
Noah laughed then sank back into his chair with a contented sigh. ‘Who’d have thought it, eh? We’re actually managing to get on. And having a laugh into the bargain!’
‘Not me, that’s for sure! I thought I’d end up running you over with Cilla the Clio or something.’
‘I really didn’t make it easy for you, did I?’
‘No, you bloody didn’t!’
He pursed his lips and looked down at his jeans. Much as I didn’t want to admit it, he looked cutely remorseful. He looked up at me again and I felt a jolt through my body. The whole atmosphere between us shifted and the air became charged with tension. He wasn’t just looking at me now; he was really looking at me.
‘Listen, I… I still owe you an explanation about that nasty shock I had the other day. Remember, I promised to tell you before we got drunk and… well, you know what happened after that.’
His cheeks turned crimson and he looked away from me for a moment.
‘What was it?’ I asked in the gentlest voice I could. ‘Is everything OK?’
‘My mum got in touch with me. I haven’t heard from her for years and it threw me off a bit. She wasn’t the best mum, to be honest; she drank a lot and left me with whoever was available so she could go off for weeks at a time with her friends. When she was there, she wasn’t that great either. I was taken into care when I was about seven and only saw her once every few months after that. One of the only things she ever did right was bring me here for holidays. We’d always stay at Sunflower Cottage, which is how Rose came into our lives. She’d look after me while Mum went off on her famous benders. As I got older, we kept in touch and, when she had a fall, I jumped at the chance to move here. She always worries I did it for her, and I guess I did, but it was also because I’ve never been happier anywhere else. Rose has been more of a mum to me than my real mum. She claims she’s got her act together and wants to meet up so we can “start again”.’
My first instinct was to place my hand over his. The warm skin beneath mine made goosebumps rise on my arms, but I didn’t want to pull my hand away.
‘And how did that make you feel?’ I asked.
Oh God, Emily, you sound like a bloody therapist! Next you’ll be asking him about his dreams or something.
He shrugged and blew air out through his cheeks. ‘I didn’t know how to feel, to be honest. I haven’t heard from her for so long and now, all of a sudden, she fancies playing the doting mother! She was always good at making big promises, but when it came to delivering them she wasn’t up to it. Part of me thinks I should just leave it; I’ve lived most of my life without her and she’ll probably end up being a disappointment as usual. But then the other part of me thinks I should go. We’re both older and hopefully a little bit wiser now. Maybe it’ll be different this time… What do you think? You’re an intelligent, level-headed kind of woman. What would you do if you were me?’
I couldn’t help but draw comparisons to my own family dilemma. It was quite odd that both of us were so different, yet found ourselves facing the same situation.
‘If I were you…’ I began, choosing my words carefully, ‘I’d give her a chance. She might’ve made mistakes, but she’s still your mum. Maybe she really has changed and wants to try and make amends. If she screws up this time, at least you’ll be able to walk away knowing you gave her a fair shot.’
He nodded slowly, pursing his lips. ‘You’re right. If I don’t then I’ll always wonder if she’s really changed or if it was just another one of her acts.’
‘I…’ The words caught in my throat as I tried to say them. ‘I could come with you if you want? You know, for moral support. If you like, that is; you might want to go on your own or—’
I froze as I felt his hand squeeze mine. It was such an unexpected gesture that it stopped my waffling in its tracks. No mean feat, considering how good at waffling I seemed to be.
‘I’d like that, Emily.’ His deep, rumbling voice had lost all of its hard edges and he now sounded kind and gentle. He looked down at our touching hands and began to tenderly stroke mine. ‘Anyway, now that I’ve told you about my nasty shock, you can tell me what was bothering you the other day.’
He stared intently at me, waiting for my answer while he continued to stroke my hand. The unexpectedly intimate moments had made my brain go fuzzy and scattered my usually neat and ordered thoughts.
‘Oh…’ I stared down at his hand on top of mine then snapped my gaze back to his enchanting brown eyes. ‘It was nothing, just work stuff. It’s all been sorted now.’
Liar, liar, trouser suit on fire.
‘Can I ask you a question?’
I swallowed hard, unsure of what to expect. My heart began to hammer against my ribcage and my palms became slick with sweat.
‘Yeah, of course you can. What is it?’
The whole moment was on a knife-edge, with two possible scenarios that could play out. Each would take us down very different paths, neither of which I was sure I was ready for…
‘Why is your car called Cilla?’
The tension between us diffused as I burst into a fit of helpless giggles. Tears streamed down my face and I almost fell off my seat. Noah joined in, a little hesitant at first like he wasn’t sure what he’d said to cause such amusement.
‘Of all the questions you could’ve asked me,’ I said through laughter fits. ‘Why did you ask me that?!’
‘Because I’ve never met anyone with a car called Cilla before!’
A familiar voice stopped our laughter in its tracks. ‘I hope all this noise means you’ve managed to produce a perfect pancake!’
Diane stood in the doorway, arms folded like a teacher who’d just caught two naughty pupils doing something they shouldn’t.
Noah picked up the remainder of his half and handed it to her. ‘Why don’t you see for yourself?’
She took a bite and at first we couldn’t tell what she thought of it. But the beaming smile on her face soon gave her away.
‘By George, I think you’ve got it!’
*
After the meeting was over, I went up to my room, my head full of ideas for our upcoming venture. It had been a long time since something had fired up the passion inside me and inspired me so much. I caught sight of my laptop waiting patiently for me on my bed and imagined the mountain of work I had to catch up on: the unread emails, the questions from prospective and existing clients and Paul’s various meltdowns over trivial problems. I waited for the urge to come, the urge to dive into my work and find sanctuary away from the wor
ld.
It didn’t.
Instead, I happily slid my laptop under my bed with a contented sigh. I had the feeling I wouldn’t need to escape into my work for quite a while.
Chapter 15
Pancakes turned out to be just the beginning of our culinary adventures. Under Diane’s expert guidance, Noah and I became experts in cooking all sorts of delightful breakfasts. By the end of my first week in Luna Bay, we could cook Noah’s New Yorker breakfast, eggs Benedict and even kedgeree. Despite my initial reluctance to include it on our menu, I instantly fell in love with it on my first forkful.
‘It’s official,’ I said, piling the remainder onto my fork. ‘I’m a convert to breakfasts! Thanks for teaching us, Diane. You’ve been brilliant.’
She wiped her hands on a towel and came over to join me at the table as Noah cooked. ‘You’ve both done really well, I must admit. There have been a few bumps along the way, but I think you’re ready to start your breakfast club!’ She reached over and patted my hand. ‘I’m so proud of you, Emily. You’ve gone from someone who exploded eggs in a microwave to making food that people might actually enjoy!’
She winked at me before asking Noah how he was getting on with his ‘surprise’.
‘It’s nearly ready,’ he said over his shoulder. ‘Be prepared for the best breakfast you’ve ever tasted in your life. Both of you, close your eyes.’
We did as we were told and put our hands over our eyes. The smells wafting over from the oven made my mouth water. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d yearned for one of my green smoothies. Since I’d arrived in Luna Bay, I’d sampled so many new flavours and textures that blended-up kale and celery just didn’t seem appetising anymore. As Noah clattered around just a few feet away, I couldn’t resist stealing the odd glance around to see what he was doing. His wiry frame moved expertly around the little kitchen, reaching for ingredients and throwing them here, there and everywhere. He had the grace and beauty of a dancer; I couldn’t help but be captivated by him.
‘You do know I know you’re looking round?’ he said with a chuckle. ‘It’ll be ready in a few minutes, promise.’
True to his word, he came over and put plates in front of me and Diane. On them were two of the most delicious-looking pancakes I’d ever seen, topped with a sauce made from what looked like melted giant chocolate buttons. The smell circled my heart and I found myself excited to dig into them.
‘Et voila! What do you think of that then?’ He leaned on the table and stared at me, trying to gauge my reaction.
‘I think… I think they look bloody fantastic, if I’m honest!’ I picked up my cutlery and cut myself a piece before popping it into my mouth. ‘Wow, they taste as good as they look too!’
‘A massive improvement on your earlier efforts,’ Diane agreed between mouthfuls.
Noah smiled brightly and watched me as I gobbled up the rest at lightning speed. ‘I take it you enjoyed them then?’ he said with a small chuckle. ‘I was going to make you my famous full English, but thought I’d give the pancakes a go.’
‘Noah, they were amazing. Thank you; you’ll have to let me return the favour tomorrow.’
He grimaced as he took the plate over to the sink. ‘Oh, I don’t know about that! Haven’t quite recovered from the exploding eggs incident yet.’
I giggled and swatted him playfully on the arm. ‘Oh, will you let that go already?! It could’ve happened to anyone!’
He joined me back at the table and our laughter slowly died away.
‘It’s been a good few days, hasn’t it? We’ve given the guests a good feed and managed to not kill each other! I’d call that a success,’ said Noah.
‘Don’t tempt fate, eh? Something’s probably going to go disastrously wrong now! Probably the breakfast club, knowing our luck. Do you reckon we’re ready for our first one this Friday?’
‘Yeah, of course we are!’ Noah grinned at me. ‘We’re going to give the people who turn up the best breakfast they’ve ever had.’ He winked. ‘If you can tear yourself away from your laptop, of course!’
I stuck my chin in the air. ‘I’ll have you know I’ve decided to put my laptop away for the rest of the time I’m here! It’s under my bed and it won’t be coming out again unless it’s absolutely necessary.’
Noah blew air out through his cheeks and craned his neck to look out of the window. ‘I could be wrong, but I think I just saw a flying pig go past!’
I leaned over the table and gave him a playful smack on the arm.
‘I’ll tell you one thing; you’d better be prepared to make the feast of the five thousand on Friday,’ said Diane. ‘I’ve spoken to quite a few people and there’s been a lot of interest in the club so far. I think people are pretty keen to have their breakfast cooked for them!’
I smiled at her. ‘Well, you’ve been a fantastic teacher, so if they enjoy our food it’s down to you!’
My guilt surrounding the secret I was carrying snapped at my heels. I’d managed to put it aside during the cooking lessons, but it was still lurking on the periphery. So far, I’d managed to throw myself into the breakfast club and my burgeoning friendship with Noah, but I knew I couldn’t avoid the Derek situation for ever. It was only a matter of time before the secret unravelled…
She got up and gave both of us a pat on the back. ‘You’ve done absolutely excellently, the pair of you. The breakfast club is in for a treat! Anyway, I’d better skedaddle before my customers think I’ve skipped the country or something!’
We exchanged goodbyes and she headed out of Sunflower Cottage, leaving Noah and I alone in the kitchen together. An odd expression crossed his face and he stared intently at me, as though he was deep in thought about something.
‘What is it?’ Having his gaze on me made my composure vanish in an instant. What was wrong with me? This never happened to me around a man.
‘Oh nothing, nothing…’ He trailed off and busied himself at the sink, washing the dishes from our cooking experiments. ‘Actually, do you mind if I ask you something?’
‘Fire away.’
‘Um… so my mum sent me another letter today, asking if we can meet up this Saturday. Are you still OK to come with me to meet her?’
I nodded my head as I happily tucked into my pancakes. ‘Sure, count me in!’
‘There was something else I wanted to ask as well. Are you… oh, I don’t know… are you seeing anyone at the moment?’
I frowned, almost choking on the remainder of my pancake. ‘I beg your pardon? Why do you want to know that?’
Although his question had startled me, I couldn’t help but be a teensy bit excited that Noah wanted to know about my love life back in Glasgow.
‘Just asking, you know, like colleagues do.’ His attempt to sound nonchalant failed miserably when his voice rose by an octave or two.
I narrowed my eyes and cocked my head to one side. ‘That’s funny because none of my colleagues has ever taken an interest in my love life before. Well, except my best friend, Frankie, of course, but that’s different. What’s the real reason you’re asking?’
He turned to face me, wringing his hands on the dishtowel he was holding. ‘OK, you caught me. I wanted to ask if I could take you for dinner afterwards; you know, to say thank you for going with me to meet my mum. I… I just wanted to make sure I wouldn’t be stepping on anyone’s toes before I did, that’s all.’
I had to stop my jaw from dropping to the floor. My brain immediately went into overdrive and my imagination began to run away with me.
‘Um… like a date, you mean?’ I must’ve sounded utterly horrified at the prospect because Noah’s hopeful expression fell away.
‘Well, yeah, that was the idea,’ he replied. ‘But if you’re not keen on the whole date thing, it can just be a friendly dinner to say thank you. I just thought, because we got on so well the last time we went out, you might want to do it again.’
He shrugged and mumbled something about it being my choice, before suddenly b
ecoming very interested in cleaning the oven.
I crept up from my seat, moving as slowly as possible, and snuck up behind him.
‘It’s a date,’ I whispered in his ear.
*
Before we knew it, the big day arrived.
Finally, after a lot of hard work and preparation, the Sunflower Cottage Breakfast Club was ready to begin. Noah and I were up bright and early, though not bright-eyed or bushy-tailed, to prepare for what lay ahead.
‘Hey,’ I said, stifling a yawn as I padded across the kitchen. ‘You ready for today?’
‘Born ready!’ He rubbed his hands together and strode across to the cooker, ready to work his magic. ‘I see the trouser suits are still out in force.’
I shook my head and rolled my eyes as I began to prepare the continental options. ‘I told you, it’s professional. Plus, I happen to like wearing these!’
No sooner had the words left my mouth than juice from the orange I was trying to cut in half squirted onto my nice, clean blouse.
Noah looked round at me as he put some sausages into a saucepan. ‘I think that’s the universe’s way of trying to tell you to ditch them, Emily!’ He stopped for a moment to tend to the sausages. ‘I’m feeling pretty nervous about tomorrow. Can’t decide if the worst-case scenario is her not turning up at all or her turning up pissed as a fart!’
‘It’ll be fine,’ I said in as confident a voice as I could muster. ‘She wouldn’t have written to you unless she was serious about making things right, would she? And don’t forget, I’ll be there for moral support.’
He threw a smile my way from over his shoulder. ‘I really appreciate you coming, you know. It means a lot to me. Let’s hope it doesn’t turn into a scene from Jeremy Kyle, eh?’
We exchanged a look that lasted just a fraction too long, before going back to our respective tasks. I began to wonder if the sizzling saucepans were the only source of heat in Sunflower Cottage’s kitchen.