Millie Vanilla's Cupcake Cafe: Christmas Weddings

by Georgia Hill

‘Get your hands off him, he’s been ill!’ Millie got hold of one of the thugs and tried to prise him off. It was like tackling a gorilla. She was shoved away and stumbled to the ground. Sitting up, she rubbed at her bruised elbow. But Jed was coming off worse. To her horror, she could see blood seeping through the sleeve of his rugby shirt. Quite a lot of blood.

  ‘Don’t you dare fucking touch her!’ he yelled, but was jostled into the back of the car. ‘Get hold of Alex, Millie. Get Alex, he’ll –.’

  The limo’s doors slammed shut on his words and the car spat gravel as it skidded away.

  ‘But I don’t have his number,’ Millie shouted at the disappearing car, as she staggered to her feet. She considered getting into the Fiesta and giving chase. Looking at the speed at which the limo had hit the road, however, she knew she’d never catch it.

  ‘Jed, I love you,’ she whispered, but the sound drifted uselessly into the leaden sky. Two crows flew over the skeletal outline of the chestnut tree. Millie watched for a second, thinking hard, and then turned decisively into the hotel.

  Chapter 37

  The place was deserted. Maybe Coral had finally given up on her patient? More likely she was just having a day off. Millie tried Jed’s mobile but it went straight to message. Hurrying into the little office behind the reception desk, she began to hunt for a list of telephone numbers.

  ‘There must be one for Alex here,’ she muttered as she sent a pile of papers cascading onto the floor. After a fruitless search, she sank onto the chesterfield. Thumping the arm in frustration, she thought hard. Then she had a brainwave; she knew who might have Alex’s mobile number. Getting out her phone, she tapped on Eleri’s name. ‘Pick up,’ Millie whispered, ‘Please, Eleri, pick up.’

  Ten minutes later, after explaining everything to Eleri, Millie had got through to Alex’s phone. He didn’t answer so, after much swearing, Millie composed herself and left a message.

  She was aware of time slipping past. Jed needed her. He needed her help and she was failing him.

  ‘Think, woman. Think. Who could help? I need someone legal. Arthur!’ she cried suddenly. ‘He knows a solicitor.’ Punching in Arthur’s number, she explained the situation as best she could. He returned her call a few minutes later. His solicitor friend thought it was way out of his league but had a son, Gavin, who was a barrister in London. Almost as soon as she clicked off the phone, it rang. It was Alex. He listened intently, grasped the seriousness of the situation instantly and demanded Gavin’s number.

  ‘Leave it with me, Millie,’ he barked. ‘Meet me at Exeter Airport’s Pick Up and Drop Off. I’ll be as quick as I can.’

  Millie scribbled a hasty note for Coral and went.

  Reversing into one of the only spaces left in the short stay car park, Millie wondered how long she’d have to wait. ‘Can’t be easy to get a flight from London that quickly,’ she muttered. ‘Especially at this time of the year. Everyone’s on the move.’ She rang Tessa and asked her to look after Trevor for a while longer and then tried Jed’s mobile again. Once more, it went straight to message. Her stomach knotted with tension and she willed Alex speed.

  She watched a couple in Santa hats and tinsel ‘scarves’ trundle a suitcase to the Volvo parked beside her. Christmas seemed a distant irrelevance. She felt very detached from all the festivities. The world had shrunk to sitting in the car, getting cold and fretting over whether Jed was alright.

  ‘I don’t think it is beginning to look a lot like Christmas at all,’ she snapped at the radio, too on edge to be soothed by a crooning Michael Bublé. She stifled a nagging desire for the loo and regretting drinking so much tea at Tessa’s. Switching off the radio, she jumped a foot as the passenger door opened. It was Alex.

  ‘This is Gavin,’ he explained as a chubby guy in a black suit got into the back. ‘Drive, Millie.’

  He gave her the address of a nearby business park, clipped on his seatbelt and told her to turn right onto the main road.

  ‘How did you get here this quickly?’ She asked as she battled through the heavy Christmas traffic.

  ‘My helicopter,’ he said, shortly.

  ‘Oh.’

  Millie couldn’t begin to imagine a lifestyle that included having your own helicopter, but had to admire this new, coldly efficient Alex. It must be the business-like side of him that had enabled him to do so well in the city. Concentrating on driving, she followed Alex’s directions and tried to ignore her bladder. She hurtled into the tree-lined, landscaped business park, blessedly traffic free, and sped down the main drag.

  ‘Drop us off here,’ Alex commanded.

  Millie skidded to a halt in front of an anonymous-looking grey office block. Even before she’d pulled on the handbrake, Alex and the mysterious Gavin shot off and disappeared through the revolving doors in the glass atrium. Unable to find an empty parking space, she abandoned the Fiesta on a corner and sprinted after them.

  Chapter 38

  She arrived as Alex and Gavin were having a measured argument with the receptionist.

  ‘I think you’ll find we have every right to speak to Douglas Feniman,’ Alex said, with quiet authority. ‘And to see my brother, who we believe is being held here against his will.’ He bent forward and read her name badge. ‘Otherwise, Janette, your company will have to deal with this man,’ he gestured to Gavin.

  ‘You have no right to detain my client without his permission,’ Gavin smiled genially, but Millie sensed the steel behind it. ‘I also believe there may be a Section 20 Assault charge to consider?’

  Janette hesitated, looked from one man to the other and picked up her phone. She listened intently for a moment and then said, ‘Mr Feniman will see you now. Fifth floor.’ As they all trooped to the lift doors, she added, ‘I’m afraid he will only see your legal representative.’

  Gavin nodded to Alex, patted him on the arm and stepped into the lift.

  Millie hopped from one foot to another. She looked at Janette hopefully. ‘I don’t suppose I can use your loo?’

  Chapter 39

  She came out to see Alex staring through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the foyer. He wore a grim expression and was resolutely ignoring the tray of coffee on the table behind him.

  ‘Did you know anything about this?’ he asked, without turning.

  ‘No, nothing.’ Millie said indignantly and collapsed onto one of the blue sofas. Looking more closely she saw they were decorated with tiny elephants. ‘The first I knew of any of this was when I saw the lunchtime news.’ She gazed up at Alex. He had his arms crossed and was scowling. ‘You don’t think I had anything to do with it, do you?’ Her elbow hurt, so she rubbed it.

  His shoulders dropped. Taking off his specs, he rubbed a tired hand over his face in a gesture that made him look very like his brother. Replacing them, he turned abruptly and came to sit next to her. Seeing her rubbing her arm, he asked, sharply, ‘Did the bastards hurt you too?’

  Millie shook her head. ‘I tried to tackle one of them but, honestly Alex, he was like a mountain. I fell on my bum and knocked my funny bone.’

  Alex gave a weak grin. ‘Mil, you do go for it, don’t you?’

  ‘Didn’t get me very far, did it? They still got away with Jed. I just hope they haven’t hurt him too much.’ Her bottom lip quivered and Alex put a reassuring hand on hers. ‘Everything will be alright now, though, won’t it?’ she asked.

  He stroked a hand down his stubble. ‘Hopefully.’ He stole a glance at the receptionist’s desk and lowered his voice. ‘If what Jed says is true, then Blue Elephant have a lot to answer for. If not,’ he tensed, ‘Then we’re looking at slander and, depending on what evidence Jed has, maybe even a libel case. We can counter that, of course, with the assault charge. I just wish Jed had spoken to me before he took it to the press.’ He sighed. ‘The company apparently warned him there would be repercussions if he went public. Must be more to it than just this Fair Trade stuff. That wouldn’t be enough to send the heavies in.’ He stopped and shook his he
ad. ‘But Jed always rushes in. I suppose we’ll just have to wait and see how this Feniman bloke reacts.’

  ‘Who is he?’

  ‘CEO of the UK division.’ Alex looked grim. ‘It all depends on how clever Gavin can box.’

  Millie’s stomach flipped. ‘Do you think he’s any good?’

  ‘The best barrister money can buy. He claims. We were lucky we got him to come, he was just heading off for his Christmas break.’

  They sat in silence. Millie watched a few half-hearted flakes of snow fall from the dirty-looking sky. ‘Mary’s Boy Child’ played quietly in the background and an enormous, clinical-looking black and silver Christmas tree stood in the middle of the atrium. She’d never felt less Christmassy. Closing her eyes, she whispered Eleri’s mantra, ‘All will be well.’

  ‘What did you say?’

  Blushing, she repeated it and then explained its origin. ‘Did you manage to catch up with Ri when you were in London?’

  Alex gave a short laugh. ‘I spoke to her on the phone but she made it perfectly clear she had no wish to see me.’

  ‘Oh.’ Millie put a hand on his arm, noticing for the first time that he was grey with fatigue. ‘You really care about her, don’t you?’

  Alex leaned forward and put his head in his hands. ‘I love her, Millie,’ he said, simply.

  ‘And I believe she loves you.’

  Alex sat back up. He stared in astonishment. ‘Then why the hell did she run off to London?’

  Millie licked her lips. She was dying for a coffee but nothing would tempt her to the Blue Elephant stuff in front of her. She hesitated, then launched into why she thought Eleri had left.

  When she’d finished, Alex was scowling again. ‘There’s a grain of truth in it, isn’t there?’ she said, gently.

  ‘What, that I disapproved of her past?’ He blew out a long breath and nodded. ‘Of course.’ He glanced at Millie and she saw the misery in his face. ‘But I would have talked it over with her. Tried to understand.’ He gave a grim smile. ‘To be honest, I think at the bottom of it all was jealousy. I wasn’t sure I could cope knowing all those other men had had what I hadn’t.’

  ‘And now?’

  ‘And now? I’d just like the chance to hold her. Tell her how I feel.’ He gazed at the floor in misery.

  They sat in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. A ping announced the arrival of the lift. As they sprang to their feet, Gavin led a white-faced Jed out.

  The barrister nodded at Alex. ‘All sorted, old boy.’

  Millie ran to Jed, just stopping short of hugging him. ‘Thank God,’ she said.

  ‘Hello Mil,’ he replied with a wan smile. ‘Happy Christmas!’

  Chapter 40

  Having dropped Gavin back at the airport, Millie drove the brothers to the hotel. The drive was interminable. A slushy snow fell, grid-locking the shopping and commuter traffic. Millie had to concentrate hard on the stopping and starting queues. It was December-dark and the headlights hurt her tired eyes. Jed sat in the back, his long legs bent up in her small car. In her mirror she could see him slumped against the door. He was holding his right arm with clenched knuckles. No one spoke.

  When they arrived, Coral clucked around them. ‘Will you look at what happens when my back is turned for five minutes?’ She took charge of Jed. ‘Let’s get you upstairs and I’ll get that dressing changed.’

  Millie watched their departure curiously. Jed’s bloodied arm had dried to a dark stain. ‘I think those bastard Blue Elephant morons must have hurt him really badly,’ she said to Alex, as he led them into the tiny kitchen which led off the office.

  He flicked the kettle on. ‘I think you’d better sit down, Millie. I’m afraid that, once again, Jed hasn’t been entirely truthful.’

  Millie pulled out a rickety old stool and perched on it. ‘What now?’ she sighed, too exhausted to be angry.

  Alex came to her and leaned against the peeling Formica unit. ‘Jed was in Colombia and it’s true he was liaising with coffee growers on behalf of Blue Elephant. Then, and we now know why, he began to ask some uncomfortable questions. The political situation is much improved in Colombia for visitors to the urban areas, I think there’s even rather a good tourist industry. However, in the more remote, rural parts, where the coffee plantations are often found, it’s still under the rule of gangs.’

  ‘These bandas criminales?’ Millie put in, wondering where on earth Alex was going with this.

  ‘That’s right.’

  ‘But I thought they were just to do with drug trafficking?’

  Alex shrugged. ‘Yes and no. It’s a murky area. Coffee is an important cash crop.’

  ‘But what has this got to do with Jed?’

  ‘Jed was obviously getting too close to the murky stuff. They ran him out of town.’

  ‘Oh!’

  ‘It’s rather worse than that, I’m afraid. They shot him.’

  Millie saw the room spin. Bonelessly, she slipped off the stool and, just before she hit the tiles, found herself propelled to the chesterfield in the office.

  ‘Are you alright?’ Alex leaned over her in concern. ‘Here, sip this water.’ He held a glass to her lips until she’d recovered the strength to hold it herself.

  ‘I’m fine,’ she flapped at him, embarrassed at her show of weakness. ‘Jed was shot? I thought he was ill.’

  ‘He was. The wound became infected. It’s true he was very feverish but it was down to the wound, not a disease.’

  ‘Why didn’t you tell me?’ She struggled to sit upright. ‘Why didn’t either of you tell me?’

  ‘Ah, nothing to do with me, that one. All Jed’s decision. He didn’t want to worry you.’

  ‘That’s why he had a nurse,’ said Millie as realisation dawned. ‘That’s why there was blood running down his arm when the heavies man-handled him.’

  ‘I think the wound reopened. Shame. It had nearly healed.’ Alex went into the kitchen and poured boiling water into a teapot. ‘Tea?’ He called through. ‘I’ve rather lost my appetite for coffee.’

  Millie didn’t care one way or another. She just wanted to see Jed. He’d been shot! ‘Was it bad?’ she asked Alex as he returned bearing a tray.

  ‘Only superficial. Jed said his collar bone was more painful when he broke it skiing.’ He put the tray down on top of the untidy desk. ‘But I suspect he was trying to be brave. Apparently the medical team at the Blue Elephant office patched him up while he was there. So they’re not all bad.’

  ‘While they were interrogating him, you mean?’

  Alex laughed. ‘I’m hoping it wasn’t quite like that, Millie. Think it was more a sort of robust conversation.’

  ‘No wonder he looked so ill when he came out. I thought it was just the questioning.’

  ‘Oh good heavens no. Jed’s tougher than that.’ Alex seemed much more cheerful. ‘He’s just had to rest quite a lot and needs to build up his strength.’

  ‘He does that,’ Coral said, from the door. ‘All nice and clean and re-bandaged. I’ve put the patient in the blue sitting room.’ She nodded to the steaming pot. ‘And I could murder a cuppa.’

  ‘Do you want to take a cup into him, Millie?’ Alex asked. ‘Do you feel strong enough?’

  Millie felt foolish. ‘Perfectly thank you. I never faint. It was just the shock. It’s not often you hear the man you love has just been shot.’

  ‘Get in there with you,’ Coral said. ‘I’ll bring you a tray. His Nibs has been moaning for one as well.’

  Millie wobbled to her feet. She was desperate to see Jed but had absolutely no idea what she would say to him.

  ‘I’d start with a declaration of love,’ Alex twinkled at her, alarmingly reading her mind. ‘It would work for me.’

  Chapter 41

  ‘Hello Jed.’ Millie felt ridiculously shy. He was sitting in the chair by the window again. He looked much better and was wearing a clean shirt and jeans, his injured arm in a snowy-white sling.

  ‘Millie.’ He sm
iled at her warily.

  She sat in the chair next to him. ‘Coral said she’d bring us some tea in a minute.’

  ‘Ah. Tea. The cup that cheers.’

  ‘Allegedly. We’ve all probably had enough of coffee. How are you feeling?’

  ‘Much better, thank you. The painkillers Coral insists on doping me up with work wonders.’ He gave her a keen look. ‘Has Alex told you what happened to me?’

  Millie nodded. ‘He said you’d been shot. Oh Jed, I can’t believe it! Is it … was it very bad?’

  ‘Not really. The bullet scraped past my upper arm. It’s only a flesh wound, hasn’t done any real muscle damage. I might have a scar, though.’

  ‘You look quite pleased about that.’

  ‘Well, it’ll be something to show for my efforts.’ He grinned.

  ‘It could have been much worse.’ Millie shuddered. ‘And you didn’t tell me!’

  ‘Didn’t want to worry you.’ He reached forward, took her hands in his one good one and gave a great sigh. ‘Millie, I didn’t want to risk implicating you. There could have been all sorts of repercussions, legal or otherwise. I couldn’t have lived with myself if anything had happened to involve you. Look, it could have been worse, but it wasn’t. I’m fine.’

  ‘Was it scary?’

  Jed sobered. ‘It had its moments,’ he said, eventually. ‘I don’t think I’ll be returning to that part of the world any time soon. Even if they’d have me.’

  ‘Alex said they chased you out of the village?’

  ‘Yup.’ Jed nodded. ‘It was quite a night.’

  ‘How did you get out?’

  He shrugged and then winced as the pain in his arm made itself felt. ‘I’d made a few allies by then. They shoved me in the back of their pick-up under a stinking tarpaulin, fixed the arm up a bit and got me to the airport.’ He gave a rueful grin. ‘I suspect the back of that truck was where I picked up the infection but I’m not going to complain.’ He shot a quick look from under dark lashes. ‘They probably saved my life.’