Summer at the Kindness Cafe

by Victoria Walters

  Anne piled their plates with steaming cottage pie and they all tucked in eagerly. ‘This was your daddy’s favourite meal when he was your age,’ Anne volunteered then, smiling fondly at the memory.

  ‘I like it,’ Zoe declared after tasting it.

  ‘It’s delicious, thank you,’ Eszter said. It reminded her of her own mother’s stews – comfort food to sit down to as a family. ‘You’ll have to give me the recipe.’

  ‘You wouldn’t be able to make it as good, Mum.’

  ‘Well, I can try, darling.’ Children really kept your self-esteem at bay sometimes.

  After dinner, once Zoe was tucked up in bed, Eszter joined Anne downstairs as the sun finally began to set. Anne put on her favourite soap on TV and told Eszter all about it as they watched it together.

  ‘Zoe is really looking forward to the fete on Saturday,’ Eszter said when they had turned off the TV and were preparing to head to bed themselves.

  ‘I haven’t been to a local event in a very long time. I was always part of them when I was younger. I used to love the community spirit here,’ Anne said.

  ‘It’s definitely still alive,’ Eszter told her. ‘We would have been stuck if it hadn’t been for the help of the people who live here. It’s a real contrast to living in a city.’

  ‘That’s why I never wanted to leave Littlewood. I was born here, and so was Frank, and it has always been home. I suppose after he died, I found it harder to be involved in things without him.’

  Eszter nodded. ‘I know what you mean. Without Nick, everything has seemed more difficult. I sometimes can’t believe we actually made it here. But I’m glad he pushed me to bring Zoe over. I think we’re going to have a lovely summer here.’

  ‘You really loved Nick, didn’t you?’ her mother-in-law asked her quietly, looking down at her hands.

  ‘I did, and I always will.’

  Anne turned to smile at Eszter. ‘I had a lovely evening, thank you. You didn’t need to take me in, especially after everything I said, so I am very grateful.’

  Eszter smiled back. ‘It’s our pleasure. We came here to get to know you, so I’m really pleased that you’re staying with us.’

  Anne went into the bathroom and Eszter ducked into her room to pick up the watch that Nick always wore, which she now knew to have been his father’s. Anne hadn’t wanted to accept it before, but Eszter was sure it had been a reluctance to acknowledge just how much it meant to her.

  Eszter went softly into Anne’s room and laid the watch on her bed. She had been sent to Littlewood to give it back to her and she was happy to have done what her husband had asked of her. She went into her own room again and closed the door, looking forward to climbing into bed after a long day. She knew it would always be sad that Nick hadn’t been able to come with them to Littlewood and make peace with his mother himself, but she felt a sense of pride that she had been able to do it for him.

  Eszter was determined to bring Anne back into the community so that when they left, she wouldn’t be so lonely and isolated any more. She couldn’t imagine living in this town and not being a part of it; she already felt as if the people here had embraced her and Zoe, and she wished she could return all their kindness. Anne needed to remember just why she was so lucky to live in Littlewood, and Eszter couldn’t wait to show her.

  Chapter Seven

  As Abbie got ready for her meal with Thomas, Louise watched her from the chair by her bed. ‘Are you nervous?’ Louise asked, as Abbie sprayed even more perfume on herself.

  Abbie sighed. She had been playing this meal down, but she was nervous, and wanted to look her best. She had chosen a floral tea dress with wedges, her dark hair loose over her shoulders, and her favourite lip gloss on her lips. ‘I don’t know. Maybe. Is this okay?’

  ‘It’s perfect, Abs. I’ll drive you so you don’t have to walk in those,’ Louise said, giving her shoes a disapproving look. Abbie laughed but accepted the offer and they walked downstairs together.

  ‘I can’t believe Jack will be here tomorrow,’ Abbie said, grabbing her bag and following Louise out to her car. ‘It will be strange to see him here in Littlewood. When I think of Jack, I think of London and vice versa.’

  ‘That’s how I used to think about you,’ Louise said with a smile as they climbed in and set off for Huntley Manor. ‘And now you’re part of the furniture.’

  ‘I’ll try to take that as a compliment!’ Abbie couldn’t ever picture Jack fitting in in Littlewood.

  The sun had started to dip slightly in the sky. It had been a stunning summer’s day and the evening was continuing the same way.

  Louise pulled up outside the stately home, which looked magical in the fading light. ‘Enjoy,’ she said, winking at Abbie as she got out of the car. Abbie just rolled her eyes at her sister and walked away.

  She headed through the oak front door and towards Thomas’s apartment, hoping she looked cool and calm. Her phone beeped as she made her way there, and she checked it quickly. It was a message from Jack.

  Just packing. Can’t wait to see you tomorrow, J x

  She stuffed the phone back into her bag and knocked on the door that led to Thomas’s self-contained flat within the stately home. She wasn’t sure which was giving her the biggest butterflies right now – her date with Thomas or the impending arrival of her ex. Perhaps Louise had a point about avoiding all romance.

  The door swung open and Thomas stood there, smiling, in dark jeans and a shirt, and her nerves began to melt.

  ‘You look lovely, Abbie,’ he greeted her, standing back to let her walk inside.

  The apartment was a stark contrast to the rest of the hotel, being much more modern, decorated in simple cream with a wooden floor and functional furniture. Abbie could see why Thomas had decorated it so differently, but she secretly thought that if it had been hers she would have made sure it was in keeping with the rest of the house. A delicious smell took her mind off the décor though as she followed Thomas to the open-plan kitchen and living room. A small glass table was set for two, complete with lit candles and wine ready to be poured.

  ‘Take a seat. I’ve made an old family recipe from the archives. You’ve encouraged me to start digging into my past more,’ Thomas said, passing her a glass of wine and sitting down with her.

  ‘I’m pleased. I think it’s wonderful this place has been in your family for generations. It must make you feel proud?’

  He nodded. ‘Although, there is a weight of responsibility that comes with it too. I don’t want to let my family down and I’ve been struggling more than I really wanted to admit, even to myself.’

  ‘I think you’ve done really well trying to run it all by yourself, but as I said to you before, there’s no shame in getting some help too. It’s a massive place and there’s so much to do.’

  ‘I’m glad you came along, Abbie Morgan.’ He lifted his glass and met her eyes across the table, making her feel more of a glow than could be blamed on the wine and candles. Abbie raised her glass and they clinked, both taking a sip and smiling at each other.

  Thomas got up then and served up two plates of salmon en croute with minted new potatoes and vegetables, drizzled with a parsley sauce. ‘I hope you like it,’ he said as he sat down.

  ‘This is really good,’ Abbie said, as she tasted the salmon. ‘I am a pretty rubbish cook myself. I’ve become reliant on takeaways and eating out in London. Louise keeps trying to get me to cook more but, beyond pasta, I’m a bit hopeless.’

  ‘I’m fine following a recipe, but I couldn’t come up with anything of my own. I found it quite relaxing today, although I rarely bother when I’m alone.’

  Abbie looked at him and decided to ask a question that had been on her mind for a few days. ‘Can I ask – why are you on your own? You could easily qualify for the most eligible bachelor pages in Hello! magazine,’ she said with a small laugh. She drank more of the wine; it was definitely helping to relax her.

  Thomas chuckled. ‘Well, as for being an eligible
bachelor, I can’t comment on that,’ he said with a grin. ‘But as for why – I was engaged once to a girl called Annabelle. We became a couple at university, she was the daughter of an old family friend so we were encouraged to be together for years really. But she didn’t want to run Huntley Manor with me.

  ‘After my parents died, she told me to sell it if we were going to have a future together; she wanted us to live in London and for me to work for her father at his bank. It was pretty clear to me then that we wanted different things. I couldn’t see myself working or living anywhere else.’ Thomas sighed. ‘Although this year, I have wondered several times if she was right.’

  Abbie shook her head. ‘You would have never forgiven yourself if you had agreed to what she wanted,’ she said. She couldn’t picture him in the city at all. He belonged in his jeep, bumping along the track around the estate, wearing his suit with his wellington boots, and living in this house.

  ‘What about you? You haven’t thought about settling down with anyone yet?’ he asked.

  ‘No. They were a few flings in London, but the scene there, I don’t know, nothing ever felt like it could be permanent.’ She hesitated, wondering whether to tell him more about Jack or not.

  They were both being honest and she didn’t want Thomas to think she was keeping anything from him. She trusted him, she realised, and wanted him to trust her in return.

  ‘Jack was probably my longest relationship. I suppose I thought we could have a future.’

  ‘Do you think he is coming here to try to win you back?’

  ‘I don’t know about that. I think it might be work related, but he did say that he misses me.’

  ‘And . . . do you miss him?’

  Thomas’s gaze was unrelenting. She bit her lip, unsure how she felt. ‘I don’t know.’ She was desperate to move the subject off Jack; it was all too complicated. ‘I miss my life in London sometimes, but Littlewood has surprised me. I like the community and being with my sister. I feel like I’m making connections here. Everything is so fast and impersonal in the city sometimes. I feel like you can really get to know people here. And I’m really enjoying working at Huntley Manor.’

  Thomas smiled. ‘I’m happy about that. I think we needed an outsider with some good ideas. I know that I did. I just thought I should run things exactly as they always have been run, but I see now that we need to make changes if we are going to survive. I just hope I can keep the bank at bay while we do.’

  ‘I think we’ve managed to make some good improvements already.’

  ‘You are really changing this place, for the better.’

  Abbie felt her cheeks glow. She was pleased Thomas thought that. She couldn’t help but hope Jack thought so too when he arrived. It had knocked her confidence when City PR had let her go and she couldn’t help but wonder if she and Jack might still be together if that hadn’t happened. She wanted to show him that she could do well without him, but also she wanted him to be proud of her. He had always told her how good she was at her job and she wanted him to see she still was. It was hard to shake the habit of wanting his approval.

  ‘I think this summer will turn both our fortunes around,’ she said firmly. She was hopeful a great new job was on its way, and maybe Jack even had some news on that front. And she was sure that Huntley Manor was willing them to be successful. The house wanted to be saved, she could feel it, and she was determined to make that happen.

  ‘I think we deserve some chocolate cake now, don’t you?’ Thomas said when they had finished the main course.

  ‘I could kiss you for that suggestion,’ she said, her tipsiness stopping her from keeping her mouth in check. She gasped at her words as Thomas looked surprised, his cheeks turning red.

  ‘Oh, well, I hope it lives up to expectations,’ he said a little awkwardly. He grabbed her plate and disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Abbie feeling a little foolish.

  Pull yourself together, she told herself sternly as Thomas dished up dessert. She had obviously thrown him with her flirtatious remark. Clearly this dinner was merely a thank you for all her help, and he saw them just as colleagues. She blamed Louise and all her talk about this being a date.

  ‘Abbie,’ Thomas said as he came back and slid a slice of cake towards her. He cleared his throat. ‘I wanted to say that—’

  A buzz from his phone made them both jump. Thomas looked at it with a sigh. ‘It’s the night manager; I’d better get it, hang on.’ As he listened, Abbie soon got the gist that a guest was being awkward. ‘I’ll be there in five minutes.’ Thomas hung up and looked at her, full of regret. ‘I’m so sorry, but I had better go and deal with this.’

  ‘Of course.’ Abbie suddenly felt sober. ‘I’ll head off, it’s getting late.’

  ‘Oh. Are you sure?’

  She grabbed her bag, suddenly desperate to be out of there. She was certain that Thomas just wanted a business relationship with her and had been about to awkwardly tell her that. It was clear that she had been letting the wine and candlelight carry her away to thinking there could be something else happening between them. ‘Goodnight,’ she said. ‘Thank you for dinner.’ She took off before he could stop her and was relieved when she reached the cool air outside.

  Chapter Eight

  Louise got up just after dawn on Saturday, grumbling to herself that she had let Abbie talk her into helping at the animal charity fete, though she knew that her heart would melt as soon as she saw the animals.

  After her shower, Louise pulled on old jeans, sneakers and a vest top and made a cup of strong coffee in the kitchen, where she was joined by a yawning Abbie. They had chatted for a while the night before when Abbie had returned much earlier than Louise had expected. Louise had been disappointed, hoping that Thomas might have been planning to tell her sister that he liked her, but Abbie was adamant he only saw them as colleagues.

  Louise poured her a cup too. ‘I can’t believe I’m doing this,’ Louise said as she put some bread in the toaster. ‘You owe me.’

  ‘I know, I know. Thank you,’ Abbie said, sipping her coffee on the stool by the kitchen counter.

  ‘Hopefully there will be lots of cute puppies to make it worthwhile. What have you got planned with Jack?’

  ‘I don’t know really. He texted last night to say he’d come for lunch and that he wants me to show him around town. It’s going to be really weird to see him in Littlewood.’

  ‘Maybe I’ll finally get to meet him.’

  When Louise had gone to London to see Abbie while she was living there, she had never got even a glance at Jack. He was too busy to take time out to see her, she had read between the lines, and she had worried he wasn’t in it for the long haul with Abbie.

  ‘I’ll make sure of it,’ Abbie promised.

  ‘Right – I’d better go, the animals need me.’

  ‘Have a good day!’ Abbie called as Louise grabbed her bag and left the cottage, missing the wink her sister had added to her words.

  The bright and sunny morning cheered Louise up as she made her way through Littlewood to the large green on the edge of town that was useful for outdoor events like the fete. She was pretty sure parking would be a nightmare and, as it was a lovely day, she made the most of it and walked slowly over there.

  The green was already a flurry of activity by the time she arrived. There were tents set up, all emblazoned with the logo of the animal charity, plus several food vans, a bouncy castle and a face-painting area. A lady wearing a Littlewood Animal Rescue T-shirt met Louise and she ticked off her name on the volunteer list, gave her a T-shirt to put on and directed her to the tent she would be helping in for the day.

  ‘We’re going to put you in with the vet – he’ll be taking questions from people thinking about adopting an animal. We’ll also be doing a raffle, a training exhibition and a dogs’ and owners’ race, so it should be a good day,’ the lady said, hurrying off to greet the next person walking across the green.

  Louise slipped the T-shirt on over her vest
top and walked across the grass to the tent she would be working in. She stopped in the entrance and stared, confused, at the person already in there.

  ‘Louise!’ he said, equally surprised, pausing in arranging leaflets on the table to look at her. ‘Can I help you with something?’

  She swallowed. ‘I’m volunteering. They told me this would be my tent,’ she said, looking at Alex awkwardly. She couldn’t believe her luck – they would be spending the whole day together. She wasn’t sure who looked more embarrassed.

  ‘Ah, well. Excellent. Come on in, then,’ Alex said, letting out a nervous cough. There were two fold-up chairs behind the table and Alex gestured for her to sit down next to him. ‘Abbie said you’d be taking part as well today,’ he said, breaking the silence after a few seconds. ‘But I didn’t know we’d be in the same tent.’

  ‘Abbie?’ Louise asked, confused.

  Alex nodded. ‘She came to my surgery and asked me if I’d volunteer today, as the charity needed a vet. She said she’d be here too. Where have they placed her?’

  Louise’s mind started whirring. ‘She was meant to be here, but a friend from London has come to stay so she had to drop out.’ He nodded and she thought this was too much of a coincidence. Had her sister engineered this? Louise was almost certain she had.

  She glanced at Alex who was pouring them cups of tea from a plastic flask he had. He didn’t seem suspicious, but she was embarrassed to think he might believe she was the one who had planned this. Why had Abbie done this?

  The answer came to her suddenly: the kindness pact. Abbie clearly thought Louise should be giving Alex a chance and had decided to force her into doing just that.

  Louise looked from Alex to the entrance, panicked, but then her decision was made as a volunteer arrived with a dog for their station and her heart melted. This was for a good cause; she would grin and bear it. She just hoped Alex didn’t think she had schemed to spend the day with him.

  Alex got up from his chair then to greet the dog, who jumped up eagerly as he ruffled his fur, laughing when the dog tried to lick his face.