Summer at the Kindness Cafe

by Victoria Walters

  Louise looked away, hating that the scene had made her smile. She loved it when people were kind to animals; she was sure you could tell a lot about someone by how they treated them. She remembered asking Peter if they could have a cat, only to be told they couldn’t because he was allergic; she discovered later on from his mother that he had lied – he just didn’t like animals. Louise wondered if she should have taken that as a red flag right there and then.

  The volunteer left the dog with them and went off to organise the raffle. It was a Labrador called Ben and he lay down at Alex’s feet, looking perfectly content there.

  ‘Do you have a dog of your own?’ she asked Alex as they waited for someone to come into their tent.

  ‘No. I did growing up and I would like one now, but I’m at work six days a week so it wouldn’t really be fair. At least I get to see so many in the surgery.’

  ‘I keep thinking about getting a cat.’

  ‘You should. Animals are great company, aren’t they?’

  ‘Yes, I suppose it can get lonely living on your own. It’s been nice having my sister to stay,’ Louise said, although she wasn’t so happy with Abbie right now.

  Alex nodded. ‘If I didn’t have such a demanding job, I think I’d get lonely too. I used to live with my ex before I moved to Littlewood. It’s the little things you miss, like having someone to cook with or watch a box set with, you know?’

  She nodded, a lump forming in her throat. She lifted her eyes to meet his. A look passed between them, but then a family came into the tent and Alex got up to greet them. Louise leant back in her chair, realising she had been absent-mindedly leaning towards him.

  She pulled her phone out to text Abbie. Your matchmaking needs to be more subtle!

  Abbie replied immediately. I just wanted you to see the possibility. He’s a nice guy, Lou, why not give him a chance?

  Why not let me make my own choices? Louise fired back.

  I just want you to be happy xxxx

  Louise sighed and put her phone away. She knew her sister’s heart was in the right place, but why did Abbie always think she knew best?

  Okay, so maybe she was a bit lonely; the news of Peter’s engagement had hit her harder than she cared to admit and left her longing for someone to love, but the thought of having her heart broken once more just made her want to run out of the tent and hide in her cottage. How were you supposed to take a chance on love again?

  Ben the Labrador padded over to her then and she patted his head as Alex explained to the family how they would need to take care of a dog like him.

  Louise wondered what his instructions might be for taking care of a human, because she really didn’t have a clue.

  Chapter Nine

  Eszter, Zoe and Anne walked across the green later that morning to check out the fete for themselves. Anne had been quiet on the walk there and Eszter realised she was nervous as they weaved their way through the throngs of people.

  ‘Would you have always gone to this sort of thing with Frank?’ Eszter asked her. She wondered why, after living all her life in one place, Anne didn’t seem to have any close connections with anyone there. Surely after Frank died, people would have rallied around her like they did for Joy when Harry was ill?

  ‘Frank liked to come to community events,’ Anne said. ‘But obviously he was very busy and often we had to be in London, especially when we were younger. He was a very successful doctor.’ Anne looked around nervously. ‘There are a lot of people here.’

  ‘We don’t need to stay long if we’re not enjoying ourselves,’ Eszter said gently. Zoe let out a squeal as a volunteer approached them with a black poodle. ‘Although how we’re going to drag Zoe away from all the animals, I don’t know,’ she said with a laugh.

  Anne smiled. ‘Frank was allergic to most animals, so we never had any pets when Nick was growing up; he would have loved a dog.’

  ‘We couldn’t have a dog back at our apartment in Budapest, which is a shame,’ Eszter said, watching her daughter patting the dog carefully. ‘It would be lovely to have a dog here though, there are so many beautiful places you could walk one.’

  ‘Anne Harris?’ called a voice from behind them. They turned to see a small lady walking towards them, her grey bob bouncing with her steps. She smiled. ‘I thought it was you; it’s been so long since I last saw you.’

  Anne nodded. ‘Hello, Jane. This is Eszter, my daughter-in-law.’

  Eszter smiled, pleased that Anne had introduced her as family so comfortably.

  ‘I run the community centre,’ Jane said, shaking Eszter’s hand firmly. ‘And who’s this?’

  ‘This is my granddaughter Zoe,’ Anne said, gesturing for Zoe to come over. She left the dog and went to Anne’s side, who wrapped an arm around her proudly.

  ‘We’re staying for the summer,’ Eszter told her. ‘How do you two know each other?’

  ‘We actually went to school together,’ Jane said. ‘I’m always trying to persuade Anne to come along to the centre; we have so much going on. And for all ages. There’s a kids’ club too.’

  ‘That might be good, Zoe, maybe you could make some friends in Littlewood?’ Eszter said.

  ‘Here, take a leaflet,’ Jane said, pulling one out from the stack in her hand. ‘There’s a list of all the activities we run. You should all come and see us.’

  Eszter nodded. ‘Sounds great.’ She glanced at Anne, who was looking away, distinctly uncomfortable with the conversation. ‘It was lovely to meet you.’

  Jane walked on, ready to hand out more leaflets, so the three of them made their way down the green. When Zoe spotted the face-painting station, Anne and Eszter stood by while she sat down and was turned into a cat.

  ‘I think Zoe might enjoy the kids’ club,’ Eszter said, looking at the list. ‘Do you know, I’ve always fancied taking a drawing class, so maybe I should go along too. You’ve never fancied it before?’

  ‘Jane and Frank didn’t get on,’ Anne replied, then walked over to look at Zoe being painted.

  Eszter watched her go, frustrated. Anne seemed to have really cut herself off from Littlewood when there was so much there for her, and it all seemed to come back to her husband and the shadow he still cast, years after his death. She spotted Louise then in her tent and waved to her; pleased to see she was in there with Alex. Surely Louise would come to agree with her and Abbie that the vet was worth a date?

  Perhaps everybody needed a helping hand in the right direction. They’d all be so much happier if they would just open up their hearts a little bit.

  ***

  Abbie’s heart was beating faster than normal as she walked through town towards Huntley Manor to meet up with Jack. It felt as if two very different worlds were colliding as she walked in and waved to Amy, spotting Jack sitting on one of the leather armchairs in the lounge, glued to his phone. She glanced around but there was no sign of Thomas and, if she was being honest, she felt relieved. She wasn’t sure she wanted to introduce them to one another.

  ‘Abbie, darling,’ Jack said when he saw her, putting his phone in his pocket as he got up from the chair. She smiled as he gave her a big hug and kissed her on the cheek.

  ‘Hello, Jack,’ she said, looking at him when he pulled back. He was wearing his usual dark suit with his fair hair gelled back and she breathed in the musky scent of his expensive aftershave. ‘Have you settled in okay?’

  ‘All unpacked. I was expecting you to be working somewhere a bit more five-star,’ he said, looking around the room.

  ‘Well, admittedly, it needs some polish, but it has a lot of charm, don’t you think?’

  Jack raised an eyebrow but then took her hand. ‘It’s really good to see you. Come on, I’ve booked us somewhere for lunch and I have something that I want to ask you.’ Taking her by the hand, he led her outside to his car. ‘You look gorgeous, Abbie,’ he said as he opened up the door for her. He pushed back a strand of her hair. ‘I’ve really missed you.’

  Abbie smiled. It was
good to see him again.

  She glanced at Huntley Manor as she climbed into the car beside him and saw Thomas walking across the grounds, looking at them. She lifted her hand to wave, but he turned and disappeared.

  ‘Come on,’ Jack said, so she hurriedly got in.

  They drove through Littlewood to a gastro pub a few miles away, up high in the Surrey Hills. Jack had always known how to find good places to eat. As they had passed the green where the fete was in full swing, Abbie wondered how Louise and Alex were getting on together. She hoped Louise would forgive her matchmaking.

  They got a table outside in the sunny beer garden, Jack bringing out a beer and glass of wine.

  ‘What’s been happening in London?’ Abbie asked.

  ‘Oh, the usual,’ he replied with a wave of his hand. ‘But I want to hear all about you. Are you surviving in this backwater town?’ He grinned and brushed her fingertips with his.

  ‘I’m not missing the city as much as I thought I would. It’s lovely around here.’

  ‘Well, London is certainly missing you, and surely you want to get back to it? I was thinking about that time we stayed up all night in the office because we had so many ideas for that restaurant opening. Do you remember?’

  Abbie smiled. She did. They had spent the night in his office coming up with ideas, eating a takeaway and drinking wine, and then they had ordered a taxi back to his flat, tumbling into bed and staying there all day. ‘We made a good team.’

  ‘We really did, and we could again.’ He reached for her hand, but the waiter arrived so they ordered lunch. When he left, Jack leaned in closer again. She had forgotten how he focused in on her when he spoke, his eyes fixed on hers, and his attention one hundred per cent hers. She had loved that about him. So many men in the past had pretended to listen, but Jack always did. ‘Tell me about the work you’re doing at the hotel, then. I want to hear all about it.’

  So Abbie told him about Huntley Manor and how she was determined to help save it from closure. ‘It’s such a beautiful place, and I love that Thomas has been on board with all my ideas. That’s what I’ve really enjoyed about being here – I have creative freedom.’

  ‘You were always brilliant at coming up with ideas. Honestly, we’ve really missed that at work. I think all of the partners are starting to regret letting you go.’

  ‘Really?’ Abbie was pleased that her hard work hadn’t gone unnoticed, as she’d thought. She wondered if that was the reason Jack was there.

  He took hold of her hand, and Abbie was surprised that his touch could still warm her skin so quickly. ‘Of course. Abbie, you have so much talent. I hope this Lord Huntley realises that. You could charge him a fortune for the help you’re giving him. I don’t want anyone taking advantage of you.’

  Abbie smiled. ‘I can take care of myself, Jack.’

  He shook his head. ‘I know that. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to take care of you.’ He squeezed her hand and looked at her fondly. ‘I have really missed you.’

  ‘Is that why you came?’

  ‘I do want to talk to you about something, but let’s just enjoy lunch. I’ll get us more drinks.’ He went off to get her another wine and she leant back in her seat, the sun on her face, and smiled.

  Abbie had forgotten what good company Jack could be. She was still hurt by how he had treated her, but he had clearly missed her and it was flattering to know she was missed at the office. She was intrigued to know what he wanted to talk to her about, but when he came back with a story of a couple having a row at the bar, it slipped her mind and they spent the rest of the afternoon chatting about London and all the people they knew. Abbie soaked up all the news he had of their mutual friends, and wondered why she had been so nervous about him coming. Jack was a master at putting people at ease; she had seen him charm the prickliest of clients. Abbie was soon having a much better time than she had told herself she would have.

  Chapter Ten

  Louise flopped down in her chair in the early afternoon and pushed her hair back off her face. ‘This place is crazy,’ she declared. She had been in the tent with Alex all morning, with a constant stream of people coming in to ask him questions and to meet the dogs that the volunteers kept bringing in. There was a tiny lull, so she had slipped out and got them both drinks and burgers from the nearby food van and they sank into their fold-up chairs gratefully.

  ‘I didn’t expect to have to work this hard today,’ Alex admitted, taking a big bite of his burger.

  ‘It looks like the rescue centre is going to be inundated with people wanting to adopt.’

  ‘I hope so. Thanks for all your help today, especially when that little girl started crying because her parents wouldn’t let her take the sheepdog home. They live in a flat and she just couldn’t understand why the dog wasn’t suitable for them. I’m sure I can still hear her having a tantrum out there.’

  ‘I’m used to kids at the hospital; we see a lot of tantrums there, bless them.’ She sipped her Coke.

  ‘I definitely don’t have your patience. I prefer dealing with animals, much less stressful, and far quieter.’ He grinned and she chuckled. ‘So, what brought you to Littlewood two years ago then?’

  Louise wondered how honest to be. If she was going to keep things from being awkward between them, and she would like to be friends with him, then it was best to be honest so he would know why she didn’t want to date him, or anyone else. She swallowed her mouthful and sighed. ‘Well, I wanted to get away from my home town in Cornwall really, and this was one of the first vacancies I applied for. I had just broken up with my fiancé and it seemed far enough away but also a small, community town like the one I grew up in.’

  ‘So a broken heart brought you here?’

  ‘I suppose you could say that. It was a huge shock; he left me just before we were going to get married, so yes it really hurt me and I needed a change of scene pretty desperately. So, that’s how I came here, and I loved it straight away. I think you said you had recently broken up with someone too?’

  He nodded. ‘I already had the job here, but she decided she didn’t want to come with me. We lived together, but I think we both knew that we weren’t going to get married, so it made sense to part ways when I came here. She stayed in our old place. It’s hard isn’t it? After a break-up, thinking about moving on? You spend so much time with someone, then suddenly you’re on your own again.’

  ‘I just haven’t felt ready,’ she admitted then, thinking he deserved her to be completely truthful about it. ‘My sister keeps telling me to move on, but I think I’m still hurt.’

  ‘I imagine it would be hard to trust anyone again. You planned a future with him and he walked away from that. He must be crazy.’ He smiled at her. ‘You just have to go at your own pace. I’m sure Abbie understands that, she just wants the best for you.’

  ‘I know. She keeps telling me to be kinder to myself but it isn’t easy, is it?’

  ‘Well, your sister definitely has good advice there. You should. After we’re done today, you need to go home and put your feet up. Vet’s orders.’

  Louise laughed and then a family came into the tent and their brief lunch break was over.

  The rest of the afternoon moved quickly and when the lady who ran the rescue centre came by at four o’clock to tell them everyone was packing up, Louise was pleased they had done so well, albeit relieved to be going home. ‘You’ll end up with loads more customers after this, I bet,’ Louise said to Alex as they helped clear up the tent.

  ‘It would be great to see some of the animals from today find a home. I just hope everyone realised that it’s a lot of work adopting an animal.’

  Louise hid a smile at his serious face. She liked how he took the animals’ well-being so seriously. ‘You gave them great advice,’ she assured him. After a quick look around the tent, she said, ‘Well, I think we’re all done here. I can just hit Brew before it closes and then collapse on the sofa.’

  ‘I’ll join you, if you do
n’t mind? I need a large coffee after today.’

  ‘Sure.’

  They left the green together, walking through Littlewood towards Brew. Lots of people were still milling around in the sunshine. Louise felt conscious that after all her protests she was having a coffee with Alex, but she hoped now it was clear they were just friends. She had enjoyed hanging out with him in the tent; he was polite and kind to everyone and clearly loved all animals with the same kind of passion that she felt towards her patients in the hospital.

  She glanced across at him as they strolled casually and she had to admit that Eszter and her sister had been right: he was good-looking. Not that it mattered or changed anything, but it felt okay to admit it to herself. She had set the boundaries between them and she could relax a little bit more in his company now.

  ‘How’s Hazel doing?’ Louise asked, breaking their companionable silence.

  ‘She’s doing really well; it’s been lovely for my sister having her back home. They were the reason I applied for the job in Littlewood – I wanted to be close to Sarah and Hazel again, especially with everything they’ve been going through.’

  ‘I’m sure your sister was grateful. I can’t imagine how hard it’s all been for her. Watching your child go through that.’

  ‘I’m just hoping she’s on the road to recovery finally.’

  ‘What happened to Hazel’s dad?’

  ‘When she was diagnosed with cancer, the cracks began to appear. He started drinking a lot and staying out all hours. I guess he just couldn’t cope, but I’ll never forgive him for walking away from the both of them.’

  Louise nodded. ‘I can’t believe someone would do that.’ Then she thought about Peter – when the going got tough, would he have stuck around? She had her doubts now, whereas before she thought he was her everything. But she knew now that your partner should be someone that you could count on, someone to get through the difficult things with, someone you could trust.

  They reached Brew and Alex held the door open for her; she couldn’t help but think to herself that Alex would be that kind of man. She dismissed the thought quickly though.