Summer at the Kindness Cafe

by Victoria Walters

  ‘Of course,’ Jack said. ‘You haven’t found a new job, so this is perfect. Can’t you just see it, Abs?’

  And she could. She allowed herself a smile. ‘But won’t we need money?’

  ‘I can find us investors, no problem,’ he replied, waving her question away with his hand. ‘I haven’t been the same man since you left, I just don’t work as well without you by my side. I was such a fool not to realise it until you came here. What do you think?’

  Abbie put her coffee down, wishing again that she hadn’t drunk so much wine. ‘This is a lot to take in, Jack. I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.’

  ‘Of course, I understand. You need to think about it, I know that. But it’s not a straight no, is it?’

  She shook her head slowly. ‘It’s not a straight no.’

  Jack clapped his hands. ‘That’s all I needed to hear. I’ll persuade you, I know I will. Let’s start brainstorming!’

  ‘Now? It’s getting late.’

  ‘Have you got anywhere to be? Because I haven’t.’

  She watched him grab a notebook and pen, and refill their coffees, and she had to laugh at how happy he seemed. It reminded her of the old times, and she ended up helping him to come up with ideas.

  The sun set outside the room but Abbie didn’t notice. Time with Jack had so often stopped still, and here it was doing it all over again.

  ***

  Abbie opened her eyes and groaned as her head started to pound immediately. A patch of light hit her face from the window and she rolled over, coming face to face with a sleeping Jack. She started, and then it all came flooding back to her. They had stayed up planning until the early hours and had fallen asleep side by side as they had done so many times before.

  Jack’s eyes opened and he smiled. ‘Good morning, gorgeous.’ He leaned in and she found herself closing her eyes as he kissed her. ‘I’ve missed waking up with you,’ he said, looking at her. He reached for her again, but she drew back.

  ‘Last night was . . . I still need to think,’ she said, sitting up. ‘Ouch,’ she complained, rubbing her head. God, so much wine.

  ‘I understand. Let’s get you some painkillers, a long shower and some breakfast, okay?’

  She found herself nodding. Why was it so easy for her to get swept away by Jack?

  She felt a bit more like herself an hour later as they left the breakfast room at Huntley Manor. She’d had a lot of coffee, bacon, eggs and pancakes and was now looking forward to going home and putting on clean clothes, and speaking to her sister about last night.

  Jack had been in a buoyant mood over breakfast, chatting about his ideas, and seeming really confident that she would go into business with him. Abbie was desperately trying to sort out her thoughts on it all. Everything seemed to be moving at breakneck speed and she couldn’t quite catch her breath.

  Walking through the hotel, she was struck by the thought that she might not be there much longer. If she did agree to set up a business with Jack, she knew that they needed to be in the same place, and that meant going back to London. She had been enjoying her summer in Littlewood, more than she ever thought she could, but the plan had always been to get back to the city, she reminded herself. She’d feel bad though about leaving Huntley Manor before the end of the summer relaunch, but maybe she could still help remotely.

  Abbie jumped as Thomas rounded the corner and stopped in front of them. He smiled at her, then looked at Jack and back again, his smile fading. Abbie knew she looked worse for wear after staying up half the night, and she blushed when she realised what Thomas would think. She knew that nothing had happened, but he wouldn’t. Abbie didn’t want him to think badly of her, and found herself babbling. ‘Thomas, oh my goodness! Fancy bumping into you. Um, yes, this is Jack. Rogers. My, um, friend from London.’

  ‘A bit more than that, I hope,’ Jack said, smoothly shaking Thomas’s hand. ‘Good to meet you. I can see why this place has been keeping Abbie so occupied, it needs a lot of work to compete with some of the hotels I’ve stayed in,’ Jack continued. ‘But I’m sure you’ll get there.’

  ‘We shall do our best,’ Thomas replied dryly.

  ‘Well, you’ll have to manage without this one as I’ll be taking her off your hands again soon,’ Jack said, grinning at Abbie.

  ‘Oh?’ Thomas raised an eyebrow and looked at her.

  Abbie wondered why she felt so guilty suddenly. ‘Well, nothing’s been decided yet.’

  ‘I’ve asked Abbie to set up a PR company with me. She’d be brilliant at it, wouldn’t she?’ Jack threw an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to him.

  Thomas was still looking at her and Abbie was uncomfortable with his scrutiny. ‘She would,’ he said shortly. ‘I must go, they need me in the ballroom,’ he added quickly and strode away without looking back.

  ‘Jack, I haven’t made any decisions yet,’ she told him, cross that he’d said all that to Thomas without checking with her; she had wanted to talk to Thomas herself. She ducked out from under his arm. ‘I told him I would help this summer and . . .’

  ‘You are working for free, Abbie. The man can’t expect you to turn down an actual job offer. Come on, I’ll take you back to your sister’s.’ He leaned down and brushed her lips with his. Abbie hated how she found herself leaning towards his kiss. It was all so easy with Jack, and he seemed to be offering her everything she had wanted just a few weeks ago. She didn’t know what to do; she hoped Louise could help her.

  She glanced back before following Jack out and saw Thomas standing in the doorway at the end of the corridor before turning and disappearing from view; he had been looking right at them. He must have seen the kiss and she wasn’t sure how she felt about that. She thought she’d seen a flicker of anger in his eyes, but that was crazy because their relationship had only ever been about saving Huntley Manor. Hadn’t it?

  Then she realised that he must be angry with her for leaving; after all, she had promised to help the hotel until the end of summer.

  But Jack was right, she needed a job. A paying one. She didn’t want to upset anyone. She would just have to make sure Huntley Manor would be okay without her. Abbie wished she could avoid letting anyone down but it seemed impossible. All she could do was follow her heart, and hope that everything would be okay.

  Now she just needed to work out what the hell it wanted.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Louise was sitting on the sofa drinking coffee, with a plate of peanut butter on toast beside her, the sun pouring into the living room, when the front door opened and Abbie came in wearing yesterday’s clothes. ‘And here comes the dirty stop-out,’ Louise said when her sister sheepishly shuffled into the room and plonked herself down in the armchair.

  ‘Jack just dropped me off,’ Abbie said, trying to smooth down her hair. ‘We were up most of the night talking. And I drank a lot of wine. I feel like crap.’

  ‘Up all night talking?’ Louise raised her eyebrows, completely unconvinced. She was surprised her sister had got back with her ex so quickly, knowing he had hurt her a lot before she came to Littlewood. It made Louise thankful once again for her permanent single status.

  ‘I promise. We had a lot to talk about.’

  ‘And there was I thinking you’d stayed out to avoid my wrath!’ Louise said.

  Abbie leaned forward and looked regretful. ‘I’m sorry I didn’t tell you Alex was going to be there . . .’

  ‘You set it up! What, did you think that by putting us together for the day, I don’t know, that I’d change my mind about dating him?’ Louise tried not to think about his cute smile as she gave her sister a hard look.

  Abbie shrugged helplessly. ‘I’m sorry, Lou. I just thought you two could be good together. I won’t interfere again. I was obviously wrong.’

  Louise didn’t want to admit that Abbie may have been right, because it didn’t matter – she wasn’t ready for anyone. Even Alex. ‘I can make my own decisions, okay?’

  Abbie nodded. ‘Oka
y. I’m not sure the same can be said for me, though. Jack made me an offer, and I don’t know what to say.’

  ‘What kind of offer?’

  ‘He’s suggested that we set up our own business together.’

  Louise’s eyes widened. ‘Wow. That’s a big leap from breaking up with you, isn’t it?’

  ‘I know. I’m still shocked. He wants me to go back to London straight away, and get started on it all.’

  Louise listened as Abbie explained how he had apologised and told her how much he had missed her, and how he knew he had acted badly at the end of their relationship. ‘Wow. And how do you feel about what he said?’

  Abbie groaned. ‘I just don’t know. I thought we were over, you know? But it’s a great opportunity, and we did make a great team. It’s all very confusing. And I’d feel bad about leaving Thomas in the lurch.’

  ‘Surely you don’t need to rush into making a decision? Maybe you should take some time to think about it.’

  ‘I know you’ve never been Jack’s biggest fan.’

  ‘I just don’t want you to get hurt again. It’s a big commitment you’d be making. What if he let you down again?’ Louise was nervous about this. She understood that Jack had realised he missed Abbie, and he obviously knew what a great businesswoman she was, but it felt so rushed, she didn’t want Abbie to make a hasty decision and then regret it. Plus, the thought of her going back to London and hardly ever seeing her again meant she couldn’t be as enthusiastic about the plan as Abbie seemed to want her to be.

  ‘It will be hard to trust him again,’ Abbie said slowly. ‘But it’s a chance for me to be my own boss. I’ve always had so many ideas; I know that I could do it.’

  ‘Of course you could. But that doesn’t mean you have to do it with Jack, does it?’

  Abbie groaned. ‘It’s too much to think about with this hangover. I’m going to go and have a lie-down.’

  ‘Maybe it would help if I actually got to meet Jack?’ Louise wanted to finally see this guy for herself, and judge if he was too good to be true or not.

  Abbie stood up and thought for a moment. ‘Okay, maybe we can all have lunch at Brew then? I’ll text him.’ She paused. ‘And I’m sorry about Alex, but did it go okay?’

  ‘It actually was fun helping out,’ Louise admitted.

  Abbie smiled. ‘I’m pleased. Alex is a good guy, Lou.’

  She nodded. ‘I know.’ She hoped this Jack was too, but she wasn’t so sure.

  ***

  Louise and Abbie walked into Brew later, which was pretty busy, but Eszter had reserved a table for them. She waved from the counter, where she, Joy and Harry were busy serving the customers. Louise went up to order and Abbie sat at the table, jumping up when Jack walked in. He gave her a kiss on the cheek and Abbie called out to Louise to get him a coffee too.

  ‘Who’s that?’ Eszter asked as she prepared their order.

  ‘That’s Abbie’s ex-boyfriend from London,’ Louise replied in a low voice. ‘He’s here to try to persuade her to go back with him.’

  ‘You’re not a fan?’

  ‘This is the first time I’ve met him, so I’ll let you know later.’

  ‘I hope she doesn’t go,’ Eszter said, sliding the tray of coffee to Louise across the counter.

  ‘She never planned to stay though,’ Louise said sadly before taking the drinks over. Abbie introduced her to Jack, who kissed her on the cheek and sat down, wrapping his hand over Abbie’s.

  ‘So, this is where you’ve been getting your caffeine fix, then?’ he said, looking around Brew. He took a sip of his drink. ‘You must be missing Starbucks like mad.’

  ‘I love the coffee here,’ Louise said, annoyed at the slight against Brew. As if a chain like Starbucks could hold a candle to somewhere as warm and welcoming as Brew.

  ‘It’s all right,’ Jack said after tasting his. ‘It’s what you get used to, really, isn’t it?’

  ‘I like both,’ Abbie said tactfully. ‘The cakes are definitely better here, all home-made.’

  ‘I’ll take your word for it,’ Jack said. He watched as a woman walked up to The Kindness Board and started to write on it. ‘What’s that?’ he asked, straining to see.

  ‘Oh, it’s such a lovely idea,’ Abbie said. ‘The owners, Joy and Harry, set it up so people in the town could write down random acts of kindness that people have done for them. They’ve been encouraging everyone to be kinder to each other and to themselves.’

  Jack looked at her with a smirk. ‘Seriously? A Kindness Board?’ He chuckled. ‘Can you imagine that in London?’

  ‘I think that’s the point,’ Louise said. ‘We like to be different here in Littlewood. People actually talk to each other and care about one another, unlike Londoners.’

  ‘I was sceptical too at first,’ Abbie reminded her. ‘But it’s a cute idea, and we’ve all tried to get into the spirit. That is how I got involved with Huntley Manor actually.’

  Jack looked at Louise. ‘I really think this Lord Huntley should be paying Abbie instead of getting all her talent for free.’

  ‘I think he would, if he could,’ Louise replied, not warming to Jack at all. ‘The hotel was almost closed down.’

  ‘Well, maybe it should be, you know. That’s what business is all about. If he can’t run it properly . . . Anyway, at least you won’t be there much longer, and you’ll soon be reaping all the rewards for your work.’

  ‘I’m still thinking about it,’ Abbie reminded him with a smile.

  ‘Louise, it’s a no-brainer, isn’t it? Abbie would be amazing running her own company. Plus, no more having a boss, we’ll be our own bosses. That’s what everyone wants, isn’t it?’

  ‘I don’t know about that,’ Louise said slowly, acknowledging that at least he thought highly of her sister. ‘I love being a nurse, and I’m not my own boss. But if it’s what Abbie wants, then she’ll do a brilliant job. She just has to be sure it’s the right move to make.’ She gave her sister a reassuring smile, hoping to let her know that she didn’t have to say yes to Jack. ‘She has a place to stay here if she needs more time to think about what she wants to do.’

  ‘But if she stays out of the London game much longer, she won’t be able to get back into it. Everyone is so fast-paced there, Louise; you wouldn’t really know about that out here in the country, but Abbie needs to remind people she’s still here before they forget all about her.’

  ‘I don’t think my sister is easily forgotten,’ Louise told him loyally.

  He grinned and squeezed Abbie’s knee. ‘Well, that’s true. I couldn’t stop thinking about her after she left.’

  ‘This is all very flattering,’ Abbie said with a laugh. ‘But Jack is right, I haven’t been able to stay in the game, no one has had any job prospects for me since I’ve been here, and my contacts will forget what I can do if I don’t show them again soon.’

  ‘I just don’t think you need to rush into anything. You’ve only been here for a month after all.’

  Abbie sighed. She looked torn. ‘I do miss London a lot. And I have always wanted to set up my own business.’

  ‘I am going to make it impossible for you to say no to this.’ Jack beamed at her, then drained his coffee cup dry. ‘Right, I need to make a couple of phone calls. Dinner tonight, Abbie? My last night in Littlewood then I’ll be heading back to London tomorrow,’ he reminded her. ‘Hopefully not alone,’ he winked and stood up. ‘Great to meet you, Louise,’ he said with a charming smile before striding out of Brew again.

  Louise felt a little stunned by him. He certainly was a smooth talker but was he sincere? She flopped back in her chair and looked at Abbie, who had watched him go thoughtfully. ‘He’s very confident that you’re going to go with him.’

  Abbie sighed. ‘I have really enjoyed it here, but it was never meant to be a long-term thing. Just until I found a new job,’ Abbie said. ‘And it’s been really hard. I haven’t had a flicker of interest from anyone. Jack is offering me a great opportunity.’


  ‘Can you trust him, though?’ Louise asked. She still felt nervous about him.

  ‘I don’t know. He is sorry for what happened. At least he’s admitted he made a mistake. I want to trust him. And I think he’s right, we would be a great team. We could be really successful, Lou.’

  ‘I have complete faith in you, but I am worried,’ Louise said, deciding to be honest. ‘It’s such a turnaround from you guys breaking up, and you leaving London, to this. He not only seems to want you two to be business partners but to get back together too,’ she said, thinking about how affectionate he had been with Abbie.

  ‘He kissed me this morning,’ Abbie admitted. ‘And it was nice. It was unexpected, but I do still have feelings for him, Lou.’

  ‘Even though he hurt you?’ Louise bit her lip, thinking about Peter and how she didn’t want Abbie to become as scared as she was of having her heart broken again. Surely going back with Jack was just asking for trouble?

  Abbie let out an exasperated exhale. ‘Life’s too short to keep dwelling on the past, you have to look forward, Lou. I know that you can’t get over Peter hurting you, but if Jack wants a second chance then maybe I should give it to him. He’s offering me everything that I wanted just a month ago, how can I walk away from that?’

  ‘I thought you wanted different things now,’ Louise said, feeling tears start to well up in her eyes. She didn’t want to lose her, but it felt like Abbie had already gone.

  ‘I just want to be happy. Don’t you?’

  Chapter Fourteen

  Louise’s gloomy mood lingered as she went into work after lunch and all through her shift until it was time to leave. Abbie texted to say she was staying with Jack again, and the prospect of going home to an empty cottage wasn’t as enjoyable as it had once been. She would miss Abbie more than she cared to admit. She had spent two years convincing herself she was happy being alone, but now Louise wasn’t so sure.