by Rebecca Pugh
She paused and allowed the sea breeze to whip around her face. She had a feeling she’d be needing as much calm as she could get and was glad of the sea. Somehow, being beside such a huge expanse of natural creation made all of her problems suddenly feel tiny. It was a welcome feeling, one that she could get used to. All she wanted was to forget. Forget everything that had happened and take some time out of life for herself. She needed to think about what she’d do, because for the first time in forever, she didn’t have a plan.
Laurie walked back to the car at a slow and leisurely pace, her hands swinging by her sides, which already felt different to her usual power-walk that had helped her speed through the busy London streets. When she reached the car, she climbed in, sat still for a moment and allowed herself to take a few deep breaths. All those people from work who looked upon her with admiration and awe would be surprised to find her there like that, shoulders slumped and head resting against the steering wheel. The image was strange and out of the ordinary for someone so in control and sure of themselves.
Chapter Five
Dolly’s Diner’s anniversary party was in full swing and Mia was having a complete blast. Although everyone was there to celebrate the diner, it was also the last day of June, meaning that preparations for summer would be taking place over the next couple of weeks. July and August always saw Sunset Bay swarming and this only added to the buzz of excitement in the air.
The 50s tracks were filling the diner up with music and the chatter and laughter of the party guests were almost competing with it in volume. There were people everywhere, drinks everywhere, and normally Mia would have been panicking about the diner getting into a state, but tonight she was relaxed and carefree and basking in the party-glow and atmosphere.
Johnno from the pub across the way, along with his lovely wife, Saffy, had offered to provide the food for the party and now each table in every booth was filled with foil trays full of all manner of buffet food. Cocktail sausages, chicken drumsticks, mini pizzas and quiches. It looked marvellous and Mia couldn’t thank them enough for helping her out at such short notice. Pollyanna and her mum had even made 50s-style cupcakes but they’d been snapped up almost as soon as the gaggle of party guests had arrived, much like the sausage rolls and variety of sandwiches. Despite the guests having descended upon the trays like greedy piglets, there was still quite a bit left, which Mia was glad of. People were still arriving and it really wouldn’t do to not have enough food for them, too.
Pollyanna was behind the serving counter, passing across drinks to the guests, although she was hovering between there and the makeshift dance floor that had apparently appeared in the middle of the diner where a few guests were having a boogie. Mia glanced across at her and admired how much the 50s look suited the diner’s young waitress. Pollyanna’s hair had been pinned into victory rolls and her make-up looked superb; it was almost as if she’d stepped right out of a vintage poster. Her lips were a dark red, the liner across her eyelids veered off into a perfect flick, and the dress? Well, it was perfect for her.
‘Mia!’
Jack Nelson and his wife stood before her, thankfully without the ever-energetic Willie. ‘Oh, I’m so pleased you’re here. Thank you for coming.’ Mia passed pleasantries with the old couple before indicating the food and drink. ‘Please, help yourselves and have a wonderful evening.’
‘It looks fantastic, Mia,’ said Mavis admiringly. She was wearing a deep blue dress with sensible but pretty heels on her feet. ‘You’ve done a great job.’
‘I can’t take all of the credit,’ she replied with a smile. ‘But you’re right, it does look great, doesn’t it? Anyway, I need to go and mingle, so I’ll leave you to it.’ Mia headed off to join Pollyanna behind the counter. ‘God, I didn’t realise so many people were coming.’
‘You don’t give yourself and this place enough credit, Mia. Of course this many people were coming; they all love you.’
Mia beamed. ‘You think so?’
‘I know so.’
‘Any sign of Cal yet?’ Mia asked as she cast her eyes about the diner, while at the same time attempting to appear unbothered in regards to his presence. In truth, there was a slight tingle in her fingers whenever she wondered about what he’d look like tonight. Gorgeous, no doubt, even more so with Hannah on his arm. She worked to ensure her expression remained unchanging. ‘He’s bringing Hannah.’
Pollyanna passed a glass of wine across to a waiting guest. ‘Who cares? Was she even invited?’
‘Cal asked if he could bring her as a plus-one. I could hardly say no.’
They giggled together and then, as if summoned by Mia and Pollyanna’s thoughts, the diner door opened and in they walked. Cal and Hannah, looking like they’d been matched as a pair by God himself.
Mia’s knees buckled just a little bit as she took in the sight of him. Even if she’d wanted to look at Hannah, she couldn’t tear her eyes away from Cal, with his hair brushed back, the tight black trousers and leather jacket. He looked as if he’d just stepped off the stage after playing a leading role in a 50s movie.
‘Speak of the devil and she may appear,’ Pollyanna muttered beneath her breath. ‘I’m off to find someone to dance with. Catch you later.’ With a last fleeting glare towards Hannah, Pollyanna wandered off to find her victim.
Alone, Mia watched as Cal chatted with a few of the guests as he slowly tried to make his way towards her through the groups of people. Hannah lingered at the side of his body with her arm tucked through his. She looked uncomfortable, as if she couldn’t associate with the people crowding around them, like they were beneath her somehow. Mia shook her head as she helped herself to a bottle of beer. She didn’t drink often but tonight was a celebration and she definitely deserved some enjoyment.
The truth was, she didn’t get out much. With the demands of the diner, it didn’t really leave her with much free time to do as she pleased. In all honesty, choosing to spend her free time getting drunk off her face until the cows came home probably wasn’t her preference anyway. Plus, in three years she’d be turning thirty, and she felt that the time for partying had passed her by. She wasn’t too fussed really. She lived vicariously through Pollyanna, who always had gossip about nights out with her friends when she visited them out of town to share. Sometimes, when listening to Pollyanna talk about her latest adventures, Mia would watch her with wistful longing. She’d never experienced it herself. She’d been too focused on the diner and taking care of Grandma Dolly. She supposed she’d made the decision to not live that sort of life when she’d moved to Sunset Bay.
‘Hello, you.’
Mia looked up and found Cal sitting on the bar stool on the opposite side of the counter. He was leaning in close. ‘Hey, Cal. Great turn out tonight, right?’ She smiled and passed him a beer. ‘Hannah looks great.’
Cal laughed to himself. ‘Yeah, but I think I’m the one that deserves all the praise. I even have the toothcomb poking out of my back pocket. Look.’ He hopped off the stool and turned around, giving Mia no choice but to look at his arse, which looked delectable in those tight, black trousers. Shapely and firm and …
‘Cal! What on earth are you doing?’ Hannah was blinking between the two of them, as if she’d just caught them in bed together. It was obvious she disapproved and Mia had to stifle a snort.
‘I was just showing Mia my comb.’ He sent a wink Mia’s way before returning to the stool. ‘Chill, Hannah. Do you want a drink?’
Hannah made a show of studying what was on offer with obvious distaste while Mia prepared herself for having to tell her that they were all out of champagne. ‘We have wine or beer?’
‘Wine would be great. Thanks.’
Mia got to work, wiggling her knees to the music as she poured wine into a glass. ‘You have toilets here?’ Hannah asked as she took the glass from Mia’s outstretched hand.
‘Yes, just go through the kitchen door and they’re on your right.’
Hannah headed off in the given
direction.
‘You look gorgeous,’ Cal said once Hannah was out of earshot. ‘Like, really gorgeous. That colour suits you, brings out your eyes.’ He sipped slowly on the bottle of beer as his eyes appraised her.
Mia glanced down at herself with a shy smile. ‘Oh, thank you. Do you think so? I wasn’t sure what to go for. There were so many choices.’
‘Oh, I definitely think so.’ A sly smirk played at the corner of Cal’s mouth as his eyes finally returned to her face. ‘You look different.’
Mia laughed. It was true – she did look different, probably because she didn’t usually wear as much make-up as she was wearing tonight, and her long brown hair was normally shoved up into a ponytail for work. Tonight, she’d decided to curl it, the ringlets bouncing about on her shoulders every time she moved. She’d taken care with her make-up, too, choosing a specific shimmery shade of green to match her dress, and going along with the eye-flick that Pollyanna had put into play. She was happy with the dress she’d chosen. It wasn’t patterned, but had a sweetheart neckline, capped sleeves and flared out around her legs, reaching just below her thigh. There was a lot of leg on show but she’d felt comforted when she’d seen the length of Pollyanna’s dress, which reached mid-thigh. ‘You look fantastic. I love your hair.’ She giggled as she looked at it again. ‘It actually suits you.’
Cal laughed heartily and smoothed it back. ‘You think? Well, I might have to style it like this more often.’ His eyes twinkled as he looked at her with amusement, and Mia forced herself to hold his stare. ‘You fancy a dance later?’
‘Sure.’ She shrugged, but inside her heart was beating a crazy rhythm.
‘I’ll hold you to that, and don’t try disappearing on me, because I’ll come and find you. That’s a promise.’ He cocked the mouth of the beer bottle towards her with a naughty look in his eye, then hopped down from the stool and pushed through the throngs of party guests.
Mia realised she’d been holding her breath when Pollyanna returned to her side and nudged her playfully in the ribs. ‘Enjoying yourself?’
Mia swallowed and nodded quickly. ‘Yes, definitely.’ She swigged down a mouthful of beer and forced herself back into the moment, forcing her gaze away from where she’d last seen Cal.
‘Go and enjoy yourself, I’ll take over here.’
Mia smiled gratefully and decided to go and chat to some of the guests. It was a party after all. She passed by numerous people, and grinned at the enthusiasm they’d shown. It could have been a complete flop, but thankfully these people, who had known and loved Grandma Dolly just like she did, had taken to the idea with more excitement than she could have hoped for. The dresses were all eye-catching numbers, hairstyles which had her marvelling, and she loved each and every one of them for making the effort.
Much later on, once the party really was in full swing and the majority of guests had decided that it was time to get their groove on, Mia was in the toilets with Pollyanna.
‘I don’t know if you’ve noticed,’ Pollyanna said as she refreshed her lipstick in front of the mirror, ‘but Cal has been watching you all night.’ She popped the lid back on and turned to Mia with a mischievous glint in her eye. ‘I’m guessing that you hadn’t noticed?’
Mia laughed, a little too loudly, and shook her head. ‘Don’t be ridiculous. How could a man who has Hannah on his arm be paying any attention to me?’ She fixed Pollyanna with a questioning look, eyebrows raised. ‘Besides, if that were true, then he’d have been bored out of his mind watching me.’
Pollyanna tutted and shook her head. ‘You disappoint me, Mia. He’s obviously fond of you.’
‘And I’m fond of him, too, but as a friend. So, no more silly ideas, all right, young lady?’
With a pout, Pollyanna shrugged. ‘I’m just stating the obvious.’
‘And I’m just letting you know that you’re seeing things that aren’t there.’ The uninvited flashback of Cal’s eyes roaming up and down her body when she’d served him a beer crept into her mind. ‘And things that will never be there either. He’s just a flirt. He flirts with everyone, haven’t you noticed?’
‘He doesn’t flirt with Hannah,’ Pollyanna said quietly.
Mia frowned. ‘Well, he doesn’t need to really, does he? He’s got Hannah.’ A shard of jealousy shot through her. ‘Anyway, enough of this,’ she ordered as she waved away the conversation, hopefully forgotten about with the hand movement. ‘Let’s get back out there.’
They re-entered the diner to a scene that would have brought tears to Grandma Dolly’s eyes. Everybody was dancing. Everybody. In fact, there wasn’t a single person who was standing still on the sidelines. Right there in the diner, it was like a musical was taking place. Mia was awestruck by the sight of it, but didn’t have too long to watch because Pollyanna tugged her into the middle of the chaos.
A few beers having loosened her up, Mia went wild, swinging the layers of her dress from side to side, laughing and clapping to the beat. It was insane, but a rush of exhilaration took her over. Amid the throngs of moving, jiving bodies, she threw out her best dance moves and didn’t care whether anybody was watching her or not. Cal was a little way through the wiggling bodies, but when he made eye contact with her Mia felt her heart rate pick up speed immediately. He locked eyes and, assured that Hannah was dancing with someone else, began to push his way through the bodies towards her. Mia couldn’t help the smile that began to spread across her lips when he arrived in front of her. She caught a glimpse of Pollyanna over his shoulder, winking naughtily, but ignored her and looked back at him.
‘Told you I’d come and find you,’ Cal whispered as he leant forward, his breath dancing across her shoulder. ‘Shall we dance?’
Mia nodded and they moved to the music, surrounded by the other dancing guests, the music drowning out every thought that she normally would have had about dancing with someone else’s boyfriend. But Hannah knew that they were friends and Mia didn’t see how it was a problem. Hannah was dancing with Marco, after all, and she didn’t seem too bothered by the lack of Cal’s presence, so Mia went with it and laughed as Cal spun her around and then lowered her to the ground, her body safely balanced in his arms. He swung her back up and grinned as their faces were inches apart.
Mia felt breathless. She stared back at him, feeling his rapid breath against her face and tried to catch her own. ‘Nice moves,’ she murmured, glad of his arms holding her, steadying her. She suddenly felt dizzy, but wasn’t sure whether it was to do with being up this close with him or the beers she’d drunk beforehand. Perhaps a mixture of both. She was so hot, and with the bodies that were surrounding them both, the temperature was getting hotter with every second that passed. Cal raised his eyebrows challengingly at her. ‘Giving up so soon?’
She smirked back. ‘No chance.’
They continued to dance, swinging and spinning and twirling, surrounded by others doing the same thing. Inside the diner was a heaving mass of fabulously dressed bodies, all grinning and laughing as the music led their bodies in dance.
***
Much later on, once people had had enough and physically couldn’t cope with dancing for even a second longer, except for those few who refused to leave the makeshift dance floor, the party guests began to chant, ‘Speech! Speech!’ at Mia. The indication was impossible to ignore and so, with a shy, modest smile, but secretly thrilled inside, Mia waited for the hubbub to die down and took centre stage, the guests moving out of her way and creating a small circle around her where they’d been dancing just moments before. They cheered and clapped and urged her on, while Mia took in the faces surrounding her, unable to believe that she could call all of these people her friends.
There was Pollyanna, grinning from ear to ear. Marco, his arms folded and resting against his broad chest, watching her with something that almost looked like pride. And Cal, of course, with Hannah beside him, who for some reason was finding it hard to look at Mia and found picking at her nails a million times more interesting
, apparently, but Mia didn’t care. This was her and Grandma Dolly’s moment and no one, not even Hannah White, was going to ruin it for her.
‘I guess what I want to say first of all,’ Mia began, clasping her hands together, ‘is a huge thank you, to all of you, for making it tonight.’ A loud cheer arose with a few whistles thrown in for good measure. ‘I honestly didn’t believe that any of you would want to get dressed up for this evening, but you did, and I really can’t tell you how wonderful you all look. It’s made tonight so much more special, and I know Grandma Dolly would have definitely approved. If she had been here tonight, she would have been in her element. Seeing the diner come to life like that would have moved her to tears.’ Mia continued, talking about the support for the diner, summoning a round of applause for Pollyanna, Cal and Marco, too, because if they weren’t there, Mia certainly wouldn’t have been able to cope, so it was only right.
Once her speech had reached its end, the jukebox was turned back up and the party continued as it had before. Mia, Pollyanna, Marco and Cal shared a group hug and then returned to the dance floor to enjoy the rest of what had been an incredible evening. It couldn’t have turned out more perfect if she’d been planning it for the entire year.
Chapter Six
Laurie stared up at the diner. The words ‘Dolly’s’ and ‘Diner’ hung above the door, each word either side. She was surprised at how well maintained the diner looked despite how old it was.
From where she was standing, beside her car in the car park, it was clear that there was some sort of celebration going on within. Music could be heard from inside, and banners were visible hanging in the windows. She could see the heads of numerous people. It was packed from the looks of things, which made her all the more nervous about her appearance.