Confetti at the Cornish Café

by Phillipa Ashley

  He closes the door. Lily rolls her eyes at him. ‘Come on then, let’s eat.’

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  There’s no point me denying that the food is great. It’s beautifully presented with delicious flavours and you can really taste every ingredient. Part of me would like to try out some of the ideas at Demelza’s but I’m only an amateur cook and Demelza’s is actually a cafe not a supercool restaurant.

  Yet the food isn’t at the foremost of my mind. Mawgan is – and not for the reasons you might think. I’ve never seen her so subdued or polite – in fact, so relatively ‘normal’ – and that worries me. If I was being generous, I’d like to think that her visit to her mum in Australia had made her happy and mellowed her. Andi and Robyn said she was surprisingly docile while she was away.

  But … this is Mawgan and I can’t forget how she’s relentlessly pursued Cal and tried to wreck his plans and hurt him over the past year.

  ‘How was your visit to your mum in Oz?’ Ben asks.

  Mawgan pauses, halfway to spearing a peeled prawn. I freeze and even Cal pays attention.

  She smiles. ‘Sydney was amazing, of course. We had Christmas dinner on a very exclusive luxury yacht in the harbour.’

  ‘Cool. How is your mum? I always liked her. Shame she and your dad split up.’ Oh my God, does Ben have any idea he’s skating on thin ice?

  Mawgan smiles and stabs the prawn. ‘She’s OK.’

  ‘Still living with that new bloke?’

  Cal shoots me a look but I clamp my lips together. We both know that her mum’s past affair with Mr Penwith and her new partner are still raw wounds to Mawgan. She could lash out at any moment.

  The prawn trembles on the tines of her fork ‘They have a fantastic house overlooking Manly beach. I’ve been thinking of investing in some property there myself. Have you been to Sydney? We watched the New Year fireworks from the best hotel in the Rocks. You’ve probably been there, Ben?’

  ‘Yeah. A couple of times, and to New Zealand. We did some filming for Knife Edge there. Loved it.’

  Mawgan pops the prawn whole into her mouth as Ben tells us about his fitness-training regime for Knife Edge. Having moved the conversation away from her mum, Mawgan cheers up. She seems far happier sharing more of her childhood stories with Ben. Admittedly, some of them are so Mawgan-ish that I find I’m laughing for the wrong reasons. However, she hasn’t made a single dig at Cal or me yet. She’s chatted with Cal about Kilhallon and sounded so enthusiastic and complimentary about our ‘achievements’ – even offering to help with organising the wedding – that anyone would think she was our best friend. It’s all a show for Lily and Ben, I’m sure, but for a nanosecond, even I find myself wondering if Mawgan really has turned over a new leaf.

  Then I come to my senses.

  It was no use hoping that we could discuss the wedding plans privately away from Mawgan because Lily and Ben want to talk about their ideas. That’s hardly surprising and their time is precious so I suck it up, making notes and arranging for Lily to meet Rachel at the cafe. Mawgan listens closely, but doesn’t offer too many suggestions of her own, which I ought to be grateful for. Finally, we finish our amazing puddings, one of which is a lavender-scented crème brulee that I’d love to try out at Kilhallon in a simpler way. Lily didn’t have any dessert, of course, and Mawgan had vowed she ‘couldn’t possibly fit any more in’ but has left her plate cleaner than Mitch’s dinner bowl.

  As the staff serves coffee and a chamomile tea for Lily, a lean guy with an impressive ginger beard and wearing chef’s whites appears at our table. I recognise him as Nathan Trevallion, the head chef and owner of the ‘cafe’. He appears regularly in the Cornish lifestyle mags and on regional TV. Mawgan’s taste buds seem to revive again.

  ‘How was your meal?’ he asks.

  ‘Awesome. I loved the samphire butter on the sea bass, didn’t you, Ben?’

  ‘Yeah. Must try it at home,’ Ben says.

  ‘I bet you’re a brilliant cook,’ Mawgan tells Ben, in an awestruck voice.

  ‘We’ve got a chef, most of the time,’ Ben says. ‘But I can do a Sunday roast.’

  ‘He’s brilliant at roasts, with all the trimmings, not that I can eat them, but when we have friends round, they love it.’

  ‘Sounds good to me. Everyone should know how to cook a good family roast. Who taught you that? Your mum?’ Nathan asks.

  Ben snorts. ‘No. Our bodyguard, Harry.’

  ‘Harry likes cooking?’ I ask.

  ‘Yeah – and baking. He and his partner, Giles, are always at it. They’re like Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood,’ Ben snorts.

  Lily hits him. ‘Don’t be so horrible. You loved learning how to cook roast beef and a chicken. You weren’t laughing when you made that blackberry and apple crumble.’ Lily pats her tiny flat tummy. ‘Not that I tasted more than a morsel, of course.’

  ‘Well done, mate. Crumbles are a staple pud. What about you?’ Nathan addresses me as Ben folds his arms, obviously mortified to have been outed as a crumble expert.

  ‘Well, the whole meal was amazing and I loved the hake curry.’

  Nathan smiles at me. ‘Did you? It’s one of our signature dishes.’

  ‘It was delicious, so tasty. I’ve tried it with monkfish but not hake. It works really well, doesn’t it? The textures and flavours were fantastic.’

  ‘You can use any firm white fish. We decide exactly what goes in it, like the rest of the daily menu, after we’ve checked out the best quality fish that landed that morning.’

  ‘Totally. I try to use fresh local produce as much as possible,’ I say, and then stop when I realise I might sound a bit up myself. A super chef like Nathan won’t be interested in the goings on of what is effectively a teashop.

  ‘Demi has her own cafe,’ Lily says, before I can change the subject.

  ‘Really? Where’s that, then?’ Nathan asks, his voice lifting in genuine interest.

  I glance at Mawgan, expecting a snigger but she has the face of an angel. On the other hand, I’m squirming. Even though I’m proud of Demelza’s, I would never put myself in the same league as the Rockpool Cafe.

  ‘Um. It’s based on the coastal path at Kilhallon Park. It’s called Demelza’s.’

  He frowns and then smiles. ‘Ah yes, I’ve heard of it.’

  ‘Really?’ I almost drop off my chair in amazement.

  ‘Sure. You must be Demelza herself, then?’

  ‘Yes … and this is my partner. My business partner, Cal, who owns Kilhallon.’

  ‘The cafe is all Demi’s doing. I claim no credit,’ Cal says.

  ‘Good to meet you, mate. You’re lucky to have Demi running your place. I’ve heard good things about her from my friend, Eva. You should have introduced yourself when you came in,’ he tells me.

  ‘Oh my God. I can’t believe Eva mentioned me to you.’

  He laughs. ‘Why not? She was talking about your joint canine cookbook when I had lunch with her in London a couple of weeks ago. She’s been trying to see if I’m interested in stocking your doggy treats if they go into production. Sounds like a good idea and we have a lot of dog owners using the beach bar and cafe downstairs so I may well be in touch.’

  ‘Wow. Thanks. We find the doggy treats are super popular.’

  ‘I didn’t know you did a dog menu! Louie would love it. I think we’ll invite dogs to the wedding. Louie could wear a mini tux and your Mitch could wear a bow tie. That would be brilliant!’

  Ben’s face is a picture and Mawgan’s eyes narrow briefly, but Nathan seems intrigued.

  ‘I may give these dog treats a try, then. Hope to see you again soon.’

  He turns to the real stars and starts chatting to Ben and Lily. They pose for photos with him and he has a quick word with Mawgan who gushes about the food. Samphire butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth today but I’m not fooled. She’s up to something, and I’d bet the cafe on it.

  When the photos have finished, it’s time to leave. Lily calls Harry
and arranges to meet him and Louie on the beach. The sun is out and the light has that dazzling brightness of spring. I’m feeling buzzed after Nathan’s comments about Eva. I’m realising that it truly is an amazing thing to have a celebrity wedding at Kilhallon. Now that Rachel’s on board, my confidence that the event will go well has soared. If only Mawgan wasn’t involved, life would be perfect.

  We all walk onto the beach, with Louie still full of energy.

  Lily crouches down to cuddle Louie. ‘Has he been a good boy? Have you, Louie?’

  ‘He’s had a whale of a time,’ Harry says. ‘I’ve given him a drink of water.’

  ‘Good. Has he …?’

  ‘Everything’s normal,’ Harry replies solemnly.

  ‘You little star. Oh, Ben, let’s Instagram Louie with the beach behind us and post it on his account.’

  ‘Won’t people know where we are from that?’ Ben asks anxiously.

  ‘If they can work it out. But we’ll be long gone by then. Take his lead off, Ben, and give him to me.’

  With a sigh, Ben unclips Louie’s lead from its harness. He tries to scoop him up but Louie senses freedom and is obviously having none of it. He wriggles out of Ben’s hands and is off up the beach like a greyhound towards the large expanse of rock pools at the far side of the beach.

  ‘Hey! You little sod! Come back.’

  ‘What have you let him run away for, Ben?’

  ‘I didn’t know he’d do it! He’s so naughty. Harry – fetch him.’

  ‘He’ll come back,’ Harry says and whistles and calls Louie, but Louie’s far too happy exploring a large piece of seaweed.

  ‘Louie!’ Lily cries and starts to jog after him but her heeled boots sink into the sand.

  ‘I’ll get him,’ says Harry, striding over the sand towards Louie, who has found a large rock pool he wants to explore on the far side of the beach. He scampers along the rocks away from us, skirting the edge of the pool, nosing the weed and mussels, obviously having a fine time.

  ‘Louie! Bad boy!’ Lily calls as the little dog paddles through the seawater-filled rock crevices. He pays no attention to anyone’s calls. Nose down, he clambers over the rocks like a miniature mountain goat. I don’t blame him; he probably doesn’t get this kind of fun day out too often.

  Ben groans as Louie wanders further along the rocks towards the sea. ‘Jesus. He’ll stink on the way home!’

  Ben’s probably right and I can’t help but want to laugh. ‘We could wash him down under the beach shower. He’ll come back soon. He must be tired by now, but I don’t think he wants to go home yet.’

  Ben zips up his jacket. ‘No, but some of us do.’

  Far from Louie getting tired, ten minutes later he’s still paddling in and out of the rock pools with no sign of returning. I’m convinced he’s decided to stay in Cornwall forever.

  ‘This is getting ridiculous,’ says Ben, standing with his arms folded while Cal, Harry and I try to coax the dog to us with sticks and his ball. Louie ignores us and even Lily when she climbs up the rocks to join us.

  ‘Be careful, babe!’ Ben shouts, staying on the beach below with Mawgan. I don’t think he wants to get his new pair of custom-made Converses wet.

  ‘Stay back, Lily,’ Harry orders. ‘I’ll get the little chap.’

  ‘I’ll help,’ says Cal, whose Timberland boots make him one of the few of us dressed for climbing over jagged rocks. Harry makes his way forward, calling the dog. He does sound funny, shouting to a small dog in his cut-glass accent. Mawgan stands by Ben, making concerned noises but basically doing nothing and I suspect secretly enjoying the drama.

  My heart is in my mouth. ‘Oh God, Lily, would be devastated if anything happened to Louie.’

  Cal shakes his head. ‘I’ll go over to Harry and try and catch him or chase him towards you.’

  ‘Be careful. Warn Harry too.’

  ‘I will but if the dog goes in, it would be madness to jump in after him. The rocks are sharp there and there are dangerous rip currents this side of the beach, not to mention it’ll be bloody freezing.’

  Cal climbs over the pools to the far end of the rocks to join Harry.

  ‘Is the tide coming in?’ Lily asks, now balanced precariously on a rock next to me in her heeled boots. ‘Because some of those waves over there look very big. I don’t want Louie being frightened.’

  ‘It is but Louie’s well back,’ I say, although I’ve been a bit worried about some of the breakers for a few minutes now. Louie has wandered to the very end of the rocks and the tide is coming in fast. It’s not so much him being scared by the surf that worries me as him being washed away. We need to catch him soon.

  ‘We’ll get him,’ I call to Lily and pick my way towards Cal. I’m in low-heeled boots myself but they’re not the best things for clambering over seaweed-covered rocks.

  ‘Oh, please keep him safe! Those waves could easily wash him off and he’s only tiny.’ There’s desperation in Lily’s voice as we watch Cal and Harry try to coax Louie towards them.

  Spray seems to be breaking over their heads now and they must be getting soaked. They’re shouting to Louie who is standing on top of a high rock as if he’s king of the castle. I think he’s bitten off more than he can chew. He’s wet through and trembling and lets out a pathetic yap.

  ‘Oh my God, he’s stuck!’ Lily’s voice reaches me over the roar of the surf slamming into the rocks. A few people are now watching us from the cliff above the beach and the restaurant balcony. So much for being discreet, but we have to get Louie fast.

  Slithering and sliding, I manage to get within a few yards of Cal and Harry who are trying to coax Louie down from his perch while holding on to the rocks as the waves break over them.

  ‘Come on, old boy,’ Harry calls, holding out his arms.

  ‘You’ve had your fun, now let’s have you back,’ Cal adds. His hair is wet and there’s an edge of real anxiety in his voice.

  ‘Louie!’ Harry shouts, holding out his arms.

  Louie shivers on the rock, lets out a bark and then launches himself at Harry. Harry’s knees buckle and he seems to have Louie safely in his arms but then a wave hits him and he totters. Louie barks furiously, Harry shouts something and then a massive surge of surf engulfs him and the dog. Lily screams. Seconds later there’s only boiling foam where dog and man had been standing.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Lily screams again. ‘Louie. Noooo!’

  I stumble but recover as she knocks my arm and starts to scramble over the rocks towards Cal and the crashing waves.

  ‘Wait!’ I shout, but Lily is wading through the rock pools, almost lost in spray as the breakers smash against the rocks. Cal is yelling too, scanning the sea at his feet while trying to avoid the waves. Oh God, please don’t let him go in too. I remember when Mitch went in an angry sea last summer, Cal went in too and was drunk and we all almost drowned. I shiver at the memory. I was terrified for Cal and Mitch, and it was summer then. This sea is even angrier and far colder.

  ‘Call 999,’ I shout to Ben and Mawgan, standing on the beach. ‘Get the RNLI out.’

  They pull out their phones but I’m afraid that by the time the rescue boat arrives, it will be way too late.

  ‘I think I can see them,’ Cal warns, ‘Lily, keep back!’

  But Lily either can’t hear him or is too blinded by panic to listen as she slithers over the rocks to reach him. I follow her, getting myself soaked in a rock pool in the process. ‘I can’t lose them. I can’t. I c-c-c can’t. Someone do something,’ she sobs, teetering on the edge of the rocks.

  Cal takes her arm. ‘No. It’d be crazy for anyone else to go in. We have to let the RNLI do their job.’

  ‘Where are they? Where?’

  ‘I saw Harry and Louie a second ago bobbing around that big rock. And the lifeboat station is over on the far side of the beach. They’ll be here soon.’ Cal sounds frantic and I definitely can’t see the lifeboat launching yet.

  Luckily I can see Be
n on his phone and a few people gathering next to him. But even if the RNLI launch right this instant it will be a few more minutes before they get here. Harry and the dog could have drowned by then. It takes moments in this freezing water.

  ‘Look!’ I shout and point to a large jagged rock a few yards ahead of us. Harry is swimming towards it but keeps being beaten back by the surf. ‘It’s Harry, and Louie too. I’m sure I spotted him.’

  ‘Where?’ Cal shouts and Lily wails.

  Harry has disappeared again and I wonder if I imagined my glimpse of Louie.

  ‘Why isn’t anyone going to help them? Why not?’ Lily shouts to Cal.

  Cal wavers. Lily grabs his arm and screams at him and then he starts to take off his jacket.

  ‘No. No, Cal!’ My shout makes him hesitate. ‘You can’t go in there. It will only make things worse.’

  ‘There’s Louie!’ Lily screams and without warning takes a flying leap from the rocks into the angry sea.

  I might throw up. There are now three of them in the water and Cal is taking off his boots too despite my protests. I scramble forward, ignoring the sharp rocks and the slimy wet pools until I can grab him. ‘Don’t go in, Cal, please,’ I beg.

  ‘I need to do something.’ He sounds completely desperate.

  ‘Look. The lifeboat’s on its way!’ I point to the station across the other side of the beach where the orange inshore boat is now clearly visible on the slipway. ‘They’re coming. Please don’t go in and make it even worse.’

  Cal holds his head and shouts ‘Shittttttt!’ but I’m so relieved because he realises I’m right. My relief lasts a second because I’ve spotted Lily bobbing up in the surf and flailing her arms. There’s no sign of Harry or Louie and I start to fear the worst.

  ‘I’ll stay here to try and keep sight of them,’ Cal says.

  ‘Be careful.’

  ‘I think I see Harry – and look, there’s Louie!’ he shouts.

  Louie has somehow scrambled up the cliff at the edge of the beach and is shivering on a tiny ledge. Harry’s head pops up a few yards away, making for Lily who’s being tossed around by the waves. There’s a high-pitched whine as the lifeboat zooms towards us across the bay. Please, please let them get here in time. Please.