The Lemon Tree Café

by Cathy Bramley

  The shower room was immaculate and my heart did another flip when I saw a big and little toothbrush nestled together in a mug above the sink.

  ‘And last but by no means tidy,’ Gabe knocked on the last door before opening it, ‘my son and heir’s room.’

  ‘Dad!’ Noah yelled excitedly from beneath a heap of baby clothes. ‘Look. From when I was little. I remember this.’

  He still looked little to me. He held up a tiny yellow and grey cot blanket in his chubby fingers. He had dimples along his knuckles, his hair was as unruly as his dad’s and his smile just as infectious.

  ‘Oh dude.’ Gabe groaned and rubbed a hand over his face. ‘What a mess. I remember it too. Say hello to Rosie.’

  ‘Hello,’ Noah said dutifully without looking up. ‘Why did I have a dress?’

  He pointed to an ivory lace gown on the floor.

  Gabe swallowed. He picked it up and stroked it tenderly.

  ‘This was Mummy’s when she was a baby,’ he murmured. ‘And you wore it for your christening too.’

  ‘I don’t want the dress,’ said Noah, looking horrified. ‘But I’m keeping the rest.’

  Gabe shook his head. ‘There’s no room, mate. You can keep a few things, but not all of it.’

  Noah’s face crumpled. ‘Oh but—’

  ‘Hey, I’ve brought cake,’ I said, holding my hand out to him. ‘Do you want some?’

  ‘Thanks for the distraction,’ Gabe murmured a few minutes later after I’d pacified Noah with a slice of Juliet’s cake. ‘I want him to be able to hold on to some of the things, especially the ones that belonged to his mum. But it’s just the space issue.’

  We were standing in the galley kitchen watching Noah finishing his cake whilst also digging into the box marked ‘G&M wedding’. Gabe handed me a glass of wine and pointed to the box Noah was rifling through.

  ‘I’m pretty sure Mimi’s wedding dress is in there. I got rid of most of her clothes, but I didn’t … I couldn’t …’

  ‘What about a memory quilt?’ I said, suddenly remembering something I’d seen on Pinterest. ‘A patchwork quilt made from squares of the fabrics you want to keep.’

  Gabe raised his eyebrows thoughtfully. ‘That could work. And as you’ve already seen, I’m quite handy with a sewing machine.’

  Noah jumped to his feet, snapped off the TV and stacked his plate in the sink.

  ‘Thank you,’ he yelled over his shoulder as he ran back to his room.

  ‘Do you want to help cook the hot dogs?’ Gabe called after him.

  ‘You can do it,’ said Noah, as if he was doing his dad a favour. ‘But I’ll do the marshmallows.’

  Noah’s bedroom door shut firmly. Gabe and I looked at each other, amused.

  ‘He’s four,’ said Gabe. ‘Imagine how much control I’ll have over him when he’s fourteen.’

  I chopped and fried onions while Gabe grilled the sausages and set the table. Within twenty minutes our supper was ready. We chatted while we ate, or rather listened as Noah told me all about his dinosaur collection and what colour his new school uniform was and that he’d really, really like a bed with a slide but the ceiling in his bedroom was too low.

  ‘Perhaps you could have a slide out of the window straight into the river,’ I suggested with a wink.

  Noah’s eyes grew wide. ‘Yeah!’

  Gabe gave me a horrified look. ‘You’re supposed to be on my side.’

  At which point I went pink and couldn’t help wondering what side of the bed he slept on, or had he simply got used to sleeping in the middle on his own?

  ‘Do you want more cake, dude?’ Gabe asked. ‘Or are you saving yourself for marshmallows?’

  ‘Marshmallows. Please may I get down from the table?’ he asked, already scrambling down and heading back to his room.

  ‘Yes,’ Gabe called. ‘What are you doing in there? You’d better not be making more mess.’

  ‘It’s a surprise. Don’t come in.’

  Gabe clapped a hand over his face and groaned. ‘The words no parent wants to hear. Ever.’

  ‘Perhaps he’s trying to squeeze himself into that christening dress,’ I laughed.

  ‘Or maybe he’s making a slide to fit through his window,’ he said, raising an eyebrow.

  ‘I meant well,’ I said.

  ‘Yeah. Everyone always does.’ He stared at me for a moment. ‘Fancy getting some fresh air?’

  The night air was cool and I shivered as we climbed back out on deck. Gabe handed me a blanket and I took it gratefully, wrapping it round my shoulders. I sipped my wine while he slid two of the boxes as far inside as he could to make more room. Then he jumped on to the jetty and untied the ropes.

  ‘Ooh,’ I said, snuggling under my blanket. ‘I wasn’t expecting a trip.’

  Gabe gave The Neptune a push and jumped back on board before starting the engine.

  ‘I promised you a dark sky for stargazing, we need to move away from the lights of the hotel for that.’

  The gentle chug of the engine was mildly hypnotic as we glided slowly through the water and towards the blackness of the countryside. I felt myself start to relax, cosy under the blanket, while a gentle breeze lifted my hair from my face. After only a few minutes we had completely left civilization behind and the only lights were the ones inside The Neptune. Gabe steered us towards the bank and cut the engine. There was a velvety silence; all I could hear was the faint slapping of the water against the hull of the boat and the distant hoot of an owl.

  Gabe climbed on to the bank and I threw him the rope, which he secured around the trunk of a slim tree. He jumped back and ushered me through the boat and out on to the bow where he lit the log burner. Once the fire was blazing, he topped up my glass and we sat side by side watching the flames.

  ‘Poke me if I go to sleep,’ I said, stifling a yawn. ‘I’m so chilled out.’

  ‘Whoops. Is that my cue to liven up?’

  I choked on my wine, worried I’d offended him, but when I looked at him his eyes were sparkling with humour.

  ‘Not at all,’ I said, relieved. ‘I’m enjoying myself. The last few weeks have been hectic; an evening like this is just what I needed.’

  The moon was the merest sliver in the sky, barely visible over the treetops against a backdrop of midnight blue. At first I only saw a handful of stars but as my eyes became accustomed to the dark, more and more of them popped into view.

  ‘I love the night sky,’ he murmured after a few moments. ‘Especially when it’s a new moon like this.’

  ‘Me too,’ I agreed. ‘It puts you in your place, doesn’t it, the sheer majesty of it. We’re just a tiny speck in the universe, so therefore our problems must be microscopic too.’

  ‘Quite a philosopher under that pretty dress, aren’t you?’ Gabe grinned.

  ‘Never you mind what I’ve got under my dress.’

  I caught his eye and we both laughed and I reminded myself that flirting with Gabe was probably not a good idea.

  ‘What do you love about the night sky, then?’ I asked, breaking eye contact.

  ‘Oh, I dunno.’ He shrugged. ‘I guess the sun shows up every bit of a blue sky – it’s just there for you. But at night-time you have to be patient to see it properly, and if you do, you’re rewarded with thousands upon thousands of stars revealing themselves like hidden treasure. I think it’s magic.’

  I tilted my head back and stared upwards, letting my eyes adjust to the blackness after the bright orange glow from the log burner.

  ‘Thanks for inviting me,’ I said softly. ‘And you’re right, it is magical.’

  Our eyes met and we smiled at each other, his handsome profile lit by the reflection of the flames and a deep feeling of peace washed over me.

  ‘It’s a metaphor for life really,’ he continued. ‘The darker the sky, the brighter the stars. Sometimes when Noah asks me about his mum I tell him that she is up there sparkling away, shining a light for us, and she will always be there keeping an eye on us. I
say it for his benefit but that thought has pulled me through many a dark night.’

  I truly felt for him. To lose the love of your life at such a young age must have been awful. There was that old saying, about it being better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. Was falling in love really worth the heartache? My experience so far had told me that it wasn’t but, despite that, deep down I hoped I hadn’t completely given up on love, that maybe one day I’d find the courage to try again.

  I nudged his shoulder with mine. ‘Don’t take this the wrong way, but can I suggest if you ever get to share a romantic moment with a woman under a starry sky, that you don’t mention that your wife is keeping an eye on you from above or you’ll never get your leg over again.’

  His eyes crinkled with humour. ‘Thanks for the advice; I’ll bear it in mind. What about you?’

  I spluttered on my wine. ‘Me?’

  ‘Yes, have you got anyone to share romantic moments with?’

  ‘Oh no,’ I said airily. ‘I don’t really do romantic. I got my fingers burned once. Didn’t like it and have no desire to repeat the experience.’

  Gabe topped up my wine and, after a moment, cleared his throat.

  ‘I’d love to repeat the experience,’ he said. ‘I want to be half of a couple again, to be part of something special, but I don’t know where to start.’

  My heart literally ached for him. That had to be one of the sweetest things I’d ever heard a man say.

  ‘I think you’ve done pretty well. You’ve only been in the village twenty-four hours and you’ve already lured a woman to a dark riverbank and persuaded her to sit next to you under the stars. Not bad for starters.’

  ‘You’re right,’ he said, perking up. ‘I’m better than I thought.’

  ‘There you go.’ I clinked my glass against his. ‘You’ve impressed yourself.’

  ‘I don’t feel impressive.’ He frowned. ‘Sometimes I think I jacked my old life in too easily. I gave up my job – the career that used to make my heart race – the house … everything. I just walked away. I feel like I should have moved on by now.’

  I set my glass down and turned to face him, taking his hand in mine.

  ‘Sometimes moving on has to wait its turn until you’re ready,’ I said firmly. ‘Adjusting to being a single parent and grieving for the person you lost, for the life you lost … that was enough to be dealing with. You did the right thing for you.’

  Gabe nodded. ‘That is the best description of my situation that I’ve ever heard.’

  My insides pinged with pride and I looked back into his soft grey eyes and smiled. ‘And one day you’ll be ready for your heart to race again. And when that day comes, you’ll know.’

  ‘Actually,’ he said in a low husky voice, ‘it’s racing now.’

  Ditto. His face was so close to mine that I could hear his breathing and his mouth looked so kissable …

  Oh God. This was not meant to happen. Gabe was a friend, someone very special to Verity, and not someone who I could afford to have a meaningless fling with. A gentle breeze brushed against my skin making me shiver, and I broke his gaze.

  Gabe reached for my hand. ‘Rosie—’

  A clatter of footsteps from behind us startled me.

  ‘Dad? Is the fire hot now? Is it time to do the marshmallows?’

  Gabe and I sprang apart as Noah forced himself into the gap between our chairs and I took a deep breath, not sure whether I was happy or sad that Noah had broken the moment.

  ‘I think so, dude,’ Gabe said with a grin. ‘It certainly feels hot from where I’m sitting.’

  You and me both, I thought, pressing a cool hand to my face. You and me both.

  Chapter 13

  I spent the whole of the weekend with my head in the café’s accounts. Nonna hadn’t recorded so much as a single payment since parting company with her accountant a year ago and I needed to put everything in order to avoid getting into trouble before the tax office began asking awkward questions.

  She had called in to my cottage with two shopping bags full of pieces of paper on Saturday and I’d given myself a headache trying to sort them into date order and input everything into a spreadsheet. But by Monday I was more or less straight and had even contacted an accountant friend of Dad’s to take a look at it. All this extra work meant that it was the following Tuesday before I had the chance to call Verity and tell her about hanging out with Gabe and Noah.

  ‘I know all about it and I am so proud of myself,’ said Verity smugly. ‘Gabe was moaning about their local school being rubbish and yet refusing to entertain any sensible suggestion I came up with. And then you mentioned your village school inspection. I dropped a few meteor-sized hints about Barnaby’s primary school being successful et voilà! Plus, he’s always had a soft spot for you. That helped.’

  ‘Has he?’ I asked casually.

  ‘Yeah. Since that time in the hospital last year. You were brilliant with Noah when Gabe and I were so upset.’

  I cast my mind back to that awful night in Plumberry. Verity and I had been having cocktails in a restaurant when the call came through that Gloria, who was Gabe’s mother-in-law and Verity’s good friend, had been rushed to hospital. Gabe and Noah were already there when we arrived and I’d played with Noah while Gabe and Verity spoke to the doctors.

  ‘I was glad I could be of use. That was such a tough night.’

  ‘It was,’ Verity sighed. ‘But back to you and Gabe; tell me everything.’

  I craned my neck to look into the conservatory, checking up on our business customers. Three men and one woman had been here for at least an hour having a meeting and I was chuffed to bits. I’d created a LinkedIn profile for the café last week in a bid to attract more business lunches and it seemed to be working. We never normally had customers who spent so much and stayed so long.

  I laughed. ‘I’ve been round to the boat for hot dogs, Verity. That’s all. As friends.’

  ‘Oh I know, I know,’ she said blithely, ‘but even so. He invited a woman to The Neptune and he cooked for you.’

  She said ‘cooked’ as if that was just the sweetest thing.

  ‘Verity Bloom,’ I said calmly, ‘he was glad to see a friendly face in a new place. That’s all. Nothing happened. Honestly.’

  I was glad she couldn’t see my face right now; I was grinning from ear to ear remembering the fun the three of us had had toasting marshmallows under blankets and gazing up at Jupiter, pointed out ably by Noah.

  There was something so intrinsically good about Gabe: his manner with Noah, the way he’d offered to help Clementine, even though he wasn’t a solicitor any more, and the way he’d accepted Dad’s invitation to the football, even though he must have had a million and one more pressing things to do. (Dad had had a great time with Gabe and Noah on Saturday, and he was already talking about the next home game.)

  A man like that … well, even I’d be safe, wouldn’t I?

  ‘Of course nothing happened,’ she laughed. ‘He’s not your type. But do me a favour, will you?’

  ‘What?’ I said, feeling miffed that she’d dismissed the idea of Gabe and me so easily. Was I really that bad a prospect?

  ‘Introduce him to some single girls. Try to fix him up. It’s time he got back out there.’

  I opened my mouth to argue that perhaps Gabe would prefer it if people stopped interfering in his life, but thought better of it; she just cared, that was all.

  ‘Sure, sure,’ I said, my eyes flicking to the door as Stella Derry helped her elderly mother inside and made the international sign for tea. I gave her the thumbs up. ‘Although I can’t think of anyone offhand.’

  Anyway, the thought of another woman taking my place on his boat under the stars made my toes curl.

  ‘Well, keep your eyes peeled. And isn’t Noah just the best boy in the world?’

  ‘He’s a star,’ I agreed, remembering how he’d entertained me on Friday with his theory of why dinosaurs were ‘stinked’.<
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  Noah had been in charge of the marshmallow toasting, getting far too close to the flames for my liking, and I had said as much to Gabe. He had been totally cool and said sometimes you have to learn the hard way. And then he’d said, “God you’re right, Mimi would have killed me …” Then he’d grinned and apologized for talking about Mimi again and I’d reassured him that I was glad she still managed to talk sense into him. And he’d kissed my cheek secretly when Noah wasn’t looking and said that he was pleased to have a friend in Barnaby.

  ‘Rosie?’ Verity said sharply. ‘Are you there?’

  ‘Hmm? Yes. I’m here. And Noah looked so cute in his school uniform yesterday.’

  It had been the first day of the summer term and Noah had been the only new starter at the village school. He’d looked so little but, at the same time, grown up in his shirt and tie. They hadn’t come into the café, but Gabe had tapped on the window so that Noah could give us a twirl.

  Verity fell quiet.

  ‘I’d have loved to have been there on his first day of school,’ she said after a pause. ‘As Mimi couldn’t be. Children need a mother figure in their lives, so badly. Oh well, you’re there now to help him. I’m sure you’ll do a great job.’

  I laughed nervously and brought the call to an end. In the space of two minutes, Verity had successfully recruited me to be a matchmaker for Gabe and a mother figure for Noah. That woman should be running the country …

  An hour later the party of business people were still there. Which was fine; they’d ordered plenty of drinks and now food, but they weren’t very friendly and covered up their documents when we went near them. I’d looked for company logos on their paperwork for a clue as to what they were up to but had spotted none. I was intrigued.

  ‘I’ve been thinking,’ said Lia, emerging from the kitchen with a tray of crispy jacket potatoes. Her cheeks were pink and tendrils of golden hair had slipped from her bun.

  ‘Have you?’ I raised an eyebrow. ‘Do you need a lie-down?’

  She giggled. ‘I know! I think my baby brain doesn’t know what’s hit it. Talking of my baby. Look.’

  She took her phone out of her pocket and showed Doreen and me a picture of Arlo wearing a big inflatable jacket and a striped swim nappy. ‘His first lesson. I don’t know who enjoyed it more, him or Mum.’