CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Allie
Wednesday morning was as busy as Tuesday. I walked briskly into the bakery and set up the front room. I was the first person there this morning. I'm not surprised... I can't sleep at the moment.
I was restless. I was mad.
“It's all his fault.”
I was furious with Drew. I was, even more so, furious with myself. I couldn't believe I'd been taken in.
“Ms. Hendricks?”
“Marcelle,” I called, pushing the table into place with my foot. I was rearranging stools and tables, setting out sugar-dishes automatically. “Having a good morning?”
“Not bad, Mrs. Hendricks. At least it's sunny out.”
“It is,” I nodded. “Nice change.”
“Yeah.”
She came in, pulling a net over her hair. “Oven's on?”
“Just started heating it. You can start baking any time you like...” I called over my shoulder as I put the last table down and got ready to open the door.
“Sure thing, Mrs. Hendricks.”
When I had finished opening up and went into the kitchen, she was already rolling croissants from the dough I'd made the previous night. I ate one of yesterday's scones for breakfast, then started working.
“Phone again,” Marcelle called. “Shall I get it?”
“I'm on my way.”
As I had every morning that week, I tensed before I lifted it. If it was Drew I wasn't going to talk to him. I'd just pass him on to Marcelle. I was furious.
If he thinks he can walk into my life, use me and walk out, he needs to think a bit longer next time.
I wasn't going to let him do that to me. What did he think I was? Unfeeling? I cleared my throat.
“Hello? Sugarlips bakery. How can we help?”
“Hi. I'd like to order croissants from you for morning tea. Could you do fifty for Saturday?”
“Sure,” I agreed. I took the details, hung up, and leaned against the wall. Somehow, though I really wanted to avoid speaking to Drew again, a part of me still wished he would at least try and get in touch with me. He'd sent one text that could have been from anyone, to anyone. One text to ask if I was okay. I hadn't even answered it.
If he doesn't care about using me, why would he even care whether I was okay or not?
I wasn't going to contact him again. Not for that. Not for some perfectly insincere wish that he would probably have expressed to some business contact as easily as to me. Why did I think I mattered to him? Why was I so quick to think that? I was just a nobody. I should remember that.
I heard someone ring the bell and I hurried to the front of house and took the first orders of the day.
“Two coffees, please. And two jam scones.”
“Coming right up,” I said tiredly. My eyes scanned the crowded cafe and I scraped a strand of brown hair out of my way, feeling under-equipped to deal with a group like this.
I'm so tired. And really, I don't feel like it. It's just not worth it... nothing's really worth it, is it?
As I was setting up the coffee machine, I caught sight of a familiar face.
“Frank!” I said.
“Hi.” He came in and walked around the side of the counter, joining me in the kitchen. He looked cheerful and relaxed and it made me feel better just to see his rugged, happy face.
“This is a surprise,” I said when we'd finished in the shop-front for a moment. He was in the kitchen, leaning against the wall.
“Yeah. I can't stay long. I just wanted to chat. How's things?”
I sighed. “Not bad,” I said in a small voice. He gave me a funny look.
“Yeah, and not good either. What's up? You're not happy.”
“No,” I said. “I guess I'm not it's...it's lots of things, Frank. Mostly I wonder why I bother.”
“No. Don't wonder that,” Frank said gently. He sounded genuinely upset. “There are so many of us who're glad you do bother.”
I chuckled. His gentleness, his kind smile, made my heart sore. I wanted to cry. They were so much in contrast to the unkindness I'd experienced in life. “Frank...you're just sweet.”
“No, I'm not,” he said gently. “You are. And so many of us appreciate that. You know Kelsey idolizes you, right?”
“What?” It was my turn to be incredulous. “No way!”
He laughed. “Yes! I can't believe you,” he added, shaking his head in obvious amusement. “You mean you hadn't noticed?”
“Yes,” I nodded. “Kelsey's a great girl. Sensible, honest...I would never have thought she would admire me!”
“Well she does. And so do I?”
Now I was about to cry. “Oh, Frank,” I said. I leaned back on the wall and closed my eyes. “Don't say such lovely things. I really will cry, then. And then I'll have to big swollen eyes all day... that isn't any good at all for serving customers out in the front there.”
He laughed. “Oh, Allie. It's good to have you back. I'm sure whatever it is will work out. But please – don't ever say it's not worth it. You have no idea what a difference you make to people's lives just by being in them.”
I gulped. “You too, Frank. You just saved my sanity.”
He grinned. “I'm not going to claim that.”
I rolled my eyes at him. “Frank Raymond. You can get out of my kitchen,” I said with a big grin. “Or I'll show you how lacking in sanity I've got...”
“Alright, alright... I'm going! I'm going!”
I was laughing as I chased him to the back door. Marcelle ignored our antics, patiently unloading croissants from the oven. I heard the bell go in the front and headed quickly out.
“Two coffees, one apricot croissant and a bun, please.”
“Coming right up,” I said cheerfully.
I had stopped feeling quite as down after Frank's visit. But nothing was going to convince me to forgive Drew.
“I think your phone made a noise,” Marcelle commented as she walked past me to the counter-top.
“Oh?” I felt a sudden excitement, though I pretended not to care. Why should I care? I knew what Drew's game was now. I wasn't interested in it.
I casually finished cutting out the scones and putting them on the tray and then I went to the back to find my phone.
Allie? Are you mad at me?
I sighed. It was Drew. I wasn't going to answer, though. How could he ask such a question! Of course I was mad at him. If he didn't know, and he didn't know why, then there wasn't much point.
I put my phone back into my pocket without reply.
“Ms. Hendricks?”
“Uh huh?”
“We need a cappuccino and two Mocha Lattes...could you do it? I'm scared of that thing..:”
I grinned as Kelsey came to find me, her big blue eyes wide with concern. “Sure,” I said, and headed to the front to do the coffee-making thing. While I was there I noticed Footballer Guy in the doorway. I headed through to the back.
“Kelsey?”
“Uh huh?” She looked up from putting jam on some scones, a little frown on her smooth brow.
“Could you just go and check on Table 2, please? I think they're ready to order and I need to get the next lot of buns mixed urgently.”
“Oh. Sure.”
She bounded out and as I slipped back into the kitchen I smiled to myself. She might be out there a while.
Marcelle and I settled down to working on the big catering order together and I forgot about Drew Liston for a while. It was only when I looked up into the shop-front and saw a man in a dark suit that I remembered how sad I was. My mind had instantly filled in Drew's features over the top.
“Jeez…”
Suddenly I was sad again, just because of a damn guy in a suit. I shook my head at myself. Come on, Allie. Grow up. You're not eighteen anymore.
But I knew it didn't matter. Pain was pain and love was love. And I felt both for Drew. I couldn't help it. I had loved him since shortly after the first time I'd met him. And over the years nothing had changed... except maybe to get even stronger.
You might have treated mw just a little better this time. I sighed. I should have known him better by now. He was never going to be honest with me. I might as well resign myself to that and to the fact that, given his dishonesty, we just weren't suited. That would have to be that.
I almost cut my finger as I sliced a scone deftly in half, my eyes blurred with tears.