Guy’s Italian Coffee Bar, where Maisie worked part-time, was always busy. Situated at the entrance to the local shopping mall, it was popular with the young mums who came in after the school run for their lattes and a gossip before rushing off to their various gyms, hairdressers and pilates classes. They were followed by the shoppers, intent on filling up with caffeine before indulging in a mammoth retail-therapy session, and then, at lunchtime, the office workers swarmed in. Maisie loved it all – until the day John appeared and saw her.
Busy preparing four coffees while she waited for the cheese paninis ordered to accompany them, she had her back to the café when she heard his voice and froze, not believing her ears. Surely it couldn’t be? She risked a quick look and saw him sitting at a table with two other men she recognised as regular customers. They worked in a nearby office and came in for lunch at least three times a week. What was John doing with them?
Thankfully they were sitting at a table the other waitress served and not one of hers. But of course it was too much to hope that John wouldn’t see her as she made her way through the café with the ordered coffees and lunches. Carefully watching where she was going and avoiding looking in his direction she still couldn’t help but hear his shocked, ‘Maisie!’
As she turned to return to the kitchen, John had left his table and was standing in front of her. ‘What are you doing here?’
‘Um, working?’ Maisie said.
‘Yes, I can see that, but… I thought… you’d go home after…’ He stammered broken sentences at her.
‘After you dumped me, you mean?’
John had the grace to look ashamed. ‘I’m sorry about that. Where are you living? How are you coping?’
Maisie glared at him. ‘What do you care?’
She saw Guy jerk his head at her, indicating a customer who was waiting to be served. ‘Sorry, I’ve got work to do.’ And she turned and made her way over to the customer. For the next half hour the café was busy and Maisie studiously avoided looking in John’s direction although she could sense him watching her moving around serving customers. She was relieved when he and his companions stood up to leave without him attempting to speak to her again. Her relief was short-lived, though, when Guy told her that, while paying his bill, John had asked what time she finished.
‘Said he was an old friend of yours – I hope he was telling the truth?’ Guy said, looking at her. ‘You do know him?’
‘Oh yes, I know him,’ Maisie said wearily, realising John would now be waiting for her when she finished work.
As she left the café later there was no sign of him and she breathed a sigh of relief which quickly turned to one of annoyance as John fell into step beside her. He’d clearly been waiting out of sight for her to appear.
‘It’s good to see you,’ he said. When she didn’t respond he said, ‘So, how are you enjoying life down here?’ He was acting for all the world as though the two of them were still good friends.
‘It’s great,’ Maisie said. ‘You? What are you doing over this side of town?’
‘New job. The guys I was with at lunchtime? They’re my new office buddies. See the building over there? Tenth floor, window on the corner, my new office as of tomorrow.’
Maisie’s heart sank. She could do without him working in the same area and coming into the café on a regular basis. ‘What happened to the other job? The one that was going to earn lots of money for your future?’
John shook his head. ‘Didn’t work out but this one feels good.’ He glanced at her. ‘I’m really sorry for the way I treated you, but at the time it seemed the right thing to do.’
Maisie stopped dead. ‘The right thing? For whom? You maybe, but not me. Not only was it wrong, it was cruel.’ She glared at him. ‘I don’t think I’ll ever forgive you for dumping me like that. Still with her?’
John shook his head. ‘No. That didn’t work out either. After a month she decided I was too boring for words and went off with a DJ. So you can see my life down here hasn’t been easy either,’ John protested. ‘Nothing worked out as I planned. Before I got this new job I was beginning to think I’d made a big mistake moving down here.’
‘Join the club,’ Maisie said, starting to walk away. ‘Bet you didn’t end up on the streets, though,’ she muttered under her breath.
‘No, I managed to find a bedsit to rent,’ John said. ‘Hey, what’s that about streets? You didn’t…?’ His voice trailed away as Maisie nodded. ‘I didn’t mean for that to happen. I can only say I’m sorry again.’
‘But it did happen. So a simple “sorry” from you doesn’t really do it for me.’
‘But you’re all right now, aren’t you? You’ve got somewhere to live and a job.’ He caught hold of Maisie’s arm and pulled her to a halt. ‘I’m really, truly sorry that I treated you so badly – at least let me try now and make it up to you. If you need some money, I’ve got a bit of cash left – not a lot but if you need some, it’s yours. You can repay me when you’re back on your feet.’
Furious, Maisie pulled her arm away and started walking again. ‘I don’t need your money. And to be honest I don’t want you in my life either.’
‘Hell, Maisie, we go back a long way. Can’t we at least be friends again? Think of the aggro we’ll get from the parents – from everybody back home actually – if we’re not.’
Maisie glanced at him. Was that all he was worried about? Their families learning the truth about how they’d fallen out? About how badly he’d treated her. Maisie knew her mum and dad had been furious with him when Maisie had finally told them the truth about her early life in London. Presumably John’s own family would be cross with him too.
They walked in silence for a minute or two before Maisie broke the silence. ‘You planning on lunching at Guy’s very often?’
‘Seems to be the place everyone likes.’ John shrugged. ‘Shouldn’t be a problem if we’re friends, should it?’
Maisie sighed. ‘I suppose not.’
‘Good. In that case – I’ll see you tomorrow, we’ll talk more then. Bye for now. I need to catch that bus.’
Before Maisie could say it was her day off tomorrow, John had gone. Oh well, at least she could put him out of her mind again for thirty-six hours.