Georgia Hill - Millie Vanilla’s Cupcake Café

‘You okay, Mil?’ Zoe asked. ‘You’re a bit flushed.’

She gave the girl a tight grin. ‘I’m fine. I hate to say this and I hate to be unsympathetic about Daisy, but I suppose, if everyone has eaten, do you think we ought to go back to work?’

And, to good-natured groans and mutterings of what a slave driver she was, they did.

Once everyone had said weary goodbyes, with the promise to return the following day, Millie turned to Jed and offered to cook him supper. To her disappointment, he refused, saying his parents were staying in Lyme and they expected him for dinner.

She went up to the flat, her entire being on fire from Jed’s goodbye kisses. Trevor, worn out from all the excitement, trailed up the steps behind her, his tail drooping. It had been an exhausting day, even without the emotional fallout from Arthur and Biddy’s argument. Millie prayed they’d make up. Zoe had promised to pop over to Biddy’s in an attempt to build bridges.

Too preoccupied to eat, Millie opened a bottle of wine and drew her favourite chair to the picture window, which was the best feature of the flat. It mirrored the ones in the café below and looked straight out, across the beach, to open sea.

The days were lengthening. No matter how wild and wet a winter they’d had, spring was usually quick in coming to this part of the coast. Millie opened a window. Along with the chatter of people wandering past below, the breeze brought in warm salty air from the sea and the distant cackles of gulls before they settled for the night. Trevor came to her and rested his head on her knee, giving a heartfelt sigh.

‘Know what you mean, Trev. It’s been quite a day.’ She tugged gently on his woolly ears and enjoyed the warmth of his little body against her leg. Maybe it was just tiredness but she’d never felt more content. However, any relaxation was short-lived. Stretching out muscles stiff from painting, Millie got up, ignored Trevor’s grumbles and took her wine to the kitchen. She had work to do.

Millie forced herself up and out of bed early the following morning. She needed to walk Trevor before another day working on the café. On her return from a blissfully solitary walk on the beach, one of the perks of rising at daybreak, she unlocked the café and stood for a minute, appraising the work done so far.

She’d been worried the bright colours they were adding might be too much – too busy in such a small space. Jed and Sean had given the floor its first coat of white paint before finishing yesterday and she could already see how it would calm everything down. Once the re-painted furniture was back in, it would be perfect. Or as perfect as her present budget allowed.

‘Hi, Millie.’

Millie turned to see Tessa standing in the doorway. She began to tease her friend about bailing on her yesterday, but then saw her pinched and tense face.

‘Can I have a word?’

‘Of course you can. Let’s sit outside, though. I can’t guarantee the paint’s dry in here.’

They perched on the low wall next to the aubrieta, which had suddenly blossomed into a vivid purple cascade.

‘Is everything alright, Tess? The boys are okay, aren’t they? Sean looked hale and hearty yesterday. It’s not Ken? He did look a bit preoccupied, come to think of it, but he’s done a fantastic job on retouching the mural. It’s as good as new.’

Tessa looked out to sea and blinked in the bright sunshine. She shook her head. ‘No, everyone’s fine. I’ve got something to say to you. Something that won’t be very good to hear, kiddo.’

Millie’s stomach did that peculiar flipping-over thing that happens when you fear you’re about to receive bad news. She’d rarely seen her best friend so serious. She reached out a hand. ‘God, Tessa, what’s wrong?’

‘Don’t be nice, Millie, alright? I’ve got this new job, see.’

‘Well, that’s a good thing.’

‘Making bread.’

‘Even better.’ Millie forced a jolly note into her voice, but she knew what was coming. Just knew it.

‘Blue Elephant have taken me on to do their range of artisan breads.’

Millie nodded. Part of her noticed how far out the tide had gone this morning. A man was throwing a tennis ball to his Labrador. The dog was barking excitedly. A family were heading out to the rocks at the edge of the harbour wall. Making the most of the low tide to do some rock-pooling. The sun hit hard off the wet sand and made her eyes water. It made it difficult to see. Part of her was aware Tessa was still talking. Giving reasons. Making excuses.

‘And it means I won’t have time to do both. I just won’t be able to supply you with bread as well as them and they –’

‘Pay more,’ Millie finished. She added in a monotone, ‘Of course they would.’

‘Aw, Millie, I’m so sorry, it’s just with Ken not bringing much in and that exhibition of his making a loss, I didn’t have a choice. The kids aren’t getting any cheaper and Louis looks like he’ll get to university and –’

Millie put up her hand to stop the flow of hopes for Tessa and Ken’s middle son. ‘Was that why you were at Blue Elephant on the afternoon of their launch?’

‘Me? Oh, you saw me, did you? Yes, the manager asked me to go in for a meeting. To discuss the range he wants me to develop. They want me to start immediately, but didn’t give me much choice in the matter, to be honest.’ Tessa added lamely. ‘Where will you get your bread from now?’

‘Bread?’ Millie tried to focus. ‘I don’t know. I can make some, but I’m not a bread- baker in your league. Haven’t got the time.’

‘Maybe Berringtons will let you have some?’ Tessa named the town baker. She was obviously trying to be helpful.

‘Yes, that’s possible.’ Millie stood up. She couldn’t face talking to Tessa any more. Was afraid of saying too much, of ruining their friendship beyond repair. ‘And now, if you don’t mind, I’ve a busy day in front of me.’

Tessa stood too. ‘Yeah, okay.’ She turned to go and then stopped. She turned back to Millie, who was staring unseeing out to sea. ‘Mil, I’m really sorry. I hope – well, I hope you’ll be able to see why I had to do it. I hope –’

‘Yes, Tessa?’ Millie’s voice was steely.

Tessa flinched. ‘We can still be friends, right?’

Millie stared at her. The rational part of her understood Tessa’s decision. But this was her friend. Her best friend. It felt like the worst kind of betrayal. ‘Time will tell, Tessa,’ she said quietly, desperate not to let the hurt show. ‘I think we just need some time apart right now, don’t we?’ And, with that, she turned on her heel and went into the café.

It was a slightly depleted work party that trailed in an hour later. Not surprisingly, Ken didn’t show up, although Sean did. When Arthur arrived, with Zoe in tow, they made a huge fuss over a wriggling Trevor.

‘No Biddy,’ Zoe whispered, when Arthur was busy checking whether the paintbrushes had been properly cleaned the night before. ‘She’s still dead cross over what Granddad said, but she promised to do some sewing at home.’

Poor Biddy. With all the fuss over Daisy’s operation, her hurt had been overlooked yesterday. ‘Is she okay?’ Millie asked.

Zoe pulled a face. ‘Seemed like it. Guess she’s used to it, what with once being a sex worker. Must make you hard as nails. I’ll try to work on Granddad. Got a feeling if he does some major-league grovelling, she’ll come round.’

‘I hope so. Friendship’s important.’

‘Yeah and those two are besties, even though they argue like mad.’

Millie wondered if her own friendship with Tessa would ever recover. Pledging to keep herself busy, she hoped it would stop her dwelling on what Tessa had done. Hard work had eased the grief once before in her life and it might be the salve again.