As the morning woke up, the birds started chattering, the spring sun filled the cafe with shimmering dust and locals drifted in and out to have a nose.
Andrew Neil from the lighthouse popped in for a quick cup of tea and said, ‘I’ve been watching, you know. I’ve been watching your changes. I came to tell you I approve.’
Annie rested her forearms on the counter surface and said, ‘Thank you very much. Tell all your lot at the recording studio that they can have a ten percent discount. More if they’re famous.’
‘Oh don’t go giving your profits away too soon, missy. I’ll tell them no such thing. Just to get their butts in here ASAP.’
Annie laughed. ‘Whatever you think is best.’
Andrew took a slug of his coffee, then said, ‘I meant to ask, do you know why Holly’s turned down quite a bit of work recently? I had her lined up for three sessions and she said no.’
Annie shrugged. ‘Maybe she was busy.’
‘Is she working somewhere else? Do you know? She’s the best I’ve got and if someone’s paying her more…?’
‘Andrew, I really don’t know. You’ll have to ask her yourself.’ Annie shook her head. As far as she knew, Holly worked to live, always doing just enough to get by and still enjoy her life. Doing backing vocals and voiceovers for Andrew was easy money and her main source of income. ‘I don’t know why she’d be turning you down.’
Andrew shrugged as if he didn’t have a clue either and downed the rest of his cappuccino.
‘Well if you see her, ask her,’ he said, then smiled and added, ‘Whatever happened to that husband of yours?’
‘Who knows.’ Annie rolled her eyes.
Andrew laughed. ‘Well, you certainly don’t seem like the crazy young thing you were back then. I’m glad you’re back, Annie. I liked your dad.’ His mouth was barely visible behind his big white beard and moustache, but she could see his eyes twinkle as he spoke.
‘Thanks. I’m probably not back though, just getting the place up and running.’
Andrew made a face, as if that was a shame, and out the corner of her eye Annie saw both Matt and River pause where they were stacking up more paint to carry outside.
‘How long are you going to stay for?’ River asked quietly, as Andrew left.
Annie stood up straight, ‘Oh I’m not sure yet,’ she said, trying to dismiss the look of worry on his face. Matt was looking at the floor. ‘No immediate plans, but, you know, I have my life back at home? My business?’
River shook his hair out of his eyes and said, ‘I thought this was your business.’
‘It is but you guys can run this. I mean look at what you’ve done in two or three days. Look at Ludo’s menu!’ She tried to lighten the tone, holding up the lovely cardboard menus that she’d had printed at one of the studios at the back of the island. Simple. Plain. Black typewriter font on roughened card, a list of brunch, then the selection of tapas and finally cakes and coffees. And at the top, a revamped version of the logo that she’d designed herself: a single dandelion puff, mid-blow, half its seeds floating off and away to the other side of the menu.
‘Yeah but we wouldn’t have done that without you,’ River said.
‘Give her a break, River,’ Matt said, softly. ‘You can’t make someone stay.’
River scoffed. ‘I should know,’ he said, and walked back out to the half-painted window.
Clemmie had woken up and was slouched, hungover, on one of the picnic tables outside. Annie watched her shield her eyes from the sun as River walked over in her direction.
‘Sorry about that,’ Matt said.
‘No problem,’ Annie nodded. He looked at her as if he was about to say something else, his brow furrowing for a second, then he just gave a slight shake of the head and followed River out. In the mirror by the windows she could see the muscles in his arms and neck tense from the paint he was carrying, but it was his expression that surprised her. It was obvious that he didn’t think she could see him because on his face was a look of complete disappointment. So clear that it made Annie bite her lip in excitement.
He was disappointed that she was leaving.
But as she said it again in her head she realised that it wasn’t actually something to get excited about. Because she was leaving. She had to leave.
She had a life away from here.
She had her flat. All paid up.
Her business.
Her business that, yes, she could run from anywhere, but she couldn’t live back here. There were too many memories. Too much remembered of who she was then rather than who she was now.
There was her brother.
Urgh.
But then there was Gerty. If Annie lived here she could work on making sure Gerty stayed unique. Stayed fun and independent and never have her wings clipped.
And there was the cafe. And Ludo, who’d just bashed his way in with a wheelbarrow full of Spanish produce.
‘From a little shop in Ladbroke Grove,’ he said, by way of explanation.
And Martha.
‘Annie,’ she’d said when she came in that morning in a pair of ancient dungarees ready for work. ‘I can make brownies, flapjacks and Victoria sponge. As well as the Cherry Pie. I don’t think the cakes we buy in are very good.’
Annie had tried some of the carrot cake that they had in boxes in the freezer and been reminded of the synthetic sugar high she’d get at birthday parties as a kid. ‘Well maybe you could make those cakes for the cafe, Martha?’ she said.
‘Well it would be extra work. But if you insist, OK then.’
And Holly, who Annie was going to have to have a word with. Put a stop to all these rumours and questions.
And her mother.
‘Now, sweetheart, I’ve brought you these.’ Winifred was lumbering in weighed down with two huge industrial raspberry-pink pendant lights.
‘Erm, you can’t give me them. They’re from your kitchen.’
‘Well, it gives me an excuse to buy some new ones, doesn’t it?’
‘What does Valtar say?’ Annie asked, helping her mum with the beautiful vintage lights.
‘Oh he doesn’t know.’ Winifred waved a hand, then said, ‘Now I think they’d look marvellous in the windows. Especially now it’s all turquoise.’
And then there was River. Who had just come to stand in the doorway with Clemmie, who had Buster clutched in her pale, thin arms.
‘Annie, you’re going to have to have an opening party, aren’t you?’
‘I hadn’t really thought about it, River.’
‘You are.’ Clemmie nodded.
‘The band aren’t playing on Saturday. If you wanted it to be at the weekend,’ River said.
Annie ummed and ahhed. ‘The band might be a bit loud for an opening party.’
‘We can play old stuff,’ said Clemmie, who was wearing one of River’s T-shirts over her leopard-print trousers and no shoes or socks. ‘Stuff you’d like.’
‘I’m not old!’ Annie said, hands on hips.
‘Well.’ Clemmie hesitated, unconvinced. ‘Stuff that the old people would like?’ she offered.
‘We sometimes play country,’ River said with a shrug.
‘You do?’ This seemed incongruous to Annie. ‘Do you play Dolly Parton?’
Ludo came to stand next to her. ‘He does, very well. Are we having a party?’
‘Who’s having a party?’ Martha asked from where she was filling some of the shelves that Matt had put up with old tea pots, a copper kettle that Andrew Neil had donated and a selection of mismatched china. On one of them, as well as the cake stands, she had displayed her own elaborate collection of vintage cake tins and moulds, and on another had begun separating knives and forks in terracotta flower pots.
‘Are you having a party?’ asked Holly, who squeezed past River and Clemmie in the doorway, still dressed in her rowing kit.
‘Looks like it!’ Annie shrugged a shoulder as if she had no choice in the matter and River gave a little whoop then looked around, embarrassed.
And then there was Matt.
Matt who had come to stand in the doorway, and Annie met his eyes over the top of his son’s head. He nodded, like he was pleased she was celebrating, but it was all bittersweet because now they knew it marked an end, as well as a beginning.