“Charmaine? Is that right?” Bea addressed her.
The girl looked up, cheeks flushing red. “Uh, yeah, that’s it.”
“I remember you from yesterday. How did you go at Betsy’s?”
The girl smiled. “She gave me a job and a place to stay. I’m living above the shop in a little flat.”
“Wow, that’s fantastic,” Bea replied. “These are my friends, Evie, Taya and Penny.”
“Nice to meet you,” Charmaine said, waving to the group.
“Charmaine has moved here from…” Bea’s eyes narrowed. She couldn’t recall if the girl had told her where she’d come from, but she was curious to know.
“All around… I move a lot,” Charmaine replied.
“That’s interesting.” Penny laughed. “I never move. I’ve lived in the same house most of my life. I’ll probably die there.”
“Wow,” Charmaine responded, eyes wide. “I can’t imagine doing that.”
“Boring is probably the best way to describe it.”
“No, I wouldn’t say that. I’d love to have that kind of stability. I don’t have anywhere that’s home. Not really.”
“Well, maybe Coral Island will be that for you,” Taya suggested.
“I hope so.”
“Penny’s getting married soon,” Bea said. “That’s a big enough change for now, I’d say.”
“Congratulations. I couldn’t help overhearing that you’re having trouble planning it. I’ve done some wedding planning in the past. If you need help, I’m looking for extra work so I can save up to buy myself a bike. I’d be happy to help.”
“Really?” Penny’s eyebrows arched high. “A wedding planner on Coral Island? I never thought I’d see the day. But honestly, that would be such a big help. You’re sure you have the time to do it?”
Charmaine nodded. “Absolutely. We can meet to talk about the kinds of things you’re looking for, and I’ll put together some ideas to show you.”
Bea listened as Penny and Charmaine continued chatting about the wedding before Charmaine excused herself and left the café. It would’ve been wise for Penny to ask for references or dig into the girl’s background a little bit before hiring her, but she wasn’t about to interfere. If Penny was happy to do business that way, who was Beatrice to tell her otherwise?
Penny had always been a free spirit whose choices in life were often impulsive and who responded to things with a raw emotion that Bea rarely displayed. Sometimes she wished she could be as passionate as Penny, but at the same time, she didn’t want the drama it often brought. She’d experienced more than enough drama for her taste in recent years, and she certainly didn’t need more of it.
After Taya and Penny had left, Evie helped Bea washed the last of the cups and plates. The café was empty. The afternoon rush was over, and Bea was looking forward to closing the cafe and heading home to Fudge, her sweet little pug, and hopefully a quiet night with her boyfriend, Aidan. Just then, Aidan walked into the café and strode across the hardwood floor to plant a kiss on her lips. His warm arms wrapped her up, and he held her close to his firm chest. She was so grateful the two of them had found each other again after so many years apart.
“Are you almost finished here?”
She smiled at him. “Very close. Be done in a minute.”
“What can I do to help?”
“You can put the chairs on the tables, if you like.”
He got to work, and Beatrice set about compiling a list of supplies to order while the rest of the staff swept and mopped. She was finally at a place in her life where everything was going smoothly. Harry had recovered from Lyme disease six months earlier and was now in perfect health once again. He was back at university, enjoying his studies, and on his way to becoming a doctor.
Her daughter, Danita, was loving her interior design degree program and had even helped a local business in Sydney redesign their fit-out for a small fee. She was on her way to becoming a competent professional, and Beatrice couldn’t be prouder of both her adult children. They were sensible and rational, made good choices, worked hard, were responsible, and seemed to be tackling life in Sydney with verve. And both had accepted their parents’ recent divorce with aplomb.
The icing on the cake was that Bea and her father had reconciled after a strained relationship over many years. She’d avoided Coral Island, and him by extension, since visiting it had conjured up painful memories of the mother she’d lost at a tender age. He’d had some health issues recently as well, reminding her that he wouldn’t be around forever.
She intended to take every opportunity from now on to rebuild the family she’d pushed away all those years ago. And hopefully give her own children an example of how important those relationships were to her, and how family could fight, spend time apart and have disagreements, but at the end of the day, they were inextricably connected. Family was more important to her at this stage of her life than it had ever been. She only wondered why she’d taken so long to figure out what many people seemed to understand implicitly.
Life was good.
