Sophie’s got her ‘I told you so’ face on. ‘I suspect you’ll find that Charlie’s been quietly buying up the flats one by one over the last eight or nine years.’
‘Oh, shit.’ Plums peeling the melted chocolate off a meringue, and staring past the roof tops out at the sun glistening on the turquoise sea below.
My chest feels like it imploded. ‘So if he gets his hands on my flat he’ll own the whole building?’
Sophie shudders. ‘Exactly. And after that he can do whatever he wants with the site.’
‘Bloody hell.’ It’s barely a whisper. Suddenly his wrecking ball in my flat seems like nothing. I get as far as imagining him standing in a cloud of dust and rubble where Seaspray Cottage once stood and feel sick. For me and for Laura.
Plum pushes back her hair. ‘So the stakes just racked up a notch. It’s a damned good thing you’ve got these meringues sorted, so we can get straight on with raising your cash. It’s even more important we don’t let him back you into a corner where you’ve got to sell.’
The more I cook in Laura’s kitchen, the more I remember what we did together. Every day I’m there more memories pull into focus. It might be an apron hanging on the door, or a pattern on a saucer that emerges from the depths of a cupboard. But the more I find, the more connections I feel to the place, and the closer I feel to Laura. And the less I want to let it go.
Sophie’s leaning forwards urgently. ‘You need to get onto this straight away. Talk to George first thing tomorrow.’
Plum’s brushing icing sugar off her dungarees and eyeing me cooly. ‘It feels like this could be a good time to launch Operation Cupid Dust?’ She turns to Sophie. ‘We were thinking about bagging Nell the partner of her dreams. This is the perfect time to do it.’
I manage not to choke on my pomegranate swirl meringue as I gasp. I know we’d mentioned Nell liking Charlie ages ago, but somehow I’d forgotten.
Sophie cocks her head. ‘What have you two been hatching without me?’ Our whole lives, she’s always hated being left out. ‘More importantly how do you two fiercely independent women knowanythingabout matchmakingorrelationships?’
I ignore that and catch Plum’s eye. ‘Nellsodeserves a cupid’s dart of her own. We’ve been waiting for the right moment.’ I’m lying through my teeth and forcing myself to sound enthusiastic. If I’m feeling vaguely sick it has to be down to mixing my meringues.
Plum laughs. ‘By which we mean we’re going to give her a damn great shove in Charlie’s direction. Do them both a favour with their love lives and get an insider’s view of Charlie’s dealings at the same time. It’s a no brainer.’
I’m nodding madly. ‘Apart from Nell lighting up like a beacon every time he appears, they’ve gotsomuch in common.’
The way Sophie’s wrinkling her nose she’s really not buying into this. ‘Likewhat?’
I’ve no idea why her voice went so high there, but I’m winging it here. ‘Where shall I begin? They both love profit. And checked shirts. He ticks her pet box with his dog and part-time cat. And they’ve got the whole chicken and cake thing going on too.’ I haven’t done badly there considering I hadn’t prepared.
Plum squints. ‘What’s that last bit?’
‘He’s a master baker, she hasallthe eggs.’ My grin’s triumphant as I turn to Sophie. I might as well go for it now I’ve come this far. ‘Did we tell you he knows about Adelie penguins mating for life? That’s exceptional for a guy. The more we think about it, the more it’s obvious he’s her “one”.’ I’m even shocking myself with the great case I’m making here. I mean, with my lifestyle choices me lusting after him is bonkers. If I did pull him, I’d never have the nerve to follow through, even once. Whereas, Nell’s got enough experience to land him and keep him. Which is exactly what we need here. At least for long enough to find out what he’s up to.
‘Well I’m glad you see it like that.’ If Sophie’s shaking her head it’s only because she didn’t think of it first.
I’m throwing it all in now. ‘And he smells nice. Very nice. I wouldn’t be recommending him if he didn’t.’ Probably better than any guy ever, if I’m honest. Whatever scent he fills my kitchen with, it’s a lot more than hot meringues and vanilla. ‘So what’s not to like?’
Sophie’s voice is all screechy again. ‘You can’tseriouslythink you match life partners on the basis of shirt fabric?’
‘Why ever not?’ I’m taken aback she’s being so negative when she’s usually so upbeat. She needs to get a bit more ‘Hygge’ about this.
Plum’s laughing. ‘I agree, Clemmie and me aren’t experts when it comes to boyfriends.’ She’s not kidding there. We’ve possibly had a total of three between us, and the best of them lasted a month. ‘But we’re very creative, and really, how difficult can it be?’
Sophie rolls her eyes. ‘I’ll leave you two to sharpen your love arrows then. And I’ll get on with the menu.’ She gets out her phone and starts tapping the screen furiously. ‘So that’s finalised. Strawberry Pavlova with pink swirls, chocolate and mocha meringues and Eton mess with raspberries and lemon. At least we all agree on that.’
Which leaves Plum and I staring at each other, because we haven’t talked about it at all.
15
At the office
Talking Italian
Friday
As I hurry back down the cobbles to the quayside and the office next Friday lunchtime, the sweet scent of strawberries drifts up from the cake boxes I’m cradling in my arms. Primed by Sophie’s six early-morning texts all reminding me what not to forget, I bagged myself a ten-minute slot with George at one. Which left me just enough time to rush up to the bakery. After Sophie’s bombshell yesterday about Charlie owning most of Seaspray Cottage I know I should be saving every penny. So, if I went wild picking enough tarts from the glass case at the bakery to get extra cakes and complementary serviettes, I’m viewing it as an investment. I know I shouldn’t be feeling awkward about tackling George about Seaspray Cottage, but a hit of deliciousness with our coffee will make the talking easier.
