I have to point it out. ‘There’s a lot fewer macaroons than last time.’
Sophie laughs. ‘When you spent all afternoon putting the buttercream in the last lot, who’d have dreamed you’d be making them all yourself for the next party?’
‘Certainly not me.’ I take one from my own stack and sink my teeth into it. ‘I think we need to blame Charlie for that.’ I lean back against him and look up into his eyes and he grins back. The rainbow cupcakes for today aren’t our best work, because we got distracted halfway through, then ran out of time.
Sophie smiles. ‘Well done, Charlie, but Clemmie’s the one who really deserves the cheer.’ She finds a glass and whooshes it upwards. ‘While we’re all here, lets drink to Clemmie coming home, and to Charlie for making her want to stay.’
Nell’s staring at her lemonade. ‘We’ve all tried before, and none of us have managed. So, well done, Charlie.’
Plum lifts her glass. ‘To Clemmie and Charlie, and the wonderful Little Cornish Kitchen at Seaspray Cottage, or wherever else it pops up.’
It takes me so much by surprise, I’ve hardly got time to protest. But when they’ve finished cheering, and swigging and patting me on the back, I’m wiping the damp bits in the corners of my eyes.
Sophie spots I’m the colour of Nell’s lemonade, and moves the conversation on. She picks up another macaroon. ‘Plain, simple and beautiful, that’s what we’re about now.’
I laugh. ‘… simplicity is the essence of happiness … all you need is less.’ After all her emails, I should know.
Plum chimes in: ‘Mindfulness is easy in empty spaces …’
Sophie pulls a face as we chant her sayings back to her. ‘Have I been going on?’
I shake my head, because none of us blame her. It takes guts and more than a few mantras to swap a state of the art kitchen for an ancient gas stove and a scrubbed table. ‘It’s fine, we understand, and even if it’s empty, the house is already looking amazing.’ The sparsely furnished rooms with their mottled walls and splashes of sunlight are shabby but lovely to be in, and Sophie had the vision to see that.
She’s leaning forward, anxiously. ‘You can feel it, can’t you? There’s so much well-being here on the edge of the ocean.’
Nate shakes his head. ‘Put it another way. It’ll be great when we’ve distilled the energy to decorate, Soph.’
Even though we’re all laughing with Nate, I have to hand it to her. ‘You’re right though, Sophie, it’s mega amounts of work, but it already feels like you belong here.’
As if to second that Maisie takes the rainbow cupcake she’s holding, and grinds the buttercream into Sophie’s hair and down her pristine T-shirt.
Sophie lets out a squawk. ‘Mai-sie.’
Nate laughs. ‘How many shirts is that today?’
Sophie’s nostrils flare like they do when she’s doing her calmness affirmations. ‘Only six.’
I’m sitting looking out over the bay. ‘So what else do we need to drink to? Nell and George.’
Nell chips in: ‘Nate, Sophie, Milla, Tilly, Marcus, Maisie and Siren House.’
Charlie grins at Plum. ‘How about Plum and Joe?’
Plum looks at me. ‘Joe’s on his way, but for now we’re just good friends.’
Nell coughs. ‘We won’t write you off yet – look how long Charlie and Clemmie took.’
Charlie laughs. ‘You may think we’re only together because I want someone to cook my puddings for me, and to get my hands on her flat, but that’s not true.’
Two can play at that game. ‘And I’m not only with Charlie because I want to be related to Cressy Cupcake.’ I turn my head around to laugh at him. ‘Oh my, I’ll get to have Cressy Cupcake as my bridesmaid, won’t I?’ Then I realise what I’ve said and screw up my eyes. ‘Oh, shit, sorry.’
Charlie’s laughing. ‘This is exactly why I love you, Clems.’ He takes a moment to smile down at me. ‘Whenever you’re ready, I’m sure Cressy will be delighted.’
I’m laughing too. ‘Even though I was only away a week, it’s so lovely to be back here with you all.’ Then I remember. ‘Oh, oh, Laura. We need to drink to Laura too.’ How could I have forgotten? Saying her name brings tears to my eyes because I owe her so much. ‘Laura brought me home to begin with, she helped me learn to bake, Laura’s why I met Charlie, she brought my brothers and Rob back to me, and so much of the Little Cornish Kitchen was down to her.’ I’m sniffing into my hand, and Sophie passes me a tissue, and I blow my nose.
Charlie looks down at me. ‘You know Joe’s bringing Jack and Jordan round later?’
‘Yes.’ I met them last week, and although they’re less like me than Joe, the little resemblances are still fascinating.
