Page 3 of A Recipe for Romance in Brambleton

‘They’re used to it,’ Marc had replied.

Liam smiled up at him, and Marc’s heart expanded with love. Sometimes he pretended, when he was out of the house, that Tessa would be waiting for them when they got back. The illusion was both painful and comforting. He hoped she’d be proud of how he’d taken on the sole parenting role, and, more importantly, proud of her boys.

The short walk into the village centre yielded more things to see. Lower Brambleton, though small, was truly getting into the festive spirit of the Christmas season. Several of the terraced houses on the main road had already decked out their gardens with lights and decorations – there was an alarmingly sized Rudolph in one of the front gardens, complete with glittery red nose, and a couple of nodding Santas in living-room windows. More tasteful decorations included holly wreaths on front doors and trees sparkling with fairy lights.

As Marc approached the row of shops in the village centre, he smiled briefly to see the window of the Purrfect Paws charity shop set out with festive finery. More lights of many colours created an eye-catching border to the display, which comprised several Christmas jumpers, a small tree and various other red and green ornaments, toys and trinkets. Right in the corner of the window was a cute-looking grey tabby cat cuddly toy, with a red and green collar.

‘Can I have the cat?’ Luca asked, turning wide brown eyes on his father.

Marc smiled down at his son. ‘I don’t know if it’s for sale, if it’s in the window.’

‘Oh, everything’s for sale,’ a cheerful voice said, emanating from the doorway. Marc glanced up and saw Mollie Wakefield’s friendly face. ‘All donations are very welcome, especially at this time of year.’

‘Well, if he’s still in the window when we walk back, perhaps we’ll buy him,’ Marc replied. ‘And see if there’s something you might like, too, Liam.’

Liam shook his head. ‘Cuddly toys are for babies.’ He shot his brother a venomous look. ‘Are you a baby, Lukey, Lukey, Lukey?’

‘Don’t call me that!’ Luca’s eyes filled with tears as Liam punched him in the arm to go with the insult.

‘Liam, stop that!’ Marc’s cheeks felt hot, knowing that Mollie had witnessed the contretemps. He felt like he was being judged every time one or both of the boys misbehaved in public. ‘Apologise to your brother.’

‘Sorry.’ But the mutinous look on Liam’s face suggested he didn’t mean it.

‘Come on.’ Smiling briefly at Mollie, and waving at Noah on the other side of the building, he hurried towards Hope’s Café, one door down.

Marc had passed by the little place, which looked as though it was run out of someone’s front room, several times since he’d moved into the lake house, but he hadn’t stepped through the door. Every time he’d been near, the café had been packed. This afternoon, however, there seemed to be a couple of spare tables, and Marc felt in need of a break. Even though the boys were long past the buggy stage, it was still exhausting keeping an eye on them, and he needed the caffeine boost.

Pushing open the door, he was met by the enticing scents of caramel and cinnamon, infused with a heady dose of freshly ground coffee. His stomach rumbled in anticipation of a treat. It was a long time since breakfast, and although he’d given the boys lunch, he hadn’t eaten any himself.

‘Can I have a cookie, Daddy?’ Liam asked, his previous aggression forgotten the moment he caught sight of the cakes and biscuits on the small counter.

‘We’ll see.’ Marc steered the twins towards a table by the window. He wasn’t particularly in the mood to chat to anyone, and hoped, if he stayed out of the way, he could just order and enjoy a quiet coffee.

‘Hi,’ a cheerful voice called as he was gesturing the boys to their seats. ‘I’ll come over if you like. I can see you’ve got your hands full!’

‘Thanks,’ he called absently over his shoulder. Sinking down gratefully into the spindle-backed wooden chair that looked out towards the street, he felt a stab of pain; Tessa loved Christmas, and she adored places like this. Once again, he was reminded of just how much he and the boys had lost.

4

Lauren retied the strings of her blue and pink striped apron and picked up her order pad. She didn’t often write things down – since the café was so small it was easy to double-check with a customer if she forgot something – but she liked to carry it with her, just in case. It was a kind of security blanket and gave her something to do with her hands if she felt nervous or out of her depth. This, she knew, was a hangover from her school days, when she’d hidden behind a library book at lunchtime, keeping out of the way of anyone who might seek to make her teenage life more difficult. A shy, introverted child, she’d always found mixing with people a challenge, and she tended to have to ‘rehearse’ social situations. The café allowed her a safe haven to interact with people.

She’d been loading the dishwasher behind the counter with plates from a couple of tables she’d cleared as the bell on top of the door tinkled, so she hadn’t had the chance to greet the new customers with a smile. She’d quickly remedied that with a cheery ‘Hi’ and saw them settling themselves at the table by the window: a man and two young boys. She observed them more closely as she walked the short distance from the counter to the window.

Lauren loved people-watching. Far happier behind the scenes than out on stage, café life had provided with her with ample opportunity. The cheery, surface-level interactions with customers allowed her to connect without having to give too much of herself away, and she enjoyed seeing their reactions to the delicious treats she brought to them.

As she drew closer to the table, she could see the man’s profile. A strong nose and a stubble-flecked jawline, slightly tanned skin and a mop of unruly dark hair made for an attractive combination. He was dressed in a dark blue woollen coat, which he’d draped on the back of the chair, and was removing a deep burgundy cashmere scarf from his neck. As he turned to put it over the coat, she saw dark brown, long-lashed, rather tired-looking eyes, with a fine scattering of crows’ feet at the corners.

‘Here,’ she said quickly, ‘let me hang those up for you. There are some hooks by the door.’

‘Thanks.’ The smile he gave her was brief, as he handed her his coat and scarf.

‘If you like, I can hang up the boys’ coats, too.’

‘Oh, they’ll be all right.’

Hurrying back to the door, Lauren quickly placed the items on one of the brass coat hooks. As she did so, she caught the scent of a sandalwood-infused aftershave, mixed with the smell of the winter weather. It made her heart beat faster. Feeling jolted by her reaction, she walked back to the table.

‘So, what can I get you?’