Page 122 of The Little Board Game Café

Kate gave her a firm nudge in Ludek’s direction and went off to find the Domestos. Emily walked over to the table where he was sorting through the games, checking each and every one for missing pieces.

‘Shall I help?’ Emily said.

‘Sure.’ He handed her Wasabi!

She began to count the cards of ingredients.

‘This place is brilliant, Em. You’re right on the high street, you’ve all the games and your excellent baking…’

‘Annie’s excellent baking.’

‘Your cakes are delicious too. Oh, it appears we’ve lost a Carcassonne tile and a green meeple.’

Emily got down on her hands and knees – well, he was still injured – to search for the missing pieces, fortunately locating both within a couple of minutes.

‘Sweep the floor whilst you’re down there,’ Annie called to her through the hatch.

Emily clenched her fist around the meeple. She owned this place but Annie was still giving her orders. But when she looked up, Emily saw Annie was peering through the hatch, smiling at her.

‘Ludek’s right,’ she said as Emily scrambled to her feet and popped the missing pieces into the box. ‘This place is brilliant. And I’m going to do everything I can to support you with it. I owe you. Big time. I’m never going to forget that.’

She turned away and began to clatter about in the kitchen. Ludek glanced at the hatch to check that Annie wasn’t still listening, then over at Mr B and Florence. They were completely engrossed in their game. He cleared his throat. ‘I was wondering…if you…’ He cleared his throat again. ‘Would you like to come over to mine next Saturday? Come for lunch. We could spend the day together.’

There was something about the way he asked her – the hesitation; the throat clearing; the hopeful look in his eyes – that made her realise that this wasn’t just one friend inviting another over for lunch and a few board games. This was a man asking her out.

But she couldn’t possibly leave the café for a day. Not so soon after opening.

‘I’d love to but I can’t. I’ve got this place.’

‘I can manage all the cooking,’ came Annie’s voice from the kitchen. Emily might have known. Still listening in.

‘And Kate and I will do front of house, won’t we, Kate?’ said Mr B, without looking up from his game.

‘Yeah, sure,’ said Kate, poking her head out of the toilet door. ‘What could possibly go wrong?’

Florence seemed to be the only person in the place who wasn’t eavesdropping on their conversation. ‘You can’t play that,’ she said to Mr B. ‘It’s a proper noun.’

*

Dad was in a cheerful mood the next morning, whistling as he popped some bread into the toaster, smiling to himself as he made a pot of tea. He had spent the night in Emily’s bed, whilst she had slept on the sofa.

‘You know, Em,’ said Dad. ‘This change of scene has done me a power of good. I feel…alive again.’

‘And this is nothing to do with Marjory?’

‘Maybe a little. She’s a lovely woman, Em. No one can replace your mum but, well, I could use a friend. And Peter taking us out for a picnic. How kind is that?’

‘Dad, I hope you aren’t thinking we might get back together.’

‘Not at all. I rather like Ludek.’

‘Glad to hear it. But it’s early days.’

Dad spread his toast with a thick layer of butter. ‘I’m expecting you to keep that promise, Em. Don’t shy away from him.’

Emily smiled. ‘I’ll try not to.’

‘Do you have any marmalade? You know, I always thought there was only one thing that could ever lure me out of Thornholme.’