Millie Vanilla’s Cupcake Café. Georgia Hill

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СКАЧАТЬ As if he’d be interested.

      In this, it seemed, she was wrong. Replacing his glasses, he came forward, nodding. ‘Absolutely, it’s definitely warm enough, or it will be later in the day. You’re always up so early. It’s barely gone eight.’ He bent to fuss Trevor, who was going into ecstasies at seeing him.

      Millie laughed. ‘The alarm goes off at five. I’ve already walked Trevor and baked today’s specials.’

      ‘Oh, how I hate the smug early-riser! More importantly, what are your specials? I’m starving.’

      ‘As ever! I’ve a red-velvet chocolate and beetroot cake, some coffee and walnut and a batch of savoury scones.’

      Pushing Trevor off gently, Jed came even closer. He stared intently at her lips and ran a finger lightly over them. ‘I don’t know how you do it, Millie. They sound so good. Have I ever told you how much I love your cooking? A real taste of home.’

      He bent and kissed her, his lips warm from the sun. ‘You taste of home.’

      This time Millie lifted her head and surrendered to Jed rather than the early-morning sunshine. And he was far more exhilarating. She let herself open and he deepened the kiss. Holding her around the waist, he pulled her in against his hardness. She thrust her fingers through his silken hair. She wanted to drown in him, in the sensations that were overwhelming her senses.

      Jed rested his forehead against hers for a moment. ‘Millie, Millie, Millie, you don’t know what you’re doing to me. I want to eat you up. I want to smother you in some of your famous clotted cream and lick it off.’

      Millie stood back, swaying slightly. She felt unhinged by longing. She knew she must look it. ‘Sounds messy,’ she whispered, in an attempt for control.

      Jed caught her to him again. ‘Oh, it would be delightfully, sinfully messy.’ He kissed her again. ‘And so much fun.’

      It was all threatening to get out of hand. Millie didn’t know whether to be furious when Tessa’s cheery voice interrupted them – or relieved.

      ‘Morning, kiddo. I’ll just go and put the bread inside then, shall I?’ She went past with a giggle.

      Peeling herself off Jed and giving him a regretful glance, Millie followed Tessa into the café.

      ‘I see you’re finally getting your fun, then, our Mil.’ Tessa slammed the basket of bread onto the nearest table.

      ‘Well I was.’ Millie pulled a face. ‘Before you so rudely interrupted.’

      ‘Soz.’ Tessa giggled and peered out to where Jed was playing with Trevor. He was leaning against the low wall that divided the sun terrace from the steps down to the beach and was trying to teach the dog to shake paws. ‘Heard he took you to some swanky-wanky place the other night. Zoe’s right, though, he’s a treat for the eyes. Get a load of those thighs. You could crack walnuts with them. Blimey.’

      Millie decided she’d better bring Tessa to order. ‘Invoice?’

      ‘On top of the bloomers,’ she replied, still staring blatantly at Jed. ‘Gotta love a blonde man, haven’t you?’ She screwed her eyes up to see better. ‘Come to think about it, he looks familiar. Where have I seen him before?’

      Millie, shoving the invoice into a folder behind the counter, didn’t reply immediately. ‘You’ve probably seen him about town.’ She looked up, amused to see Tessa still staring. ‘He’s not easy to forget, is he?’

      ‘You’re right there, bab. Bugger, hope it’s just the weather making me hot and not an early menopause. He’s got hormones I’d forgotten I ever had going bananas.’

      Millie giggled. She couldn’t disagree. ‘You got time for a coffee?’

      Tessa finally focused. ‘No kiddo, I’m running late this morning. Gotta go.’ She gave an earthy cackle. ‘I’ll leave you to the tender mercies of your hot friend out there.’ Fanning her face comically, she swept out.

      Millie heard her trill goodbye, waited until the coast was clear and then dragged a couple of chairs into the sun. ‘Can I get you a coffee, Jed?’

      He slid off the wall in such a sinuous way, Millie had a sudden and very intense longing to forget all about the café and drag him up to bed.

      ‘I’d rather get you.’

      He pulled her to him for another kiss. Millie’s insides went to liquid and her legs threatened to give way. She pushed him off. ‘Coffee? Toast?’ she asked on a breathless giggle.

      ‘Well, I am hungry,’ he replied dangerously, gazing at her lower lip with intent. ‘I have a deep, deep hunger for you.’

      ‘You’ll have to make do with raisin toast, I’m afraid.’

      ‘Can’t I have you on toast?’

      ‘No!’ Millie pushed him away and enjoyed his pout. ‘God, you’re so gorgeous when you sulk.’ She let him kiss her one more time and then escaped to the safety of her kitchen.

      Thirty minutes later, Jed sat on the sun terrace on one of her rickety chairs, his feet up on the wall, staring out to sea. He drank the last of his coffee. ‘It’s so bloody gorgeous here. Devon heaven.’

      ‘There talks a man full of food.’

      Jed gave her a wicked look. ‘You’ve satisfied one kind of hunger, certainly.’

      ‘Wish you’d stop flirting. I’ve got a day of work in front of me.’

      ‘Do you really wish that?’

      ‘No. But it’s true that I’ve got to work. There’s loads to do.’ Millie went on to explain the plans for the café’s re-launch. ‘That’s why I’m trying out the beetroot and chocolate cake, to make the right colour for a Valentine’s party.’ She glanced back at the café. The bright sunshine made it appear all the more scruffy this morning. She frowned.

      ‘Something wrong?’

      He was always so quick at picking up on her mood. She wished she could do the same with him. Sometimes to her Jed was a riddle wrapped up in an enigma. ‘I’m confident I can put on a good party, but the café itself just looks so tired.’

      Jed batted a hand at an overly persistent gull that was after toast crumbs and paused before he answered. ‘Your windows are an asset; the way they look out onto the sea. Have you ever thought about putting in the kind that open like doors? Then you could bring the outside in and those customers who couldn’t find a table out here wouldn’t mind eating inside so much. They’re not patio doors exactly, but a bit classier. Really popular in bars and restaurants in Scandinavia, Stockholm especially. You could also install heaters out here to take away the sting of the cold. Then you could use this space for more of the year.’

      As Millie had never been further north than Birmingham, she hadn’t a clue what a Stockholm bar might look like, let alone their fancy windows. Patio heaters were something she’d long wanted to buy but had never been able to afford; she’d need at least eight. And that was the crux of the matter. His ideas, although appealing, sounded way too expensive. ‘Sounds great,’ she answered, eventually. СКАЧАТЬ