An A To Z Of Love. Sophie Pembroke

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СКАЧАТЬ reclined in his chair. ‘Charlie? Your boyfriend?’

      Mia laughed and shook her head. ‘Not at all. Just friends.’

      ‘Glad to hear it.’ He was leaning forward again, suddenly very close. ‘Since it means I can ask you to lunch as a thank you for the tour.’

      ‘Lunch?’ Mia asked, surprised. Was this an actual date? Had one of Ditsy’s plans actually worked? If so, it had to be a first. ‘That would be…’

      ‘Great. What about the fish place we passed on the way to the beach? Is it any good?’

      * * * *

      Charlie slipped back behind the counter at StarFish and checked the bookings log again. It was becoming a slightly worrying obsession. There was nothing new, though. ‘Magda?’

      Magda’s head appeared from behind the kitchen door, followed by the rest of her. ‘You bellowed?’

      ‘Has Mia been in?’ Maybe Magda had got a good look at whoever had been grabbing hold of Mia’s hand. Perhaps she was being abducted. Perhaps she needed Charlie to save her. Perhaps…

      ‘No.’ Magda slid onto the nearest table, her neat black pencil skirt smooth over the rough and ready wooden surfaces Charlie had chosen. ‘But I did see her walk past with the most delicious man.’

      Which was, of course, just what Charlie had been hoping to hear. In no way whatsoever. ‘Any idea who he was?’ Because, really, when would Mia have found time to pick up a date? She hadn’t mentioned it on their walk that morning. And she’d tell him, wouldn’t she, if there was someone new in her life? That was what friends did. And Mia was very clear on the fact that they were friends. Even when Charlie wasn’t so sure that was all they should be.

      Magda shrugged. ‘Not a clue. But she’ll be here for the tasting later, won’t she? You can ask her then.’

      ‘Yeah.’ Charlie returned to obsessing about the bookings log. It was marginally less frustrating than obsessing about his friendship with Mia. But only marginally.

      ‘Ooh, look.’ Magda dropped from the table and into her best professional stance. ‘There might be some actual customers coming our way.’

      It didn’t seem very likely, but Charlie looked up anyway, and promptly forgot all about bookings and restaurants and Magda and Mia’s mystery man. Because right there in his restaurant was a much, much bigger problem.

      ‘Hi, Charlie,’ Becky said, with just enough grace to look a little sheepish but apparently not enough to just stay the hell away from him after tearing his heart out and stomping on it twice already.

      ‘Becky.’ He glanced at her companion. ‘And Ditsy.’ Who really should have known better and managed to stop this before it reached his door. Ditsy gave him an apologetic smile.

      Ditsy stepped into the ensuing silence, smile widening with what Charlie was pretty sure was fake brightness. ‘We’d like a table for two, for lunch, if that’s possible.’

      Charlie shook his head and managed to find his voice. ‘Magda will be taking care of you today – one of the window tables perhaps, Magda?’

      With a nod, Magda instantly flowed into her best customer service spiel, guiding Ditsy to a window table and almost managing to get Becky to follow by sheer dint of her politeness.

      But at the last moment, Becky gave a little shake of the head, as if she were coming out of a daze, and took the three small steps necessary to bring her in front of Charlie.

      ‘Hi,’ she said. Then, when he didn’t respond, she answered the question he hadn’t asked. ‘I just wanted to see you. I came… I’ve some business in town. But I couldn’t not come and see you.’

      ‘You left without seeing me,’ Charlie pointed out, before his brain could censor his mouth. ‘Just a note on the counter was all I got.’

      Her face crumpled a fraction under her powder and lipstick. ‘I know. And that was… It was unforgivable. I know that.’

      Over at the table, Magda was watching them with concern in her wide hazel eyes. Ditsy’s face, Charlie noticed, showed only fascination. Was she enjoying this train wreck of a reunion?

      ‘What does it matter now?’ Charlie lowered his gaze from hers and stepped away, heading for the kitchen and solitude. ‘Enjoy your lunch.’

      ‘Charlie!’ She grabbed hold of his hand before he could escape. ‘Can we talk? After? Please?’

      He shook his hand free and carried on beating his retreat, murmuring, ‘Sure’ and ‘Whatever,’ as he went. It was enough, it seemed, because Becky gave him one of those wide, wide smiles he remembered most from her bedroom before she turned and glided over to the window table.

      ‘Well that was a mistake,’ Magda muttered under her breath as she passed him, fetching drinks for their surprise customers.

      ‘I know,’ Charlie groaned and stepped into the kitchen, letting the door swing shut behind him.

       Chapter Three

      It would be much easier, Charlie mused while reorganising the main fridge for the third time, if he could just fall in love with Magda. Assuming she fell in love with him too, of course. Charlie rested his head on the cool metal of the fridge and wondered why there had been no portents in the sky that morning about just how bad this day was going to be.

      Becky.

      The woman who was supposed to be the love of his life. The very reason he was battling to stay in business in Aberarian. The reason he owned a house that could have fallen down by now, it had been so long since he’d visited it.

      And now she wanted to talk. Fantastic.

      He’d thought they’d said everything they could possibly need to, the night before she left. They’d talked about the job offer from Tony, about how she didn’t feel the same ‘home’ feeling she’d expected when they moved to Aberarian. She’d told him that maybe it wasn’t time for her to be there yet, whatever that meant.

      Charlie had known what she was really saying, though. It wasn’t Aberarian that couldn’t live up to her expectations – it was him. He’d asked her to stay, to give them a real chance at the future they’d dreamt of together.

      And when he’d woken up the next morning, she was gone.

      Really, what else was there to say?

      ‘Are they still out there?’ he asked when Magda returned to the kitchen, plates in hand. In forty-five minutes, Becky and Ditsy had only managed starters and two bread baskets. Charlie was starting to worry it would be dinnertime before they finished lunch.

      ‘Still deciding on main courses,’ Magda confirmed. ‘And waiting on more drinks. She also wanted me to ask you, and I quote, “Why you’re not using the darling water jugs and glasses we sourced from that charming glassblower down the coast.”’

      Charlie shut his eyes and pretended he couldn’t hear Becky saying those words СКАЧАТЬ