The Waffle House on the Pier - Tilly Tennant Page 0,54

her head again and dipped her cloth back into her bucket.

‘That’s your final word?’ Sadie asked, not angry or annoyed, but a little frustrated that she couldn’t make her grandma see the potential in the waffle house she could.

April looked up. ‘The day you own this place, Sadie… then you can decide the final word on whatever you like. Until then it’s my business and I have the final word on everything.’

Sadie planted her hands on her hips and stared at her grandmother. She’d wanted the old April Schwartz back and – boy – had she got her now. Strong, but also stubborn. Sadie had given up a lot to be here – couldn’t her grandma see that? She’d given up far too much and yet her grandmother was dismissing her like a child. Was that how April saw her still – like a little girl? Didn’t she think Sadie was capable of making sound decisions? And couldn’t she see how knowing her grandma saw her that way might hurt Sadie?

‘So I don’t get a say in anything even though I’m running the place with you?’

‘You’re helping us,’ April said. ‘We probably won’t need you tomorrow.’

Sadie’s eyes widened. ‘Who won’t?’

‘He ought to be back tomorrow.’

‘Who will?’

April rubbed at a stubborn spot on the table. ‘If I know your grandpa he won’t want to be away for too long.’

Sadie felt sick. She wobbled to a seat and dropped into it as she stared at her grandma. Just when she thought things were looking up, that they were on the path to happiness, the ground had collapsed from beneath her again. Was it always going to be like this now?

‘Gammy,’ she said slowly, her heart beating in her ears, ‘where do you think Gampy is?’

April laughed lightly, her attention still on the crusted bit of sugar clinging stubbornly to the table. ‘Oh, Sadie… don’t tease your old grandma. You know just where he is as well as I do.’

‘Gammy, I—’

There was a knock at the door. Sadie opened the blinds, ready to tell whoever it was that they’d closed for the day, only to see Declan standing outside. Quickly, she unlocked the door.

‘Dec!’ she cried with more emotion than he could have reasonably expected because he looked shocked by the greeting.

‘Sadie…?’

‘Come in,’ Sadie added, ushering him inside before closing and locking the door again. Declan watched as she did so, perhaps wondering whether he was going to have to fight his way out if he needed to leave.

‘I wanted to drop in yesterday to see how things were going but you’d locked up before I got here. And then I planned to come a bit earlier today to catch you but I got a bit held up at work…’ He looked carefully at Sadie and dropped his voice. ‘Is everything OK?’

‘Oh, hello, Declan!’ April called cheerfully. ‘Come to take Sadie out?’

Declan shot a confused glance at Sadie.

‘I’m afraid the kitchen’s closed right now,’ she added.

‘That’s OK,’ Declan said carefully. ‘Another time maybe?’

‘That’d be just fine,’ April said fondly. She dropped the cloth into the bucket of water and straightened up, rubbing at her back before reaching for the handle. Declan rushed over.

‘Here… let me get that for you. Is it going to the kitchen?’

‘Oh, yes, thank you, darlin’! That’s so sweet of you.’ April turned to Sadie with a gleam in her eye. ‘My favourite,’ she mouthed as he took the water away, and Sadie was more confused and scared than ever. How was it that Gammy could recall with perfect clarity a conversation they’d had the day before – one that she’d only appeared to be vaguely engaged with – but not the fact that Gampy was dead?

Declan rubbed his hands down his trousers as he came back in. ‘Anything else I can help with? My muscles are at your disposal.’

Sadie didn’t know whether to cry or run to kiss him. He always knew just the right thing to do in any situation, and he was doing it again now. It must have been obvious to him that something wasn’t right here, but he wasn’t making a big deal about it, instead doing his best to put April at ease and show Sadie that he was on her side. Not for the first time, along with gratitude that she had such a friend, Sadie was also assailed by regrets that she’d ever let a man like him go.

‘And they are fine muscles,’ April said, laughing. ‘If you’d like you can stack