The Waffle House on the Pier - Tilly Tennant Page 0,59
I do. I was just making sure I was following the conversation because, you know, since that bump on my head I get kind of confused.’
He looked suddenly horrified, and Sadie started to laugh. ‘Oh, God, I’m sorry! I thought you’d realise I was kidding!’
His hand went to his heart and he looked a little offended. ‘No, I didn’t!’ But then his features relaxed again. ‘OK, I probably deserved that.’
‘In all honesty, though, I did need to check because I hadn’t really expected things to go the way they are.’
‘Can I be honest? Neither did I. Until five minutes ago it hadn’t crossed my mind to ask you out. I mean, it had, because, you know, I find you very attractive, but I wouldn’t have dared after…’
Sadie giggled. ‘Just goes to show that sometimes life can surprise you.’
‘It does.’ He held her in a gaze lit by the setting sun. ‘Is it forward to say that I’ve never met anyone like you before?’
‘A little, but I can deal with it.’
‘It’s true. I meet a lot of people but none of them have ever caused me to spontaneously make myself look like an idiot.’
‘You don’t look like an idiot. I’m glad you felt spontaneous.’
‘Can I be even more spontaneous then?’
‘How?’
‘That drink… what are you doing for the next couple of hours?’
Sadie smiled, her stomach doing delicious flips again. As distractions went, this one was looking promising.
‘Nothing,’ she said. ‘But I have a feeling that’s about to change.’
* * *
There were a few raised eyebrows in the Listing Ship as Luke approached the bar with Sadie by his side. Everyone knew he was newly arrived in town, but that wasn’t the only thing they knew because by now everyone had heard about the incident where his boat had collided with Sadie’s head. She could imagine that this latest turn of events might surprise a few of them.
Vivien, who by day was the lollipop lady for Sea Salt Bay’s only school and worked the bar at Sea Salt bay’s only pub at night, was on duty. Even though Sadie and Luke came in together and approached the bar together, after a swift, uncertain glance at him, it was Sadie she addressed first.
‘Hello, Sadie. How’s your gran doing?’
‘Oh, she’s getting better every day, thanks,’ Sadie said. She wasn’t about to give anyone outside the family any more information than that.
Vivien nodded. ‘I heard you opened up the waffle house again.’
‘We have. It’s a trial run,’ she added carefully. ‘See how she copes, and I’m helping her.’
‘Well I’m glad to hear it. The town’s not the same without that old place.’
That was what Sadie kept hearing from everyone. She couldn’t help but wonder whether, if it made her a hero now for trying to get this show back on the road, would it then make her the villain if it didn’t work out? If they ended up having to close again for good, if it proved to be too much for Sadie, would everyone blame her for the failure? Would they see April as the victim of an unsupportive granddaughter who’d decided that she’d rather please herself than keep the family business going?
But now wasn’t the time to worry about that, and so Sadie decided she wasn’t going to.
‘This is Luke,’ she said instead, gesturing to him.
‘So I’ve heard,’ Vivien said, regarding him closely now. ‘You’ve moved into the Old Chapel, haven’t you?’
‘Yes,’ he said cheerfully.
‘Bit of a wreck up there, ain’t it?’
‘You could say that, but it’s nothing I won’t be able to sort out. Have you been up there lately? It’s not looking too bad since I painted the outside.’
‘Can’t say I have. Never met the man who owned it before you either. He didn’t drink in here,’ she added, as if to say that fact alone made him someone every sane person would want to avoid.
‘Oh,’ Luke said, ‘where did he drink then? I thought this was your only pub?’
‘It is,’ Vivien said, her tone even more distrustful now of the unknown previous owner of the Old Chapel.
‘Can we get a couple of beers?’ Sadie asked.
Vivien nodded. ‘Pints or halves?’
Sadie glanced at Luke and grinned. ‘I don’t know about you but I’m having a pint.’
‘Well if you’re having a pint I can hardly wimp out and get a half, can I? It’s lucky the old house is in walking distance because it might need to be if we have more than a couple of those.’