The Waffle House on the Pier - Tilly Tennant Page 0,80

but we’ve yet to fill in the details.’

‘Mum’s right,’ Ewan said. ‘We’re nowhere near finished.’

‘But…’ Sadie gave a look that pleaded with her brother to back her up, just once more and despite the fact that it would be going against everything he thought was good for her. ‘I know you don’t like Luke, but I really do. If you gave him time you might even change your mind.’

‘I doubt that,’ Ewan said.

‘Actually, so do I,’ Sadie replied in a tone that suggested she really didn’t care. She looked at her parents. ‘I won’t stay out late and when I get home I promise I’ll have a plan for tomorrow. In fact, before I go I’ll make some calls.’ She turned to Ewan. ‘I know you’re going to talk to Kat but I wouldn’t expect you two to take up all the slack.’

Ewan leaned forward and rested his arms on the table as he surveyed them all. ‘This is all very well, but what are we going to tell Grandma? I don’t know about you but I don’t want to be the person who tells her she can’t go to work tomorrow because it might be dangerous for her.’

Henny and Graham exchanged a look. They hadn’t thought of that – that much was obvious.

‘How about this…?’ Sadie began. ‘If I can get someone to be in the kitchen with her all the time she can still go in? We’ll pretend she’s training whoever it is and, in a way, she will be.’

‘Who’s going to be in the kitchen with her?’ Henny asked. ‘You keep coming up with these bright ideas but you still haven’t said who you’re going to ask.’

‘I know,’ Sadie said, trying to keep her voice even despite the fact that her patience was wearing thin. ‘I told you I’m working on it.’

‘Well you’d better hurry up,’ her mother said.

Sadie gave an uncertain nod as she ran through a list of possibilities in her head. There was no shortage of names, the trouble was – for various reasons – they’d all said no before. But maybe if she could ask again, cherry-pick a little time from each, persuade them of the urgency of her request, just until she could figure out something more permanent… maybe she could make it work.

She got up from the table. ‘I know it’s not good timing but I really do have to get changed. I’ll mull it all over as I get ready.’

Henny took in a sharp, hissing breath of disapproval, but Graham and Ewan were silent. Sadie shrugged. What else could she do?

‘I’ll be back in a tick,’ she said as she rushed out of the room before anyone could pile any more guilt on her.

Chapter Fourteen

‘So, what are you going to do?’

Luke lifted his glass to take a drink of the mineral water he’d ordered so he could drive Sadie home as soon as she felt she needed to get back, and get her home quickly. She’d told him her predicament on the phone just before they’d been due to meet and he’d offered immediately, no questions asked, and they’d arranged to stay more local too rather than go further afield. She’d left home promising to come up with a solution to the staffing problem at the waffle house but she had absolutely no clue what that might be. She had about twelve hours to find out, and it had felt natural and easy to share her worries with Luke. She found herself telling him the whole story, perhaps more of it than she’d meant to and perhaps more than her parents would want her to. He’d been understanding and sympathetic and happy to listen, but he didn’t have any suggestions to offer. It wasn’t that Sadie had really expected him to – after all, he didn’t know the business and what it needed like she did – but she’d still harboured a little hope that he might come up with something she hadn’t thought of.

‘That’s just it,’ Sadie said. ‘I don’t see I have any real options. Every time I think of something I think of a reason why it wouldn’t work. I know Ewan said he and Kat would try to help but I don’t really think that’s going to work out.’

‘I’m sure you’ll come up with an answer. It’s a shame I can’t help.’

‘Ewan would have an actual aneurysm. And to be honest, he’s right about one thing – you don’t know the first thing about running a