Welcome to Ferry Lane Market - Nicola May Page 0,4

of Hartmouth didn’t much care for change, so when Big Frank Brady and his long-term partner Monique had arrived in a flurry of paint tins and extravagant interiors, there had been a bit of a to-do. But as with anything, time is not only a healer but a leveller as well, and despite the completely random concept of a Hollywood-themed café in a Cornish town, pretty soon Frank’s and its renowned all-day breakfasts and frothy coffees were as much a visitor pull as the stalls and stores of Ferry Lane Market.

The owner of Frank’s took up a lot of space. Six-feet four of it, in fact. Big Frank Brady had a brooding gypsy-type look about him, with black collar-length hair and brown eyes so dark they were impossible to read. His full lips were the envy of many of the young girls who insisted on paying fortunes for false fillers. His tattoo sleeve was a work of art, displaying angels, birds, and at the top a young, naked Monique with one arm in the air and pouting red lips of her own.

Kara found something very sexy about good tattoos on a man. Her boyfriend, Jago, hated any kind of body art. ‘Tramp stamps’ he would call them. With her love of flowers, she had always wanted a tiny rose tattoo, somewhere discreet, but he had been drunk when she had mentioned it and, slamming his hand down on to the table, he had labelled her a slut for even thinking about it.

The early morning rush had subsided, and Big Frank greeted Kara with his lopsided grin. ‘If it isn’t the lovely Kara Moon. It’s not like you to be down here at this time on a market day.’ He carried on wiping the glass counter.

‘I’ve taken a day off.’

‘Have you, now. Bet that’s got old Twisty Knickers’ knickers in a bigger twist than usual.’ He laughed. ‘And try saying that after a Guinness or three.’

‘Yes,’ was all Kara could manage, her face falling instead of smiling.

‘Who or what else has been upsetting you now, then?’

‘I don’t want to talk about it.’ She sighed deeply, then looked away quickly to stop tears from falling.

Seeing this, Frank reached his big hand over the counter and gently stroked Kara’s cheek.

‘I’ve got your back, Kara Moon, you know that, don’t you?’

Kara’s throat began to burn. She nodded. When her mother had abruptly decided to up and leave her family when Kara was just thirteen years old, Frank had only just arrived in Hartmouth – but on finding out what had happened, he had been a silent helper. The best kind. Additions to his orders from the big cash-and-carry place had been delivered straight to her dad. And many a lasagne or bag of cakes would be handed to the distraught man to take home to his family after a long day working on the ferry. Both her dad, Joe, and her Grandad Harry had a lot of time for Big Frank Brady. A mutual respect.

‘Coffee?’

‘Yes, to take away please. One for Dad and I’d better get Billy one, or I’ll never hear the end of it. Oh, and a couple of bottles of water too, please. And, um, two of those custard doughnuts.’

‘Coming up.’

Frank quickly returned with takeout cups in a cardboard holder. ‘So, that’s one white, no sugar, and one extra milky with three sugars for the lad. Two chilled waters and the cakes are in here.’ He balanced a bag between the cups.

‘Memory of an elephant you’ve got, Frank Brady.’

He then gestured at his flat wide nose. ‘Not quite the trunk though. Too much boxing.’ He winked.

Kara reached for her purse and paid. ‘No Monique today, then?’ she asked.

‘She’s gone to Paris to see her sister. Got to let her have a break sometimes.’

They both laughed. Half-French, half-English, Monique rarely spent much time at the café. In fact, she rarely spent much time in Cornwall. Rumour had it, Monique had been working in Las Vegas when she had met bad boy Frank there on a gambling weekend. She had subsequently saved him from a violent lifestyle by moving him to Cornwall, where her great-aunt from the Cornish side of her family had just left her a wonderful large and sprawling four-bedroomed house on the edge of the town.

A formidable woman, Monique still did the odd bit of directing dance shows around the world, and if not doing that she would be either relaxing in their beautiful home or visiting family and friends.