looked to where, illuminated by the white lights strung up all along the promenade, she could see her eldest walking with his arm around Zoe’s shoulders. They stopped for a moment to take the inevitable selfie and giggled at the result. ‘You mean, young love? Sweet.’
‘And intense. You never feel the same as you do when you’re in love at seventeen.’
Tessa pulled a gloomy face. ‘Don’t know. It was so long ago I can’t remember.’
Millie laughed. ‘Don’t get me wrong, your Sean is gorgeous. But –’
‘If you had the choice between love and a degree from Durham?’ Tessa asked.
‘I think I’d choose Durham.’
Tessa shoved in the last of her cake. ‘That’s what’s wrong with you, Emilia Fudge,’ she said through a full mouth, ‘there’s no romance in your soul. When was the last time you had a hot lover on your arm?’
‘Don’t know. It was so long ago I can’t remember.’ She winked at Tessa.
Tessa sniggered and got up. ‘Better go and rescue Trevor from the boys. He’ll have had enough by now. I’m amazed they can see anything on the beach at this time of night.’
‘Oh, the lights on the prom reach out quite a way.’ Millie stretched her back. It had been a long day.
Tessa observed her friend with affection. ‘You look knackered. It really is about time you had some fun, my girl.’
Millie gave a wry smile. ‘You tell me when and who with and I’m all for it. Not sure how I’ll squeeze in a hot man, though. I work all day and bake all night. And I don’t know about fun, but it would be lovely to have someone special to share my life with. I get lonely sometimes.’
Tessa nodded. ‘I understand, kiddo. You can have all the friends in the world and still feel lonely without a special person to come home to.’ She was silent for a moment and then added, ‘Come here.’
‘What for?’
‘Come here,’ Tessa repeated and beckoned Millie to where she was standing by the big picture window. When Millie obeyed, she turned her to face it, standing behind their joint reflection and putting her hands on her friend’s shoulders. ‘Look at you.’
Millie looked. And pouted. ‘You’re right. I look knackered.’
‘Dead right you do. You’re tired because you’ve just done a fourteen-hour day.’
‘Your point being?’ Millie was embarrassed, aware that the literary festival group were watching with interest.
‘Behind the tiredness, I see gorgeous big brown eyes, that lovely dark hair and legs that I’d kill for. Don’t let life be all about work, Millie. Go and find yourself that man. You want marriage, babies, the whole enchilada, don’t you?’
Millie nodded, her eyes filling with tears that she put down to exhaustion. Tessa had a point. It had been months since she’d taken any time off. She tried to see herself objectively. Yes, her make-up had disappeared hours ago and while her bob had grown out, her hair was still thick and glossy. Her legs, toned by a lifetime of being on her feet waitressing, were encased in matte-black tights, their length revealed by the flippy short skirts she favoured. Not too bad, she ventured. She bit her lip. ‘But where am I supposed to find a man, let alone some fun, Tess?’
Tessa made a face. ‘God knows. Pick up a tourist? Or what about that bloke who keeps coming in? The one that Zoe keeps going on about. Wears all that designer gear – Hackett, she reckons it is. Another word for expensive, in my book. Oh, I don’t know where you’ll find him but get out there, kiddo. Take some time out. Forget the ruddy café for five minutes.’
‘And there’s me wanting to be the next Mary Berry.’
‘Wash your mouth out. There’s only one Mary Berry!’ Tessa put her hands together as if in prayer. ‘Saint Mary!’
Millie giggled. She could always rely on her friend to make her laugh. ‘Love you, Tess. Now go and find my dog.’
‘Will do. Love you too, honeybun. Tarra a bit!’
Millie bumped into Jed as she was hurrying up Berecombe’s steep main street. Literally bumped into him. Tessa would say it was fate. Millie would say it was because she had her head down against the icy wind blowing sleet against her face and didn’t see him coming the other way.
Oomph. Her library books slid onto the pavement as they collided. Trevor barked with excitement.
‘Here, let me.’ Jed bent down and collected them for her. ‘Hello, Trevor,’ he said, fending him off as the dog tried to lick his ear. ‘Middlemarch and James Joyce,’ he read as he handed them back to her one by one. His eyebrows rose. ‘Interesting reading.’
Millie blushed. ‘I didn’t go to college, so I’ve been trying to catch up on some books everyone tells me I ought to read.’ She held up Moby Dick. ‘This was for Book Club.’
‘How did you find it?’
‘Excruciatingly boring.’
Jed laughed. ‘My thoughts exactly. I always had a bit of a thing for Mrs Gaskell. Maybe you could try her? Look, I think you’re out of luck trying to return them tonight, the library’s just closed. I passed it on my way down. Lights off and doors definitely locked.’
‘Oh.’ Millie’s face fell. ‘I hadn’t realised it was so late.’
‘I hope you’ll avoid a fine? I have to confess it’s been a long time since I borrowed a book from a library. Do they still do that?’
Millie nodded. ‘I’ve got until tomorrow.’ She sighed. ‘I’ll have to try to find time to return them then.’
Jed peered closer. ‘If you don’t mind my saying, you look rather done in.’
‘The café’s been busy with the literary festival. I’ve been rushed off my feet.’
‘Well, it’s good that you’ve been busy. Have you finished for tonight?’
Millie thought of the batch of Bakewell tarts she should get in the oven and of the apricots she needed to soak before making another four lots of the tray bake.
Jed filled in the gap left by her hesitation. ‘If you have, may I suggest getting some supper in the White Bear? I hear their food isn’t too bad.’
‘The food in there is lovely.’ Millie hopped from one foot to the other. She was freezing. Her nose was like ice. The thought of hot food in the company of an even hotter man was tempting beyond belief. Tessa’s words from the other night reverberated. Since when did she have gorgeous men asking her out to eat? Since when had she had some fun? Sod it, she decided, the customers would have to make do with scones tomorrow and she had some tea bread she could defrost. Some
