nodded.
Jane turned to stare out the window. ‘Oh shit,’ she said, putting her hand up to her mouth. ‘He’s here. The idiot’s about to walk in through the door. Shit,’ she said stunned, then she panicked, bashing her teacup down and standing up and then sitting down again as Matt, Jack, Emily and River all craned to see Will Blackwell walking up the path leading to The Dandelion Cafe. Suit replaced by pale-yellow linen shirt, open at the neck and rolled up to the elbow and slate-grey chinos. He was looking at his phone as if checking the address was right.
‘What’s going on?’ Annie asked as she cleared the cups from an adjacent table.
Matt squinted slightly. ‘That’s him, Jane’s Will? Walking up the path.’
Ludo the chef came over. ‘Where?’
‘There! For god’s sake. Go back to the counter, be normal all of you. Shit. I’m not here,’ said Jane dashing from her seat, pushing past Ludo and Annie and out the back of the cafe.
Chapter Nineteen
It felt like everyone was watching him as he walked into The Dandelion cafe, but that was probably just him being paranoid.
One guy nodded hello as he walked up to the counter and Will nodded back. A teenage boy at the same table sniggered.
Will had never felt quite so self-conscious. At the counter a short Spanish-looking guy was serving while a woman with cropped blonde hair was flicking through the books, at the same time as repeatedly glancing up at him to the point that he had to nod hello and she blushed and looked away. ‘Can I just have a black Americano?’ he asked the guy.
The guy frowned at him and then went off to bash about with the coffee machine.
Will stood at the counter for a while, watching the angry Spanish guy and the blonde woman still surreptitiously checking him out. He wondered if he had something on his face or down his front. He checked his shirt. Nothing. He looked away at the big glass domes covering Victoria sponge cake and cherry and chocolate scones and the baskets piled with fresh croissants and pots of homemade jams. He still felt watched. When he turned so his back was resting against the counter and glanced over to the table he’d noticed when he first walked in, he saw her; Emily Hunter-Brown was sat staring at him.
Oh shit. They had been looking when he’d walked in. They knew Jane.
He pushed himself off the counter and walked over.
‘Hi,’ he said to the whole table. Two guys, Emily and a smirking teenager with a wizened old pug dog. ‘I don’t suppose you know where I can find Jane Williams, do you?’
They all looked at each other. He thought he caught the teenager nudge Emily on the arm. The guy next to Emily concentrated on the cutlery on the table. The other one, the one who’d nodded his head at him when he’d walked in, sat back with a smile playing on his lips and raised his brows in Emily’s direction. Emily bit her lip. The guy cocked his head and shrugged. Emily seemed to think for a moment, then said, ‘Yeah, we do as a matter of fact.’
‘Do you think you could, er, tell me where she is?’
Emily sat back and crossed her arms in front of her, ‘Depends why you want to find her.’
‘Let’s just say we’ve got some unfinished business.’
The teenager cracked himself up.
Emily ran her tongue along her teeth as she observed him. ‘The thing is Will – it is Will, I take it?’
Will nodded.
‘The thing is, she’s my friend and I wouldn’t want to reveal her whereabouts to someone who might be a bit of dick.’ The teenager laughed again. ‘Do you know what I’m saying?’ Emily asked, leaning forward and pinning Will to the spot with her look.
Will swallowed. ‘No I don’t suppose you would,’ he said. ‘I just, er, I just would like to talk to her.’
He could feel himself being assessed; her gaze travelling up from the bottom of him to the top. Usually by now he’d have shaken his head and left. No one spoke to him like that. But he’d already blown out a
Jane turned to stare out the window. ‘Oh shit,’ she said, putting her hand up to her mouth. ‘He’s here. The idiot’s about to walk in through the door. Shit,’ she said stunned, then she panicked, bashing her teacup down and standing up and then sitting down again as Matt, Jack, Emily and River all craned to see Will Blackwell walking up the path leading to The Dandelion Cafe. Suit replaced by pale-yellow linen shirt, open at the neck and rolled up to the elbow and slate-grey chinos. He was looking at his phone as if checking the address was right.
‘What’s going on?’ Annie asked as she cleared the cups from an adjacent table.
Matt squinted slightly. ‘That’s him, Jane’s Will? Walking up the path.’
Ludo the chef came over. ‘Where?’
‘There! For god’s sake. Go back to the counter, be normal all of you. Shit. I’m not here,’ said Jane dashing from her seat, pushing past Ludo and Annie and out the back of the cafe.
Chapter Nineteen
It felt like everyone was watching him as he walked into The Dandelion cafe, but that was probably just him being paranoid.
One guy nodded hello as he walked up to the counter and Will nodded back. A teenage boy at the same table sniggered.
Will had never felt quite so self-conscious. At the counter a short Spanish-looking guy was serving while a woman with cropped blonde hair was flicking through the books, at the same time as repeatedly glancing up at him to the point that he had to nod hello and she blushed and looked away. ‘Can I just have a black Americano?’ he asked the guy.
The guy frowned at him and then went off to bash about with the coffee machine.
Will stood at the counter for a while, watching the angry Spanish guy and the blonde woman still surreptitiously checking him out. He wondered if he had something on his face or down his front. He checked his shirt. Nothing. He looked away at the big glass domes covering Victoria sponge cake and cherry and chocolate scones and the baskets piled with fresh croissants and pots of homemade jams. He still felt watched. When he turned so his back was resting against the counter and glanced over to the table he’d noticed when he first walked in, he saw her; Emily Hunter-Brown was sat staring at him.
Oh shit. They had been looking when he’d walked in. They knew Jane.
He pushed himself off the counter and walked over.
‘Hi,’ he said to the whole table. Two guys, Emily and a smirking teenager with a wizened old pug dog. ‘I don’t suppose you know where I can find Jane Williams, do you?’
They all looked at each other. He thought he caught the teenager nudge Emily on the arm. The guy next to Emily concentrated on the cutlery on the table. The other one, the one who’d nodded his head at him when he’d walked in, sat back with a smile playing on his lips and raised his brows in Emily’s direction. Emily bit her lip. The guy cocked his head and shrugged. Emily seemed to think for a moment, then said, ‘Yeah, we do as a matter of fact.’
‘Do you think you could, er, tell me where she is?’
Emily sat back and crossed her arms in front of her, ‘Depends why you want to find her.’
‘Let’s just say we’ve got some unfinished business.’
The teenager cracked himself up.
Emily ran her tongue along her teeth as she observed him. ‘The thing is Will – it is Will, I take it?’
Will nodded.
‘The thing is, she’s my friend and I wouldn’t want to reveal her whereabouts to someone who might be a bit of dick.’ The teenager laughed again. ‘Do you know what I’m saying?’ Emily asked, leaning forward and pinning Will to the spot with her look.
Will swallowed. ‘No I don’t suppose you would,’ he said. ‘I just, er, I just would like to talk to her.’
He could feel himself being assessed; her gaze travelling up from the bottom of him to the top. Usually by now he’d have shaken his head and left. No one spoke to him like that. But he’d already blown out a
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