Page 32 of Coming Home to Hope Street

‘Hi, Livvy.’ Kate smiled as she approached her and Chloe. ‘Welcome to The Coffee Stop.’

‘She has been before, you know.’ Chloe smiled at her too.

‘Granted,’ Kate went on, ‘but not on this side of the counter.’ She pulled up the hatch and beckoned Livvy. ‘Come on, I’ll show you around.’

They went through to a kitchen fitted out with stainless steel units and one of the largest fridges Livvy had ever seen.

‘When we first came here, the business had been run down,’ Kate explained. ‘It was a café before.’

‘I remember it,’ Livvy said as she glanced around. ‘And the old couple who ran it.’

‘Lily and Bernard.’

‘Hannah said they’d both died. But you knew Lily, I gather?’

‘Yes, she was a sweet, kind lady. She had let the business run down when Bernard died, but wanted to leave a bit of herself behind, I guess. Chloe and I came to work with her, helping to set it up. When she died, we decided to continue with it, to cut a very long story short. She was a very generous woman.’

Once she’d had a tour of the back rooms and Kate had gone through the housekeeping rules with her, Livvy was put on waitressing duties. She handed in orders to Chloe and then delivered them to the prospective tables.

In no time at all, two hours had flown by and it was time for a quick bite to eat. Kate had made her a sandwich and she sat down at the back of the room to enjoy it.

It had been an interesting morning. The clientele was similar to the café she used to work at and even though there were lots of different items on the menus, she knew she’d remember them all, eventually. There were so many types of coffee though. Still, she was a fast learner.

A few minutes later, as Livvy sat people watching while she ate her lunch, Hannah came in through the front door. She waved at Livvy as she went to the counter. After placing an order, Hannah headed over and sat down across from her.

‘How’s your first morning been?’ she asked.

‘Okay, I think,’ Livvy replied after finishing her last mouthful of food.

‘Chloe says you’ve done well. Mind you, by Chloe’s standards that means not throwing a drink over anyone.’

‘Has she done that?’

‘She got her foot caught in the handle of a woman’s handbag, and while trying to stay upright, upended her tray of drinks over some poor sod.’ Hannah laughed. ‘It was so funny at the time. I was sitting where you were, saw the whole thing and nearly peed my pants trying not to laugh out loud.’

‘You cow!’

‘I know, guilty as charged. But then so was the whole room. Once people saw the funny side of it, everyone was laughing and teasing her.’ Hannah giggled. ‘It’s usually me that ends up doing daft things like that. Oh, I have something for you.’ She rummaged in her pocket and pulled out a slip of paper.

Passing it over, Livvy could see it had a phone number written on it.

‘It’s Callum’s,’ Hannah explained. ‘He wanted to follow you the other night, to see if you were okay, but I thought you’d be better on your own. He asked me to give you his number and get you to call or send him a message.’ She leaned forwards and whispered. ‘You are going to get in touch with him, aren’t you?’

‘I – I don’t really know.’ Livvy shrugged. ‘I’ve only been back in Somerley for a fortnight and so far, I’ve found somewhere to live, settled Pip into a new school, found myself a part-time job, and reconciled with my sister. I think that’s enough for now.’

‘Ah, that’s the Somerley magic. It’s what you’ve been missing out on for years.’ Hannah winked to show she was joking. ‘And I assume by you turning up it means you’re due some good luck, anyway. Call him.’

Livvy played with the piece of paper. ‘I’ll think about it,’ she said. ‘But in the meantime, it’s back to work for me.’

‘Yes, that’s what I’m here to tell you.’ Hannah rested her elbow on the table and her chin in her hand. ‘You have the pleasure of working with me in the book shop this afternoon.’

‘Great!’ Livvy enthused, pleased she wouldn’t have to wait on all day in the coffee shop for her first shift.

‘The shelving is up now; the floor is cleared of all rubbish. The windows are sparkling and there are boxes of books to be added to shelves.’

‘Already?’ Livvy was confused. ‘It was mayhem in there.’

Since she’d last been there, the hole in the wall had been covered with boarding so no one could see what was going on. Kate had informed her that Doug thought it best as people kept popping in to see how they were doing, and he was concerned about health and safety. Glass panelled double doors were due to be fitted soon.

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