Page 75 of The Library of Second Chances
‘There he is,’ she murmured back.
A middle-aged couple sat nearby, talking to each other. They glanced a few times at the large Scotsman sitting in the corner, looking puzzled as he studied the piece of cake in front of him. He looked as bedraggled as when Chloe had first met him, but at least this time there was no straw in his red hair.
‘Hannah, could you close the café? This won’t take a minute.’
‘Um, I’m not sure, Chloe.’ Hannah twisted her apron in her hands, looking uncomfortable. ‘Afternoons tend to get busy.’
‘I’ll reimburse any money you lose,’ Harry promised, stepping forward. ‘Trust me, you don’t want to miss this.’
Hannah glanced between them. ‘Right. Sure.’ She turned the sign on the window so it saidCLOSEDand began to usher some of the perplexed customers out.
Chloe glanced at Harry, silently telling him to stay put. Harry busied himself with looking at the menu and asking Hannah all about the specials while Chloe slipped into the chair opposite where the Highlander sat.
He raised his eyes slowly. ‘Hello, Chloe.’
‘Nice to see you again,’ she said, glancing over at the nearby couple. She couldn’t make him disappear while they were here; it would be too difficult to explain. ‘How did you get here?’
‘I don’t really remember.’ He picked up the spoon Hannah had given him and turned it over in his hand with interest. ‘A lot has happened since we last spoke.’
‘It has,’ she agreed. ‘Listen, I can send you back in just a minute, okay?’
‘Good.’ He nodded. ‘I need to get back to my wife.’
‘Yes, you do.’ Chloe’s heart warmed at that. She looked over at where Harry was standing with his arms crossed, tapping his chin as though thinking about what to order. She tilted her chin to the plate in front of him. ‘That’s cake. Have you had it before?’
‘Nothing like this.’ He scooped up some of the cream and tasted it. His eyes widened and he clapped a hand over his mouth. He quickly swallowed and said, ‘It’s so sweet.’
Chloe giggled. After what felt like an age, the couple got up to pay their bill, and Hannah closed the door behind them.
‘All right, what’s going on that I have to close the café?’ Hannah demanded, marching over. ‘Who are you?’
‘Just watch,’ Harry said with a smile, now holding his own plate of chocolate cake.
Chloe brought out the book. ‘I’m sending you back again. I’m sure your wife is waiting for you.’
‘Aye. Goodbye, Chloe.’
‘Hopefully for the last time.’ Chloe opened the book at the last few pages and found the line. The red-headed Scot closed his eyes with a smile, and faded away before their eyes.
Hannah gasped, backing away so fast she crashed into the couple’s table. A mug wobbled and fell off, and Harry caught it just in time. ‘Are you all right?’ He set down the mug and helped Hannah into the seat.
‘That . . . I wasn’t expecting,’ Hannah breathed, a hand over her chest. ‘He just disappeared!’
‘Yeah.’ Chloe snapped the book shut. ‘And we’ve got four more characters to send home.’
‘Characters?’ Hannah asked weakly.
Chloe quickly explained. ‘I know it’s a lot to take in,’ she said. ‘But it’s true. Eric let out a cartoon monkey during the event for the schoolchildren and we were chasing it all around the library, trying to get it back home.’
‘I did think there were way more cakes than I’d made.’ Hannah rubbed her temples, looking tired. ‘This is a lot to take in, Chloe.’ She gave a loud gasp. ‘That man who helped during the robbery!’
‘Right.’ Chloe nodded. ‘He was a superhero from a comic book. He appeared right when we needed him.’
‘Just roll with it,’ said Harry around a mouthful of cake. He jabbed his cake fork at his plate. ‘This is delicious.’
He set down far too much money, insisting it was a tip and payment for closing the café. Ignoring Hannah’s weak protests, he wished her a pleasant day and Chloe tucked the book back into her bag.
‘They’ve found a character,’ said Harry when he pulled out his phone.
