Page 23 of The Hampton Beach Café 2
Frances followed his gaze. Clarkson was, in fact, jiggling the door handle.
Crossing into the café area and over the door, she clicked the latch.
“Well, you all sound like you're happy!” he commented.
“We sure are,” she said as they returned to the kitchen.
Lucinda had popped open a bottle of champagne and was pouring out a glass for everyone.
“What? It's three in the afternoon, and we're celebrating!”
“What are we celebrating, though?” Clarkson asked, taking a glass and putting his arm around Frances as he did so.
She awkwardly flicked her attention to Alex, who quickly looked away.
“Welcome…” Vince said in his best radio announcer's voice, “…to Café Bruno!”
FOURTEEN
The last week felt like it had lasted a month, and yet the go-ahead meeting with Kennedy felt like it was only yesterday. She had signed off on Café Bruno with only a small smirk that Frances was happy to write off as an involuntary twitch, the menus had come back double time from the printers after Clarkson had given them a call, and there were nearly a hundred people signed up to their opening day––free cake with any coffee purchased does have that effect.
Amidst the chaos that was running her first-ever service-based business, Frances realized that she was remarkably happy.
Alex had taken a few days off, though he had an old buddy come in and supervise Luca, who was still very much in the dog house with Alex and looked surprisingly at home behind the counter. Frances thought Lucinda was in a doozy of a mood but was coping with the three hundred percent increase in customer service than she would normally have to deal with reasonably well.
It was about half past eleven, and the crowd was beginning to thin. The tour bus schedule named noon as the next big drop-off. The flyers at the bus station no doubt had something huge to do with it. As she was saying goodbye to a delightful woman and a tiny chubby toddler sucking happily on a piece of cake, she recognized a woman who strode in through the doors.
Lime Green Power Suit Woman, as Frances had started to call her.
Prowling across the floor, she smiled at Frances and pulled out her phone. “Clarkson really does like you. He doesn't collaborate with anyone.”
“Collaborate?” Frances asked.
“He throws events but only for himself. It's not our usual scene, but we do want to stay in good with the Property King, so we're here,” she said, raising her phone above her. “Now smile darling, we're live in two seconds.”
“What?”
“Hello, all my lovelies! Aunty Magda here today with Frances––the delightful and not to mention stunning owner-operator of Café Bruno. This place is the works, you can get a coffee and cake all day long and stay for a stiff drink after six o'clock. Say hello, Frances!”
Panicking, Frances went into business mode and grinned away. She answered Magda's questions with skill and speed though she couldn't help but feel they were just a little too pointed––especially when she asked if Frances had anyone special in her life.
“Lots of people! Every single one of my amazing team are specialists in their own way. I don't know where I would be without them!”
“Oh, isn't that gorgeous? Thank you, darling! And now I'm going to show you around the gallery portion, my loves. If you don't own something by Vincent Stone, who even ARE you?”
Pulling out her phone to text Clarkson, she was interrupted by another person she recognized. This was another of the influencers from the party Clarkson threw. She was already filming.
“Omg, FRAN! I'm so excited for you, babes!”
Oh––Fran? No, no, no, no. That was not happening.
The girl was hugging her across the counter––how was this good footage?
“I'm so excited! Everything looks amazing. Can we please, please, please try the Mega Chunk OH EM GEE Milkshake?”
Frances nodded and turned to Lucinda, Vincent was busy being interviewed by Magda, and she was the only other one who knew the milkshake recipes.
She was going to murder Clarkson. This was too much.
