Page 10 of The Hampton Beach Café 5
“So, did you hear about me and Kennedy?” he asked, a grin spreading across his face.
Frances was caught off guard. She had planned on bringing it up but hadn’t expected him to do so––and so casually too.
“I did hear something,” she admitted cautiously. “Are you two actually dating?”
Clarkson's expression turned serious. “Yeah, we are. And it's been great, Frances. I feel like I've finally found someone who understands me.”
Frances couldn't help but feel skeptical. She hadn’t known Clarkson that well in high school but she knew that he could be manipulative when it suited him––and it would really suit him right now, she thought. While it felt kind of gross to think this way about anyone, she did wonder if he was taking advantage of Kennedy's long-standing crush on him.
“I'm happy for you,” she said, but her tone was guarded.
Clarkson seemed to sense her hesitation, but he didn't press the issue. Instead, he leaned back in his chair and sighed.
“I just want what's best for both of us, Frances,” he said. “And I really think selling the coffee shop is the best move. But if you need more time, I'll support you, and keep the garden renovations going––that could really be a great selling point. Soon, though? We can’t wait too long, and you know you did say Summer when we agreed that I’d help you out of the hole you bid yourself into?”
Frances nodded. He was right about how he had helped her when she was panicking, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't quite right. The thought of the café in someone else’s hands, some stranger owning Alex’s old family home. Even though he had dealt with it before, she knew that her selling the place would be different. She and Clarkson said their goodbyes and she wondered if she was being dramatic or if her intuition was telling her something… either way, she had Lauren Daniels to deal with right now.
She turned to see Alex watching the exchange between Vin and the woman with distaste––this probably wasn’t going to be fun.
SIX
It was early as Frances sat at the long table in the café with Lucinda. Clarkson and Kennedy were giggling and Lucinda was smiling into her phone, but she was scrolling through the blocked comments on the Café Bruno social media account. She sighed as she read through the angry and misguided messages from Clarkson's fans. Lucinda noticed Frances' frustration and leaned over to see what was bothering her.
“More comments?” she asked sympathetically.
Frances nodded and showed Lucinda the screen. “It's ridiculous. I don't even know these people. Half are convinced that I'm still with Clarkson and the other half are angry at me for breaking up with him.”
Alex, who had been making coffee for them all, came out to join them at the table.
“What's going on?” he asked as he placed the tray of mugs down in front of him.
Kennedy smiled at them as she and Clarkson joined them at the table.
“Hey, what's up?” Kennedy said annoyingly brightly.
Lucinda explained the situation to her and Kennedy's face twisted in sympathy tinged with anger.
Frances glared down the table at Clarkson.
“We need to talk,” she said, her voice cold. “More precisely, you need to talk to your rabid fan base and get them to quit this.”
She showed him the screen and watched as his eyebrows got higher and higher on his forehead as he scrolled down.
“This is just the last two days,” she said. “It’s constant, and I’m over it.”
She didn’t want to bring up the brick that had been thrown at her door. It was too much right now with them all. It was barely five-thirty in the morning. They were supposed to be talking strategy for the café but she could feel it in her bones that nothing productive would get done...
“What if we went on a fake double date? You and Alex, me and Kennedy. We could take some pictures and post them online, make it seem like we're all friendly and kind of oblivious to the rumors?”
Frances and Alex looked at each other, both visibly shocked by the suggestion, but Lucinda nodded enthusiastically.
“I think it's a great idea!” she said.
Kennedy shrugged. “Sure, why not?”
Frances stared at them like they’d both lost their minds and felt like she was in some kind of bizarre alternate universe.
“Really? What is this, a high school melodrama?”
