Page 6 of The Hampton Beach Café 6
“Yeah, sure, of course,” Frances said. “The tourist season is winding up now so it's a bit quieter...”
“Sounds amazing, babes,” Hayley said. “You keep your chin up and don't let that snake get you down.”
“Definitely,” Frances said. “Fly safe.”
She hung up and turned to Lucinda.
“I don't know what's going on, but I don't like it. We need to figure out what's really going on with Malcolm and why he's suddenly being so nice,” Frances said, determination in her voice.
Lucinda nodded. Her gaze shifted and instead was looking out into the gallery section of the café.
Ah, Vincent,Frances realized.Had they had an argument?
“What's going on there?” she asked, bumping Lucinda with her hip.
“I don't know...”
That was the most Lucinda had admitted that was going on with Vincent, and it surprised Frances a little.
“You don't know or you don't know how to express it?” Frances asked.
Lucinda shrugged.
“Both, I guess?”
These short-worded answers were not doing it for Frances, and she held back a sigh, hoping that an extended silence would get Lucinda talking.
“I just...” Lucinda sighed. “I just wish it was simple, you know? I don't know what's happening with my life. I've basically moved here for Pete’s sake. I haven't been back to LA since we came up here! But…I don't want to. I thought I'd lose my mind but, honestly, it’s great here. I can do all my coaching online—bonus, no expensive lunches to buy to get clients on board—and he’s here…”
That wasdefinitelymore than she had ever said about it, and it hit Frances with what felt like a physical pinch. She knew Lucinda had been struggling with a history of gambling issues, and they checked in about that regularly, but she hadn't asked if she missed her life in Los Angeles.
“I'm sorry, I know I've been really engrossed in—"
“In the roller coaster that is your life right now? Don't worry. I get it. It's usually fine. But it feels like I have to make a choice, you know?”
Vincent chose that moment to look over and smile. He didn't seem like he was upset at all, and Frances wondered if this was all on Lucinda's part.
“Go on, go help him.”
Lucinda snorted. “Cus it's such a chore—being around a gorgeous and brilliant artist, installing art, being told I’m a business genius because I suggested a basic accounting system. It's fantastic.”
The sadness had gone from Lucinda's face and had been replaced by her confident and sly smile. Frances smiled back and watched her friend saunter across the café floor towards Vincent as he hefted a sculpture off its plinth and onto the wheeled platform next to him.
They were adorable together,Frances thought with a pang. She tried to stuff down the part of her that wanted to call Alex and beg for him to just listen to her so she could explain.
She didn't have time for this. She gave herself a little shake. She had work to do, a café to clean and close, and a life to untangle.
FOUR
The lunch with Martha felt like it had arrived far faster than was possible by the rules of time and space, but there it was, at one o'clock on her phone calendar. It was five minutes past one, and she was getting nervous—had the woman stood them up? Lost her nerve? Frances stared at the screen as she shifted in the uncomfortable seat of the Wharf restaurant waiting for Lucinda to rejoin her before Martha arrived.
It was a necessary conversation, but it was hardly going to be fun going over every facet of Clarkson's deceit. He hadn't been in touch with any of them since the big blow out, and Frances had not had the inclination to investigate what he was up to.
They would have to now, though, even with everything that was going on.
With a huff, Lucinda sat down across from Frances and glanced over her shoulder. “They’re at the door.”
“Good, good, I’m just glad they’re coming.”
