Summer at the Heartbreak Cafe: Summer Sweet Romance (Lakeview Contemporary Romance Book 0) by Melissa Hill
Authors: Melissa Hill
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softly, her anger abating.
Donal did not respond and they walked silently the rest of the way.
B eing so close to lunchtime , the cafe was packed, but there was one table on the outside patio area. The boys went with them to the table, but then raced over towards the swings while they waited.
“They have so much energy,” Donal commented.
Marianne was still too annoyed to respond and she ignored him.
Ella came over to serve them. “Hello Donal and Marianne,” she greeted with a smile. They’d eaten here almost every days since their arrival and were on first name terms with the friendly host.
“Hi,” they both echoed. Marianne felt embarrassed that today neither of them bothered to look cheerful and hide that fact that they were fighting.
Of course Ella must surely have come across fighting couples before, not that it was much of a comfort.
“Are you watching the twins for Grace today?” she asked.
“Yes, she was a bit overwhelmed this morning; we said we’d watch them for a couple of hours. Do you have something they can eat?” Marianne said.
“Yes, they love milk and Colm’s cookies or Twix cake. What about you two?”
“Sounds good. I’ll give the Twix cake a try too. And some tea please,” Marianne asked.
“I’ll have the same.”
“Great, I’ll be back soon.”
The tension between them was so thick, you could cut it with a knife. Right this moment, Marianne was sure that Donal had no idea what the big deal was. He was so clueless sometimes, but for now she was not budging and would not until he understood by himself what the matter was.
Ella returned with their order after a few minutes, and Marianne called out to the twins to come back and wash their hands.
They settled down to eat, with the boys chattering aimlessly about nothing in particular. They were good kids, Marianne thought.
Under the table she felt rather than saw their little feet kicking each other. She smiled, remembering that she used to do the same thing with her sister Carina when growing up. She remembered how difficult it was to keep still when you were little.
She hid a smile and continued with her meal, pretending not to notice what the kids were doing under the table. Sometimes they would erupt into giggles and she laughed too at the joy of hearing the laughter of children. It made her feel a sharp longing for one of her own.
The boys finished their milk and Twix cake, and as Marianne was gathering their plates and cups together, she looked up and saw Grace, standing from a distance, at the other edge of the patio.
The look on her face made Marianne freeze. Her hair looked wild, like she had woken up without combing it. But her eyes were even wilder, and her body was so still; Marianne wondered how long she had been standing there. She was just about to wave over, when one of the kids caught her attention, and she looked away for a moment.
But when Marianne turned back to the boys’ mum to beckon her inside to join them, Grace was gone.
13
E lla shepherded the young mum into the café, and guided her across the room, down the hallway to her office.
Grace was like a docile doll, and she followed her willingly.
“You look as white as a sheet,” she said when Grace sat down. “What is it?”
In response, Grace buried her head in her hands.
“I had a scary moment in the park this morning when I thought I’d lost Josh. Turns out he was behind a tree all along, and it was Marianne who found him. She and her husband volunteered to watch the boys for a couple of hours, so I could get some rest.”
“That was kind. They’re lovely people,” Ella said.
“Yes they are. I went back home and fell asleep and when I woke up they were nowhere to be found. They were not at the park and they were not home. I’d forgotten that Marianne mentioned they might take them here for a treat. I thought they’d kidnapped them and all I could think was what would I tell Kevin? That I was so selfish for my time that I
Donal did not respond and they walked silently the rest of the way.
B eing so close to lunchtime , the cafe was packed, but there was one table on the outside patio area. The boys went with them to the table, but then raced over towards the swings while they waited.
“They have so much energy,” Donal commented.
Marianne was still too annoyed to respond and she ignored him.
Ella came over to serve them. “Hello Donal and Marianne,” she greeted with a smile. They’d eaten here almost every days since their arrival and were on first name terms with the friendly host.
“Hi,” they both echoed. Marianne felt embarrassed that today neither of them bothered to look cheerful and hide that fact that they were fighting.
Of course Ella must surely have come across fighting couples before, not that it was much of a comfort.
“Are you watching the twins for Grace today?” she asked.
“Yes, she was a bit overwhelmed this morning; we said we’d watch them for a couple of hours. Do you have something they can eat?” Marianne said.
“Yes, they love milk and Colm’s cookies or Twix cake. What about you two?”
“Sounds good. I’ll give the Twix cake a try too. And some tea please,” Marianne asked.
“I’ll have the same.”
“Great, I’ll be back soon.”
The tension between them was so thick, you could cut it with a knife. Right this moment, Marianne was sure that Donal had no idea what the big deal was. He was so clueless sometimes, but for now she was not budging and would not until he understood by himself what the matter was.
Ella returned with their order after a few minutes, and Marianne called out to the twins to come back and wash their hands.
They settled down to eat, with the boys chattering aimlessly about nothing in particular. They were good kids, Marianne thought.
Under the table she felt rather than saw their little feet kicking each other. She smiled, remembering that she used to do the same thing with her sister Carina when growing up. She remembered how difficult it was to keep still when you were little.
She hid a smile and continued with her meal, pretending not to notice what the kids were doing under the table. Sometimes they would erupt into giggles and she laughed too at the joy of hearing the laughter of children. It made her feel a sharp longing for one of her own.
The boys finished their milk and Twix cake, and as Marianne was gathering their plates and cups together, she looked up and saw Grace, standing from a distance, at the other edge of the patio.
The look on her face made Marianne freeze. Her hair looked wild, like she had woken up without combing it. But her eyes were even wilder, and her body was so still; Marianne wondered how long she had been standing there. She was just about to wave over, when one of the kids caught her attention, and she looked away for a moment.
But when Marianne turned back to the boys’ mum to beckon her inside to join them, Grace was gone.
13
E lla shepherded the young mum into the café, and guided her across the room, down the hallway to her office.
Grace was like a docile doll, and she followed her willingly.
“You look as white as a sheet,” she said when Grace sat down. “What is it?”
In response, Grace buried her head in her hands.
“I had a scary moment in the park this morning when I thought I’d lost Josh. Turns out he was behind a tree all along, and it was Marianne who found him. She and her husband volunteered to watch the boys for a couple of hours, so I could get some rest.”
“That was kind. They’re lovely people,” Ella said.
“Yes they are. I went back home and fell asleep and when I woke up they were nowhere to be found. They were not at the park and they were not home. I’d forgotten that Marianne mentioned they might take them here for a treat. I thought they’d kidnapped them and all I could think was what would I tell Kevin? That I was so selfish for my time that I
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