and wondering if it was really possible for me to just turn back into my old self. And more importantly,
did I actually want to?
‘Just remember,’ Jemma smiled nervously, ‘it isn’t as bad as it looks and there’s nothing we can’t fix, OK?’
‘That’s it, love,’ Tom laughed, giving his wife a gentle shove, ‘keep going, you’re really selling it to her now! I wish you sounded as confident about overhauling
the Café as you do about the flat.’
We rounded the corner, having dropped Ella at her ballet class, and there it was, The Cherry Tree Café or perhaps I should say, the shell of what had once been The Cherry Tree
Café.
‘So as you can see, the outside needs a bit more work,’ Tom faltered, pulling off his hat and scratching his head as we crossed the icy road. ‘But Jemma’s right, Lizzie,
it’s not actually as bad as it looks.’
Everything was pretty much as I remembered it. The cute picket fence and cherry tree that covered much of the forecourt was still in situ, only now the fence sported more rot than paint and the
once lovely tree looked as though it hadn’t been pruned in years.
‘We’ll go round the back,’ Tom suggested, as he took in my expression, ‘just focus on the flat for today. Ben’s here already. He’s gradually working his way
through the list of jobs you gave him, isn’t he, Jem?’
‘He certainly is,’ Jemma said, smiling again, ‘I’ve already told Lizzie how hands on he is.’
‘Um,’ Tom smiled back as he tickled his wife in the ribs, ‘I bet you have. Anyway, we won’t disturb him for now. Let’s go straight up to the flat and look in on him
after.’
After our earlier conversation I didn’t want to look in on him at all but I was curious to see how the old place was shaping up. I still hadn’t worked out if Ben had been having a
dig at me back at the house but I was going to have to get over it. I was desperate to get on and start moving my stuff up to the flat, but I wanted to have a look around the Café first,
even if Ben Fletcher was there wielding his hammer. Before I could stop them, however, Jemma and Tom had set off down the little path that ran along the side of the building.
‘Hey, hang on, guys!’ I called after them, ‘I want to see the Café first. It can’t be that bad surely!’
They walked slowly back and Jemma tentatively reached for the handle and pushed back the door.
‘In you go then,’ she said nervously, ‘see what you make of it. Is it how you remember it?’
I stepped across the threshold and blinked as my eyes became accustomed to the gloom.
‘Well?’ Jemma whispered close behind me, her change in tone stamping all over her previous enthusiasm about fixing up the flat. ‘Oh god, we don’t stand a chance, do
we?’ she groaned.
I spun round to face her as Tom flicked on the lights.
‘What do you mean?’
‘It’s a disaster, isn’t it?’ she sobbed. ‘A dark, dingy nightmare! No one will ever want to eat in here again!’
‘You silly sod!’ I laughed, wrapping my arms around her. ‘It’s brilliant, exactly as I remember it, but with bags of potential. You’re going to make it so much
better than it was before.’
‘You really think so?’ she sniffed.
‘I really do!’
I stepped further in, refusing to see the place as Jemma currently did. I walked the length and width of the Café floor thinking of ways the space could be quickly and cleverly repackaged
and relaunched.
The tiled floor was sound and the walls down here at least didn’t appear to be damp. A lick of paint, some fresh curtains, one hell of a clean and the place would be back in business.
‘Have you thought about a colour scheme?’ I asked, lifting down a couple of the chairs that were stacked on the tables.
Jemma opened her mouth to answer but was stopped in her tracks by a barrage of expletives coming from the kitchen.
‘Tom!’ Ben hollered. ‘Is that you? Get your arse in here quick!’
We all dashed
did I actually want to?
‘Just remember,’ Jemma smiled nervously, ‘it isn’t as bad as it looks and there’s nothing we can’t fix, OK?’
‘That’s it, love,’ Tom laughed, giving his wife a gentle shove, ‘keep going, you’re really selling it to her now! I wish you sounded as confident about overhauling
the Café as you do about the flat.’
We rounded the corner, having dropped Ella at her ballet class, and there it was, The Cherry Tree Café or perhaps I should say, the shell of what had once been The Cherry Tree
Café.
‘So as you can see, the outside needs a bit more work,’ Tom faltered, pulling off his hat and scratching his head as we crossed the icy road. ‘But Jemma’s right, Lizzie,
it’s not actually as bad as it looks.’
Everything was pretty much as I remembered it. The cute picket fence and cherry tree that covered much of the forecourt was still in situ, only now the fence sported more rot than paint and the
once lovely tree looked as though it hadn’t been pruned in years.
‘We’ll go round the back,’ Tom suggested, as he took in my expression, ‘just focus on the flat for today. Ben’s here already. He’s gradually working his way
through the list of jobs you gave him, isn’t he, Jem?’
‘He certainly is,’ Jemma said, smiling again, ‘I’ve already told Lizzie how hands on he is.’
‘Um,’ Tom smiled back as he tickled his wife in the ribs, ‘I bet you have. Anyway, we won’t disturb him for now. Let’s go straight up to the flat and look in on him
after.’
After our earlier conversation I didn’t want to look in on him at all but I was curious to see how the old place was shaping up. I still hadn’t worked out if Ben had been having a
dig at me back at the house but I was going to have to get over it. I was desperate to get on and start moving my stuff up to the flat, but I wanted to have a look around the Café first,
even if Ben Fletcher was there wielding his hammer. Before I could stop them, however, Jemma and Tom had set off down the little path that ran along the side of the building.
‘Hey, hang on, guys!’ I called after them, ‘I want to see the Café first. It can’t be that bad surely!’
They walked slowly back and Jemma tentatively reached for the handle and pushed back the door.
‘In you go then,’ she said nervously, ‘see what you make of it. Is it how you remember it?’
I stepped across the threshold and blinked as my eyes became accustomed to the gloom.
‘Well?’ Jemma whispered close behind me, her change in tone stamping all over her previous enthusiasm about fixing up the flat. ‘Oh god, we don’t stand a chance, do
we?’ she groaned.
I spun round to face her as Tom flicked on the lights.
‘What do you mean?’
‘It’s a disaster, isn’t it?’ she sobbed. ‘A dark, dingy nightmare! No one will ever want to eat in here again!’
‘You silly sod!’ I laughed, wrapping my arms around her. ‘It’s brilliant, exactly as I remember it, but with bags of potential. You’re going to make it so much
better than it was before.’
‘You really think so?’ she sniffed.
‘I really do!’
I stepped further in, refusing to see the place as Jemma currently did. I walked the length and width of the Café floor thinking of ways the space could be quickly and cleverly repackaged
and relaunched.
The tiled floor was sound and the walls down here at least didn’t appear to be damp. A lick of paint, some fresh curtains, one hell of a clean and the place would be back in business.
‘Have you thought about a colour scheme?’ I asked, lifting down a couple of the chairs that were stacked on the tables.
Jemma opened her mouth to answer but was stopped in her tracks by a barrage of expletives coming from the kitchen.
‘Tom!’ Ben hollered. ‘Is that you? Get your arse in here quick!’
We all dashed
Similar Books
