The shop door would then go, a family or a couple might come in, and then she’d be serving again. Seeing her customers all wrapped up and coming in from the cold, she knew they would enjoy the chance to sit down with a cup of hot chocolate and slice of cake, as well as buying some goodies to take away. It would be lovely to give this shop, which already was her favourite place in the world, a bit more life and buzz. This café idea could really, really work.

She decided that she’d pop and see her parents tomorrow evening, chat about her plans, and see if they might consider helping with a small loan, which she’d repay as soon as she could, of course. She’d better find out tomorrow how much a carpenter might charge first, and what the likely costs might be to purchase the second-hand furniture. If the chairs and tables she sourced were a bit shabby, she could always give them a spruce up with some chalk paint in a gorgeous heritage-grey shade or something similar.

The afternoon was flying by, with several tourists and locals popping in. Maybe they were just dodging the showers that had set in after lunchtime, but it was all good for trade, and with thoughts of her new café in her mind, Emma was feeling buzzy and happy.

‘I’m looking for Max.’

A woman with a sweep of sculpted dark-brown hair, wearing a tailored beige woollen coat and black leather gloves, blasted in just after 4.00 p.m. She looked glamorous, yet her scowl and tone made her seem rather cold.

‘Oh? And you are?’ Emma started, trying to place her.

The woman gave her an extremely haughty look, apparently shocked to find Emma was daring enough to ask such an impertinent question.

‘Siobhan, his girlfriend.’

‘Oh.’ Emma was taken aback.

She remembered the piggy back, the kiss on the beach just this morning, the feeling that life might just have turned some new corner for her. Em began to feel a little sick. Had he lied to her? Was he playing them both?

‘Well, have you seen him? I heard mention of Warkton and some chocolate-shop woman.’ The words came out sounding as if she’d said ‘harlot’.

‘Well, yes, I saw him this morning.’ There was no point lying, but there was no way Emma was going to mention the cosy dinner for two last night. The woman was fired up enough as it was, angry energy pounding off her in waves. A couple had been browsing in the shop when Siobhan had come in and they looked extremely uncomfortable and had managed to back themselves into a corner.

‘Right, I see. I don’t know what the hell he’s playing at, or you come to that, but if you happen to see him again, you can tell him his girlfriend’s looking for him.’