Read Online The Grand Reopening of Dandelion Café by Jenny Oliver - Free Book Online
Authors: Jenny Oliver
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‘For not walking away, you idiot. For trying. You know what it means, don’t you?’
Annie had swallowed, given a slight shake of her head.
‘It means you have courage.’
Courage.
Sitting at the table, looking at the list on her laptop, at all the mammoth things that needed doing that she was ignoring, she didn’t feel like she had courage at all. Instead she felt a bit like a fraud.
Chapter Eight
As Annie stared at her computer screen, she felt a nudge against her leg and looked down to see Buster the pug shuffling about trying to make himself comfortable, pushing her legs out of the way with his squashed-in face.
‘That was where he used to sit, with Enid.’
Annie looked up to see Matthew standing next to the table, his expression curious, as if he’d caught her in a world of her own.
‘Everything OK?’ he asked.
‘Fine,’ Annie said quickly, shutting the lid of her laptop.
He made a face like he wasn’t quite sure he believed her, but he’d let it go, and asked instead, ‘Can I sit here?’
‘You know we’re closed,’ Annie said, feeling surprisingly pleased for the distraction, and the person distracting her.
He replied with a shrug and a half-smile. ‘I don’t know where else to go for coffee.’
‘The machine’s off.’
‘I don’t know where else to go for breakfast.’
‘There’s no food.’
‘I don’t know where else to go to sit down.’
‘Well in that case…’ She gestured to the vacant seat in front of her and then turned to look back towards the kitchen where Ludo was on his phone and smoking a cigarette out the window. ‘Ludo! What are you doing?’
‘I’m thinking. About the menu.’
Annie rolled her eyes. ‘Can you make coffee while you think?’
‘Can I make coffee while I think…’ He scoffed. ‘This is a technical, difficult thought process.’ The YouTube video he’d been loading suddenly burst out at full volume and he scrabbled around trying to silence his phone.
Finally turning it off he said, ‘Yes, I can make coffee.’
Matt was smirking. ‘I feel honoured.’
‘So you should,’ Annie laughed.
Matt sat back and folded his arms. He’d clearly come straight in from the river again, dressed in sludge-green tracksuit bottoms and a dirty white sweatshirt all misshapen at the neck, his kit bag on the floor between his feet, a battered Evian bottle on the seat next to him.
‘Nice outfit,’ she said, looking him up and down.
‘I thought I’d dress up specially,’ he said, eyes glinting.
‘It’s the kind of outfit you could do some decorating in,’ she said.
‘D’you think?’
Annie nodded. ‘Perfect for painting, hanging pictures, lights…’ She gestured towards the flower-covered chandelier.
‘What’s that doing here?’ Matt asked, sitting up and staring over at the light.
Annie shrugged. ‘River said it was in his shed.’
‘I bought that.’
‘You did?’
‘For his mum. For Pamela.’
‘Oh.’ Annie made a face. ‘Sorry.’
Matthew blew out a breath that made his hair flick up at the front. ‘I never thought she liked it.’
Annie looked over at the gold ceramic monstrosity. ‘Well it’s perhaps not to everyone’s taste.’
Matthew laughed. ‘I was only eighteen when I bought it. God, that was all my money at the time.’ He sat back, ran his hands through his hair, pushing it back from where it kept flopping over his eyes.
River came over with the coffees, slid them onto the table without really looking at either of them.
‘Hey,’ said Matt.
River made a noise between a grunt and a hi and walked off.
‘Things haven’t got any better?’ Annie asked, the answer clearly obvious.
Matt sighed. ‘No. I went round last night, asked if he wanted to come away this weekend. No joy.’
‘Where you going?’
‘North Wales. Climbing,’ Matthew said, getting up and reaching across to the table behind him for sugar.
‘That’s really bad for you, you know.’
‘Climbing?’
‘No sugar. That
Annie had swallowed, given a slight shake of her head.
‘It means you have courage.’
Courage.
Sitting at the table, looking at the list on her laptop, at all the mammoth things that needed doing that she was ignoring, she didn’t feel like she had courage at all. Instead she felt a bit like a fraud.
Chapter Eight
As Annie stared at her computer screen, she felt a nudge against her leg and looked down to see Buster the pug shuffling about trying to make himself comfortable, pushing her legs out of the way with his squashed-in face.
‘That was where he used to sit, with Enid.’
Annie looked up to see Matthew standing next to the table, his expression curious, as if he’d caught her in a world of her own.
‘Everything OK?’ he asked.
‘Fine,’ Annie said quickly, shutting the lid of her laptop.
He made a face like he wasn’t quite sure he believed her, but he’d let it go, and asked instead, ‘Can I sit here?’
‘You know we’re closed,’ Annie said, feeling surprisingly pleased for the distraction, and the person distracting her.
He replied with a shrug and a half-smile. ‘I don’t know where else to go for coffee.’
‘The machine’s off.’
‘I don’t know where else to go for breakfast.’
‘There’s no food.’
‘I don’t know where else to go to sit down.’
‘Well in that case…’ She gestured to the vacant seat in front of her and then turned to look back towards the kitchen where Ludo was on his phone and smoking a cigarette out the window. ‘Ludo! What are you doing?’
‘I’m thinking. About the menu.’
Annie rolled her eyes. ‘Can you make coffee while you think?’
‘Can I make coffee while I think…’ He scoffed. ‘This is a technical, difficult thought process.’ The YouTube video he’d been loading suddenly burst out at full volume and he scrabbled around trying to silence his phone.
Finally turning it off he said, ‘Yes, I can make coffee.’
Matt was smirking. ‘I feel honoured.’
‘So you should,’ Annie laughed.
Matt sat back and folded his arms. He’d clearly come straight in from the river again, dressed in sludge-green tracksuit bottoms and a dirty white sweatshirt all misshapen at the neck, his kit bag on the floor between his feet, a battered Evian bottle on the seat next to him.
‘Nice outfit,’ she said, looking him up and down.
‘I thought I’d dress up specially,’ he said, eyes glinting.
‘It’s the kind of outfit you could do some decorating in,’ she said.
‘D’you think?’
Annie nodded. ‘Perfect for painting, hanging pictures, lights…’ She gestured towards the flower-covered chandelier.
‘What’s that doing here?’ Matt asked, sitting up and staring over at the light.
Annie shrugged. ‘River said it was in his shed.’
‘I bought that.’
‘You did?’
‘For his mum. For Pamela.’
‘Oh.’ Annie made a face. ‘Sorry.’
Matthew blew out a breath that made his hair flick up at the front. ‘I never thought she liked it.’
Annie looked over at the gold ceramic monstrosity. ‘Well it’s perhaps not to everyone’s taste.’
Matthew laughed. ‘I was only eighteen when I bought it. God, that was all my money at the time.’ He sat back, ran his hands through his hair, pushing it back from where it kept flopping over his eyes.
River came over with the coffees, slid them onto the table without really looking at either of them.
‘Hey,’ said Matt.
River made a noise between a grunt and a hi and walked off.
‘Things haven’t got any better?’ Annie asked, the answer clearly obvious.
Matt sighed. ‘No. I went round last night, asked if he wanted to come away this weekend. No joy.’
‘Where you going?’
‘North Wales. Climbing,’ Matthew said, getting up and reaching across to the table behind him for sugar.
‘That’s really bad for you, you know.’
‘Climbing?’
‘No sugar. That
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