The Cosy Seaside Chocolate Shop Read online

  ‘Nathan? Is that really you?’

  ‘Yeah – well I prefer to be called Nate, nowadays, but yeah, it’s me. And, how cool is this?’ he said looking around The Chocolate Shop and then settling his gaze on her. ‘Hi, Em. Good to see ya.’

  Emma noted a slight Australian drawl to his accent. Well, he had been away a long while.

  ‘So, how are you?’ She was coming out from behind the counter towards him. ‘You look … wow, you look different … you look good. All grown-up somehow.’ She stopped herself, realising she was beginning to sound like some maiden aunt.

  ‘Well, I am twenty-six!’ he laughed.

  ‘Of course.’ The same age Luke had been when he died … But wow, his little brother was here and all grown-up. Emma clapped her hands together. This was just wonderful. But God, he did look so like Luke. Her heart didn’t know quite what to make of that yet.

  He opened his arms wide to greet her and they shared a big hug.

  ‘Wow, long time no see.’ Emma could scarcely hide the emotion in her voice. Yes, the last time she had seen him was at Luke’s funeral, eight years ago now, when he was just eighteen.

  ‘I know … and hey, you don’t look so bad yourself, Em. You’ve not changed a bit, honest.’ He took a step back to take a proper look at her. ‘And this place, it’s brilliant. Your own business and everything. Mum and Dad told me all about it, of course.’

  ‘Yep. Welcome to The Chocolate Shop by the Sea. It’s been a long haul, to be honest, but yeah, it’s good here … And you, how’s life for you? Is this a passing trip? What are your plans?’

  ‘Well, that’s the million-dollar question.’ He gave a cheeky smile, as though planning wasn’t really his thing.

  ‘Hang on, shall I make us a coffee while it’s quiet here? Have you got time? It’d be great to catch up.’ There was only one customer in just now, who seemed to be happy reading their newspaper with a pot of tea and a chocolate brownie to hand.

  ‘Yeah, why not. That’d be great.’

  ‘Right, well take a seat and I’ll be back with some coffee in a minute.’

  ‘Do you do a flat white?’

  ‘Ah, I’m afraid not, no machine for that as yet, though it’s on my wish list. We’re still on cafetières for the moment.’

  ‘That’s fine, no worries.’ And he sat down, gazing out of the window. ‘Sweet spot here.’

  ‘Yes, it’s a great village. I’ll just be two ticks.’

  Emma dashed off to make their drinks, realising she had a huge smile on her face. Mind you, once in the kitchen she felt a bit giddy and had to pause and hold on to the work surface for a second or two. Just seeing him walk into the shop like that, Luke’s brother, being near him … it brought back so many memories. Nathan’s hair was a bit longer, and the clothes far more casual than Luke would have chosen, but whoa, a quick glance and he could easily pass for Luke. And that made the hole in her heart she’d been trying so hard to heal, tear open a little more.

  She told herself to get a grip and got on with making the coffee.

  A few minutes later they were settled in the window seat together chatting about old times, about Luke, and the years kind of melted away. Yet they were both so aware that they were in such a different place than they would ever have imagined back then.

  ‘God, I think I must always have been the annoying kid brother when you two got together. Hey Em, remember that time when our parents were away overnight and you and Luke were at our house? I was being a stroppy teenager and didn’t want to go off to my room and I was on the PlayStation in the lounge for hours – no doubt getting in the way of your cosy night in. Then Luke got mad and got me in a headlock and something cricked badly. We ended up in A&E and he was terrified he’d really done something wrong.’

  ‘Hah, yes. And I was left there at your house to keep an eye on the dog, and your parents rang to check everything was okay. It was past ten o’clock and I had to pretend you’d both gone off to sleep for an early night … as if.’

  ‘Yeah, they did an X-ray to check, then let us home. No real damage, it was just a bit cricked. Mum and Dad still don’t know about that one.’

  ‘Brothers, hey?’ said Emma.

  ‘Still miss him.’ He took a slow breath.

  ‘Yeah, me too.’ Emma didn’t want to get maudlin, so switched the conversation. ‘So, tell me all about your travels and adventures then. I’ve seen the odd photo online. Looks like you’ve been to some amazing places.’

  ‘Yeah, it’s been pretty cool. I liked the Far East the best. Some incredible places in Vietnam and Cambodia. Temples, palaces, gorgeous tropical beaches, crazy tuk-tuk drivers in cities with seven carriageways, millions of motorbikes and a few cows crossing too. You have to see it to believe it.’

  ‘Yeah, I bet.’

  ‘And the people over there are just so friendly.’

  A young couple walked in, so Emma had to pop behind the counter to serve, then she headed back to sit with Nathan – no, Nate – once more.

  ‘So, what do you make of Warkton-by-the-Sea then?’ she asked. ‘Have you had chance to look around?’

  ‘It’s a cute place.’

  ‘So, are you just on a day trip? What’s brought you here?’

  ‘Well, I heard you were up this way. Thought I’d check in, say hi and take a look at the place. It’s an area I’ve always fancied visiting. Who knows, it might be a day trip or I might just stay a few days. I have no ties as such. I liked it down by the harbour and the pub seems pretty chilled. They do a nice pint of real ale.’

  ‘Oh, so you’ve already been into The Fisherman’s Arms …’ Emma started. The other day made sense now. ‘Were you here a week or so ago?’

  ‘Yeah. I did try and call at the shop then too, but it was after closing. I hadn’t thought about that, so I headed on up the coast for a few days.’

  ‘Hah, I saw you. Thought I might have been going a bit crazy. For a moment, I thought it was Luke …’ She felt a lump form in her throat.

  ‘Oh, Em.’ His hand went gently over hers. They didn’t need to say any more. Sat quietly for a while. Lost in their own memories.

  ‘It’s been tough, hasn’t it?’

  ‘Yeah.’ She had found someone who really understood. A shared love, a shared grief.

  An elderly lady came in then and settled down in the other window seat. Em needed to get back to serving her customers and looking after her Chocolate Shop. It was no good dwelling on the past. It didn’t change anything.

  ‘Well, Em, I’d better get off.’ Nate stood up, and the two of them shared a warm hug.

  ‘I hope you can stay around for a couple of days at least. If you need a sofa for a night let me know. But if not, take care. All the best, whatever your plans for the future, Nate.’

  ‘Thanks. Good to see you, Em.’

  ‘You too.’

  She watched Nate head out of the shop door, leaving a trail of strange emotions in his wake.

  9

  Emma found herself rather floored by the surprise arrival of Nathan yesterday – or Nate, she reminded herself. Her mind was still in flux. It was such a blast from the past, and yet he had changed so much from the teenager she remembered … was so like Luke.

  Well, enough of the nostalgia trip; she had to shake herself up. Today was the day of Bev’s trial prosecco party and now that she had closed the shop for the day, there was a party to organise! She’d decided to welcome all the guests with a flute of prosecco and a chocolate-dipped strawberry on the side. Then they could have a go at making the dipped strawberries themselves – they were really easy to do but looked delightful and tasted delicious. Just perfect with a glass of bubbly too.

  Then they would move on to the truffle-making session. She’d lined up a selection of alcohol flavourings – Irish Cream, whisky and rum worked really well – so they could choose their own favourite. She’d also have some vanilla extract for a non-alcohol version, just in case. Hmm, that set her thinking – at the professional
party nights there might well be a non-drinker, or perhaps someone pregnant. Yes, she’d put out a bottle of sparkling elderflower and some non-alcohol drink options too – the elderflower was still gorgeous and bubbly. It was good that she was doing this trial run – a useful business experiment. And, even better, it was a damn good excuse for a get-together with friends.

  She set out the big round table in the window with a dozen champagne flutes – she’d had to borrow eight of them from Bev, as she rarely required that many. Next, she needed to go and turn on the tempering machine, so as to keep the melted chocolate just right. That way, the beginners could work with the chocolate easily. She then went upstairs to find her festive decorations that had been packed away after Christmas, pulling out a strand of white fairy lights to give the shop a pretty glow.

  After setting everything out, she looked around The Chocolate Shop – it really was lovely. She felt proud of how much she had achieved in these seven years, both for herself and her shop. The new soft furnishings in their pretty shades of blue, grey and white gave it a cosy coastal feel for the summer months and a soft toy seal that one of her nieces had given her sat on the hull-shaped shelf rack along with the rows of goody bags of fudge and truffles. On the walls, there were some black-and-white photos of Warkton in the old days, showing the fishing boats down in the harbour. Old Mrs Clark, whose husband Jim had been a fisherman, had given them to her. One image was of his old coble boat, Silver Spray. He’d died over twenty years ago, so Mrs C had told her sadly.

  It was after Emma shared a little of her own loss that the old lady came up with the photos, saying she wanted Em to have them, so they could be displayed in the shop for all to enjoy, far better than being tucked away gathering dust in her cupboard.

  The shop was very much a part of this community, of its history. It had seen its share of love, laughter and loss too. But tonight, Emma had a good feeling, was going to be a particularly fun one.

  Next some music. She took out her small portable speaker and chose some easy-listening tracks on her iPhone to give the shop a more relaxed ambience. Great.

  It was soon time to dash upstairs for a quick shower and change. The girls were due around seven-thirty. She chose to wear her black work trousers, trying to keep her outfit true to how she might dress for the formal party nights, and teamed it with a soft-pink floral top. She popped her long red hair into a ponytail, to keep it neat and out of the way.

  She was just about to head back down when she heard a knock at the back door and then Bev’s voice calling up the stairs, ‘Only me! I take it I’m the first. I’m a bit early. I’ll come on up, shall I?’

  ‘I’m nearly ready, so I’m on my way down, actually. Hang on.’

  Emma was soon heading down the stairs.

  They greeted each other with a hug in the hallway. Bev had brought a lovely square glass vase filled with pink and cream roses. ‘For you.’

  ‘Aw, thanks Bev. They’re beautiful.’

  ‘Well, I can’t exactly bring you chocolates, can I?’ She smiled. ‘Oh, and these, to help with supplies.’ Bev winked, and presented her with three bottles of prosecco, which Em placed on the kitchen side.

  ‘Ooh, I’ll put these flowers straight through into the shop. They will complete the look perfectly.’ Em placed them carefully on the second window table. The first table being ready with the glass flutes, the bottles of alcohol to add to the truffles that she’d set out earlier, and a set of black aprons she had sourced online especially for the truffle-making session and had printed with The Chocolate Shop by the Sea logo and gold writing that read: ‘Love, laughter, chocolate and prosecco!’

  ‘Hah, these are brilliant.’ Bev was opening one out.

  ‘Thought it’d be worth the investment. Make it feel more professional, yet fun.’

  ‘Love them. This is so going to work, you know, Emma. It’s such a bloody good idea, dare I say so myself.’ Bev was virtually preening. ‘Prosecco parties are so my thing … Let’s pour out a glass and toast their future success.’

  ‘Oh, yes. Why not.’

  There’s nothing quite like the sound of the popping of a cork; the sight of straw-coloured bubbles rushing into foam down the side of a glass; that first blissfully refreshing mouthful.

  ‘Cheers, Bev.’

  ‘Cheers, hun. To the most fabulous chocolate and prosecco parties ever! And to The Chocolate Shop by the Sea making lots of money.’

  ‘Yay! Now that would be brilliant.’ A secure financial base would be just wonderful, for who knew what might happen next to the rent or the property after the bloody landlord’s last visit. But, those negative thoughts needed to be pushed back for another day. Tonight was for enjoying themselves. ‘Well, the good news is, it might not be too long before I can do the proper licensed parties. I’ve done my research and I’ve already booked a licensing course. Once I’ve passed the exam, I have to make an application to the council.’

  ‘Ooh, landlady Em. You’ll need to invest in some leopard-print gear, big dangly earrings and a push-up bra!’

  ‘Hah, you’re thinking Bet Lynch or Barbara Windsor’s character at the Queen Vic!’

  ‘Ooh ah, I bet Max’ll love it.’

  ‘Behave woman, but hah, he probably would. Though may I say, it’ll be a much classier affair here.’

  With that, two eager faces appeared at the shop door. Holly and her best friend, Jess.

  ‘Come in. Come in. It’s open,’ Emma called out.

  ‘Hi Em. Wow, it looks a-mazing in here. Love the new evening ambience.’ Holly grinned.

  ‘It’s really pretty,’ Jess agreed.

  Within a half hour all nine guests were there, including Chloe and her friend Hannah, and were hands-on, dipping strawberries into bowls of white and dark chocolate that Emma had set out in the centre of the table.

  ‘I want to eat them all already. How long do they take to set?’ Jess asked.

  ‘Um, about twenty minutes for these. I’ll pop them in the cooler kitchen area for a while.’

  That gave them time to have another glass of bubbly and have a chat. It all seemed to be going well, Emma mused.

  ‘Top-ups anyone?’ Bev was wielding the next prosecco bottle promisingly.

  ‘I’ll skip this time.’ Em intended taking it steady for now whilst she was teaching and observing how the session was going.

  The others were keen for refills.

  ‘Okay, so next we are going to make the chocolate truffles. There’s a little more technique to this.’ Emma was trying to keep it sounding professional.

  ‘Oh my, so I need to concentrate,’ Sheila, from the grocer’s, piped up.

  ‘It’s like being back at school,’ added Jo, with a smile.

  ‘Hah, school was never this fun!’ Ali grinned.

  ‘And since when did you ever get served prosecco at school?’ Holly added.

  ‘Good idea if they did, mind,’ said Jess. ‘Might ease the pain of exams.’

  ‘You’d never get any work done, girls,’ Sheila retorted sensibly.

  Emma went off to fetch more bowls of tempered chocolate for the truffle-making session, to which they would add cream and their chosen liqueur. The mixture would then need to be chilled in the fridge for at least an hour before being moulded into small balls and dipped into even more chocolate to coat. Chloe offered to give her a hand.

  ‘Seems to be going well. It’s a really lovely idea, Em,’ she said, once the pair of them were in the kitchen.

  ‘Yeah, fingers crossed. Even if I could only do one or two a month to start, that’d be good.’

  ‘Well, I’ll help spread the word. There are lots of mums at the school gates, desperate for a night out. And this would be right up their street.’

  ‘Thanks.’

  They were soon back out carrying bowls of melted dark chocolate.

  ‘Right, I’m going in with the Baileys liqueur.’ Laura took the bottle of Irish Cream in readiness.

  ‘I fancy the whisky,’ piped up Al
i.

  ‘Ho ho ho, and a bottle of rum for me, then.’ Holly took up the last bottle. ‘We can share, Jess.’

  ‘You only need a tablespoon for your mixture. So it’ll go a long way.’ Em was passing out the small dishes of melted chocolate – one for each person. ‘Don’t add the alcohol just yet, by the way. There’s another step to do first.’

  ‘Em, do you have any of that raspberry gin left?’ Bev asked as the hostess-with-the-mostest reached her. ‘You remember, we opened it at New Year.’

  ‘I do remember, and yes, there’s still half a bottle upstairs. Mmm, raspberry gin truffles, you might be on to something there, Bev.’

  ‘I know. I have a taste for this stuff. My taste buds are the equivalent of Jo Malone’s nose!’

  The whole group creased with laughter at that point.

  ‘Just saying.’ Bev sounded slightly put out.

  ‘I’ll just nip up and fetch it.’ With that, Em dashed up the stairs. She couldn’t be long, or all the chocolate would start cooling. Kitchen cupboard, there it was. Result. She was back down in two ticks.

  ‘Okay ladies, watch and learn. We all have a bowl of melted dark chocolate each and next I’ll bring through the hot cream to mix. So, wooden spoons at the ready.’ She poured a little into each bowl, judging the right amount instinctively. ‘Don’t worry, you can all have the recipe sheet to take home, so you don’t need to remember all this. Okay, so now to add your chosen liqueur – just a tablespoon is enough – and stir through again.’

  ‘This is fun.’

  ‘Smells divine.’

  ‘When can we lick the bowls?’ Laura, from the hotel, asked cheekily.

  ‘Hold fire on that. The mix needs to set in the bowls so we can handle it later to mould into truffles.’

  ‘Darn.’

  ‘Spoilsport.’

  ‘Going to have to test a little on my fingertip then, if that’s the case,’ said Laura.

  ‘Don’t panic, folks, you can have the chocolate strawberries you made earlier while you wait,’ added Em.

  ‘And I suppose another glass of prosecco might help,’ Bev said, grinning. There were still plenty of supplies, after all, as everyone who had come along had brought a bottle.