Page 16 of Boy Friends
It’s nice to see him happy, because, despite his best efforts to shield me from pain and ugliness, I know that life hasn’t always been easy on him. He had to grow up quickly and make decisions no teenager should be faced with. Miss M and this cafe were his saving grace. To cover the rent and the running costs of a newborn, he started as Miss M’s kitchen hand. Mum went back to school while Dad worked the cafe, always keeping an eye on me. And he basically became a full-time single dad when Mum’s job swept her half aworld away. When Miss M retired, he took over from her. He seems happy, though sometimes I wonder if he feels lonely without Mum.
‘Do you want to hear something funny?’ Dad says into the silence.
‘I don’t know, do I?’ I say tentatively. I’m starting to think karma is paying attention every time I listen to gossip.
‘I solved the Daniel mystery,’ Dad declares, and the decision is made.
‘Proceed,’ I tell him.
‘He came in here today.’
‘So you didn’t solve it. The mystery walked into the cafe and solved itself.’
‘Do you want to know about him or not?’
‘He came in and . . .?’
‘Said hi and he’d like a decaf latte to go, please. So I asked his name, and when he told me, I was like “Ah, the famous Daniel!” And he blushed.’
‘You think he’s cute!’
‘I didn’t say that.’
‘You didn’t need to.’
Far as I know, Dad hasn’t dated anyone since I was born. Though there was that morning when I woke and found a stranger sleeping in his bed. A slightly frazzled Dad explained to my smirking thirteen-year-old self that they’d got drunk the night before. Dad let him crash at ours but then slept through the alarm that should have given him time to sneak his guest out. His name was Henry. He looked like a golden retriever and snored like an elephant.
‘I asked decaf Daniel if he’s related to anyone in town,and he said I might know his mum, Joni.’
My jaw drops. ‘Librarian Joni has a son? How old is this guy?’
‘My age, maybe a little older.’
‘I can’t believe Joni never said anything about having a son. And a cute one of marriageable age. Do you think he’s the one who’s bought the manor house?’
‘You watch too many period films. And no, Miss M mentioned that he’s living with Joni for the time being.’
‘No such thing as too many period films,’ I say. Watching Maggie Smith roasting people is peak entertainment no matter what century she finds herself in.
‘He brought his dog too,’ Dad adds.
‘Why does everyone get a dog except me?’ I’ve been campaigning for a puppy since I was four, but Dad says they make him sneeze, which is the laziest excuse ever. ‘We should start selling puppuccinos.’
‘We are not selling puppuccinos,’ Dad says firmly, and I don’t argue. I can fill out an order form and fake his signature without him knowing. ‘I then asked how long he was staying and he said he might stick around for a while.’
‘And . . .?’
‘And what?’
‘Well, what did you say?’
‘I handed him his decaf latte and said the first one was on the house. So he got a little cocky and said thanks, if the coffee is decent he’ll come back. AndIsaid that even if the coffee sucks, he doesn’t have a choice because this is the only coffee shop in town. He laughed and left without another word.’
‘Smooth, Dad. But you need to work on your investigative skills.’
‘I regret telling you anything.’ He turns back to the lists and his Sugababes song.
Out of a job and a sparring partner, I decide to make myself a chai latte. To my great disappointment, we’re low on cinnamon, which means a trip to the storage cupboard. Weirdly, it’s less scary since yesterday’s incident. I’d still prefer cutting onions or cleaning the dishwasher drain over entering that room, but now I have at least one memory linked to it that doesn’t make me want to call both an exterminator and a priest. Sure, I can add another near-death experience to my tally, but it also resulted in a heroic act from Simo. The boy saved my life.
