Page 45 of The Perfect Gift

‘At 10 a.m. but I promised Rick I’d be available early to help with any last-minute snafus. I’m meeting him and the others in the café for breakfast at seven-thirty – you’d be welcome to join us if that’s not too early for you.’

She seemed to consider it for a moment before nodding. ‘No, I can do that. And I’d like the chance to catch up with the girls and smooth things over before everyone gets too busy.’

Her expression had turned a little pensive so Ed swooped down and pressed a quick, hard kiss to her lips. ‘It’ll be fine, I promise. None of us are the type to hold a grudge, well, apart from Issy, but that was only with Liam and they sorted themselves out in the end. You wouldn’t believe the stuff they’ve forgiven me for over the years.’

Frankie’s expression brightened. ‘Ooh, I can’t wait to find out.’

‘No way.’ He laughed as he pointed a finger at her. ‘Don’t you dare listen to a word any of them has to say about me. It’ll all be lies, anyway. And now I’m definitely going before I dig this hole any bigger.’ He snatched one final kiss, then hurried out of the room before he changed his mind and crawled back under the duvet with her.

* * *

He thought he’d managed to sneak back into Harry’s place without disturbing either him or Kat, but when he got up later that morning the first thing Harry said to him was, ‘Late night?’

‘I went to bed quite early, actually.’ Not technically a lie.

‘Note he doesn’t say whose bed,’ Kat said with a snort and a shake of her head as she reached for her coat. ‘Come on or we’ll be late for breakfast.’

They bundled up against the cold and trooped down the iron staircase that led into the back yard behind the restaurant and through the big security gate into the rear alley. It was freezing cold, but the weather forecast had proven true and the post-dawn sky was brightening every minute to reveal a blanket of the palest blue overhead. Ed tucked his hands in his pockets to keep them warm, hoping the clear sky was a good omen for the day ahead. Everyone had worked so hard to put the fayre together and they deserved it to be a success.

They rounded the corner onto Harbour Road and crossed straight over to the café. Ed stepped ahead of them and pulled open the door. ‘Umm, Frankie might join us for breakfast. I said that would be all right,’ he said, keeping his voice casual.

‘Sounds good to me,’ Harry replied with a broad grin as he passed him.

Ed touched a hand to Kat’s sleeve and she paused to look at him. ‘Frankie’s still a bit worried about the other night.’

Kat’s smile softened, her eyes lighting up with warmth and understanding. ‘There’s no need to be. We’re all as desperate to put it behind us as she is, so I’m really glad she’s joining us.’ She stepped closer, keeping her voice low. ‘You two are together, then?’

Ed nodded. ‘Just for now. I really like spending time with her, Kitty.’

Kat bit her lip. ‘You’ve told me you both know what you’re doing so I’m going to trust you on that. I won’t say anything and neither will anyone else, I’ll make sure of it.’

That meant more to him than he could say. Kat was special to him, and not just because of her relationship with Harry. ‘Thanks.’

‘Shut the door!’ Liam yelled from behind the counter. He had a dark apron around his neck and was placing steaming cups of coffee in the collection area. Next to the counter, Harry and Matt were busy pushing several tables together.

With a laugh, Ed ushered Kat inside and he quickly closed the door behind them. He might as well not have bothered as it opened again moments later to admit Rick and Anya. They exchanged hugs and greetings as they took off their coats and hung them up. Rick had barely got his off before his phone started ringing and he excused himself and walked over to the quiet community hub area he’d been instrumental in helping Issy set up a few years previously.

Anya sighed as he sat down and pulled his notebook out of his bag and began scribbling. ‘It’s been like this for days. I know how important today is for him, but I’ll be glad when it’s over and he can take a few days off and relax.’

‘Relax? Him?’ Ed said with a laugh, which quickly faded when she didn’t join in. He put an arm around her shoulders. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on him today and do whatever I can to help, and we’ll make it our mission to see he chills out over Christmas.’

Anya leaned her head against his shoulder briefly. ‘Thanks, Ed, that makes me feel better. I’d do it myself but Chloe and I will be busy with our stall all day.’

‘Leave it to me,’ he promised.

They’d just reached the tables when the bell over the door chimed again and Chloe and Frankie walked in arm in arm. ‘Look who I bumped into!’ Chloe declared, all smiles as she released Frankie to push the door closed. Both Anya and Kat immediately abandoned Ed and hurried over and the four women were all hugs and chattering laughter as Chloe and Frankie hung up their coats. They walked straight past the table still talking a mile a minute and disappeared out the back into the kitchen, where Issy was no doubt busy.

‘You’ll have to get used to that.’ Harry sidled up to Ed and nudged him with a grin.

‘Get used to what?’

‘There’s a pecking order and none of us are close to being first on it,’ his twin replied, nodding first towards Liam, who had his back to them and was busy at the coffee machine, and then at Rick, who was finally off the phone and coming to join them.

‘What’s that?’ he asked. Before they could answer, his phone rang again and he held up a hand with an apologetic grimace as he answered it. ‘Oh, hey there, Kathleen. How are you?’ Kathleen was head of the local Beachcombers’ group that took on responsibility for keeping the beach clear of litter. She was a stalwart of the community and always in the thick of it when there were things to be done. Ed watched as Rick’s shoulders relaxed a little and a smile eased some of the strain on his face. ‘I knew I could rely on you. No, no, I’ll leave it up to you to organise if you’re happy to do it. It’s one less thing for me to worry about today! Okay, yes, okay. Speak later, cheers, Kathleen.’ Rick hung up. ‘Sorry about that, what were you saying, Harry?’

‘I was just telling Ed to get used to not being the centre of attention when Frankie is with our ladies.’

Rick raised his eyebrows. ‘Like that, is it?’