Christmas at The Heartbreak Cafe (Lakeview Christmas Novel) (Lakeview Contemporary Romance Book 7) (10 page)

E
lla looked at Heidi quizzically
. She had no idea what could be wrong with the horses and if there was, what she could do about it.

Obviously Joseph was otherwise engaged in Santa duties, but if there was an issue with one of the animals, someone would have surely told him in advance.

She put down the platter and grabbed her coat and a hat from the kitchen.

“Did they say what was wrong?”

“No. But it sounded bad.”

“Of all things to go wrong, horses shouldn’t be one of them.”

As Ella made her way through the back door of the kitchen, she could hear Santa make an announcement over the speaker, yet there was no time to hear what exactly what was being said.

“Ho! Ho! Ho!” he called out jovially. “Before I begin, I have a very special present for someone here tonight. While I know it is cold and snowing, I hope you can all join me outside in the car park where my carriage awaits.”

Santa led the group of partygoers outside, each curiously following behind in clusters of families and neighbours.

Ella was already outside trying to talk to Eric, one of Joseph’s staff. “What do you mean you can’t let the kids ride in the carriages? That’s exactly what they’re for, didn’t Joseph tell you! This is for the town, Eric.” She pleaded with him, but he just smiled and shook his head. Heidi stood next to her, not a peep out of her.

“Is there a problem here?” Santa tapped Ella on her shoulder and she turned in shock to see practically the entire village, now gathered outside the café. She took a couple of steps back in shock.

“Just a little snag with the carriage rides, Jos…erm, Santa. We’ll get it sorted out in no time. How about we go back inside?” She began to walk towards the door to the kitchen, yet no one moved. Everyone just watched her, and they were smiling.

“Ella, my dear girl,” Joseph said with a wink, “How about you sit up in this carriage. Santa has a special present for you.” Ella nervously took his hand as he hoisted her up in the old-fashioned open-top carriage’s back seat, placing her walking cane in her lap. He stood on the step, elevated in front of the crowd.

“As you may have heard, this is to be our last night in Ella’s beloved Heartbreak Cafe, for it is closing soon. When I first heard this, I was extremely upset. It was my favourite place to stop on my Christmas rounds. That is when Heidi suggested she help me out. While my Elves can build toys and wrap presents, it cannot make everything in the workshop.” He grinned and Ella chuckled nervously at the crowd. Oh, so it was a going away present, how lovely. She guessed a bunch of roses or a box of chocolates or something.

“See, Santa knows that Ella hasn’t been a good girl exactly. She told a little white lie to make us all feel better about her departure. It seems as though she didn’t really want to retire, but had to because of reasons beyond her control. So with a little bit of Christmas magic and a whole lot of help from almost everyone in Lakeview, let me present Ella with a very special Christmas gift. Heidi?”

He moved out of the way as Heidi hopped into the carriage in the seat across from Ella. She quietly handed her an envelope and Ella’s hands shook as she opened it.

Heidi’s eyes were wet. “We couldn’t bear to let you leave, Ella. We love you. The whole community loves you.”

As she perused the envelope’s contents, Ella’s breath hitched audibly. Her jaw dropped and tears began to stream down her cheeks and onto her coat. Inside was another letter from the estate agent, this time announcing that the repossession order on the building had been lifted, and she was free to continue trading.

“How? When?” Her voice was shaking.

“Everyone chipped in to help pay off the arrears. Some gave a couple of euro, some gave hundreds. But we did it, Ella. We saved the café.”

Heidi had too begun to cry and laugh all at the same time as Ella flung herself towards her for a huge, grateful hug.

How on earth? And Heidi Clancy of all people….

A
fter several overwhelming minutes
, she turned to face the crowd, “This is too much. How will I ever repay you all?”

“More muffins! Free coffee!” a voice in the crowd cried, as laughter erupted.

Ella stood up, balancing herself on Heidi’s arm. She felt that she did need to say more. Her gratitude was overflowing.

“When I first met my husband and his family all those years ago, I was just another Lakeview girl. I loved this village. Every bit of it. From the neighbours who always had a kind word to say, to the way that the hair salon always knew when you were due for a trim. But my favourite place in the world was this café. It was where I met my husband Gregory, where we shared our first kiss, and where I last said goodbye to him the night he passed on from a heart attack.” She looked down at her hands, choking back tears, and then ploughed on. “It’s the place where all of our kids took their first steps, where they learned to talk, and definitely where they picked up a sweet tooth!” She looked up and waved at her smiling eldest son Dan, near the front.

“When I was left alone to run this café, I wasn’t sure I could do it. I wasn’t sure I could keep retain the same environment that you have all grown to love. But every day, customers would arrive. Every day, you ordered your cups of tea, your Irish breakfasts, your ham sandwiches. And even when it was so hard to just get through another day alone, there was always someone there with a smile and a friendly hello. One night, I swore to myself and to my family’s memory that I would keep this place alive in their spirit. I would make it the place they had dreamed it to be. Thanks to devoted staff members like Colm, Nina and the gang, it has been. But still, I never knew how much this place meant to me until I thought I was going to have to leave it. Today, you have given me back my home, my family, and my heart. There is no better Christmas gift than that. Thank you all. Thank you so much.”

The crowd clapped as whistles and hollers were cried out. Ella sat down, waving at the friendly and familiar faces that blew her kisses and nodded happily.

Heidi stood again to speak, her voice shaking from the emotion of the moment. “Now, I think it is time for the first carriage ride around the lake! You all have your tickets, so be sure to meet here or miss out. Ella and Santa, will you do the honour of leading the first group?”

Joseph laughed as he got in the carriage next to Ella. He pulled the blanket up to his lap and waved at the crowd as he shouted his promises to the children to be back shortly for visits.

Heidi stepped out of the carriage as Ella grabbed her hand, “You, my dear, are something else.”

Heidi smiled at her, more grateful for a friend than ever. She leaned over and whispered into Ella’s ear. As Heidi caught her up, she looked at in shock. Heidi continued giving her more and more details on the situation. When she was finished, Ella smiled brightly and turned to Santa, her hand grasping his.

“Eric,” Heidi called to the driver of the carriage, “I think we’re ready now!”

The carriage sped off as Heidi stayed behind. She organised the next group by having them line up in families or groups of six. As they boarded, she took their ticket and waved them off, their sleds and horses making tracks in the snow. Kim was right. She was a good organiser.

The rest of the crowd began to disperse back inside. Heidi could hear Ruth and the pianist begin to perform.

“I am so proud of you.” Paul wrapped his arms around her. She spun around to face him. His face was bright and cheery for the first time in weeks.

“I am so sorry I didn’t tell you. I wanted to, but I didn’t know how you would react.”

“It’s okay. It really is.”

“No it isn’t. I should have told you. I shouldn’t have risked your reputation like that. You’re my husband and you deserved to know and at least have a say in what I was doing. I am finished with lying. From now on, I am going to be one hundred percent honest with you, no matter what.” She waited for him to begin scolding her, to agree with what she was saying.

“What you did here tonight and this week was amazing. While I am not happy that you lied, I am more thrilled that you are who you are, and that I am married to you. This is a side of you I have never seen. It’s like falling in love with a completely new person.” He laughed.

“Merry Christmas, honey,” she whispered .

“Merry Christmas to you too sweetheart. Now let’s go inside! I’m freezing, and Amelia is being watched by Kim. We’d better go and save her before her aunt starts giving her mulled wine.”

Paul winked at Heidi, took her hand, and led her back into the party.

I
nside the café
, Ruth was just getting started. She was leading the entire crowd in carols and old Christmas favourites that everyone knew or could catch on to. Children excitedly ran through the gathering as the adults joined arms and sang along with neighbours and loved ones.

The music and jubilant atmosphere was infectious.

Ruth looked out at the crowd as she crooned into the microphone. It seemed like everyone was here in this tiny space—everyone but Charlie and Scarlett. She’d hoped she had missed them, that they were perhaps hiding in the kitchen waiting for her set to finish or maybe running behind in hopes of missing the crowd. But as time passed, the only member of her family that remained in the room was Ita.

It was hard not to spot her. Out of all the happy faces, hers was the most solemn. Dressed head to toe in mourning black, she sat at the front table just staring at Ruth. That fight they had earlier obviously wasn’t done. And as Ruth’s first set neared its break, she tried to plan an exit strategy to avoid any and all contact with this woman.

As the last song played, Ruth gave her, “We’ll be back shortly! Enjoy the mulled wine responsibly” joke and turned to face Nicky, pretending to converse in order to avoid speaking with anyone else. While she did this, she grabbed her phone and sent a text message:

“Charlie! Where are you? What is going on? My first set just ended and your mother is here. Please come soon with Scarlett.”

As she hit send, Ita, now sloppily drunk, approached her. “
Weshoultak,
” she said, slurring.

“Excuse me?” Ruth said, an eyebrow raised.

Ita composed herself and tried again. “We should talk,” she responded.

“I’m just gonna go grab a bottle of water,” Ruth explained, “and then we can talk if I have time before I go on again.”

“No!” Ita shouted loudly at the back of Ruth’s head as she walked away. “I want to talk to you
now
.”

Ruth spun on her heel and walked off towards the kitchen, Ita on her heels. Cornered in the kitchen, Ruth had no choice but to confront her mother-in-law. “What do you want, Ita?” Ruth whispered low but stern hoping that she wouldn’t draw anymore attention.

“You couldn’t stay away, could you?” Ita said loudly. “I knew from the moment he met you—I knew that you were going to be trouble for the both of us. But then, you left and everything was back to normal. He got on with his life and got over you. But that wasn’t good enough for you, was it? You had to come crawling back.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“Yes you do! Stop lying!
This
was your plan all along. But I never imagined that you would be so trashy as to bring a baby into this mess. Was this your plan? Get knocked up from some random, rich actor for guaranteed payouts and then trap good old Charlie for extra support?”

“You nutcase!” Ruth exploded “How dare you! Yes, it was a mistake—getting pregnant, I mean—but Scarlett was never part of any plot. I love my daughter, and because of that I have never taken a single red cent from her father.”

“Really? Then why were you in LA then? I read that you were spotted around town with him!” The accusation came out of the blue, completely unexpected.

“What are you implying, Ita? That I am cheating on Charlie, that I am getting back together with Scarlett’s birth father—the man who abandoned his own daughter?”

“I wouldn’t put it past a slut like you.” She pointed her finger square in Ruth’s chest emphasising the words, “like you.”

“You know what, Ita?” Ruth said, grabbing her finger. “What I was doing is none of your business.” She continued angrily. “For your information, I
did
see Troy while I was in LA, but it was completely unplanned. I had no idea that he was going to be there. Our time together was limited to reading at the casting agency’s office and then at dinner that night with the director.”

“So you admit it!” Ita declared triumphantly. “You’re moving back there. You’re leaving Charlie to care for your daughter while you galavant around Hollywood.”

“Ita,” Ruth said, disgust coming over her face. “You are so ignorant, it’s not even funny. I turned down the damn role! I want nothing to do with it. When I saw who my co-star was, I knew I was not going to take the part. Plus, I would never, ever want to leave my daughter and husband behind. They are my family—something I value, but you obviously don’t. And this is my home, too. I
live
here Ita—here, in Lakeview. If you have an issue with that, then that’s your problem. I love your son, every bit of him and I always have. I love him because he fills my life with love and happiness, because he is a good father for Scarlett, and because he’s going to be a great dad for the children we will have together. I love him because he has always supported and loved me. I cannot trade him in for a career or a chance with someone who let me down enough already! Charlie is
the whole reason
for all of it. Everything else is just window-dressing. I love your son. The only thing that blows my mind is how such a sweet, caring, wonderful man came from such a hateful, spiteful parent.”

With that, Ruth marched off, her words echoing in her own ears. As she made her way back into the dining room, someone touched her arm and led her towards the corner of the room.

“Charlie! You scared me. Where have you been?”

“Listening to you.” He pulled her to him tightly, leaning his body into hers. “I am so sorry for how I acted. When you left and I didn’t hear from you that night, I let my mother get into my head. I let her convince me that you had this all planned, and that you were leaving me.”

“Honey, I would never leave you. Ever. You and Scarlett are my life forever and always.”

“But what about your career? What if Lakeview isn’t good enough for you again?”

She sighed. Now seemed the best time to tell him the news that she had been keeping to herself. “I have some news about that, actually. I wanted to wait to tell you after the party… But I decided that I need to do something to give back to this community. So, I took some of my savings and took over one of Paul’s properties. You know, the old pub off the square?”

“A pub?” Charlie looked at her, unsure if he should be mortified or if he should let her continue.

“No. I thought that maybe I could turn it into a stage school. It has all the right bones for it, and looks like it would be fairly easy to transform. I wanted to tell you. I really did, but I wasn’t sure how to.” She waited for a response, but he remained speechless, his face free from any expression or emotion.

“I am going to turn it into a stage school and maybe a theatre. It would be free to participate and the shows would raise money for different causes. To keep costs down, we can even host events there during the off season like small wedding ceremonies or town event meetings or something. It could really be something special. Are you mad? You should be. I should have told you.”

“You are amazing,” he smiled down at her, completely flabbergasted at this woman and her crazy notions. “Of course I will support you. This idea sounds amazing. But let’s talk about it tomorrow. Tonight is your night.”

He took her hand and led her back into the crowd, just in time to watch Ita walk out the door in a huff. Her attempt at slamming the door was completely masked by the roar of the crowd as Ruth took the mic once again.

“This song, I dedicate to my husband, the man of my life forever and always.” Ruth turned to Nicky and began to sing one of her favourite Christmas ballads ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.’

And as she sang the lyric, about all troubles being out of sight, she looked directly at Charlie who had picked up Scarlett from the group of children and begun to dance.