Page 30 of One Snowy Day
‘Okay, I’m going to put you down now and back away, before you change your mind,’ Ginny chuckled, coming back round to the staff side of the counter. ‘But I’m so grateful. I can’t wait to get started.’
‘That was the other reason I wanted to pop in straight away. You did say you could start next week…’
Ginny gave Alyssa a sheepish glance and mouthed ‘sorry’. But Alyssa was too happy for her sister to care that she’d be losing her from the café. Between her and Grandad, and maybe a couple of students back in the village for Christmas break, they’d make it work. That gave her a thought… Georgie’s daughter, Kayleigh, was studying law and home right now. Kayleigh had worked in the café for a couple of years in school holidays, so maybe she’d be available and perhaps she could hook her up with some legal advice on contracts too. Alyssa filed that one away for later. Right now, she was back with her gleeful sister and her spectacular achievement.
‘If that’s still the case,’ Moira went on, ‘then we’d love to make that happen because we have a big Christmas show coming up and need all the help we can get.’
Ginny caught Alyssa’s gaze, asked a silent question, and Alyssa nodded straight away.
Ginny then delivered the answer. ‘Of course I can! That’s perfect! I can’t wait.’
‘Great. HR will be in touch, and the other thing I wanted to tell you is that we’ve all been in the business for a long time, and we know that you wouldn’t be coaching if there were more jobs out there, so one of the perks of the job is that we allow time off for auditions. Just because you’re working with us to pay the bills, doesn’t mean you have to give up your dreams.’
Alyssa didn’t have a grain of acting or musical talent, but if she did, then she’d want to work with Moira too. She struck her as a woman who was street-savvy and had been through a lot in her life. And the fact that she had a son who couldn’t walk down a street without getting mobbed by fans, yet she was so down to earth and normal, made Alyssa love her even more.
She put Moira’s rolls and ginger slices into a bag and handed it over. ‘On the house, Moira.’
‘Thank you, but absolutely not,’ she objected, pulling £20 from her purse and sliding it across the counter. ‘Between you and I, I’d pay double for these ginger slices. They’re the best thing I’ve ever tasted. Right, well, I’ll leave you to it. Alyssa, I’ll see you tonight. Jessie from across the road does my hair, and she’s invited me to her party. And Ginny, it was a pleasure to meet you properly today. I’m looking forward to working with you. Bring one of these cakes in every Monday and we’ll get on great.’
With a wink and a cheery wave, she left the café. She’d only gone two steps into the street, when Ginny screeched again and hugged Alyssa until she could barely breathe.
‘I got it! I got it! And I know this isn’t the moment for you to ditch work and celebrate with me, because you’re more than slightly in the shit, but I just wanted to say thank you, because if you hadn’t taken me there today, I might not have got this. And, true, they’d have been missing out on the best staff member they’ll ever have, but I think this is going to be great for me. Oh, happy fricking days, a full-time salary doing a job I’ll actually love. No offence. Tomorrow after work we’re going to Primark, and I won’t hear a single objection.’
Her happiness was contagious, and Alyssa was here for it. ‘Done. I’m so chuffed for you, and you don’t need to thank me because it was you who made this happen. And I’d love to celebrate with you right now, but I need to go get those sandwiches made and get a dozen other things ready.’
‘Okay, tell me what I can do. Anything at all. This is the one time you can boss me around and I won’t even roll my eyes.’
‘I can’t see us getting many more customers today, so if you could set everything up out here for the party tonight, I’ll love you forever. Buffet table, cutlery, crockery and the glasses for the beer and wine.’
‘I’m on it!’ Ginny paused, then pointed at her face. ‘See! Didn’t even roll my eyes.’
Feeling so much lighter than she did a few minutes ago, Alyssa retreated back into the kitchen and resumed sandwich construction. The process was therapeutic to her. There was something about the wholesomeness of putting it all together, of creating something with her hands, that helped her mind too. Ten minutes passed, twenty, thirty and as the pile grew, so did her determination to fight for her business. Maybe Ginny getting this break today was their sign that their luck was turning.
She had several towers of bread on each side of her, when Ginny came back in.
‘Holy shit, you should see the bloke who’s just came in and sat down.’
Alyssa was focused on arranging her latest batch of chicken salad sandwiches onto the oak serving boards that she would cover and put in the fridge for later. ‘Don’t tell me… Ollie Chiles has just pitched up and is currently sitting in my café demanding a sprinkle doughnut.’
‘Nope, but this guy might be just as good-looking. Not that I’m objectifying, because, you know, I’m millennial and we frown on that kind of thing.’
‘I’ve noticed,’ Alyssa said, not even trying to pretend she wasn’t being sarcastic.
Ginny was still on a roll. ‘But he’s driving a fuck-off sexy big black Ranger Rover and it’s parked right outside. Oh, and no wedding ring. I checked. Not my type – no visible tattoos and I don’t think he would know Andrew Lloyd Webber if he met him in a lift, but he’s totally your vibe. Good-looking, square jaw, athletic, long-ish hair all swept back like he belongs in an aftershave advert but looks like he’d wrestle a thief to the ground if he stole some old dear’s handbag.’
Alyssa finished her display and moved on to the next one. Much as Ginny’s dramatic assumptions about people amused her, this wasn’t the time, and she didn’t have the bandwidth for this discussion.
‘Ginny, I love you, but the last thing I need right now is a man. Have you noticed that I’m up to my arse in problems, on the verge of losing my home, my business and I still have about two hundred more sandwiches to make before a storm of villagers come through that door?’
‘Now that you mention it…’ Ginny admitted, and Alyssa thought the situation was handled.
But no…
‘However, I need to nip to the loo, and he’s waiting for a black coffee that I’ve poured and put on the counter, and a toffee muffin, so I just need you to take it over to him and thank you and goodbye.’ With that, she flew out of the door in the direction of the loo, and Alyssa knew she was beat.
With a sigh so deep, it removed all the air from her body, Alyssa wiped her hands on her apron and went out into the shop. As advised, the black coffee was there waiting, so she set up a plate with a muffin, knife and napkin and took it over to the gent who had his back to her and was staring out of the window to his right.
As soon as she approached, he turned to look at her and, damn, Ginny wasn’t kidding. Attractive. Kind eyes. Would definitely wrestle a robber.
