Summer Daydreams Read Online Free PDF Page A

thank,’ Jenny says. ‘We just did a bit of donkey work.’
    Phil stands in front of me. ‘What can I say?’
    ‘Let’s see if it pulls in the customers.’
    ‘How could it not?’ My boss grabs me in a bear hug. ‘You’re one in a million, Nell McNamara. One in a million.’
    ‘Well,’ I say. ‘It wasn’t just me.’
    ‘Constance! Nip to the supermarket, love. We have to have a toast,’ Phil says. ‘We need champagne!’
    Champagne, indeed! As if I’m going to argue with that.

Chapter 7
     

     
    Within a week, there are queues down the street outside Live and Let Fry. Word of our new look has clearly spread and the café is permanently full. So much so, that we’re turning people away at closing time. Phil is saying that from next week, we’ll be open all afternoon. Frankly, I’ve never seen him grin so much. Constance is doing nothing but complain about how much her feet are hurting and that only serves to make Phil grin more. They’re bad enough that she’s even thinking of swapping her trademark stilettos for flatties.
    Phil is so pleased with the makeover that he’s already given me the money for some matching gingham curtains and I’m going to run those up this weekend. He’s also talking about splashing out on a fancy black chandelier for the café to complement my painted ones and I think that would look great.
    At close of business, I’ve lost count of how many portions of fish and chips I’ve doled out. It’s not only Constance’s feet that are hurting. I think all the excitement is catching up with me and I wonder if I can persuade Petal that she’d like an afternoon nap today so we can snuggle up together for an hour. Hopefully, Olly will have done something with her to have worn her out. I’m just folding my pretty, gingham apron when Phil takes my arm and pulls me into the kitchen.
    ‘I’ve got something for you,’ he says, suddenly bashful and from behind his back, he pulls out a familiar, upmarket carrier.
    ‘Betty’s?’
    Phil smiles softly. ‘I’ve seen you looking in that window week in, week out, Nell.’
    ‘You have?’
    ‘I do notice some things,’ he chides. ‘Even though I’m a bloke.’ He holds out the bag. ‘Just a little gift. To say thank you. For everything.’
    ‘It’s too much,’ I tell him.
    ‘You haven’t seen what it is yet.’
    Taking the posh paper carrier, I peep inside.
    ‘Betty said it was the one you liked.’
    I pull out the handbag. It’s the felt one, covered in gorgeous rainbow-coloured buttons. The one I have coveted from afar.
    ‘It is,’ I breathe. My fingers trace over the buttons. ‘It’s beautiful. But I can’t accept this. All I did was splash a bit of paint around.’
    ‘Nell, you’ve doubled my takings in a week. I was having sleepless nights wondering how I was going to pay the bills. You’ve turned it all around. It’s up to me now to keep it going.’
    ‘But—’
    ‘I want you to take the bag, Nell. Take it and enjoy it. You deserve it.’
    ‘It’s lovely, Phil,’ I say. ‘I didn’t expect this.’
    ‘Can I offer you something else, Nell?’ he says. ‘A piece of advice?’
    I shrug.
    ‘Don’t stay here.’ His voice cracks with emotion. ‘I don’t want to lose you, but you’ve got so much more to offer than serving fish and chips. Look at what you’ve done. Really look at it. It’s amazing.’
    Now I’m blushing.
    ‘You’ve got to find a way to use that creativity. Don’t waste your talent. Go to art college or something. I don’t know. But you have to do something with your life, Nell. Promise me that.’
    ‘OK,’ I say.
    But what? What can I do? Phil has said out loud what has, for some time, been silently tiptoeing through my brain. I would love to do something more creative. Be someone special. But how? Where would I even start? I’ve got commitments. To Olly, to Petal. To add to that, we’re flat broke. How can I possibly be selfish and do something for myself?

Chapter