Annie smiled, and John Granger looked uncomfortable.
“It’s lovely to see you, Raye,” he said with a warmth that Annie found hard to associate with the same stony face that had greeted her on both occasions they’d met. “How are you? How’s Melody getting on?”
“I’m good,” said Raye. “We’re all good. Melody is loving university life, we’ll be lucky if she even bothers to come back for holidays at this rate. We miss you, though; where’ve you been hiding yourself?”
John Granger smiled then, and Annie felt her eyebrows rise in incredulity. She hadn’t expected a face with such a propensity for scowling to be capable of such friendliness. His eyes crinkled at the edges with lines that implied he smiled often, though Annie considered that they could equally be the result of frequent glowering. The five o’clock shadow of last night was dark stubble today, tapering to smatterings of white at the sideburns.
“I miss you guys too,” said John. “Work’s just been crazy this last few months. And I’ve had a few ups and downs with Celeste.”
Raye frowned sympathetically. “Everything all right now, though?” she asked.
“Yes,” he said reassuringly. “You know how it is.”
And Raye nodded knowingly. Trouble with the Mrs., Annie thought.
“So, when are you going to give up life in the big smoke and come back here where you belong?” Raye asked.
“One day,” he said. “One day.”
“Are you getting coffee?” she asked.
Annie raised an eyebrow and couldn’t quite hide the smirk that threatened around her lips. John looked at Annie and then back to Raye.
“No,” he said. “I had to visit a client in Whitstable, stayed the night in a hotel. I’ve got to get back to London.”
Raye pouted comically. “But you’ll come down for the grand opening, won’t you?” she asked.
“What grand opening would that be? Have you finally built that extension to the pub?”
Raye chuckled.
“Sadly not. We’re still plowing pennies into the pot for that one.”
“Well, you just let me know when you’re ready for that free design consultation,” said John.
“Thanks, John. As soon as we’ve saved enough, we’ll be on the blower quicker than you can say boutique hotel!”
“So, what’s this grand opening then?”
“You know!” exclaimed Raye, thumping John playfully on the arm and nodding in Annie’s direction. “The Saltwater Café. Annie’s worked so hard on the place, though she won’t make nearly as much fuss about it as she ought to,” Raye chided, waggling her finger at Annie. “And what’s worse, she won’t let us make a fuss about it either, even though we’re all beyond excited that we’ll finally have a coffee shop in Willow Bay!”
John Granger’s face darkened. He turned toward Annie. Annie realized that Mari had omitted to mention all of Annie’s extracurricular activities to her nephew. She was surprised he hadn’t noticed the new layout in the tearoom when he had gate-crashed their book club last night. But then, she conceded, his focus had rather been distracted by the dildo suctioned to the table.
“You didn’t know?” said Raye, her smile faltering as she cast a nervous look at Annie, who did her absolute best to smile reassuringly back.
“No,” said John, his mouth pulling into a tight line. “I didn’t.”
“Oh God!” Raye lamented. “Have I spoiled the surprise? I have, haven’t I? Oh, me and my big mouth. Aiden calls me colander because I can’t seem to keep every thought I have from spilling out. Oops, sorry, Annie!”
“Don’t worry,” said Annie, smiling. “You haven’t spoiled anything. Mari must have forgotten to mention it.” She looked pointedly at John. “Would you like to see what I’ve done with the place? Consider it a VIP sneak preview.”
“Thank you, but no,” said John. “I’m in a hurry. Good-bye, Raye,” he said, kissing Raye on both cheeks. “Tell Aiden I’ll be up to see him soon.” He turned and glared at Annie. “Good-bye, Ms. Sharpe,” he said acerbically, and stalked off down the promenade toward the whopping 4×4 parked at the bottom of the hill.
Annie willed the gulls circling above to crap on his head, but they didn’t see fit to oblige.
Annie finished making Raye’s mocha and handed back her bamboo cup.