An A To Z Of Love. Sophie Pembroke

what’s next on this magical mystery tour?’ Tony asked.

      ‘The Crooked Fox,’ Mia said. ‘You’ll like that at least, I bet.’

      Tony took her arm again, and they started in the direction of the lower end of town. ‘Crooked Fox?’

      She smiled. ‘You think only the cities have pubs? What do you think we do out here, all winter?’

      Tony laughed, a bright, honest, surprised chuckle, and squeezed her arm as she led him to the pub.

      ‘But enough about the town,’ he said, once they were settled at a rickety corner table by the old fireplace. Tony put down his pint and focused solely on Mia; it was quite disconcerting, she found. ‘Tell me about you. All I know so far is that you like a rundown cinema.’

      Mia shrugged. ‘Walt has always been very kind to me. He gave me a job there when I was in sixth form.’ Back when the cinema actually made some money, every now and then, she didn’t add. That was how she’d got close to Dan, who’d always been far too cool to give her the time of day at school, before then. It had been the best job in the world, and Walt had almost cried when he’d had to let her go. ‘I figure catching a movie a couple of times a week is a small way to make it up to him.’

      ‘Have you always lived here?’ Tony asked.

      Mia nodded. ‘Always. Well, except for when I was at uni in Manchester. My father was a teacher at the secondary school for most of my childhood, actually. Then, well, he left when I was sixteen. I got my A Levels and ran off to university two years later. But after I graduated… I wanted to come home.’ Mia remembered how she had missed the sound of the sea at night, the salt in the air, so much it felt like a physical ache. Not that she regretted it; if she’d never left, she would never have known how much Aberarian meant to her.

      ‘Really? I’d have thought…’ Tony said, a tinge of disbelief in his voice. Apparently realising he might have offended her, he covered by asking, ‘What did you study?’

      ‘History.’ Mia took another gulp of wine. ‘I’ve always been fascinated by how we got here. I mean, history can explain pretty much everything to ever happen in the world, if you look at it right. That’s important.’ Her own past might not be a fairy tale, but it did at least help her remember how she ended up here.

      A slow smile spread across Tony’s face. ‘Personally, I’ve always preferred where we’re going to where we’ve been. After all, there are still so many things to see and do. So many new people to meet.’ His thumb ran over the back of her hand, and Mia swallowed. Hard.

      As his hand left hers, she found herself babbling to catch up with the conversation. ‘Charlie always says it’s where we are now that matters most.’

      Tony reclined in his chair. ‘Charlie? Your boyfriend?’

      Mia laughed and shook her head. ‘Not at all. Just friends.’

      ‘Glad to hear it.’ He was leaning forward again, suddenly very close. ‘Since it means I can ask you to lunch as a thank you for the tour.’

      ‘Lunch?’ Mia asked, surprised. Was this an actual date? Had one of Ditsy’s plans actually worked? If so, it had to be a first. ‘That would be…’

      ‘Great. What about the fish place we passed on the way to the beach? Is it any good?’

      * * * *

      Charlie slipped back behind the counter at StarFish and checked the bookings log again. It was becoming a slightly worrying obsession. There was nothing new, though. ‘Magda?’

      Magda’s head appeared from behind the kitchen door, followed by the rest of her. ‘You bellowed?’

      ‘Has Mia been in?’ Maybe Magda had got a good look at whoever had been grabbing hold of Mia’s hand. Perhaps she was being abducted. Perhaps she needed Charlie to save her. Perhaps…

      ‘No.’ Magda slid onto the nearest table, her neat black pencil skirt smooth over the rough and ready wooden surfaces Charlie had chosen. ‘But I did see her walk past with the most delicious man.’

      Which was, of course, just what Charlie had been hoping to hear. In no way whatsoever. ‘Any idea who he was?’ Because, really, when would Mia have found time to pick up a date? She hadn’t mentioned it on their walk that morning. And she’d tell him, wouldn’t she, if there was someone new in her life? That was what friends did. And Mia was very clear on the fact that they were friends. Even when Charlie wasn’t so sure that was all they should be.

      Magda shrugged. ‘Not a clue. But she’ll be here for the tasting later, won’t she? You can ask her then.’

      ‘Yeah.’ Charlie returned to obsessing about the bookings log. It was marginally less frustrating than obsessing about his friendship with Mia. But only marginally.

      ‘Ooh, look.’ Magda dropped from the table and into her best professional stance. ‘There might be some actual customers coming our way.’

      It didn’t seem very likely, but Charlie looked up anyway, and promptly forgot all about bookings and restaurants and Magda and Mia’s mystery man. Because right there in his restaurant was a much, much bigger problem.

      ‘Hi, Charlie,’ Becky said, with just enough grace to look a little sheepish but apparently not enough to just stay the hell away from him after tearing his heart out and stomping on it twice already.

      ‘Becky.’ He glanced at her companion. ‘And Ditsy.’ Who really should have known better and managed to stop this before it reached his door. Ditsy gave him an apologetic smile.

      Ditsy stepped into the ensuing silence, smile widening with what Charlie was pretty sure was fake brightness. ‘We’d like a table for two, for lunch, if that’s possible.’

      Charlie shook his head and managed to find his voice. ‘Magda will be taking care of you today – one of the window tables perhaps, Magda?’

      With a nod, Magda instantly flowed into her best customer service spiel, guiding Ditsy to a window table and almost managing to get Becky to follow by sheer dint of her politeness.

      But at the last moment, Becky gave a little shake of the head, as if she were coming out of a daze, and took the three small steps necessary to bring her in front of Charlie.

      ‘Hi,’ she said. Then, when he didn’t respond, she answered the question he hadn’t asked. ‘I just wanted to see you. I came… I’ve some business in town. But I couldn’t not come and see you.’

      ‘You left without seeing me,’ Charlie pointed out, before his brain could censor his mouth. ‘Just a note on the counter was all I got.’

      Her face crumpled a fraction under her powder and lipstick. ‘I know. And that was… It was unforgivable. I know that.’

      Over at the table, Magda was watching them with concern in her wide hazel eyes. Ditsy’s face, Charlie noticed, showed only fascination. Was she enjoying this train wreck of a reunion?

      ‘What does it matter now?’ Charlie lowered his gaze from hers and stepped away, heading for the kitchen and solitude. ‘Enjoy your lunch.’

      ‘Charlie!’ She grabbed hold of his hand before he could escape. ‘Can we talk? After? Please?’

      He shook his hand free and carried on beating his retreat, murmuring, ‘Sure’ and ‘Whatever,’ as he went. It was enough, it seemed, because Becky gave him one of those wide, wide smiles he remembered most from her bedroom before she turned and glided over to the window table.

      ‘Well that was a mistake,’ Magda muttered under her breath as she passed him, fetching drinks for their surprise customers.

      ‘I know,’ Charlie groaned and stepped into the kitchen, letting the door swing shut behind him.

       Chapter Three

      It