Page 68 of The Cosy Seaside Chocolate Shop

It was 4.30 before they knew it. And still no sign of Mrs C. Em was beginning to feel more than just a little concerned and the shop had emptied out.

‘Bev, will you be all right here for the last half hour if I just pop across the village and check on Mrs Clark?’

‘Yeah, of course.’

‘I’ll take her a slice of cake and a bag of her favourite brazils. She might need a bit of a pick-me-up if she’s feeling out of sorts.’

‘No worries.’

Emma was passing The Fisherman’s Arms, heading for the pretty but unassuming row of two-up two-down stone cottages where Mrs C lived, when she heard a shout.

‘Hey, Em! Wait up.’ Nate was there at the back of the car park, placing empty bottles in the recycling bins.

‘Hi.’

It was only the second time they’d seen each other since the night of ‘the kiss’. Em had thought it was best to keep a low profile as far as Nate was concerned for a while, let her head and heart settle down.

‘How’s it going?’

I still feel guilty. The Chocolate Shop is up for sale. The Rock Shop’s been talking me down. But other than that … ‘Fine,’ was what she actually replied. ‘You?’ she asked.

It was slightly awkward between them, but actually Em was glad she’d seen Nate by chance. There was evidently no ill will so it would be easier next time and thereafter. In time, they could both move on from that crazy moment.

‘Yeah, I’m okay,’ Nate replied. ‘Keeping my head down here at work and catching some surf when I can. Life ticks on.’

‘It certainly does.’

‘Well, it’s good to see you.’

‘You too, Nate. Catch you soon. I’ve got to go and check on one of my elderly customers. She’s usually in every Tuesday, but no show today. I just want to see if she’s okay.’

‘That’s kind.’

‘Well, yeah.’ She was the kind sort of stupid girl who cheated on her boyfriend with a kiss – argh.

‘See ya, then.’

‘Yeah. Take care, Nate.’

She walked on and was soon making her way up Mrs C’s path, where two cheery pots of colourful pink and purple petunias sat each side of the step. She pressed the doorbell and waited patiently. No answer. She knocked again, and then paused to shout through the letterbox, ‘Mrs Clark? Are you there? Are you okay?’

Still no answer. Maybe she had gone out on a day trip or something. Em was probably just being over-cautious. She could leave the cake and chocolates she’d brought on the doorstep for the old lady’s return.

Em was about to go, but she just had an unnerving feeling at the back of her neck that she couldn’t pin down. Something didn’t seem right. She tried the door. It wasn’t locked.

She poked her head around the open doorframe, calling out once more, ‘Mrs Clark? It’s Emma.’

There was a low murmur but Emma couldn’t quite make it out. Then a frail voice, ‘Oh … thank goodness.’

Em went down the hall and found Mrs Clark there at the bottom of the stairs, one of her legs splayed out at a horrible angle. The old lady’s face was so pale.

‘Oh, Mrs Clark. What have you done?’ Em tried her best to stay calm.

‘I tripped … Oooh, that hurts … Bugger!’

‘Okay, okay. Don’t try to move. It looks like you may have broken something. I’m going to call an ambulance.’

After calling 999 and giving the address and injury details, Emma found a blanket to cover Mrs C and made her a cup of sugary tea. The old lady was probably in shock and who knows how long she had been stuck like this. Em then sat with her at the bottom of the stairs, holding her hand, and helping her take sips of the warm sweet tea.