The Heavenly Italian Ice Cream Shop Part 9

'Yes! Anna said. 'She just popped in. Told us about selling the shop to Finn. What great news.'

'Isn't it?' Imogen said. 'He's over the moon about it.'

'She seems so relieved to know she'll be dealing with someone she knows.'

'So I was thinking about it on the way over here,' Imogen said. 'Evie's hardly going to want to sit still and retire, is she? She's not really the type.'

'You don't think so?' Anna asked. 'What would she do?'

'We could ask her to run Vivien's,' Imogen said.

Anna paused, letting the idea take shape in her mind. 'I suppose it could work. It's worth asking.'

'I could talk her through the recipes, and keep an eye on things while you're abroad. She's always been good in the kitchen.'

'I love the idea,' Anna said. 'Once the lunchtime rush is over, I'll go and ask her.'

'Great,' Imogen said, lighting up.

'G.o.d!' Anna paused and then bit her lip.

'What is it?' Imogen asked.

'If she says yes . . .' Anna said, her voice faint.

'What?'

'We would be all set.'

'But you want to be, don't you?' Imogen said.

'Yes, I do,' Anna said. 'That is . . . I definitely think I do.'

Imogen arrived at Lauren's studio with Hepburn after a long walk on the beach. Her friend caught her at the doorway, looking stressed and frantic, her cheeks flushed.

'Imogen,' Lauren said, her expression panicked. 'You've got to help me.'

'Have I?' Imogen said, bringing Hepburn up into her arms and stroking his head.

'Yes.'

Imogen raised an eyebrow.

'I mean please,' Lauren said. 'I've double-booked myself. I've got a wedding up by Seaford and I've messed up I completely forgot about baby Jacob coming in.'

Imogen peered past her friend and into the room, where a young couple were jiggling their baby on their laps. 'Could you cover this session as a favour to me?'

Imogen hesitated. 'I've never-'

'Come on we both know you could do this standing on your head,' Lauren said. 'I've got to go. I've explained the situation to them. Equipment's all there. Thanks a million.'

Lauren hugged her quickly and went out of the door.

Jacob's parents cooed over him.

Imogen introduced herself and tried to put them at ease, even though she felt far from it herself.

'How about you hold him between you? Yes, just like that,' Imogen said.

The baby's parents looked full of pride as they cradled his small body between them.

Actually, he was kind of cute. She got a few shots of him smiling and laughing.

'What about this toy?' Imogen suggested, pa.s.sing them a fluffy bear. She'd collected together a few props that she thought might help things to move smoothly. Baby Jacob frowned and then started to cry.

Imogen looked around for something else to use, and then Hepburn, the dachshund, dashed in through the gap in the door. The baby's face lit up immediately as he spied the black-and-tan sausage dog. With one hand Imogen beckoned for Hepburn to come and lie by her feet, keeping his distance from the baby, and with the other she took photos of the boy and his parents, who were by now all in fits of giggles.

Later, over tea, she showed the couple a few of her favourites on the screen of her laptop. 'I haven't edited these yet obviously, but I think there are some great shots here.'

'They're perfect,' said Jacob's mum. 'Just what we were looking for. We didn't want anything formal, just pictures of us as we are at home.'

'Great. Well, I'll edit them and get the disc ready for you then.'

'Thanks, Imogen,' they said, glowing.

Imogen went home via Elderberry Avenue. The day at the studio hadn't been so bad, she thought. It would do, as a stopgap. Until something better came along. After Jacob and his parents left, she'd phoned around old contacts, letting them know she was available for work, and a few had promised to keep an eye out for a.s.signments. At least there was one positive thing about her still being in Brighton: she'd get to see the guesthouse open.

She knocked at the door and her uncle Martin answered. 'h.e.l.lo, Imogen,' he said, brightly. 'You're a sight for sore eyes.'

'Oh, yes?' she said.

'Yes. The party's tomorrow night and I seem to have a hundred and one things still to do picking up all of the drinks, delivery, the final pieces of furniture, getting the rooms cleaned up . . . It feels endless. Could you give me a hand?'

'Of course,' she said. 'That's why I'm here.'

Which was true. At least it was half of the reason. The other half, if Imogen was completely honest, was that she was avoiding going home to Finn. She was so happy that things were progressing well with his plans for the business, and yet, after the day taking photos she just couldn't really bring herself to care about, she felt less inclined than ever to consider settling in Brighton for good. And, at the moment, every time she looked at him, that was what she thought about.

Martin tugged at the little that was left of his hair. 'We'll have forty guests coming, and then the extras from the press that your mum's organised.'

'Let's get things set up. Don't worry, it'll be great,' Imogen rea.s.sured him.

'I hope so and, anyway, I suppose I'd better get used to all this organisation: it's going to be my working life from now on, after all.'

'Advance bookings still coming through?'

'Oh, yes,' he said. 'Since we got the website up they've been coming through at a rate of knots. It's not that I can't cope with it, Imogen. I can it's just . . . Well, Francoise, you remember, she was such a dominant personality.'

Imogen recalled her uncle's ex-wife, and the way she would frequently speak over and for him, undermining his decisions or making decisions for the two of them without consulting him.

'And now you're doing everything on your own,' Imogen said.

'Yes. Which is a good thing I mean I'm enjoying it, and I'm happier than ever now that your dad seems more on board with it all. But I don't know . . . It can feel a little lonely sometimes. The responsibility of it, I suppose.'

'You've got all of us on your side,' Imogen said, giving him a hug. 'This place is part of our family, and we'll be there for you every step.'

At around seven in the evening, Imogen realised that the job was too big for her and Martin to manage alone. She called in backup their dad Tom went with Martin to pick up some of the furniture they still needed and Finn drove Anna and Imogen to the drinks wholesalers.

On the journey over, Anna, in the pa.s.senger seat, couldn't stop herself from smiling.

'OK, I can't hold it in any longer,' Anna said, happily. 'I asked Evie, about running the ice cream shop. And she said yes. She wants to do it.' Her grin got even wider.

'That's amazing,' Imogen said. 'I knew it!'

'She seemed really pleased with the idea, didn't take any persuading at all.'

'That's fantastic,' Finn said. 'So I get to keep her as my neighbour after all. Hopefully, she won't mind all the noise while we rebuild her old shop. Andy and I were going over the plans with his dad today and I think it's going to be quite a big job.'

Finn's eyes were bright he looked more excited about the project than he had done about anything in months.

'I can't wait to get started on it. We've been running the business in the same way for years, and this is a chance for us to push ahead, make the surf school a real destination for people wanting to learn to surf.'

'A new start for everyone,' Anna said. 'I have a feeling it's going to be a really great year for us all.'

Imogen glanced out of the window at the traffic going by.

'You OK, Imo?' Finn asked, catching sight of her in the rear-view mirror and turning to look at her.

'Oh, yes, I'm fine,' she said. She tried to force a smile, but inside all she felt was heaviness. With all the positive things happening around her, she couldn't figure out why, or where it was coming from. Only that when she looked ahead, into her future, she wasn't quite sure what she could see any more.

Chapter 13.

ELDERBERRY GUESTHOUSE OPENS ITS DOORS.

by Sam Graham Brighton and Hove today sees the opening of a brand-new guesthouse.

Once home to one of the city's best-loved residents, Vivien McAvoy who many will remember as the proprietor of the now-famous ice cream shop under the arches the Elderberry Guesthouse has now been given a new lease of life by her sons, Martin and Tom.

Under their guardianship, the premises, on Elderberry Avenue, have been transformed into a boutique guesthouse, with rooms inspired by cla.s.sic movies. The proprietors say the hotel is already drawing plenty of attention with advance bookings from the UK and abroad . . .

Evie and Anna walked down Elderberry Avenue on the cool spring evening, with Matteo and Bella following close behind. Evie squeezed Anna's hand in antic.i.p.ation as they neared what had once been Vivien's home. Anna, Imogen, Finn, Martin and Tom had worked until midnight getting everything ready, putting the final touches to the guesthouse and setting up for the party. But, when she'd come home, she'd been buzzing, and had woken Matteo up so that she could fill him in on everything they'd been doing. In good-natured sleepiness, Matteo had listened, smiling and nodding in all the right places, until Anna had finally calmed down enough to fall asleep. Her excitement had been mixed with nerves because tonight meant more than just the guesthouse opening. She'd vowed to herself that at the party, she'd tell her family she and Matteo were leaving, and that they weren't exactly sure when they would be coming back.

'I've been so looking forward to this,' Evie said. 'I haven't seen anything he's done, so it'll all be a surprise. I intended to pop in, see how Martin was getting on, but, well, as you know, there's been quite a lot going on lately, hasn't there?'

'Are you feeling OK about it all?' Anna asked.

'Yes.' She nodded.

'It's a lot of change.'

'I know. And it's the end of an era, so of course I have some mixed feelings about that. But it's also a new start for me, Anna and I need that. This idea you've had about me taking over the ice cream shop well, it's just given me a surge of energy. I thought by closing my shop I'd be moving further away from Vivien, all my memories of her. Instead, I'm getting even closer. It's an honour, really. I can't wait to get started.'

'I'm so happy and of course Imogen is too,' Anna said. 'I can't think of anyone more perfect for the job.'

'It's going to be a steep learning curve, though,' Evie said, laughing. 'I've never made an ice cream in my life.'

'If Imogen can learn it,' Anna whispered to Evie conspiratorially, 'you'll have no problems. Believe me.'

'And you, Matteo and Bella off to Sorrento. You must be counting the days.'

'I am.' Anna said. 'But it doesn't feel real yet. I think it will after tonight. Once I've told everybody.'

'Of course,' Evie said, sympathetically. 'But after that, well, you won't look back. I'm certain of it. It's one of the most beautiful places in the world, the Amalfi coast. Intoxicating.'

'Have you ever been tempted to go back there?' Anna asked.

'Oh, I did, once,' Evie answered. 'Just once.' Her eyes glazed over slightly as she said it. 'Look, here we are,' she said, pointing at the house.

'The Elderberry Guesthouse,' Anna said.

'What a lovely sign.'

Anna looked at the ceramic sign with the guesthouse name on it, recognised her father's handiwork right away and felt a wave of pride.

'I think it's time to join the party,' she said, pushing the front door open.

Anna and Evie stepped inside. What had once been Vivien's hallway and study had been transformed into an elegant reception area, filled with lively guests drinking wine. The living room had been decluttered, and new, mid-century furniture brought in, but the shelves remained full of Vivien's books and her favourite armchair upholstered in green velvet was still over by the bay window, where it had always been. Anna pictured how Vivien had looked sitting in that chair, Hepburn in her lap as the two of them had talked over tea and Anna's homemade cake. It felt for a moment as if she were there at the party with all of them.

Anna looked around at the new framed photos on the walls, some of Imogen's prints, and then old photos of their family and friends: Vivien in a full-skirted 1950s dress in front of her shop; standing hand in hand with Evie on the pier, both holding umbrellas; and her treasured black-and-white wedding photo, with Stanley, outside Brighton Town Hall, in the late 1950s.

In the living room were stills from Vivien's favourite films Roman Holiday, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Casablanca.

'Oh, look at this, Evie,' Anna said. She pointed at a large map of Sorrento and Capri.

'h.e.l.lo, you two,' Imogen called out. She was carrying trays of canapes through for the guests congregating in the living room. 'Oh, yes, I found that one folded up in the bureau drawer nice, isn't it?'

'Lovely,' Evie said. Something pa.s.sed across her face, and her gaze lingered on the map for a while.

Anna looked through to the living room, where Martin and Tom were chatting to friends and neighbours, showing off the converted house with pride after the months of work they'd put in. Matteo and Evie went over to congratulate them. Anna held back for a moment, standing with Bella and Imogen and taking in the new surroundings. 'It looks so beautiful,' she said.

'It does,' Imogen said. 'Uncle Martin's worked wonders with it.'