Free Vivien's Heavenly Ice Cream Shop by Abby Clements Page A

now, and we can’t sell the shop,’ Imogen said, still standing, energised by her decision. ‘Definitely not to Françoise. But perhaps not to anyone.’
    ‘Right,’ Anna said slowly. ‘Are you OK, Imo? You seem a bit wound up.’
    ‘How could we break Dad’s heart all over again?’ Imogen said, starting to pace up and down the dark wooden floorboards. ‘He needs us.’
    ‘Dad’s heart … ’ Anna put a hand to her brow. ‘What areyou talking about? And do you think you could sit down while we talk about this? You’re making me feel dizzy.’
    ‘Sorry,’ Imogen said, and took a seat on the sofa, perched on the edge. ‘It’s just … I saw Dad today, Anna. Well, I didn’t exactly see him. He’s a mess. He wouldn’t talk to me, and I saw in his studio that he’d smashed up some of his sculptures.’
    ‘God, really?’ Anna said, sitting up, her eyes wide. ‘That’s not like Dad at all. What on earth’s going on?’
    ‘It sounds like Françoise is pressuring Martin to sell this place,’ Imogen said, gesturing to the walls of the house that had been their father’s childhood home. ‘Which is understandable, of course, with the inheritance tax and everything – but they want it to go to developers who are going to knock it down, and they’ve barely waited a week to tell Dad that.’
    ‘That woman … ’ Anna said, shaking her head. ‘I know she’s supposed to be family, but she’s never really acted like it. Martin would never be doing this if he was single.’
    ‘Well, we can’t change any of that. But what we can change is
this
.’ She picked the photo album up off the coffee table and turned back to the photo of Sunset 99s on opening day.
    ‘Look at this, Anna,’ Imogen said. ‘It’s Sunset 99s through the ages. Here’s a photo from the sixties, that’s Dad’s motorbike parked up outside – check out his hair! And that sign they had was cool, wasn’t it, with the orange and pink lettering?’
    Anna smiled. ‘This is lovely. But I don’t get how—’
    ‘The shop was his second home, back then,’ Imogenexplained. ‘You know how he’s always talked about it. We can’t let the final piece of Granny V’s legacy disappear. Not without even trying.’
    ‘Are you thinking what I think you are?’ Anna said, hesitantly.
    ‘Imagine if we could bring it back to the glory days,’ Imogen said, brightening. ‘For Dad. For Granny V.’
    Anna paused for a moment. ‘I don’t know,’ she said. ‘This is all quite sudden. It’s a lot to take on.’
    ‘What was that quote Granny would always come out with?’ Imogen said. ‘From
Alice in Wonderland
. “Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” Anna, I’ve changed my mind, it’s time for us to believe some impossible things. I think we should give it a shot.’
    ‘After the day I’ve had, this all sounds very appealing,’ Anna said, starting to smile. ‘I suppose we really could do it, couldn’t we?’
    Imogen nodded. ‘Why not?’
    They sat there in silence for a minute as the decision they’d just made together began to sink in.
    ‘But … ’ Anna started, ‘I thought you wanted to go back to the island?’
    ‘I do,’ Imogen said. ‘I really do. But it doesn’t feel right to go back now, when Dad’s like this. I could stay long enough to help you get the place set up, and for us to pick a good assistant to replace me.’
    ‘And then you’d go back?’
    ‘Yes. My flight’s valid for another six months, I just have to pay a bit to change the date.’
    ‘And what about that guy you met, Luca?’
    Imogen touched the shark’s-tooth necklace around her neck, remembering him.
    ‘I’ll tell him,’ she said. ‘I don’t know how he’ll react. But I feel like I need to put our family first right now.’
    Imogen called Luca’s mobile and heard the foreign dialling tone. Her heart beat hard in her chest as she waited for him to pick up.
    ‘Imo,’ he answered,