Free February Or Forever by Juliet Madison Page A

so fast Chrissie thought he might crash into it as he’d done to that poor mother. Chrissie jogged to catch up, then glanced across the main road. Café Lagoon stood out with its busy assortment of people and fancy swirling lettering. Her stomach grumbled. ‘Ah, Kai?’ Her son looked back as he was about to climb the slippery slide. ‘I want to go across the road and get a coffee first, come with me.’ Chrissie didn’t usually drink coffee, it was just an occasional treat. And right now, she decided, Kai wasn’t the only one who deserved a reward for getting through the week.
    â€˜But Mum!’ He sighed.
    â€˜No buts. C’mon. We’ll come straight back.’
    He trudged over, all joy drained from his face.
    â€˜I’ll watch him if you like, you go,’ a woman’s voice said. Chrissie turned to the left to see the woman Kai had crashed into earlier.
    â€˜Oh, that’s okay. Thanks.’
    â€˜Seriously, it’s no problem. I’ve got to watch my own anyway.’ She pointed. ‘I’m Sam’s mum.’
    Chrissie looked at the dark-haired boy that she’d seen Kai chatting to at school drop off this morning.
    â€˜Your son’s in my son’s class.’ The woman smiled, tucking a clump of sandy hair behind her ear as the breeze wafted it around.
    â€˜Oh, hi.’ Chrissie smiled, then glanced at Kai.
    â€˜Can I go back and play with Sam?’ Kai looked up at her with pleading eyes.
    Pleased that he’d appeared to have made a new friend, she patted him on the back with her blessing. ‘Well, thanks,’ she said to the woman. ‘I’ll only be a few minutes, I’ll just pop over to the café.’
    â€˜No worries. I’m not going anywhere,’ she said.
    Chrissie turned to walk away then turned back. ‘Oh, can I get you anything? Coffee, tea, cake?’
    â€˜I probably shouldn’t.’ She patted her stomach. The woman was curvy but by no means fat.
    â€˜I’m happy to shout you something. It’s the least I can do after you watching my child, who so carelessly ran into you earlier!’
    She laughed. ‘Ah, it was nothing. But okay. That would be great, thanks. I’ll have a decaf skim cappuccino.’
    Chrissie nodded then dashed across the road. She entered the café and was greeted by a blast of cool air conditioning. Ahh… The décor matched the café’s name and cooled her even more; walls of swirly blues and greens, and a tree painted in the corner, like she was stepping into an actual lagoon. She studied the menu on the wall. Not that she was here for a meal, but her grumbling stomach piqued her curiosity.
    â€˜What can I get you today?’ someone asked. She lowered her gaze from the blackboard to meet the hypnotic eyes of a strapping young man, maybe in his early twenties, his smooth hair swiped over the side of his face in an arc.
    â€˜Um, I’ll get a decaf skim cappuccino to take away, and a regular cappuccino too.’ Forget decaf and skim. If she was going to treat herself she’d go all out.
    â€˜Coming right up.’ He winked, and if Chrissie was fifteen years younger she’d probably giggle and twirl a strand of her hair.
    â€˜You new in town or passing through?’ he asked while he automatically made the coffee, as though he was so used to it he could do it blindfolded.
    â€˜I’m new.’ Chrissie smiled. Everyone was so friendly here. ‘Not sure if it’ll be for good, but I’m here for now.’
    â€˜Ah, the bay will draw you in. Always does. It’s The Town of New Beginnings you know.’
    â€˜So I’ve heard.’ Chrissie adjusted her bag strap on her shoulder. ‘And I certainly need one of those, so we’ll see what happens!’
    â€˜Well I hope you’ll visit Café Lagoon again. We often have live music on Friday and Saturday nights if you’re interested. Depending