Free Summer at the Heartbreak Cafe: Summer Sweet Romance (Lakeview Contemporary Romance Book 0) by Melissa Hill Page A

soon, and Ella crossed her fingers that it would happen.
    Soon, she felt rather than saw the presence of someone on the opposite chair and looked up in surprise to find Nina there, still wearing that thoughtful look.
    “Hello there.”
    “Hello back,” Nina said. “I suppose you’re wondering what I’m doing here interrupting your lunch.”
    Ella looked at her thoughtfully, swallowed a mouthful of sandwich and said, “No. I was just thinking how lovely it is of you to join me. It’s always lonely eating alone.”
    Nina laughed. “I love you Ella, I really do. Anyway, I wanted to ask you something, a kind of rhetorical question.”
    “The best kind,” Ella replied. “I’m good at rhetorical questions.”
    “Have you ever had a summer romance?”
    Ella hid a smile. Even before Nina uttered another word, she could guess what - or more to the point who - was at the heart of this conversation.
    Sam the writer.
    “I have. A long time ago,” Ella said, not mentioning that the affair in question was with a man who eventually ended up being her husband.
    It had been summertime when she’d first come to work at the cafe, and had fallen head over heels with her boss’s handsome son.
    “Do you think it’s a good idea? I mean, does it not cause a lot of hurt knowing that you have no future with that person, that they have another life elsewhere which doesn’t include you?” Nina continued.
    “See, that’s the beauty of summer romances. Right from the start you know where everyone stands and there are no expectations on either side.”
    “But what if expectations creep in anyway? Whether you like it or not?”
    “Sometimes in life, it doesn’t hurt to avoid over thinking things. Be like a leaf sometimes, and let the wind guide you. Refuse to be drawn into deep, negative thoughts that are sure to deter you. So what if it hurts when the summer is over and romance disappears? You’ll have the memories to keep you going until the next one,” she added with a wink.
    Ella looked at poor Nina’s troubled face.
    Oh dear. It seemed she had fallen hard.

19
    T he following day , Nina was manning the cafe alone, while Ella caught up on book-keeping.
    Strangely the place was uncharacteristically quiet for this time of year, she thought as she made herself a cup of coffee. It happened like that sometimes and then like an avalanche, a huge crowd would flood in.
    She got her coffee and sat down at a table near the counter. Just then, she heard footsteps behind her.
    “Hi stranger.” Emma said. She came to where Nina was and sat down on the chair next to hers, commenting on how quiet the café was.
    “I was just thinking that myself,” Nina replied, trying to dissect her feelings. She and Emma had been friends for a couple of years now. So why did she feel this dullness on seeing her today?
    “Cup of coffee?” she asked.
    “Yes, I’d love one.”
    Nina stood up and went to get Emma a cup. She returned with it a few minutes later and sat down.
    “So, I haven’t seen Sam for a few days, not since we went rafting,” Emma commented. “I wonder if he’s OK.”
    Nina looked up in surprise. “Of course he’s OK, why wouldn’t he be? Sometimes when he’s caught up in his novel, he holes himself away in the cottage for days.”
    “I wish he’d hole himself away with me for a couple of days,” Emma replied, with a gleam in her eye.
    “Ah so you do have a crush on him. I did wonder last week on the trail.”
    “He’s a single guy - of course I have a crush on him. And he’s a bit of a celebrity. The perfect catch.” Then she giggled. “Ah, Sam’s cute but not really my type, too quiet. Still, I’d never pass up a man with money.”
    Nina was aghast. She knew Emma could be callous, but now she felt as though the person sitting next to her was a stranger.
    Poor Sam. Nina hoped that he hadn’t fallen hook line and sinker for her recent flirtations.
    For more reasons than one.
    “So how did the rafting go?”