Down the Rabbit Hole by Evelyn Amber

Author:Evelyn Amber [Amber, Evelyn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-11-19T00:00:00+00:00

10

Sitting behind the counter of her bookshop, Alice twirled a pen around in her hand as she absentmindedly watched Justin sweep the floor. Her phone rang, making her blink away her daydreams. She looked at the screen and it was Minnie.

“Hello,” Alice said cheerfully after accepting the call. She waited for Minnie to reply, but she was met with silence. “How are you feeling?”

“Better,” Minnie replied finally. “I’m back at my café today.”

“Already?”

“I want to keep myself busy,” Minnie admitted, her tone not as sure as her words. “I haven’t had one customer yet. They’re either avoiding me, or they don’t expect me to be back open.”

“I’m sure it’s the latter,” Alice assured her, hoping that was the case. “You have loyal customers.”

“When’s your lunch break?”

“In five minutes,” Alice said as she checked her watch.

“I have a chocolate muffin here with your name on it,” Minnie said with a shaky laugh. “Plus, I need some company. The silence is driving me crazy.”

“I’ll be there in five,” Alice said. “I just need to go through a few orders.”

“See you soon.”

Alice hung up, unsure of how to feel about her friend being back at work.

“Was that Minnie?” Justin asked as he rested the brush against a shelf.

“Yeah,” Alice replied. “She’s back at the café and wants me to go over.”

“So soon?”

“It’ll probably do her some good,” Alice said with a wave of her hand as she looked at the papers on the counter. “Have those knitting books still not arrived? Clementine’s going to lose her mind.”

“No,” Justin said as he took the sheet from Alice to look at all the orders. “Go to the café. I’ll ring the suppliers again.”

“Thanks,” Alice said as she walked around the desk. “Do you want me to bring back one of Minnie’s cakes?”

“I can’t,” he replied with a roll of his eyes. “Kyle has us on some silly diet for our holiday. No carbs! It’s killing me. No beach is worth this.”

“She has salads?” Alice offered as she reached for the door. Justin pondered the offer for a moment but shook his head. “Rather you than me!”

Minnie’s café was located on the same street as Alice’s bookshop, so it only took her a minute to walk there. Minnie greeted her with a smile, and Alice was sure that was her way of hiding her disappointment at having an empty café. Alice thought she might have been overreacting about the lack of customers, but there was no one to be seen.

The café had started as a hobby for Minnie to occupy her time rather than being a money-making venture. When the café proved to be popular with the residents of Ashbrook, Trevor quit his job at the garage and they combined their efforts. Minnie was a great cook and baker, and Trevor had been great with the numbers and helping to spread the word. The café was always booming, so the emptiness unsettled Alice.

It was more modern looking than Townsgate Café, but it wasn’t lacking its own charm.

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