The Little Christmas Teashop of Second Chances

An utterly perfect feel-good Christmas romance

Donna Ashcroft

Books by Donna Ashcroft

Christmas in the Scottish Highlands

Summer in the Scottish Highlands

If Every Day Was Christmas

The Little Village of New Starts

The Christmas Countdown

The Little Guesthouse of New Beginnings

The Little Christmas Teashop of Second Chances

Summer at the Castle Cafe

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Christmas in the Scottish Highlands

Hear More from Donna

Books by Donna Ashcroft

A Letter from Donna

The Christmas Countdown

If Every Day Was Christmas

Summer at the Castle Cafe

The Little Guesthouse of New Beginnings

The Little Village of New Starts

Summer in the Scottish Highlands

Acknowledgements

*

For Chris, Erren and Charlie – my amazing family – I’m so lucky to have you xxx

One

She was late, so very late! And Lily King was never late. As Lily trotted down Beach Road, she pulled her coat tighter and watched snow settle on the pavement and her nose.

Lily’s eyes scanned Castle Cove promenade as she continued hurrying along the high street. On her left the pavement dipped down to a small beach which led to the sea. It was the coldest November she could remember and the waves looked dark and choppy. In the distance, a couple of boats bobbed up and down, completing the scene.

Lily checked her watch again and sped up. She shouldn’t have spent so long searching for her mobile this morning, but where had she put it? Lily cast her mind back to the night before. She’d worked in the Castle Teashop until after closing time. Her phone had been in her handbag and she’d taken it out a couple of times to check for messages, expecting to hear from her best friend Emily Campbell. But her boyfriend had called instead – after that she couldn’t remember anything. Pain stabbed her chest at the memory of their break-up and she shook her head, trying to forget their conversation. Perhaps she’d left the mobile on the counter in the kitchen?

On Lily’s right was The Flower Pot, Castle Cove’s florist, a jewellery shop and then a hair salon. The council had begun to put up Christmas decorations in preparation for the start of December and silvery-white lights twinkled along the shopfronts, lighting her way.

Lily sped up. She was really late now and still had to pop into the teashop to check for her phone before heading to the Castle Cove Restaurant, where she worked as a waitress three days a week.

Would Luc Bonnay – the restaurant’s temperamental French Head Chef – sack her for tardiness before she’d even plucked up the courage to ask for a job in his kitchen? Damn, she hoped not.

As Lily passed the Anglers – the town’s popular beachfront pub – the owner, Shaun Wright, flew out and came to a stop in front of her.

‘Are you late?’ His green eyes widened. Shaun was over six-foot and seemed to tower over her. ‘Lily King the rebel. I never thought I’d see the day.’

‘I’ve lost my mobile.’ Lily fiddled with her coat, feeling jittery. ‘I thought it was at home but it’s probably at the teashop. Why are you up so early?’

‘Heading to the brewery. We’ve run out of King Newt – think your dad will have opened up yet?’ Lily’s family owned and ran King’s Brewery, which was situated at the edge of town near where she lived.

‘If he hasn’t, my brother will have.’

Lily’s eyes darted towards the castle. ‘I’m sorry Shaun, I’ve got to go or Luc’s going to skin me alive.’

Shaun nodded, grinning. ‘Blow my gorgeous fiancée a kiss when you see her.’

‘Will do,’ Lily said as she crossed the road to walk up the incline towards the castle. Her spirits dipped – could anyone ever love her the way Shaun loved her friend Cath? After Rogan Kelly had unceremoniously dumped her last night, there was no chance of becoming Mrs Kelly. Not that she’d particularly wanted that, but it was hard being rejected again. Lily was unlucky in love and her heart had been broken a few times now – so many that she wondered if it was even worth giving romance another try.

Cove Castle came into view as Lily broke into a jog. The castle could have been in ‘Sleeping Beauty’; it had all the classic fairy-tale elements, from the four grey stone turrets at each corner to the sweeping staircase that curved up to the large oak front door. The building dated back to the seventeenth century and had been partly renovated in the last few years by the owner, making it a perfect haven for the many visitors who flooded to Castle Cove. There was a great hall, library, chapel, various living quarters and offices on the second and third floors and of course the restaurant, which catered for locals and tourists at lunchtimes and in the evenings. If you walked around the castle to the second front turret you’d find the cosy teashop, and Lily hurried towards it now, taking in the pink, blue and green Christmas lights that had already been hung in twinkling waves across the roof. As the castle was so big, it took three weeks to put up the outside decorations, so the staff always started early.

Lily got to the little teashop. It hadn’t opened but was already a hive of activity as Cath Lacey – the manager and Shaun’s fiancée – and Alice Appleton, the other waitress, whizzed around the welcoming room getting it ready for the steady stream of customers who’d be arriving later.

Cath’s eyebrows drew together as she spotted Lily. ‘You do know you’re not working here today?’

‘I’ve lost my mobile and Shaun asked me to do this.’ Lily kissed her palm and blew in her friend’s direction, making Cath’s green eyes light up.

‘Oh, I do love that man! Alice found a phone on the counter this morning. I was going to pop up to the restaurant later to see if it was yours.’

‘Here it is.’ Alice appeared from the kitchen. Her blonde hair was styled in a perfect ponytail and, as always, her uniform had been ironed with military precision. ‘The battery’s dead.’

‘I’ll charge it at the restaurant, I’ve got a spare cable.’ Lily grabbed the phone, relieved. ‘Thanks guys. I’ll see you later.’

‘I know it’s pointless saying this but don’t work too hard,’ Cath sang as Lily headed out of the door. ‘And for goodness sake, ask Luc about an interview for a job in his kitchen!’

Lily nodded, knowing Cath was just looking out for her, because while she loved working in the Castle Teashop, she was doing extra shifts at the restaurant to try to achieve her dream of becoming a chef. The Castle Teashop was like a home from home for her. It was where she felt comfortable and Cath had opened her eyes to so many things – but lately Lily had realised she needed to take a risk and follow her dreams. The time had come for new challenges and second chances if she was ever going to be happy.

Much like the kind of challenges Cath had grabbed for herself. After getting a second chance with Shaun after a messy breakup, Cath had recently shaken up her life and career by taking on even more responsibility for the running of Castle Teashop. Her first bold step had been to rebrand from café to teashop, which seemed more in keeping with the castle setting. So far, the change had gone down well with the locals and tourists and everyone was getting used to the new name. But watching Cath make changes had left Lily feeling both terrified and inspired.

Lily waved a hand as she trotted out of the front door, heading for the castle restaurant, her stomach in knots. Would today be the day she’d finally pluck up the courage to take a chance and change the lonely path she seemed to have settled on? Lily let out a deep sigh as she headed up the long staircase towards Castle Cove’s entrance. Or was she destined to spend the rest of her life as she had until now – alone and too afraid to grab onto her dreams?

Two

‘This soup has something floating in it and it’s hot,’ the woman in the red dress with the matching face complained as Lily smiled down at her. ‘And you can wipe that ingratiating look off your face – waitresses should learn to keep their emotions to themselves.’

‘I’m sorry.’ Lily straightened the frills on her white apron as she glanced around Castle Cove Restaurant, trying to work out what to say to the customer without causing offence. ‘I can see if it’s possible to cool the soup if you like?’

‘You should never have brought it to me like this in the first place,’ the woman criticized. ‘Everyone knows French soup is supposed to be served cold.’

‘Of course,’ Lily agreed, swiping a hand across her brown wavy hair and wishing the floor would just swallow her whole. ‘Have you tried it hot though? It’s really very good.’

The woman swiped a napkin across her mouth, leaving a trail of red lipstick on the starched white cotton. ‘I have no intention of eating this muck. And what is that lump? It looks like someone accidently dropped their cheese on toast into my starter.’

‘It’s a crouton.’ Lily nibbled her lip, wondering what Luc would say if he heard someone referring to his famous crouton as a mistake. ‘It’s typical of the dish, but if you’d prefer, I can get you a different appetizer.’ Lily coloured as a couple sitting at the next table whispered and looked over, probably wondering what all the commotion was about.

‘I don’t want a different dish.’ The customer folded her arms across her ample chest. ‘I want this one, except I want you to serve it properly – cold and without any of those bread things.’

‘I’m sorry, of course. You’re quite right.’ Lily ducked her head, picked up the bowl and headed to the kitchen, wondering how to tell Luc the customer wanted cold French onion soup. As she walked, Lily passed five of the restaurant’s fifteen tables, all laid out with traditional white tablecloths, silver cutlery and shiny candelabras. The restaurant was busy this lunchtime, and she knew they were fully booked this evening.

Lily took a deep breath before entering the kitchen. As she walked into the square room, her eyes strayed to the stone fireplace at the far end. A large clock sat above the mantle, telling her there were at least another two hours before lunchtime ended, after which she’d help to lay the tables ready for her next shift.

Three walls of the kitchen were lined with modern metal cupboards, under which a mix of stainless steel industrial hobs, ovens, sinks and cooling racks sat. At the edge of the room was a servery counter, where Lily put the offending soup.

‘Again, Lily? You do know you’re supposed to give the food to the customers, not bring it back?’ Suze Baker, one of the restaurant’s sous chefs, joked. Her chocolate-brown hair was knotted on her head and she’d pulled a white cap over it. That and her white overalls contrasted with the wild smattering of dark freckles across her cheekbones and nose. ‘What happened this time?’ Suze asked patiently.

‘The customer said it was too hot.’ Lily chewed her lip as her eyes darted around the kitchen, looking for Luc. If he saw she’d returned with the soup, she’d probably kiss any dream of a job in the kitchen goodbye. He hadn’t been in when she’d rocked up late this morning so she’d already dodged one bullet today. ‘She wasn’t so keen on the crouton either.’

Anya Jenkins, a five-foot-nothing blonde-haired waitress, whizzed into the kitchen and skidded to a stop. ‘Honestly Lily, I don’t know how you kept your temper. Why didn’t you tell her that soup isn’t meant to be served cold?’

‘Because she’d have been furious. Besides, I thought the customer was always right?’ Lily screwed up her nose.

‘She wasn’t. I love how agreeable you are, but you must be more assertive – learn to say no. No one’s going to blame you for disagreeing every now and then. What are you going to do about the soup? You can’t exactly freeze it.’ Anya asked, running a hand through her short pixie-cut.

‘I’ve no idea.’ Lily squashed down the panic in her chest as Luc appeared from the back of the kitchen, barking orders at one of the kitchen porters. Lily’s legs juddered and she picked up the soup, ready to scurry into the restaurant again just as Nate Miller, one of the other waiters, approached.

‘Your customer is asking for you.’ Nate gave Lily a pointed look – his cheeky dimples and surfer-dude hairstyle meant he never looked like he took anything seriously, which drove Luc nuts.

‘What are you doing here, boy?’ Luc glared at Nate. The chef was dressed in stripy blue and white trousers with a starched white jacket pulled tight across his rotund chest. A white hat hid his balding hairline and his permanent expression was annoyed.

‘Picking up a ticket.’ Nate pointed to the plates on the servery. Around them the kitchen buzzed with voices until someone dropped a dish that let off a klaxon-worthy crash and the whole room went quiet.

Luc’s cheeks reddened. ‘Get on with it then,’ he snapped, turning on his heels and heading for the back of the kitchen. ‘And sort out Lily’s tables, one of you, she’s coming with me.’

Lily went cold as she put the soup down again and mouthed a quick ‘sorry’ to Anya and Nate. Then she followed Luc through the kitchen with her head bowed. Luc stopped to scream at the kitchen porter who’d dropped the dish and to admonish a chef de partie for chopping carrots incorrectly before opening the door to the manager’s office and waiting for Lily to step inside.

He sat behind the small grey desk in the centre of the office and moved his laptop to the side so he could see her. ‘Sit.’ He clicked a finger, pointing to a chair.

Lily’s legs wobbled, but she straightened her apron and did as she was told.

Luc stared at her for a full minute before speaking. ‘Simon Wolf says you wish to work as a commis?’

Lily whispered, ‘Yes’ and stared at the floor. There had been talk of a job coming up in the kitchen for a few weeks. The commis were the lowest rung in the kitchen, above only the porters, but it was the first step to becoming a chef and she’d been dying to talk to Luc about it but hadn’t worked up the courage. She wound her fingers together nervously.

‘Did you think speaking with the castle’s owner instead of me would get you a job in my kitchen?’ Luc’s voice was low and Lily felt herself shrink.

‘I honestly didn’t talk to him,’ she whispered. ‘He overhead a conversation I had with Cath Lacey in the Castle Teashop. I’d never go behind your back.’ Lily worked as a waitress in the teashop as well as the restaurant. It had been a quiet day and she’d been chatting with Cath behind the counter. Lily knew Simon had been listening but hadn’t expected him to act on it.

‘You didn’t think of telling me you’d like the job?’

‘I… I was working my way up to it,’ Lily stammered.

‘And were you planning on doing this before or after you retired?’ Luc asked, before sighing deeply. ‘There may be a position coming up, it’s true. Honestly – Simon wants me to consider you, but I’m not sure you’re the right fit.’

Lily lifted her head so their eyes met. Luc was about fifty with huge lips and a large nose that made him look terrifying. ‘Why?’ she squeaked, knowing her face had turned crimson.

‘I have no room in my kitchen for a mouse, Lily King. I need people who work hard but say what they think, people with a brave heart.’ Luc thumped a hand on his chest theatrically.

‘I have a heart,’ Lily peeped.

‘I’m not sure if you’re more scared of the customers or me.’

‘You.’ The word shot from Lily’s mouth before she could stop it and she knew her face was probably burning even before Luc spoke – when he did, she was surprised.

‘Okay.’ He perked up. ‘So maybe there is a brave heart buried somewhere deep. But you’ll need more than that to work in my kitchen.’

‘You want a flair for cooking,’ Lily declared, as Luc scowled. ‘Your mother told you to only ever hire people who are passionate about food, who can create magic on a plate. It doesn’t matter what level they are, they need to prove they’re worthy.’

Luc looked put out. ‘You know this how?’

Lily looked at the floor again. ‘You may have mentioned it.’ About ten thousand times.

‘Bon.’ He bowed his head. ‘And can you create magic, Lily King?’

‘I make a good shepherd’s pie.’ Lily wanted to kick herself as Luc’s frown deepened. ‘And I’m quite good at… some other things.’ None of which she could think of at the moment.

The chef tapped a finger on his desk. ‘You will cook for me tomorrow morning, at six a.m. sharp. If it’s good enough I will consider giving you a chance. If it isn’t’ – he waved a hand dismissively – ‘you will remain a waitress. Now…’ Luc pointed at the door. ‘Get back to work. And Lily?’ His voice hardened. ‘If anyone complains about my soup again – or dares to suggest one of my masterpieces is served cold – you will tell them they are wrong, non?’

‘Non,’ Lily stammered. ‘I mean, yes, of course. Sorry.’ She stood quickly, her legs wobbling, and was out of the office and back into the kitchen again before realising that after all this time, she finally had a shot at her dream.