SWEET DREAMS & second chances

Could nothing be done to stop Tina's hopes melting away?

- Gilly Pickup

When she inherited Sweet Dreams, her aunt’s cafe and ice cream parlour, Tina Lawson was deliriously happy. However, although its blue shutters and striped awnings promised cheer to passersby, the reality inside was less charming, with wonky counters and broken freezers, not to mention the piles of unpaid bills.

‘You've bitten off more than you can chew, Miss Lawson,’ Mr Griggs the banker announced during her first week. Adjusting his spectacles, he sighed, ‘The numbers don't lie.’

Tina had smiled politely, though her heart sank. It seemed Sweet Dreams was more crumbling nightmare than sugarcoated success. Still, she wasn’t about to give up.

‘One scoop at a time,’ she told herself as she worked to improve the interior and experiment with recipes.

Then it was the day of the grand opening. The cafe sparkled, freshly baked creations sent out wafts of aromatic magic, and the chalkboard attracted customers with tantalising flavours like Chocolate Honeycomb Crunch and Lemon Meringue Dream.

Locals began trickling in. ‘Heavenly!’ squealed one lady, demolishing a gingerbread and pistachio ice cream sandwich.

‘Mmm, it’s like biting into chunks of happiness,’ smiled another, savouring a sticky toffee ice cream with a side of butter shortbread.

For a few weeks, Tina dared believe things were turning around, then... splat! The winds of trouble arrived one morning in the shape of a banner being unfurled nearby. Scoop Supreme - Opening Soon!