Page 64 of The Pop-Up Cake Shop

What I needed was a push to get the van off the road.

Glancing wildly in the direction of the building site, I saw Caleb walking across to the house nearest the entrance. So I hopped out of the van and ran across to him. I was dreading having to ask him for help after his earlier surly mood, but what else could I do? Surely a few of the guys on site would help me move the van?

He looked surprised to see me and I quickly explained what had happened.

Nodding, he was about to speak, when looking over my shoulder, his expression changed to one of alarm. ‘Did you put the handbrake on?’

‘What?’ As I processed what he meant, he was already running in the direction of the van, which to my horror was trundling away. It was moving very slowly but moving nonetheless. The street must be on a slight incline...

My heart thudding in horror, I ran after Caleb. He was out on the street but I could see the van slowly gathering speed.

It wasn’t just the van I was worried about.

It was all the expensive-looking cars parked along the pavement that wouldn’t be quite so expensive if the cake van smashed into them!

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Caleb was running at lightning speed along the street, gaining on the trundling van, and I crossed the fingers on both hands that he’d somehow be able to stop it without hurting himself.

Then something seemed to halt the van’s progress – a wheel bumping the kerb, maybe? – and that gave Caleb the opportunity he needed.

Catching it up, he flung the door open and jumped inside, and by some miracle, he managed to steer it, still moving, over the kerb and onto the green. I saw the van jerk as Caleb hit the brakes.

I stood where I was, my legs as weak as water, my hands clasped over my chest. I watched Caleb climb slowly out of the van and slam the door shut. His rescue had been quite heroic. Thank goodness he wasn’t injured...

Somehow, I managed to get my legs moving again and I walked over to join him as he made his way back to the site.

‘I can’t thank you enough,’ I told him. ‘That could have been disastrous.’

‘It could have been. But thankfully all’s well that ends well.’

‘I can’t believe I didn’t put the handbrake on,’ I wailed. ‘I’m such an idiot.’

He shook his head. ‘The handbrake’s rubbish. It probably wasn’t your fault.’

I gave him a grateful smile. I definitely didn’t remember applying the handbrake before I jumped out of the van in a panic. Caleb was just trying to make me feel better.

‘Ivan used to be a car mechanic. He could have a look at it if you like?’

‘Could he? Oh, that would be great. Thank you.’

‘No problem. Look, why don’t you come over to the portacabin and I’ll make you a cuppa? You look as white as a slab of concrete. Don’t they say you need plenty of sugar for shock?’

I nodded gratefully. ‘That sounds good.’

In the cabin, he made me sit down while he made the tea – a mug each. Then he gave me a used spoon and a bag of sugar with some orange bits in it (presumably from wet spoons being dunked straight into the bag) and I thought,what the hell, and I helped myself to three heaped teaspoons, even though I normally drank sugarless tea.

Caleb went off to find Ivan with the van keys and I sat there by the small portacabin window, drinking my very sweet but comforting tea and staring at a pile of rubble outside.

At last Caleb was back. But Ivan hadn’t been able to fix it, so the van was going to have to be towed to the nearest garage.

‘We can organise that, no problem. But what about you?’ Caleb asked. ‘You don’t want to be waiting around at the garage, hoping they’ll be able to fix it today, do you?’

I sighed, my mind in turmoil.

My automatic thought had been:Richard will come and pick me up.

But of course, I was on my own. I’d have to get a bus home and come back the next day.

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