Page 11 of Wishes & Waves at the Cornish Bakery
‘Is that the girl? I thought I told you to leave?’ Isaac’s dad bellowed towards them as he fiddled with the lock on the gate.
Pausing in his search for the photograph, Isaac glanced at her. ‘The girl? What have you done to upset him?’
Feeling the heat rush to her face, Tilly placed her hand on her dad’s watch and pressed down hard, the metal edge digging into her skin. How was she supposed to explain that, yes, she’d trespassed, but she’d had good reason to and had meant no harm? She stubbed the toe of her trainer into the dusty earthbefore mumbling a response, ‘I only wanted to take a look and speak to the owner of the cottage.’
Dragging a hand across his face, Isaac shook his head slightly. ‘You climbed the gate?’
Tilly gave a tiny shrug, unsure of how to answer.
Widening his eyes, Isaac let out a long, drawn-out breath before nodding towards his dad. ‘Give me a minute and then I’ll come back and help you continue with the search.’
‘Sorry, I...’ She let her voice trail off as Isaac headed towards the gate. She watched him as he unlocked it and ushered his dad back towards the cottage. She needed to find that photograph and leave. As soon as possible. Tearing her eyes from him, she felt an uneasy disappointment in the pit of her stomach. What was she disappointed about? About the fact that she hadn’t even been able to talk to Isaac’s dad? Or because Isaac had now left?
Turning back to her search, she finally spotted the photo lying against the bottom of a tree trunk, hidden between grasses and other weeds. At least she’d found it. Rushing forward, she grabbed it and slipped it back into her handbag. With a final look towards the gate and the cottages beyond, Tilly hurried back down the track and out onto the road leading into Penworth Bay. Now she had to figure out what to do next. She’d had her hopes pinned on getting answers from whoever now lived in the cottage, but that wasn’t going to happen now. She didn’t think Isaac’s dad would ever let her step foot into the field again. And she wasn’t sure she wanted to either.
Chapter Nine
‘Wow, that was another busy day. I, for one, am glad that’s over.’ Brooke leaned heavily against the back counter as Teresa passed her a mug of coffee.
‘Me too. I had people literally waiting for tables to become available.’ Teresa laughed. ‘Though I guess this is it for us for the next few weeks until summer’s over.’
‘Not for you. You’re going away soon, aren’t you?’ Lynsey took a sip of her coffee as she looked over the rim of the mug towards Teresa.
‘Yes, yes, we do.’ Teresa grinned. ‘We’re going to stay with Gavin’s parents for a couple of weeks next Monday.’
‘That sounds nice. Where do they live?’ Tilly asked as she brought her mug to her lips. She’d met Gavin and Teresa’s children at the bakery family dinner when she’d arrived.
‘Near Great Yarmouth in Norfolk. The kids are beyond excited, and Pippa’s already packed her little suitcase.’ Teresa laughed. ‘She’s had it packed since finishing school for the holidays.’
‘Aw, that’s so cute.’ Brooke grinned. ‘Are Rueben and Toby ready too?’
‘Not yet. No doubt I’ll be packing Rueben’s clothes, and Toby has been adding to a pile of clothes he wants to take in the corner of his room.’
‘Well, just think of us rushed off our feet whilst you’re relaxing on the beach.’ Brooke sighed dramatically.
‘Haha, I will.’ Teresa smiled. ‘I must admit I do feel guilty abandoning you all at the busiest time of the year, butGavin’s parents are having his brother and his family over from Australia too, so there’s going to be a lot of catching up to do.’
‘Don’t feel guilty. I’m only teasing.’ Brooke placed her empty mug on the tray. ‘If anyone deserves a break, it’s you. I still have no idea how you juggle the morning’s baking, working behind the counter and the kids.’
Glancing at the clock, Teresa grimaced. ‘Oops, talking of which, I should get going and pick them up from holiday club.’
‘How’s Rueben after him throwing up in the car yesterday?’ Lynsey asked.
‘He’s fine, thanks. It turned out he won a large chocolate bar as a prize in a drawing competition at holiday club and decided to eat it all before getting in the car.’ Teresa shook her head.
‘Aw, bless him. I don’t blame him for not wanting to share.’ Lynsey placed her mug on the tray before pulling her apron over her head. ‘I should be going too. Zac’s cooking us a nice dinner before the quiz.’
‘Oh, the quiz. I’d forgotten all about that.’ Laughing, Brooke slapped her forehead before turning to Tilly. ‘You’ll come tonight, won’t you? It’s quiz night at the local pub, and we have a team there.’
‘Yes, okay.’ Tilly nodded. She hadn’t set foot inside a pub for years, let alone joined in a pub quiz, but she’d already stepped out of her comfort zone by taking on this voluntary job, and it would probably do her good to push herself even more. Plus, it might be fun.
‘Great. And it’s your day off tomorrow, I think. So you can really let your hair down and not worry about serving cakes and cookies with a hangover.’ Brooke grinned.
‘Oh, is it?’ Tilly hadn’t expected to be given any time off.
‘Yes, it’s on the rota.’ Brooke nodded towards the kitchen, where Elsie hung the weekly rota. ‘Ian will cover, so we’ll be fine.’
‘It’ll give you a proper chance to explore the bay, see what it’s got to offer.’ Lynsey picked up her bag from behind the counter.
