Page 31 of Wishes & Waves at the Cornish Bakery
Ian carefully pulled the old photograph from her grasp and squinted his eyes at it. ‘Who have we got here then?’
‘Mikey, my nephew.’
‘My dad.’ Tilly whispered, not daring to move in case she woke up and realised this was all a dream and that actually she was alone in the world once more.
‘Your dad?’ After asking Tilly, Ian snapped his head back to Elsie. ‘Your nephew.’
They nodded in unison.
‘Well, I... never.’ Placing the photo back on the table, he turned towards the kettle. ‘I’ll make us a pot of tea.’
Shaking herself, Elsie slipped off the stool and walked slowly towards Tilly, as though she, too, was afraid any sudden movement might break the spell. Standing in front of her, she reached out and tucked Tilly’s hair behind her ears. ‘You’ve got his big, beautiful eyes.’
‘What does this mean?’ Tilly asked as she felt tears slide down her cheeks.
‘It means you have a family after all. We both do.’ Elsie’s voice was soft as she drew Tilly into her arms.
Tilly could feel Elsie’s shoulders shaking as they both held each other and cried. If Elsie hadn’t knocked her handbag to the floor, if the photos hadn’t fallen out, if Tilly had left last night, if... She closed her eyes. It didn’t matter. These events had happened, and they’d led her to this point in time. They’d led her to discover that shedidhave living relatives, that she had Elsie.
‘Here you go, you two. Tea is served.’ The sound of the teapot on the tabletop sounded through the kitchen. ‘I’ll give you both a bit of space.’
Drawing back, Elsie used the hem of her apron to dry her tears before she took Ian’s hand as he walked past. ‘Thanks, love.’
‘No problem.’ After kissing Elsie on the forehead, Ian turned to Tilly and rubbed her shoulder. ‘Welcome to the family, Tilly, love.’
Tilly nodded as she dabbed her eyes with the handkerchief Elsie had given her earlier and she’d shoved in the pocket of her jeans before coming downstairs.
Once they were alone in the kitchen again, Elsie waved her hand, encompassing the teapot, mugs and plate of cookies Ian had set on the table. ‘Shall we sit?’
‘Yes.’ Tilly walked towards the table and sat down, Elsie sitting on the stool beside her. ‘I have so many questions.’
‘So do I, love. I didn’t even know Mikey had a child. I remember your mum, though.’ Pouring the tea, Elsie paused and looked up, her eyes glistening. ‘They were so in love. I often wondered what happened to her.’
Taking her tea, Tilly took a sip before looking at Elsie over the rim of her mug. ‘Do his parents still live in the bay?’
‘No, love. They never did. He came to visit during the summer for a couple of years before... the accident. They lived up in Scotland.’ Elsie sighed. ‘Not that they’re with us anymore, I think his passing was too much for them.’
‘Oh.’ Lowering her mug, Tilly frowned. ‘Who lived at 64 Green Gardens Close?’
‘His good friend, Darren. Mikey spent a lot of time there. He may have even had it down as his home address for the farming jobs he used to do.’ Elsie smiled as she looked at Tilly. ‘I can’t believe you’re Mikey’s girl.’
Glancing down, Tilly smiled. No one had ever called her that before,Mikey’s girl. Heck, she’d never known her dad’s name before. It felt good. ‘Mikey.’ She rolled the name over her tongue. ‘It means such a lot knowing his name. Will you tell me about him? What was he like? His hobbies, his upbringing, his... I don’t know. Everything.’
‘Of course I will love. It will be my pleasure.’ Elsie looked up towards the ceiling. ‘I’ll hunt out the old photographs. I know I have some of him. I might even have some of the both of them together – your mum and dad.’
‘Thank you.’ Tilly sipped her tea again, feeling herself relax for the first time in such a long, long time. Just knowing she had family in the world meant so much to her. And to find out she was related to the kindest woman she’d ever met, Elsie, was something else.
‘Does this mean I should cancel your reservation at Pennycress Inn now, then?’ Elsie asked tentatively.
‘Yes, I think so. If you don’t mind me staying on, I mean?’
‘Mind?’ Elsie chuckled. ‘I’d feel blessed to have you stay on with us.’
Tilly wiped her cheeks as tears of happiness began to fall. ‘Sorry, I... It’s just been a long time since I could even imagine that I might ever feel as though I belong somewhere again.’
‘Oh, love. I understand.’ Elsie rubbed Tilly’s forearm. ‘One day I’ll have to tell you all about what brought me to the bay in the first place. You’ll see how much I understand then.’
Tilly looked down as her phone screen faded to black. It must have been ringing. It was on silent, so she hadn’t heard it, but she hadn’t spotted the screen lighting up either. Lifting it up, she frowned.
