Page 5 of Wishes & Waves at the Cornish Bakery
‘Perfect. Come on in, and I can introduce you to everyone. You’ll be just in time for dinner too.’ Standing up, Elsie flung the tea towel over her shoulder and indicated to Tilly to follow her.
Gnawing on her bottom lip, Tilly glanced between Elsie and the busy bakery again. Could she really do this? Volunteerat Elsie’s bakery in return for accommodation and food? It sounded too good to be true, but she supposed that at this point in time, she really did only have one choice. And she wasn’t in the best position to be able to turn down the offer of a place to stay tonight, as well as the current work experience all employers seemed to be looking for. Forcing herself to stand up, she swallowed the fear of meeting so many new people all at once and plastered a smile on her face.
Chapter Five
Groggily, Tilly opened her eyes before immediately shielding them with her hand. She must have left a gap between the curtains when she’d drawn them last night because a sliver of unforgiving morning sunlight was piercing her skull. Rolling over to show her back to the sunlight, Tilly drew in a deep breath as she hugged the pillow, her lungs filling with the comforting scent of lavender, her aunt’s favourite fragrance and Elsie’s fabric conditioner.
After having her senses overwhelmed with the sheer number of people who had been at the dinner yesterday, Ian had helped her collect some bags from her car before she’d excused herself from the celebrations below. Everyone had been as lovely as Elsie herself, not that she had any hope of remembering most of their names, but after spending the last seven years basically holed up with her aunt in her house, she wasn’t used to meeting that many people, let alone having them all in one room. Plus, of course, yesterday’s events and the bailiffs turning up had absolutely shattered her.
She must have had the best night’s sleep she’d had in... forever, but despite that, there was still a part of her who wanted to stay under the duvet all day, who wanted to forget how much her life had been pulled apart, a part of her who would happily curl up and never face the world again.
But that couldn’t be today. Elsie had taken a huge gamble on her, offering her this voluntary position out of the blue without knowing a thing about her, and she wasn’t about to let her down. Tilly needed to show her and everyone else who had so kindlywelcomed her at the dinner table that she was beyond grateful and that she could be relied upon.
Picking up her mobile from the bedside table, Tilly sighed. She only had an hour until opening time, and she still had to shower as well as collect her car from the car park she’d left it in and park it behind the bakery where Ian had shown her last night. Placing it back down, she slipped out of bed and padded across the floorboards before standing in front of the dressing-table mirror.
Tilly peered at her reflection and pulled at the dark bags under her eyes. She wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but they certainly looked a little less puffy than they had when she’d brushed her hair before getting into bed last night. Could one decent night’s sleep really make that much difference?
Standing up, she rolled her shoulders back. Although she’d been comfortable in her aunt’s house, she hadn’t been able to properly relax there for months, years even. When her aunt had been alive, Tilly had always been listening out for her in case she’d needed her during the night so hadn’t slipped into a deep sleep and since she’d passed away and Tilly had struggled to pay the rent due to Gwen’s pension stopping and her own carers benefits ceasing, she’d not been able to fully relax, always waiting on the inevitable knock at the door.
It was strange, but having the bailiffs turn up had been a slight relief of sorts. In a way. She’d given up the will to fight the eviction months beforehand after realising she couldn’t just waltz back into the world of work as easily as she’d hoped, and now the fight was well and truly over. What came next, she wasn’t sure, but one thing she was certain of was that Elsie and her voluntary position might just be the break in her lack of luck she needed.
Pocketing her car keys, Tilly pushed open the bakery’s back door and stepped into the kitchen, the aromas of freshly baked bread, cookies and cake enveloping her. She took a deep breath as her stomach rumbled. Closing the door again, she glanced around. Elsie was elbow-deep in bread dough at the large stainless-steel table positioned in the centre of the modern kitchen, whilst Ian breezed out of the door carrying trays piled high with delicious-looking pasties.
Glancing up from the dough, Elsie nodded towards the back door. ‘Did you manage to get your car moved okay, love?’
‘Yes, thanks.’ Walking across to the sink, Tilly washed her hands. ‘What would you like me to do?’
‘Well, first things first, grab yourself a coffee and help yourself to something from this lot for breakfast.’ Elsie indicated the trays of food sitting on the table waiting for Ian to take them through to the bakery.
‘Don’t the doors open soon? I’ll be okay without breakfast. I don’t usually have it.’ She stopped herself from adding that she wasn’t usually up before nine. She hadn’t had a reason to be after all, and her bed had always felt like her sanctuary, a place to hole up and shut out the world.
‘They do, but Lynsey and Brooke arrived whilst you were out, and they’ll have it all under control. Ian’s helping out at Daisy and Ollie’s restaurant today, but he doesn’t need to be there yet, so he can always step in. You have your brekkie, love. We don’t want you fainting from hunger halfway through a shift, now do we?’ Elsie chuckled before lowering her voice. ‘And could you fill me up a cup of coffee too, please?’
‘Yes, of course.’ Tilly glanced across at Elsie. Had she asked her to get her a coffee too, so Tilly felt she couldn’t refuse breakfast? If she had, it had worked. She couldn’t really deny her new boss a coffee because she felt as though she should be working rather than sitting around munching on breakfast. Shemade a mental note to set her alarm for earlier tomorrow. When she’d walked down the stairs after her shower, she’d found Elsie, Teresa and Ian all baking already. It made sense; the food would have to be baked before they opened, but it hadn’t occurred to her yesterday. Still, tomorrow she’d get up bright and early and help.
‘Thanks, love.’ Pausing, Elsie wiped her hands on the tea towel folded on the table in front of her before taking a plate from the cupboard and laying it on the table. ‘Help yourself to whatever you fancy.’
‘Thank you.’ Passing Elsie a fresh mug of coffee, Tilly looked down at the array of treats on offer. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d bought anything from a bakery, she’d been counting pennies that long. Picking up the plate, she pointed to a tray of croissants. ‘Could I have one of those, please?’
‘Of course.’ Leaning her back against the work surface, Elsie took a sip of her coffee. ‘How are you feeling about starting work today? Since you didn’t come to Penworth Bay to work in a bakery, I mean. I hope I’ve not strong-armed you into this?’
Taking Elsie’s lead, Tilly leaned against the work surface at the side of the kitchen and shook her head. ‘Not at all. I’d have slept in my car last night if you’d not offered me a place to stay, so thank you.’
‘And the voluntary job? Please don’t feel you have to do this if you don’t want to. How long do you have off work?’
Picking up her plate, Tilly gripped it in her hands as she whispered, ‘I don’t have one.’
‘Aw, perfect. You’ll be able to enjoy your time here in the bay without the worry of getting back to work then.’ Elsie smiled.
Taking the croissant in her fingers, she brought it to her mouth and took a bite. As expected, it was still warm and, most probably, the best croissant she’d ever tasted. She watched the flakes of pastry fall delicately back to her plate beforeswallowing. Elsie was right, that was one small silver lining to her situation. Although now she’d begun speaking of her life, she knew she should be completely honest with Elsie. Even if there was a risk she might sever the voluntary position option altogether. ‘I’ve been caring for my aunt for the last seven years. So I don’t have any up-to-date experience. Sorry, I probably should have told you that yesterday before accepting this role...’
‘No need. And if you’ve been caring for your aunt for that long, then you have a wealth of transferable skills.’ Elsie smiled at her.
‘I’m not sure. I’ve been looking for a job for the past five months, and I can’t even get to the interview stage because I don’t have any recent experience.’ Tilly shifted on her feet.
‘Oh, I’m sorry, love. Does that mean your aunt passed away?’ Lowering her mug to the table, Elsie stepped towards her.
Tilly nodded. If she spoke, she knew she’d end up bawling her eyes out. She hadn’t really had the chance to speak to anyone about her loss. Her aunt had been the only family she’d had. She didn’t have anyone to share the grief with.
