Page 7 of Wishes & Waves at the Cornish Bakery
‘Yep. We did.’ Percy nodded enthusiastically before leaning closer as if he were about to tell her some secret. ‘Until we realised the grass isn’t always greener on the other side and, in fact, the grass is pretty damn green right here in the bay.’
‘So you’re back living here then?’ Tilly wasn’t sure she’d have packed up a life abroad to return to England, however beautiful it was around here.
‘We are.’ Maeve nodded before lowering her voice. ‘I wouldn’t rather be anywhere in the world other than Penworth Bay. Of course, family was a deciding factor too. But we would have done, anyway.’
‘Can’t keep away from the place, can we?’ Percy leaned towards Maeve and kissed her on the cheek. ‘And the family, of course.’
Tilly nodded. The word ‘family’ stung her, and she reminded herself that, yes, she might not have any living relatives now, but she was lucky to have been so close to Aunt Gwennie, and those precious years will always be a part of her. ‘That must be nice.’
‘It is, sweetheart.’ Maeve glanced at her husband before tapping the glass front of the counter. ‘Talking of which, we’d better actually buy what we came in for and get back.’
‘Yes, yes, true. Right, we’ll have a loaf of your sourdough and three of those delicious-looking jam doughnuts, please?’
‘Coming right up.’ Picking up a paper bag from the pile next to the till, Tilly filled the bag. Maybe Aunt Gwen was right; there was something special about this place. After all, to give up the dream of retiring abroad, there must be something about it.
Turning back, she passed across the bags. ‘That’ll be nine forty-five, please?’
‘Here you go, sweetheart. Hope to see you around.’ Maeve placed a collection of coins in her hand before sliding the bags into her oversized handbag.
‘Thank you.’ Turning to the till, Tilly copied what Brooke had shown her and watched as the till drawer flew open, ready to swallow the money.
With the coins now secure and the sale complete, Tilly looked towards the next customer and froze. She recognised that mousy brown floppy fringe, those deep hazel eyes... Stifling a gasp, she dropped to her knees behind the counter. She couldn’t serve him. She couldn’t serve the man she rammed into with her car. What if Elsie decided she wasn’t a good fit for the bakery? What if Isaac had found out where she was working and had come in to complain?
‘Tilly? Are you okay down there?’ Brooke tilted her head and looked at her, a wave of confusion clouding her face.
‘Er, yes. I think I dropped some change.’ Tilly replied weakly. Her cover was blown; she’d given Isaac her name, he’d know it was her hiding.
‘Oh, don’t worry about looking for it. If we’re down in takings later, we can take a look then.’ Brooke grinned before continuing to serve her customer.
‘Uh-huh.’ Her face felt as though it was on fire as Tilly slowly stood back up, and just like she was afraid, she came face-to-face with Isaac, who was standing on the opposite side of the counter wearing an expression of pure amusement. Well, that confirmed her suspicions, he knew she’d been trying to avoid him. Clearing her throat, she smoothed down her apron. ‘Sorry, runaway coin.’
Isaac nodded as though he understood. ‘Those pesky coins.’
‘Err...yeah.’ Nodding, Tilly placed her hands on her hips. She could feel her face burning with embarrassment, and it was all she could do not to run from the bakery and away from the man she’d driven into yesterday.
‘How’s the car?’
Jerking her head, she met his eyes, relieved to see the glimmer of amusement still intact. At least he looked as though he were teasing her. Of course, it might be anger. Did he look angry? ‘Sorry, I should have asked, how’s your foot? And again, I’m so, so sorry for what happened yesterday.’
Looking away, he chuckled. ‘My foot’s just fine, thank you. A little bruised but nothing that won’t heal.’
‘Itisbruised?’ He’d mentioned he was expecting it just to bruise up yesterday, but she’d still hoped he’d get it x-rayed. ‘You really should go to the hospital just in case.’
‘Nah, honestly, it’s fine.’ He tilted his head and met her eyes, his deep hazel ones locking onto hers. ‘I only asked as I wasn’t sure you’d remember me.’
Opening her mouth to speak, Tilly closed it again stopping herself from blurting out that she’d recognise him anywhere,that his hair, with its wayward lock, and the deep colour of his eyes were scorched into her memory. And not just because she’d mowed him down with her Fiat 500, but because, for some reason she couldn’t explain, she’d struggled to think of anything else. ‘I remember you.’
Isaac smiled, his eyes once again lighting up. ‘In that case, how are you enjoying the bay? I’m guessing you’re one of Elsie’s volunteers? I’ve not seen you around here before. Not that I’ve been here that long myself. Not this time around anyway.’
‘Yes, I am.’ Tilly nodded. ‘I’m hoping to do some exploring after the bakery closes today.’
‘Great. I’m sure you’ll like what you see.’ Isaac glanced over his shoulder, as though he was only just becoming aware of the growing queue behind him. ‘I suppose I should order and let you get on.’
‘Right, yes.’ She also looked across at the queue. She’d almost forgotten why she was here; she’d been so focused on the man in front of her. ‘What can I get you?’
Shifting on the spot, he looked down at the baked goods behind the glass. ‘I’ll take two of your chocolate chip cookies, please?’
‘Certainly.’ Taking a paper bag, Tilly quickly filled it with two cookies before passing them across. ‘That’s two twenty please?’
