Page 8 of Wishes & Waves at the Cornish Bakery
‘Thanks.’ After tapping his card against the machine, he picked up his bag and turned before glancing over his shoulder and waving.
‘Aw no, that was Isaac Mockett, wasn’t it?’ Lynsey nodded towards Isaac’s retreating back as he stepped out of the door. ‘Elsie wanted to speak to him.’
‘Oh, yes, it was. Sorry, I didn’t know.’ Tilly picked up another paper bag so that she was ready for her next customer.
‘No worries. She’ll give him a call.’ Lynsey reached around her and picked up a loaf of bread from the bread basket positioned at the end of the counter.
‘Okay.’ Tilly tore her eyes from Isaac as he was swallowed up by a large throng of tourists with beach towels draped over their arms and holding picnic baskets in their hands.
‘Watch out, we have a coachload of tourists incoming.’ Lynsey nodded towards the door.
Yikes. She wasn’t wrong. At least half of the throng of people Tilly had seen suddenly paused outside on the cobbles, pointed towards the bakery and then descended. Talk about being thrown into the deep end.
Chapter Seven
‘Wow, that was some first day for you.’ Teresa, who had been working behind the coffee and cake counter serving drinks and snacks to people who had chosen to sit inside the bakery and take a moment out of their busy day, walked across to the counter, a tray full of mugs in her hands.
‘Yep. But it’s a true reflection of the bakery during the summer holiday season.’ Brooke turned the small sign hanging in the door's window fromOpentoClosed. ‘It’s like this most days when the sun’s out at least.’
‘I’m not sure my feet can take it. I might need to invest in a comfier pair of trainers.’ With her hand leaning on the counter, Lynsey slipped her trainers off and kicked them to the side. ‘This is my first summer too, Tilly, so you’re not alone.’
Pulling her apron over her head, Tilly smiled at Lynsey. ‘I didn’t realise you were new here.’
‘Ah, yes. I’ve only been working here for a couple of months. Came to volunteer, like you, in the spring and decided to stay...’ Lynsey grinned and picked up a mug from the tray. ‘Thanks, Teresa.’
‘You’re welcome.’ Teresa picked up another mug and held it out towards Tilly. ‘Here you go.’
‘Thanks.’ Taking the mug, Tilly raised it to her lips, inhaling the bittier fragrance of a good coffee. Now that the customers had gone, and she’d stopped, she felt shattered. Not that she was surprised, this was the first time she’d spent the whole day on her feet in years, and she had a feeling she’d know about it later.
‘What are your plans this evening? Me and my partner, Zac, are going to go and watch that new film at the cinema in Trestow, the next town along, if you fancy coming with us?’ Lynsey lowered her mug.
‘Umm, thanks, but I think I might just take a little wander around the bay. Yesterday I was so focused on trying to find somewhere to stay for the night that I didn’t really have a chance to enjoy it.’ Tilly took a sip of her coffee.
‘Have you been here before?’ Settling her back against the back counter, Brooke wrapped her hands around her mug. ‘What brought you to the bay?’
‘Ah.’ Tilly glanced down into her mug. The last few bubbles lingering on the surface of the coffee from where it had been poured popped one by one. She wasn’t surprised the question had come up. After all, most people have a reason to travel somewhere, and everyone was aware she’d turned up in the bay with no accommodation arrangements, it was clear she was here for a reason, or else she’d have just moved on to somewhere with vacancies. But did she dare tell them the truth? She’d told Elsie she was here because it had been her aunt’s favourite place, and that was true, but there was a little more to it. She glanced back towards her handbag, which she’d hung on the hooks by the door up to the flat after she’d taken her lunch. ‘My aunt always spoke so fondly of this place.’
‘Oh, that’s nice. Did she come a lot? Elsie will probably know her if she did.’ Teresa shifted position so that she too was leaning against the counter.
‘That’s true. Elsie literally knows everyone.’ Brooke laughed.
‘She’s not been for years. As far as I know, she only came once before I was born. So years ago.’ Tilly shifted on her feet. She might only have known the three of them for such a short time, but she could tell they were kind, and perhaps sharing the real reason she was here wasn’t such a bad idea. ‘I wanted tocome to take a look myself, to see why Penworth Bay was so special to her, but there’s another reason too...’
‘Ooh, what’s the other reason?’ Brooke grinned.
‘I... umm... I never knew my dad, and he used to live here.’ After blurting out the words, Tilly felt a fierce glow erupt across her cheeks.
‘And you want to find him?’ Teresa widened her eyes and glanced towards the kitchen door. ‘Do you know any details about him? Elsie and Ian might know him. You might be able to meet him.’
Tilly shook her head quickly. ‘No, he passed away shortly after my mum got pregnant. But I have a couple of old photos, and I’d really like to look around, see if I can work out where they were taken.’ She shrugged. ‘I might be able to at least figure out a little about him by asking around, perhaps. Maybe find out who he was.’
Placing her mug down on the counter, Brooke held her palms against her cheeks. ‘This sounds like something that should be on TV.’
‘Like those Long Lost Family shows.’ After taking her apron off, Lynsey folded it on top of the counter.
‘Have you got the photos with you? We might just be able to point you in the right direction.’ Teresa stepped forward.
‘Yes, I do.’ Tilly grabbed her bag from the hook and returned to the counter. After taking out the photo wallet she’d been carrying around with her, she pulled out the photos, looking at them before she lined them up on the counter.
