Page 40 of Christmas at the Little Cornish Bakery
Lola put down the plates and used the edge of her apron to dab at her eyes. ‘I think I’ve just upset Alf,’ she said, her lip trembling as she allowed Tristan to pull her into his arms.
‘Ah, I see.’ Tristan exhaled as he gently rubbed her back and made soothing sounds.
Lola melted against him. Burying her head in his shoulder, she inhaled the scent of him, his citrus shower gel, his washing detergent, and the feeling of coming home washed over her. Standing in the café with Tristan’s arms around her felt like the safest place on earth.
‘What if I have ruined everything?’ she mumbled into his shoulder.
Tristan stroked her back. ‘You’ve not ruined anything, Lola, it was probably just a bit of a shock, that’s all. I still think you’ve done the right thing. Alf adores you. Give him a few days and he’ll be back again with some quip about Cathy.’
Lola looked up at him even though she didn’t share his positivity. ‘I hope you’re right, he’s been like a grandfather to me. I hardly remember my own, they both died when I was small. I hope no one else finds out I upset him, they’ll definitely run me out of town with pitchforks if they do.’
Tristan gave her a squeeze. ‘I won’t let that happen. You’re far too precious.’
Lola managed a smile but as their eyes met all responses fizzled into nothing. She wondered how right Alf had been because as Tristan gazed down at her there was an undeniable bond between them, like they were two halves of a whole that had found each other. Time slowed down and waited like a paused breath. Lola didn’t know who moved first but as her hand came up to Tristan’s face, he lowered his lips towards hers. Her eyes closed as she leaned into the moment.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Lola was glad of a busy day as it gave her something to think about other than upsetting Alf. Freya had covered the morning to mid-afternoon rush before bounding off to Bayview where she claimed she had a special project waiting. The over-the-top wink left Lola in no doubt that it was something to do with her forthcoming birthday celebrations and for once, she was glad of one less thing to plan.
Clinging to Tristan’s reassurance that Alf would be OK, Lola’s heart sank the following morning when Alf didn’t show up at breakfast. Tristan gave her hand a squeeze but when the third morning rolled round without any sign of Alf, Lola asked Tristan what she should do.
‘I think you need to leave him be, let him come round himself. I’ll check on him on my way back,’ he said, kissing her forehead before he left.
At the end of another busy day, Lola wiped down the café and made a list of what to bake in the morning, then bundled herself up and headed home, determined to lose herself in her knitting. Once home she turned on the fairy lights, followed by the radio, where gentle carols played. Lola prepared herself for a night in finishing Scruff’s jumper. She was just settling into her stiches when a knock came at the door. Three purposeful raps that didn’t sound familiar. Putting the jumper away, Lola made her way to the front door and unlocked it. Alf stood there, bundled up against the cold, an anxious look on his face as if he wasn’t sure he should be there.
‘Alf? Are you OK?’ Lola almost sagged against the door frame in surprise. ‘Where’s Scruff?’
‘At home, snug in front of the fire. Are you going to let me in, it’s perishing out here?’
‘Of course.’ Lola stepped back to let him in and watched as he took in the interior of the house.
‘I like what you’ve done,’ he said, ‘you’ve made it very homely. These places were very basic back in the day, loads of us crammed in, not much privacy.’
‘Go through to the living room. Would you like a drink or anything?’
Alf shook his head as he settled himself into the chair. ‘No, I don’t need anything. I can’t be too long, you know, what with Scruff being home alone. He might get ideas.’
Lola laughed despite herself. This definitely seemed like an improvement from the other morning. She settled back on the sofa and waited for Alf to begin.
‘The thing is, Lola, I’ve been sitting at home these past couple of days thinking about what you asked me. Yes, the past is an upsetting place to visit and mostly it should be left well alone. But I’m almost ninety and I don’t know how much longer I have left and I’ve lived a lot longer than my brother Charlie did, God rest his soul. Your questions got me thinking that maybe it’s not right to keep his story locked up in the past, that maybe you do have a right to know what happened, especially as it involves your grandmother.’
Lola swallowed and nodded encouragingly, sensing she shouldn’t say anything lest she put Alf off his stride.
‘It was after the war, I see now that I was really only a boy, but I felt grown up. It was summer, these three young ladies turned up to stay in the village for their holidays. They seemed so glamorous and sophisticated, and I think all the village boys were half in love with them, much to the disgust of the village girls.’ Alf chuckled. ‘Charlie was older than me and I worshipped him. He was everything a boy could want in a brother. Kind, caring, had all the time in the world for me. Here, I’ve found a picture.’ Alf held it out to Lola who reached across and took it.
Staring back at her was a black and white studio portrait of a handsome young man. Lola could see why her grandmother would have fallen for him. His face had natural charm, a strong jaw and despite the monochrome photo, she could tell his hair was thick and fair, his eyes light as the Cornish sea.
‘He was quite the handsome devil, wasn’t he?’ Alf said as he took the photo back. ‘All the girls were in love with him. But it was Ruby who stole his heart. It’s a long time ago now, Lola, but I remember her being a lot of fun, very vibrant, very much like you in a way. I hate to admit it, but I was jealous, not only of Charlie getting the girl, but of Ruby taking him away from me. I was only a lad, remember, and Charlie was my role model. I thought it was just a passing fad but after Ruby left, Charlie told me he was planning on saving as much money as he could so that they could set up home somewhere.’
‘I’m not proud of how I reacted, Lola, I’m really not, but I was devastated. How dare this woman turn up and turn Charlie’s head, convince him that there’s more to life than Cornwall? Although I was all sullen, Charlie made sure he taught me all he knew in his last months so that when he left, he could pass the business over to me.’ Alf grew silent as he reflected. ‘I got the business but not under any happy circumstances. You were at the memorial and you’ve read the letters so you know about the shipwreck.’
Lola nodded.
‘There’s only the memorial, they never recovered the bodies. Do you know what that’s like?’ He paused. ‘My poor mother never recovered. Charlie was the apple of her eye. Especially as we’d only lost my dad two years before. My sister couldn’t face staying here so she moved and we lost contact. Charlie dying meant any plans I may have had were put on the back-burner as I had to step up and run the business and help support the family. Oh, Lola, you know I’ve had a long, happy life here, but I never got the chance to discover if there was anything else out there for me because Charlie put paid to that with his dreams of a life with Ruby. He would never have gone out that night if it hadn’t been for the fact he was desperate to scrape together the last bit of money he needed to leave and one of the other lads had mentioned he’d heard a huge shoal was coming in.’ Alf shook his head sadly. ‘Charlie was a bit of a daredevil, you know, I think it’s what the girls liked. Anyway, they never came back. My mother cursed Ruby’s name because she’d managed to take her favourite son away and ruin the family.’
‘Oh Alf!’ Lola gasped. ‘I had no idea. Ruby never said anything other than alluding to the fact she had a wonderful summer by the sea, and then always looked a bit sad about it afterwards. I had no idea she left all this destruction in her wake.’
‘She did write back, you know, after I told her about Charlie being lost at sea, despite me telling her not to. She asked to visit, to come to the funeral, but my mother didn’t want her here, so she never came. Such a waste.’ Alf shook his head. ‘I do sometimes wonder what things would’ve been like had Charlie lived, but we’ll never know. Tell me, did Ruby have a good life?’
