Page 43 of Christmas at the Little Cornish Bakery
The young woman clapped her hands together. ‘That’s marvellous! He was so lovely and I loved him so much, but when he moved away our relationship ended and I was heartbroken. I tried to forget him .?.?. but you know how it is, you never forget true love.’
Lola gave her a tight smile before standing up. ‘I’ll leave you to it. I hope you find what you’re looking for.’ There was something tickling away at the hairs on the back of her neck, like a warning sign to get away from this young woman.
‘Thank you.’ The woman’s smile stretched across her face like a cat who had been promised it would get the cream.
They both went back to their business of eating cake and tidying up. Something in Lola’s stomach churned, causing her to have to catch her breath. She snuck a glance at the customer. She had a slight accent, she couldn’t be .?.?. could she? No. It was a very long way to come just on the off chance. Just as Lola had reassured herself, the door opened and Tristan came in, wrapped in his black coat, a bunch of winter flowers in his hands.
No sooner had he walked through the door than the woman bounced off her chair and launched herself at him. ‘Tristan! Surprise!’
Lola watched as a mixture of shock and horror washed over Tristan’s face before a familiar recognition settled there. He had no choice but to hug the woman back.
‘Anna? What are you doing here?’ he asked, his voice shaking, trying to hide his bemusement as he let her go.
Anna. Lola’s stomach plummeted. Anna was his ex-girlfriend. Frozen to the spot, Lola was unable to do anything other than watch their reunion unfold in all his horrifying awkwardness.
‘I’ve come to surprise you.’ She beamed. ‘I’ve been thinking about how things were and since we’ve been back in touch I thought I’d come and see you. You said I was welcome any time! I’ve missed you.’ She touched his arm, smiling up at him adoringly.
Back in touch? Welcome any time?Lola threw a glance at Tristan, which he caught but ignored.
‘But why have you come all the way to Cornwall?’ he asked, bemused.
‘My sister’s moved here. She’s teaching in a school in Penzance and I’ve come for the Christmas holidays. I’ve been thinking about what you did, about moving somewhere quieter and my sister has encouraged me. Apparently, there’s a vacancy at her school. I could be here by Easter.’ She rubbed his arm territorially.
Tristan threw a look at Lola. ‘Anna, I still don’t understand.’
Anna laughed as if it was obvious. ‘If I move to Cornwall, Tristan, we can try again. We can get back together. I’ve missed you so much,’ she said again, clinging onto him like a limpet, burying her face in his chest, oblivious to the fact he wasn’t hugging her back.
The colour drained out of Tristan’s face. Lola’s heart began to race. Surely, he wouldn’t be tempted to go back, would he? Tristan threw Lola an apologetic glance.
‘Erm, Anna, I think we’d better talk about this in private,’ he said, still clutching the flowers as if he didn’t quite know what to do with them anymore.
Anna spotted them and made a grab for them. ‘It’s like you knew I was coming!’ She pulled them from his hands and buried her face in the blooms, inhaling their scent, ‘And roses, my favourite!’ She threw her arms back around Tristan, before thrusting the flowers back at him so she could grab her coat and bag.
Tristan and Lola stared at her, speechless. Oblivious to anything other than her own agenda Anna started to chatter to Tristan as she pushed him towards the door. As he was being herded away, Lola caught his confused, apologetic face and wondered briefly why he hadn’t just told Anna the truth there and then. The thought that he might have missed Anna, that he might welcome her moving to Cornwall crumpled Lola’s heart.
Chapter Thirty-One
‘Lola I can explain everything,’ Tristan implored the second Lola opened her door later that evening.
‘Really?’’ Arms folded, she took him in, the harried desperation on his face. Her own heart was clenched like a fearful fist, tight and constricted. The panic that everything with Tristan had been too good to be true had palpitated through her since she’d locked up and café and come home, checking her phone every minute, waiting for something, anything, she didn’t know what. Now he was here, desperation etched across his features. Lola resisted the temptation to slam the door in his face. Reasoned with herself that she needed to hear him out.
‘Can I at least come in? Please?’
Lola inhaled, exhaled, pretended to think about it, before opening the door wider. ‘Come on, no point broadcasting it to the whole of Polcarrow,’ she said coldly.
She led the way into the living room, Tristan unwinding his scarf as he followed. Dropping into her favourite armchair, Lola curled her legs up under her. She studied Tristan as he perched on the sofa, his eyes skittering over all the trinkets and Christmas decorations that adorned her home, as if hoping to find support in them. Lola said nothing, just watched him flounder before he eventually managed to try and explain.
‘That was Anna,’ he began. ‘Yes, ex-girlfriend Anna. The one I told you about on the beach.’
‘The one you weren’t quite ready to make a commitment to,’ Lola recalled.
‘Erm, yes, as you can see, she’s a bit full on,’ he said with a nervous laugh. ‘Sort of bulldozes her way through life. I don’t think she ever takes no for an answer.’ He paused. ‘I’m not making this better am I?’
Lola shook her head as he collapsed back against the cushions. ‘Was she right? You got back in touch with her?’ She tried to keep her voice calm, measured.
‘No!’ Tristan protested. ‘She contacted me. And I was just being friendly. We had a shared past and in a way it was nice to hear how everyone was doing, old friends, her family . . .’ His eyes widened as he realised he must’ve given her some false hope. ‘I think she might have gotten the wrong end of the stick.’
‘She seems pretty adamant that you and her are getting back together.’ Somehow Lola kept her voice measured. There was no need to tell him about the cards. They hadn’t exactly said they’d rekindle their relationship, Lola desperately reminded herself, but they had stated Anna should make a go of it.
