Page 18 of The Midnight Bakery
Frankie shrugged. ‘My husband liked slim women. Ex-husband, that is. But don’t do yourself down – I think you look lovely. And you should absolutely eat your breakfast without feeling guilt of any kind.’ She smiled warmly before picking up her sandwich, and Beth had the sudden feeling that Frankie’s ex was not a topic she wanted to discuss.
‘We’re never satisfied with how we look, are we?’ she said. ‘We’re always comparing ourselves to other people. Is that a woman thing, do you think?’ She pulled out a piece of stray bacon and popped it in her mouth, chewing thoughtfully.
‘I don’t know about that,’ answered Frankie. ‘But what Idoknow is that since I’ve been on my own I’ve realised how nice it is to make my own decisions, how free I feel not having to pass every suggestion through someone else’s filter.’ She gave a slight smirk. ‘Although that might be an age thing as well. Since I hit my fifties, I’ve definitely developed a rebellious streak. I’ve spent such a large part of my life feeling that kind of crippling self-consciousness which hits when you’re a teenager – feeling like you have tobea certain way andlooka certain way – these days I’m trying really hard not to give a damn about what other people think. I don’t always succeed – those kinds of chains arenot easily thrown off – but I’m beginning to feel better about myself.’ Frankie swiped a finger across her plate where egg had oozed from her sandwich. ‘Blimey, listen to me. Rant over.’
Beth waved away her remark. ‘No, carry on.’
She watched surreptitiously as Frankie munched her way through her breakfast. Her grey hair was tied up in a loose ponytail, the ends curling softly on her shoulders. Her skin glowed with health and her soft brown eyes were warm and calm. She looked peaceful and, despite her words, moreat peacewith herself than most people Beth knew, including herself. She had always believed that people came into her life for a reason, so meeting Frankie now, in the way she had…She took a bite from her own sandwich, sighing with pleasure.
‘Thesearegood, aren’t they?’
Frankie didn’t reply, just grinned through a mouthful of food. ‘I didn’t realise how hungry I was,’ she replied after a moment. ‘I lost my lunch, so I haven’t had a great deal to eat.’
‘You lost your lunch? How did you manage that?’
Frankie wiped a smear of sauce from her lips. ‘I had the unfortunate pleasure of meeting some drunken louts during the night – they were in the alley outside the bakery – and one of them thought it would be fun to try and steal my sandwich. Funnily enough, I didn’t fancy it after I’d picked the remains up off the floor.’
Beth hurriedly chewed. ‘Are you okay? I’d have been terrified.’
‘I’m okay now. At the time Iwasterrified. And bloody angry that they’d invaded my space. It felt horribly personal. I don’t usually go outside when I’m working but hot flush, you know…I needed some air, it was boiling in the bakery.’
‘I don’t think I’d like being on my own at night.’
Frankie shook her head. ‘It’s normally really quiet. Occasionally there’s a bit of noise when Vipers turns out, butfolks are usually headed in the other direction. I’ve never had any bother before. Just unlucky, I guess.’ She took a sip of her coffee. ‘A bouncer from the club came to my rescue and saw them off for me.’
‘I think I’d be just as scared of him.’
‘Yeah, this guy was huge…’ Frankie motioned above her head with her hands. ‘About a foot and a half taller than me, and built like the proverbial…well, he was big anyway, but thankfully not that scary at all. He was a bit older than me, I think, and he had grey hair like mine which somehow made him feel less threatening.’
But Beth wasn’t convinced. ‘Are you sure that’s where he was from? He could be just saying that.’
‘True. But I think he was legit. He was very polite, in any case.’
‘A knight in shining armour then?’
‘Maybe, if there is such a thing. I used to believe in them once upon a time, but—’ She broke off suddenly, her attention caught by something in the street outside.
Beth followed her line of vision, seeing the colour drain from Frankie’s face, but nothing which might have caused it. She reached out a tentative hand to touch her sleeve.
‘Is everything okay?’ she asked.
Frankie jumped, her knee bumping against the table leg. She stared at Beth, clearly realising she was supposed to be saying something, but having no idea what. Distracted, she looked down, studying her plate before moving it fractionally. She did the same with her mug,andthe little bowl of ketchup, lining them up against the checked tablecloth.
‘We were talking about knights in shining armour,’ prompted Beth gently. Frankie’s sudden change of mood was concerning. Despite what she’d said, it was obvious that her encounter in the night had rattled her more than she let on.
Finally, Frankie smiled. ‘Yeah…no such thing.’ She glanced briefly out of the window again before turning her attention back to Beth. ‘So, what have you got lined up later today, anything fun?’
‘We’ll probably go for a walk if it isn’t raining, and then I’ll pretend I’m having a sleep when really I’ll be writing out that job application I was telling you about. Hopefully it will all just be a matter of course and things will carry on as they always have without Jack being any the wiser.’
Frankie looked up sharply. ‘Haven’t you told him then?’
‘God no, can you imagine how he’d feel if he found out?’
13
Tam
There were days when Tam never felt warm. He had mostly learned to live with the cold, but that didn’t stop the very bones of his body from aching. And he was convinced the chill wasn’t entirely due to the temperature either. There was so little warmth in his life – no soft edges to cushion life’s blows, few kind words or welcoming smiles, none of the glow inside which came from the simplicity of a comforting hug (which wasn’t from his mother). One which told you that everything would be okay. He missed those human moments more than anything.
