Page 48 of The Midnight Bakery
Tam eyed the doorway which led into the shop. ‘I might be able to help with that.’
He returned in less than a minute. ‘Yup, all sorted. I had a till just like that in my shop…glorified shed. I might be a bit rusty – in fact I’m sure of it – but there’s nothing like being thrown in at the deep end, is there? It’ll be fine. And if it isn’t, then William and I will just have to use our innate charm to keep the punters happy.’
William snorted. ‘Speak for yourself,’ he said, but he was pleased to see Frankie smile.
‘In that case, I’ll get going,’ said Beth, with a quick glance at the clock. ‘But only if you promise me you’ll go home and get some rest.’ She crossed the room to drop a kiss on Frankie’s cheek, giving her shoulder a squeeze. ‘And you’ll call me if it gets any worse.’
Frankie nodded. ‘Promise.’
‘Come over whenever you’re ready, Tam. I’ll probably be asleep by the time you arrive, but don’t be afraid to wake me up if you have any problems.’ She paused, giving a sheepish smile. ‘Don’t go too mad either…’
Tam merely grinned. ‘I won’t. See you later.’
Once Beth had gone, Frankie roused herself into action, but William could see that it was only the thought of falling into bed soon which was keeping her going. Despite protestations that he and Tam would manage, she insisted on coming through to the shop to help, where she sat, perched on a stool, looking for all the world like she would topple off at any minute. But they were both incredibly grateful for her presence.
Tam fared far better than he did, serving customers politely and, even though he got confused about which bread was which, at least he was able to help. William felt utterly lost. He was too big, for one thing, all but filling the space behind the counter, and constantly getting in the way. In the end, he retreated into the back room and began to wash up, stowing the last few bits and pieces in the storeroom. He would be back there tonight,and without the luxury of a fridge full of risen dough, would probably have to work twice as hard. Even so, he was smiling as he ran a finger lightly along one of the shelves. He was looking forward to it.
25
William
William hovered by the doorway to Frankie’s flat. He didn’t want to leave her but she insisted she’d be all right and he could hardly argue. Being a shoulder to cry on was one thing, as was helping her out in the bakery, but inviting himself into her flat was crossing a line which, although it was one neither of them had drawn, was there just the same. Plus, he needed to get some sleep himself, even though he’d just arranged to meet Tam shortly. There suddenly didn’t seem to be enough hours in the day.
‘You’re sure you’ll be safe here?’ he asked, looking up at the window above the bakery.
Frankie nodded. ‘If Robert does turn up, he’ll have a long wait on his hands. I won’t be going anywhere until this evening. And you’ll be back then, won’t you?’
William wouldn’t miss it for the world. ‘Okay then.’ William stared at his feet. And then at Frankie’s cheek, where he’d seen Beth drop a friendly kiss. Could he do the same? Dare he? He told himself it wouldn’t mean anything, but who was he trying tokid? He couldn’t think of anything he’d rather do. As it was, he’d spent nearly all of the last twelve hours with her, and the thought of the next twelve without her felt inexplicably odd.
He passed Frankie her bag, opening the door for her and dropping his gaze once more. He shuffled his feet. He had only seconds left before Frankie would be gone…
‘Bye, William…’ Frankie raised her good hand and touched his jacket, just light enough for him to feel. She leaned forward and…‘I’ll see you tonight,’ she added. A moment later, she slipped through the door.
Not once during the last thirty years or so had William met anyone like Frankie. And that changed everything. Because his past had been lived with no real thought for the future, and most of the time he hadn’t much cared what happened to him. Now, though…So, although he knew what he ought to do about Stuart,shouldandwouldhad suddenly become two entirely different things. And that was a problem.
‘What are we up to today then?’ asked Tam as William greeted him. ‘Another spying mission?’
William grimaced. ‘Not quite, but I do need your help again. You had a business, didn’t you? So does that mean you know about accounts and stuff?’
‘In theory, although I’m not sure how useful I’ll be. My business went bust, remember? Why are you asking?’
‘Because I need some information, but I’m not sure how easy it will be to find. I thought you might know. Can I possibly borrow you for ten minutes before you go to Beth’s?’
At Tam’s nod, William glanced around him at the street, busy with morning shoppers. ‘Is there a way to check a company’s accounts? I don’t need the detail, just how much money they’re making.’
‘Companies House has an online database – would that help? You can search for a list of directors, when the business started up, turnover, that kind of thing.’
‘That’s exactly what I need. But I don’t have a computer or a mobile phone, or not one where you can do that kind of thing, anyway.’ He pulled a face. ‘I’m a bit of a dinosaur, I’m afraid. Frankie might have one, I suppose. Or Beth…I’ve never asked.’
Tam smiled, fishing in his pocket and pulling out a battered wallet. ‘No need,’ he said. ‘Not when you have one of these.’ He winkled out a dog-eared card. ‘Library membership,’ he added. ‘Books, maps, newspapers, audiobooks, and…a computer suite, all free to use.’
‘Perfect,’ replied William, grinning.
It was quiet in the library at that time of the morning, and the computer suite quieter still.
‘Go and grab a seat,’ said Tam. ‘I’ll book us in.’
William did as Tam suggested, heading for the computer which was furthest from the door. There weren’t many folks around, but he didn’t want to take the chance that someone might overhear what they were about to discuss.
