Page 18 of Clara's Secret Garden
20p
‘What?’ I shriek. ‘I can’t believe this.Bertie? Luke? What onearthis going on here?’
They both look so sheepish, and – as the women look on,hiding their smiles – Bertie launches into a high-speed and franticexplanation. ‘I need a new wheel for my bike, Clara, and yesterday, you toldLois about her pictures that if people like something they’ll pay some moneyfor it. So Luke said we should sell the courgette cake. You said you were goingto throw it away. But there were some people waiting for the bus and they likedit. Look.’ He points at the wall and a small stack of twenty pence pieces.
I stare in astonishment at the remains of my cake in its boxnext to the cash. They’ve even thought to bring a knife from Gran’s cutlerydrawer to cut the cakes into slices!
‘It’s actually delicious,’ the blonde-haired young womantells me, a touch apologetically.
Her friend nods, dark ponytail swinging, and takes anotherbite. ‘I agree.’ She smiles at me. ‘I bake for a living, and this is luscious.Really deliciously moist.’
‘Oh, good.’ I feel pleased, in spite of everything. ‘It mustbe the courgettes, then. The recipe said they would add something special to thecake but I really wasn’t sure.’
‘Well, it’s gorgeous,’ smiles the older woman. ‘I’m Sylvia,by the way. And these are my friends, Ellie and Fen.’
I smile at them and there’s a brief round of smiles andintroductions, then Ellie looks at the two boys and says, ‘We were very pleasedto be able to add to the bicycle wheel fund. Weren’t we?’ She glances at theother two.
Fen nods and they all smile rather anxiously at me, as if tosay,Please go easy on them!
I shake my head, still feeling shaken by their disappearingact, but secretly quite impressed by their little business enterprise. There’sno way I’d have had the nerve to do something like this when I was their age!
‘Alan Sugar, watch out,’ murmurs Rory, a grin escaping.
‘Yes. But you mustneverdo anything like thiswithout checking with me first, okay? I wasso worriedabout you.’
‘Sorry, Clara,’ they mumble in unison, looking thoroughlysheepish.
‘I should think so. Thank you for being so good about this.’I glance apologetically at Bertie and Luke’s customers, but they shake theirheads, smiling, and I can tell they’re all thoroughly charmed by the two youngentrepreneurs.
‘Did you bake the cakes?’ Sylvia asks.
I smile. ‘Guilty.’
‘So are you Mum?’ asks Ellie.
‘No, I’m big sister to Bertie. And I’m usually a veryproudbig sister. Unless things like this happen.’ I give Bertie an arch look thatsays he’s not quite forgiven, although I’m coming round. And then we startchatting, and I learn that Ellie owns and runs the Little Duck Pond Café,having taken it over from Sylvia, and Fen bakes the gorgeous cakes that Ialways find so impossibly tempting. (It’s my favourite café.) They’d justclosed up after a hot day in the café and were on their way over to the SwanHotel for a long, cool drink when they saw Sylvia at the bus stop and stoppedto chat and look at the boys’ sign.
Naturally, we start discussing cakes – clearly a favouritesubject of all of us, even Rory, who says that in his opinion, the queen ofcakes has to be Black Forest gateau, a Seventies favourite that should neverhave gone out of fashion.
‘It’s really popular in the café these days,’ agrees Fen.
Ellie smiles. ‘Good old Black Forest gateau. It’s more indemand now than ever, after its recent revival. My mum used to make them allthe time.’
‘So do you think veggie cakes could become popular?’ asksRory.
Ellie shrugs. ‘I’ve no idea. People love carrot cake, ofcourse. But I’m not sure about other vegetables. Maybe we should try some outand see how our customers react. What do you think, Fen?’
‘We could start a trend.’ She grins. ‘We could promote it tocustomers as one of their five-a-day, although I’m not quite sure about that!’
‘Hey, I’ve just had an idea.’ Ellie’s eyebrows rise and sheturns to me. ‘We had a fire last month and I had to close the café forrefurbishment.’
I nod. ‘I know you did. I was gutted when it happened. Iused to come in now and again for a coffee and a cake.’Usually when theatmosphere at home was toxic, Lois and Irene were driving me nuts, and I justneeded to escape for a while.
Ellie smiles. ‘I thought I recognised you, Clara. Well,anyway, I’ve been running a few events in the evenings, just to perk upinterest now that the café’s open again. And they’ve been quite popular withthe locals.’
‘The dominos challenge was brilliant,’ says Sylvia. ‘Andpeoplelovedthe Cake & Karaoke Night.’
Ellie lips quirk in a guilty smile. ‘We had just the onecomplaint the next day. Mrs Iverson said it sounded like twenty cats were beingsimultaneously strangled when ‘Bertha’s Babes’ did their enthusiastic renditionof ‘Dancing Queen’.’
