Page 16 of A Winter Wish

But there’s no time to dwell on it. I have to take Bertie over to Luke’s, then get ready for a morning shift at the café, starting at ten.

*****

I began working part-time at the Little Duck Pond Café a few weeks ago and I’m really enjoying it. The girls have been so friendly and welcoming, and it fits with the school run, which is perfect.

I’m working alongside Ellie and Madison this morning, with Fen baking in the kitchen and popping in now and then to replenish the stocks of mouth-watering scones, pastries and cakes.

There was a frosty nip in the air when I walked over, and the hot chocolate and Chelsea buns– rich with brown sugar and currants, and warm and gooey from the oven– are proving very popular with the customers, along with the two delicious autumnal lattes Ellie introduced last week: caramel apple and cinnamon maple.

Towards the end of my shift at one, Jaz comes into the café with toddler Emma, and I bring over one of the high-chairs. It’s lovely to see Jaz, although she’s looking quite tired, with dark smudges under her eyes, which I guess is perfectly natural if you’ve got a little human being running around at your feet and getting into absolutely everything!

‘How was the riding lesson?’ she asks. ‘Did Lois enjoy it?’

‘Not sure.’ I grin. ‘She’s been in no hurry to suggest a follow-up session.’

‘Right.’ Jaz laughs.

‘How’s Zumba?’

‘Good, good. Actually’– she lowers her voice– ‘my Zumba classes are probably the only thing keeping me sane these days.’

‘Oh. Things not so good, then? How’s Harry?’

She grunts, shaking her head. ‘Well... he’s... to be honest, he seems fine. He’s going along cheerfully, as if nothing ever happened. I think he imagines that the part of our lives– where he cheated on me with his female friend from his uni days– is now over and we can move forward again like it never happened. But...’ She shrugs.

I nod, understanding. ‘But itdidhappen. And it’s not so easy for you to just forget that Harry cheated on you.’

‘Exactly.’

‘Maybe you should tell him how you’re feeling. Then perhaps he’ll be more understanding?’

She nods slowly. ‘I really want us to get back to how we were, but is that even possible after a betrayal like that? I just don’t know. I’m trying so hard to be positive. But it’s not that easy– especially since he seems to have forgotten all about my birthday in a couple of weeks.’

‘Really? How do you know he’s forgotten it?’

‘I was looking in his diary and he’s marked in a photography session for that day, down in Bournemouth of all places.’

‘He could easily get back in time to take you out for dinner, though?’

She shakes her head. ‘Nope. He’s got another session the day after, also on the south coast, so he’s booked a single room in some cheap B&B in Bournemouth overnight.’ She shrugs wearily.

‘Oh, you should remind him that it’s your birthday. Then he’ll have a chance to reschedule the job.’

Jaz frowns. ‘It’s awful, I know, but I’m still so mad at him, there’s a part of me that wants to test him, you know?’ She sighs. ‘If he doesn’t remember, it’s almost like another nail in the coffin of our relationship. It means he thinks about me far less than he used to.’

Reluctantly, I nod. ‘I don’t blame you, Jaz. I think I’d feel the same. But he might surprise you yet?’

‘Maybe.’ She shrugs. ‘Never mind. We’ll either get through this, Harry and I. Or we won’t. I suppose only time will tell.’

Clearly feeling ignored, little Emma picks up her red plastic juice cup and throws it onto the floor, and Jaz looks at me and laughs as she picks it up. ‘At least I’ve got Emma. She’s oneperfectthing that’s come out of our relationship.’

She lifts Emma out of her chair and plonks her on her knee, and Emma immediately reaches for her mummy’s slice of Victoria sandwich cake, happily grasping a handful of cakey crumbs in her pudgy little hand and aiming them at her mouth.

Emma is utterly adorable and I find myself hoping against hope that Jaz and Harry are able to weather the storm.

My shift ends just as Jaz and Emma are leaving, and I walk out with them. A cheery-looking woman bundled up in a pale pink teddy bear coat and flat brown boots is walking towards the café, and when she sees Jaz and Emma, she stops to chat.

Jaz turns to me. ‘This is Sylvia’s friend, Bertha. You’ve met Sylvia, haven’t you, Clara?’

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