Page 20 of Spring Dreams at the Cornish Bakery

‘That’s a good idea. The sun’s still shining. Go and enjoy yourself.’ Elsie smiled.

ZIPPING UP HER COAT, Lynsey stepped outside onto the cobbles before turning and closing the door behind her. Just as she began walking towards the ramp leading down to the beach, she paused and grinned as she spotted Zac standing up from the bench opposite the bakery and walking towards her. ‘Are you stalking me now?’

‘Well, I know you’re volunteering at the bakery, so it’s not hard.’ Chuckling, he pulled a woollen beanie hat from his head, his sandy hair springing up in an unkempt fashion. ‘I wondered if you’d made a decision about the work on your cottage? I know you said yes this morning when I talked you through my plans, but I didn’t want to accept that as a given. We were both rather tired at that point.’

‘It’s still a yes. A definite yes. I had a look over the sketches and the quote at lunchtime and I’d absolutely love you to help me renovate my cottage, please.’ She nodded enthusiastically.

‘Fantastic. Here’s to a proper deal then.’ Zac held out his hand towards her.

Laughing. Lynsey took his hand and as his enveloped hers, she felt that same connection she’d felt yesterday when they’d had, they’d been so close to kissing. Looking at him. She searched his face. Did he feel it too?

‘Right.’ Slowly pulling his hand away, Zac then ran his fingers through his hair, that same pink sheen appearing across his cheeks. ‘In that case, I’ve got some exciting news.’

Trying to silence all thoughts of taking a step closer again, Lynsey tucked her hair behind her ear. ‘You have?’

‘I do. Trestow Reclamations have just accepted some new pieces from a huge house clearance and I happen to know they might just have what we’re looking for your kitchen.’

‘Really? What? Today?’

‘Yep, right now.’ He glanced behind him towards his white transit van. ‘If I’m not interrupting anything, I wondered if you’d like to come over there with me now. Check out their new stock before anyone else has a chance?’

‘Umm... Yes. I’d love to.’ She wouldn’t really have cared what he had planned. Just the idea of spending some more time with him sounded perfect.

‘Great. My carriage awaits.’ He chuckled as he led the way to his van and held the door open for her.

As they drove down out of Penworth Bay and through the lanes leading to the outskirts of Trestow, Lynsey stole quick glances at him, sure that she must have caught him looking right back at her a handful of times. Was it really what she was beginning to feel for him? Or was it all in her imagination? The stolen looks, the connection she felt when they touched? Him going out of his way to help her?

Chapter Eighteen

Zac pulled up outside her cottage and turned off the ignition. ‘Well, that was a successful trip.’

‘Now that’s an understatement!’ Lynsey grinned. ‘I can’t believe we got so much. That’s literally my whole kitchen fitted out. Plus, the blanket box you found. It’s gorgeous.’

‘It sure is. It’s all going to look perfect.’ Zac opened his van door.

Jumping out of the van and joining him around the back, Lynsey stepped back as Zac pulled the two van doors open, revealing the intricately carved oak blanket box, two bottom halves of dark stained sideboards and three small pine shelving units. Once she’d sanded them all down and stained them to match, her kitchen was going to feel like a proper old-fashioned farmhouse kitchen. She grinned. ‘Where shall we start?’

Zac stepped up inside and shifted the blanket box towards the edge because he began to pull one of the sideboards towards the door. ‘I reckon we start with the heaviest and work our way down. That way we’ll feel we’ve got the worst out of the way before we start to flag.’

‘I like your thinking.’ Lynsey walked forwards and gripped the edge of the sideboard, shifting her hands into a better position. She watched as Zac picked up the other end, bracing herself to take some of the weight as they shifted it out of the van.

‘That’s it.’ Stepping carefully down from the bed of the van, Zac indicated her to lower it to the ground before taking hold of it and nodding at her. ‘Ready?’

‘Yep.’ As they lifted, Zac pivoted the sideboard, so he was the walking backwards.

As they carried it slowly through the front garden and into the cottage, Lynsey smiled as she looked around. Just clearing the plaster from the floor had made the place look so much better, had made the tasks ahead appear so much more achievable and as Zac kicked the door into the newly made kitchen/diner, light flooded through from the windows. Yes, she’d made the right decision to knock through.

‘Shall we pop it down in the corner there and leave the kitchen free to give me space to take out the old bits?’ Zac nodded to the back corner of the dining area.

‘Good idea.’ Twisting, Lynsey hauled her end of the sideboard towards the corner, being sure to inch back carefully until she felt the wall behind her. Just as she began to lower the sideboard, the drawer on her end rolled open, revealing a huge bundle of spider webs and one gigantic spider. Screeching, she let go of her grasp, the sideboard dropping the inch or two to the floor with a loud bang as she backed into the wall, knocking her head against the half-covered brickwork.

After carefully lowering his end, Zac looked inside the drawer before chuckling and shaking his head. ‘It’s long gone. It’s not moving at all.’

‘Right. Of course.’ Tentatively, she peered into the drawer, and sure enough, the webs had that feathery look they took on after being abandoned for months or years, and the spider definitely wasn’t moving. She caught Zac’s eye as he continued to chuckle. ‘I don’t know why you’re laughing. You were the one who was petrified of that spider hanging from the doorway the first time you came here.’

‘Ah, that was different. It was alive, for one thing. Besides, it was full on trying to attack me. Did you notice how it leaptfrom its web straight onto my clipboard?’ Zac grimaced, his eyes crinkling as he fought back laughter.

‘Haha, no it didn’t. You were the one who disturbed the poor little thing.’ She squeezed through the gap between the back of the sideboard and the wall before quickly pushing the door shut. Yes, the spider looked dead, but that didn’t mean there weren’t others or that it was just lulling them into a false sense of security before it made its attack.

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