Page 8 of Spring Dreams at the Cornish Bakery

Picking up her speed, Lynsey weaved between the customers and slid the trays beneath the counter before calling over the next person in line. ‘Morning. How can I help you?’

‘Morning, Lynsey. How have you settled into the bakery here and in the bay as a whole?’

‘Nora, hi. Lovely to see you again.’ Lynsey smiled as she recognised the woman in front of her. She pointed towards the silk scarf Nora pulled down from her head. ‘Sorry, I didn’t realise it was you straight away. I like your new scarf.’

‘Oh, this thing?’ Nora fingered the yellow fabric decorated with deep blue bumble bees. ‘It must be about thirty years old now. Still one of my favourites, though.’

‘I can see why. It’s very cheerful.’ Lynsey couldn’t help feeling a little better.

‘That’s why my husband bought it me all those years ago. We were having a bit of a tricky time and he knew it would bring a smile to my face.’ Nora closed her eyes as if remembering. Opening them again, she pointed towards the window. ‘I tell my grandkids it has special powers to bring out the sunshine. And it hasn’t failed me once.’

Lynsey laughed as she glanced out of the window. Nora was right. The sun was out, and the sky was blue. Not a wisp of a cloud to be seen. ‘You should wear it every day.’

‘Ah, maybe, but sometimes you can have too much of a good thing, can’t you? I don’t like taking things for granted.’

‘True.’ At least it might be true for some people. Not for her, though. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had ‘a good thing’. This trip down here was supposed to change her luck, change her life, and look at what had happened. ‘What can I get you today?’

‘Ooh, now that’s a question.’ Nora looked along the shelves of treats and pastries stacked behind the glass of the counter. ‘I’ll take two of those cookies, please? And a loaf of your sourdough too, please?’

‘Good choice. I’ve just taken the cookies out of the oven, so they’re still warm.’ Picking up the tongs, Lynsey placed two cookies in the bag before taking the sourdough loaf from the breadbasket at the end of the counter.

‘Perfect. There’s nothing better than warm cookies, is there?’ Counting out her change, Nora placed the coins on the counter.

‘Nope, nothing.’ Sliding the money from the counter into her palm, Lynsey looked up as she noticed Ian walking behind the counter towards her. Turning her attention back to Nora, she smiled. ‘Thank you and I hope you enjoy.’

‘I know I will. Enjoy the sunshine, Lynsey. Make sure you get outside for a bit.’ Picking up the paper bags, she dropped them into her bag and turned away, holding her hand up in a wave.

Tapping the amount into the till, Linsey waited until the drawer had pinged open before letting the coins drop from her hand and looked across at Ian, who was now standing next to her. ‘Hey, Ian. Is everything okay?’

‘It sure is, love. Do you remember last night I promised I’d have a think about who I could reach out to and ask for some help for your cottage?’

Lynsey nodded. She remembered, although she’d put his promise down to him just being kind and wanting to help. She hadn’t expected anything to come of it and she wasn’t about to get her hopes up now. ‘I remember.’

‘Well, I might just have a solution. A friend’s son is a builder and I happen to know he’s recently moved down here and is looking to extend his portfolio. A place like yours could be perfect for him.’

‘Really?’ Lynsey gripped the edge of the counter. ‘You think he’d really have the time to take on the work needed at the cottage? I rang round so many builders before I arrived, and they were all fully booked up for months.’

‘I do. Or at least it’s worth an ask, isn’t it, love?’ Ian nodded.

‘Yes, yes, I guess it is. I’d be grateful to even just get a quote at this point, just so I have some idea whether I can even afford the repairs or not, to be honest.’

‘Good, good. Well, he’s waiting on the table over by the window for you. I’ll take over here a while.’ Ian pulled an apron from the hooks by the flat door.

Chapter Nine

‘Now? As in, he’s here right now?’ Lynsey glanced around the bakery. She couldn’t see anyone who looked like a builder or anyone sitting on their own at a table waiting for her. She tried to peer around the customers queueing to catch a glimpse as Ian stepped forward to serve, but she couldn’t see the tables by the windows. Dithering on the spot, she glanced at Ian as he filled a cake box with brightly iced cupcakes. ‘You really think he might have the time to take on the cottage?’

‘There’s no harm in asking, love. Besides, as I said, he’s recently moved here, so I’m pretty sure he will.’ He shrugged. ‘He wouldn’t have agreed to meet you if he didn’t think he’d have the time.’

‘That’s true.’ Lynsey reached around her back, ready to undo the apron strings before thinking better of it. She likely wouldn’t be long and didn’t want to give Ian and Brooke the impression she was happy to skip work.

‘Ooh, is that your builder?’ Diane spoke as she walked behind the counter, one hand on her baby bump. The other holding a stack of paper bags to refill the supply at the counter. ‘He’s cute.’

‘Huh? Where?’ Walking across to her at the end of the counter, Lynsey followed Diane’s gaze, her heart sinking as she caught sight of Zac Hunter sitting at the table by the window nursing a coffee.

‘There. Do you see him now? No wonder you want him to fix up your cottage.’ Diane raised her eyebrows, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

‘No, I...’ Lynsey stopped herself as she watched Zac lift the coffee mug to his lips. Diane was right, hewascute. His sandy coloured hair framed his green eyes in that perfect just rolled out of bed way and the dimple in his cheek suggested he could be a fun guy to be around. When he wasn’t running from repairs that needed doing and spiders, that was. She sighed. That was that then. She already knew he didn’t want the job, so what was the point of even going over there? She looked across at Ian, who was happily chatting with a customer. That was why. Ian had set this meeting up for her. He’d gone out of his way to try to help. The least she could do was to go over and apologise for wasting his time.

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