Page 4 of The Pop-Up Cake Shop

‘Thank goodness for that,’ exclaimed Ellie. ‘Right, let’s concentrate on finding the Aitkens’ place and then we can be on our way back to Sunnybrook.’

We spotted the house in the distance immediately because of the balloons tied to the gate.

The property was one of about twenty circling Lockley Meadow village green, and adjacent to the Aitkens’ place was what looked like the entrance to a building site. The only free parking spot along the road was just beyond the new housing development that was being built. But as Ellie indicated to park there, I glanced to my left and spotted a large bulldozer on site lumbering at a fair old pace towards the exit.

The giant vehicle was getting closer and I was waiting for it to slow down – but it just kept coming, looming ever closer towards us.

‘He’s not going to stop, Ellie!’ I shouted in a panic, convinced by then that the driver was actually intent on bulldozing Ellie’s little car out of his way.

She slammed on the brakes and managed to stop just in time. A second later and there would have been an almighty crunch of metal. Not that the driver of the bulldozer seemed to care. He was emerging from the entrance now and attempting to turn towards us into the road, although Ellie was partially blocking him.

At last, he stopped and I breathed a sigh of relief.

Ellie signalled that she wanted to park in the space beyond the building site entrance, but either the man behind the wheel didn’t get the message or he was being deliberately awkward. All he had to do was remain where he was so that Ellie could scoot around him and get into the parking space. But instead, he revved the engine loudly and carried on motoring towards us, effectively hogging the whole road and completely blocking our way.

‘Why isn’t he letting us through?’ squeaked Ellie.

‘Because he’s a thuggish blockhead, apparently,’ I muttered, as the driver – who had dark hair and a face like thunder – started making aggressive hand movements for Ellie to get out of his way.

Ellie sighed, looking back along the street. ‘Does he really want me to reverse all the way back to the main road to let him out?’

‘Yes, well, clearly you’re not going to do that.’ Panic was stirring my insides. If we didn’t get a move on, I wouldn’t be home in time to receive my passport! ‘It’s that idiot who needs to reverse. Hang on a sec, Ellie.’

‘Katja, no!’

But I was already scrambling out of the car and marching over to the bulldozer. Filled with despair that I might not get back to Sunnybrook in time, I could feel my face burning with outrage at thismonsterthingblocking our attempts at parking – and I wasn’t referring to the bulldozer!

He honked his horn as I stood in the road and glared up at him, hands on hips.

My attitude of fierceness was a front, of course. Frustration had propelled me out of the car but I was already quaking in my boots, regretting my hastiness.

He frowned down at me but I kept my chin up and frowned back.

And just as I was wondering how the stand-off would end, two guys appeared at the entrance to the building site, clearly wondering what the stoppage was all about.

‘I wouldn’t argue with him if I were you, love,’ said the younger one, with a nod at the driver of the bulldozer. He grinned. ‘Not today, anyway.’ He was dressed in scruffy cut-off jeans, T-shirt and big work boots that emphasised his skinny legs.

‘What’s going on?’ His colleague, who was clearly senior, looked from me to the driver and back again in bewilderment. Then he looked across at Ellie and sized up the situation. ‘Could you go back to the car, please? You’re not safe standing here.’ Moving towards me, he tried to usher me away, but I stood my ground.

I could feel myself trembling with annoyance.

‘I really don’t see why we should move when it’s your ridiculously macho caveman-type colleague who’s at fault. Men like him should be locked up!’

‘Ooh, a feminist man-hater.’ The younger guy grinned and rubbed his hands together, clearly relishing the idea of a scrap. ‘I’d watch your bollocks, mate,’ he shouted up at the driver. ‘She’ll have them for breakfast if you’re not careful.’

‘Thank you, Ryan,’ snapped the older man. In blue jeans, checked shirt, yellow hi-vis jacket and giant boots, he looked like the site foreman. ‘Get back to work, will you? I’ll handle this.’

‘He’s in a bad mood for a reason,’ called Ryan, grinning over his shoulder at me as he reluctantly left the scene. ‘He would have won the lottery last night if his missus had remembered to get a ticket.’

I glanced at my watch and my heart gave a lurch of anxiety. This was a nightmare. We should be on our way back to Sunnybrook by now!

‘Lottery win or not, he needs to move and let us through,’ I demanded. ‘We were wanting to park in that space over there but he deliberately pulled out and blocked us, even though it was clearly our right of way. And we’ve got an urgent delivery to make.’

The foreman eyed me placidly. ‘You’d get parked far quicker if your... friend... was to reverse into that space there and let the bulldozer through.’

‘What space? Therearen’tany spaces.’

Silently, he pointed and I looked behind me – only to find that a car had since driven away and there was indeed a space, although Ellie clearly hadn’t noticed, either.

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