Page 70 of The Pop-Up Cake Shop

As I walked to the gate, I saw a shiny red sports car parked in the street. A woman was getting out of it. She looked over at me, clearly wondering who I was, and I realised with a shock that it was Caleb’s friend Loretta. She looked sleek and polished today, in a tight-fitting cream dress and cropped black jacket, her long, pale hair in a groomed ponytail.

‘Hi. Is he in?’ she asked me, pushing open the gate and navigating the rather uneven flagstones in her heels.

I swallowed.What would she think if she knew I’d stayed the night?

‘Er, no. There’s no one in.’

‘Never mind. I’ve got a key.’ She fished it out of her bag and dangled it in front of me. ‘I’ve decided to surprise him by making his favourite lunch.’

‘Oh, lovely.’

‘Yes.’ She smiled. ‘We were an item for ages but then we parted ways. But we’ve stayed friends and lately, we’ve been seeing alotmore of one another, if you know what I mean. I’m doing oysters as a starter. Guaranteed to get him in the mood and stop him going back to work!’

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

Loretta brushed past me and slid the key into the door. ‘It’s only a matter of time until we’re back together for good.’ She turned and looked at the cake box. ‘What’s that?’

‘Er . . . delivery?’ I improvised swiftly.

‘Delivery?’

‘Cake. From the Little Duck Pond Café.’

‘Good. I’ll take that.’ She lifted the box lid. ‘Not very exciting but I suppose it’ll do for dessert. Thank you.’

She vanished inside and the door closed in my face.

*****

I was now cake-less and I couldn’t go back inside, so I walked over to the site in a miserable daze.

Caleb hadn’t been entirely truthful with me, then, when he said that he and Loretta were now just friends. It was clearly more than that. And it was also clear that his ex was very keen for them to get back to being the cosy couple they once were.

Well, I hoped he enjoyed his oysters!

It was my own stupid fault for falling for another man’s lies – so soon after Richard had broken my heart withhislies and betrayal.

I despaired at myself. I’d never behaved in such an abandoned way with a man before, casting aside all my inhibitions and doing things that, frankly, I’d never dreamed of doing before. The attraction I’d felt to Caleb had been so strong, and last night had seemed so natural.

But I’d been kidding myself if I’d thought there was some deeper connection than just the physical between Caleb and me.For him, it was probably just sex. Pure and simple. Nothing more complicated than two people having fun together.

I growled, frustrated at myself.

I’d known all along that healing after a split depended on taking a break from romance and finding yourself again – not rushing headlong into another doomed romance scenario!

But that’s exactly what I’d done . . .

*****

Caleb was in the portacabin when I arrived, standing at the desk looking through some papers. He glanced up. ‘Katja. I’ll just be a minute, then we can get over to the garage, okay? I’ve just had a call to say the van’s been fixed.’

‘Good,’ I said frostily.

He frowned. ‘Are you okay? I mean, obviously there’s no hurry for you to leave. It’s just I know you need to get back to the café for your shift?’

‘I do, yes.’

‘I was... wondering if you’d like to have dinner with me? Whenever you’re free? I could come through to Sunnybrook.’

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