Page 41 of The Pop-Up Cake Shop

Richard?

CHAPTER NINETEEN

It couldn’t be him. It just couldn’t . . .

But it was. And even worse, he’d spotted us and was coming over...

He looked understandably wary as he approached me. ‘Hi, Katja. How are you?’ Without waiting for a reply, he smiled awkwardly at Ellie. ‘Hello.’

‘Hi, Richard,’ she said airily with a bland smile. ‘So you’re back from New York.’

‘I am, yes.’

‘What on earth are you doinghere?’ I blurted it out rather more aggressively than I meant to, and he glanced away, down at his shoes.

‘I’m actually staying here at the moment,’ he said, raising his eyes to mine rather awkwardly. ‘Well, not in the village itself, but in a farmhouse just up the road.’

‘You’re renting afarmhousehere?’ I couldn’t quite grasp why he would be doing that.

He shook his head and flushed slightly, and that’s when I remembered Emily calling out something to him when he was on the phone to me that last time.

Mum wants to know if we want to stay with them for a while...

Of course.

‘You’re staying with Emily’s parents.’

‘That’s right.’ He looked at me suspiciously. ‘But how did you know that?’

I winked. ‘Ah, well, news gets around. Especially in a small place like this. People talk, you know.’ It was just a fib, but I was rather enjoying seeing the uncomfortable look on his face. Hedeserved to squirm a lot more than that after what he’d put me through.

‘Right, well, anyway.’ He shuffled his feet. ‘Your leaflet came through the door so I thought I’d... come along.’

‘You werespyingon me?’

‘No, of course not.’ He looked at me, aghast. ‘I’d absolutely no idea that it would be you and Ellie driving the van.’

‘Yes, well, I’m full of surprises, as you know.’

‘I do know that,’ he said softly, responding with a seriousness that took me by surprise.

As Ellie served another customer, he leaned closer and murmured, ‘Look, I know I didn’t always appreciate you properly while we were together and I’m sorry about that. You’re... you’re a great girl, Katja.’

‘Far too good for you, clearly,’ I retorted, as a multitude of complicated and conflicting feelings tumbled through me. I hated that he still had the ability to get under my skin.

Most of all, I hated that his sudden appearance had cast a shadow over what had been a lovely day so far.

He gave me a rueful smile. ‘Touché.’

I glanced at Ellie, who was saying hello to another couple approaching the van. As they looked in at the cakes on display, she flashed me a supportive look and I flicked my eyes to the sky as if to say,Could you believe the sheer cheek of the man, pitching up here!

Taking a deep breath, I pasted on a business-like smile. ‘So what can I get you, Richard? As I recall, your favourite cake was always lemon drizzle?’

‘Well remembered.’ His face relaxed into a relieved smile. ‘Yes, one of those, please.’

‘Oh, dear. What a shame. We sold the last one at the farmers’ market in Lockley Meadow,’ I told him with a sad look, havingknown this all along. ‘But we do have somedeliciousdate and walnut buns?’

‘Right. Okay.’ He held up his hands as if in surrender, realising that this was a dig because I happened to know he hated date and walnut buns. ‘Sorry, I know I shouldn’t have come. But I just... well, I wanted to see you and hoped you’d be here, that’s all.’

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