There’s a bottle of wine chilling in the fridge and Idefinitely deserve a glass after all that hard work. So I pop a ready meal –chicken tikka and rice – in the microwave and pour myself a glass while it’shumming away. I’m too tired to start washing plates and cutlery, so I find atray and give it a scrub, wash a single fork, then I carry my carton of curryinto the living room and sit down with a sigh on sheets that smell of freshair.
The old TV here is – well,old. But I have my laptop,which I open on the coffee table next to the sofa. The food tastes good – Ihadn’t realised I was quite so hungry – and the wine slips down a treat. Andafter I’ve eaten, I’m feeling so sleepy, I don’t have the energy to wrestlewith a duvet. So I nip quickly to the downstairs loo (leaving the light offbecause I haven’t tackled in there yet and I’d rather not see the state it’sin!) then I get into my pyjamas and curl up in the fresh sheets with the duveton top.
The instant I close my eyes, I can feel myself sliding intosleep...
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
I wake early next morning feeling well rested (thelumpy old sofa turned out to be surprisingly comfortable) and energised for theday ahead.
Before I left the café yesterday, I told Ellie I was free tohelp out while Maddy was otherwise indisposed with her ankle injury, and shelooked very relieved.
‘I... don’t suppose you could come intomorrow, could you?’ she asked, screwing her face up as if she was being fartoo cheeky asking such a thing.
I smiled. ‘Of course. I’d be happy to.’ Liam and Rich werestarting work the day after next. ‘I have a free day tomorrow, so I’d only bemooching around filling in time. What time do you want me?’
We agreed on a four-hour shift with a ten o’clock start, andas I grab some clean clothes and head off to the shower to find out if we havehot water, I’m already thinking ahead to later on in the afternoon when I canget back outside and tackle the garden again.
*****
I’ve been missing my days helping Shalini out in her cutecorner café back in Bournemouth, so it feels good to be working in a caféenvironment again, and I love that everyone is so friendly.
I’m working alongside Jen and Katja today. They were in muchearlier, baking scones and pastries, and they seem really glad to see me.
‘Ellie was saying you studied pastry in London?’ smilesKatja, as I empty the dishwasher and she stacks plates and fills the cutlerybox.
‘Yes. And I absolutely loved it.’
‘Did you know it’s officially Cake Week?’
‘Oh, yes. Of course it is.’ With everything that’s beengoing on, I’d completely forgotten.
‘Ellie wants to do a special event on Sunday – you know,celebrating all things cake. So I was thinking with your skills on hand to helpout, it could be amazing.’ She grins. ‘That’s if you’re planning on staying awhile?’
‘Oh, I’ll be staying a while. A few weeks, anyway. And yes,I’d love to help.’
‘It’s for charity.’
‘Even better. Which charity?’
‘We’re raising money for the food bank in the village. Jen’sboyfriend, Harlyn, runs it.’
‘Great. So is Ellie thinking high-end patisserie?’
‘Ooh, I’m not sure.’ Katja’s eyes sparkle. ‘But that soundslike a great idea to me. We could deck the place out like an elegant Parisian bakeryand give the customers a taste of France.’
I nod, my imagination going wild. ‘Great idea. And we couldmaybe change the name, just for the day, toLe Café de petit...’...what’s French for duck pond?’
A swift Google later and we have our Little Duck Pond Cafétranslation.
‘Le Café de La Petite Mare aux Canards,’ muses Ellie with asmile when we tell her about our idea. ‘So we’d turn the place into a French-stylepatisserie for the day? I like it. Lottie, you and Katja could work with Anitain the baking school. The space and the ovens over there are great. And I’llask Jen and Clara to think about how we’d decorate the café specially for theoccasion.’
‘It’s great having Clara back for a while, even if it’s onlyuntil her course starts again,’ says Katja.
Ellie smiles fondly. ‘Just another year of study and she’llbe a qualified dance teacher. Then she and her great-aunt can get their dancestudio up and running.’
‘A dance studio in Sunnybrook?’ I ask, curious.
Ellie nods. ‘Dance helped Clara to come out of her shellwhen she was little and she wants to bring that feeling to more people. It’sgoing to be so good for the community here.’
