‘Actually, she didn’t talk business at all. She was telling me about you, about how you looked after your mum when she was sick. It sounds as though you had a pretty tough time, and then again with your dad.’
He swallowed hard. ‘How did you get onto talking about me and my family?’
‘We were saying how well you and Harvey had worked together, then how you’d stepped in at the tea rooms and that led to talking about you always helping other people.’ She looked a little unsure whether to add anything else. ‘She told me you need to help yourself as well as others. She began to go into great detail of your commitment, your family values’ – she smiled – ‘your caring side.’
He couldn’t hold back a grin either. ‘Apologies for that, it sounds like she was trying to sell me to you and I promise, I never put her up to it.’ His gaze was drawn to the sugar grains at the side of her mouth when the sun made them stand out beneath its rays, and when she didn’t answer, and before he could think it might be inappropriate, he reached up and with the pad of his thumb brushed them away. ‘Sugar,’ he explained. He thought he heard her sigh but maybe it was wishful thinking.
‘Thank you,’ she answered without breaking eye contact. ‘I’d better go.’
‘I’ll see you later.’
He watched her go into the bakery and when he went on his way, he had one intention in mind, and that was to let her know how he felt. He couldn’t ignore it any longer and enough people had told him he should be looking for his own happiness as well as being there for everyone else.
And so tonight he was going to do it. He was going to ask her out.
Chapter Ten
Jade had never felt so glad to be standing beneath the jets of a shower as she did after the grand reopening of the bakery. As much as they’d planned a slightly more relaxed few weeks while the business was closed, it had turned out to be anything but. They hadn’t baked anywhere near as much but instead they’d been trying to work in the kitchen at the cottage, juggling deliveries for their orders, they’d been keeping an eye on progress at the bakery as Harvey and Linc got it finished and then there’d been the last couple of days, getting it all put back to rights. Not an easy task at all. Today the adrenalin had kept their energy levels up but right now, Jade would much rather go to bed than venture anywhere near a pub. Then again, every time she thought of the way Linc had reached out and wiped the sugar remnants from the side of her lip she couldn’t put him out of her mind, and going along tonight meant she’d get to see him again. And that made her happier than she’d care to admit. Confused, certainly, but she’d ignore the latter emotion for now and try to go with the flow.
‘You’ll enjoy it once you’re there, once you’ve got a glass of wine.’ Celeste peeked in on her sister as Jade pulled out the hanger with her new summer dress. ‘Oh yes, wear that, the colour makes you look hot.’
Jade knew exactly why her sister was saying that. Thank goodness she hadn’t seen her and Linc talking earlier or she’d have a lot more to say about the matter. She shut the wardrobe door and put her arm into one sleeve of the red dress she’d picked out with its delicate blue-centred daisies printed on the material. She put her other arm in and wrapped the material around her body before tying it at the front. The dress settled nicely around her hips and, on a balmy evening, would keep her nice and cool no matter if they were in the beer garden or inside The Copper Plough. Already it felt good to be wearing something fresh after getting so hot and bothered in the bakery in three-quarter jeans and a T-shirt.
When the girls arrived at the pub, they couldn’t see many others so they headed straight for the bar.
‘On the house.’ Landlord Terry winked when he poured a glass of pinot grigio for each of them. ‘You deserve it today. And thank you for the scones – Nola and I had them for our break this afternoon and, don’t tell her,’ he added, leaning over the bar and lowering his voice, ‘but they’re way better than the ones she tried to make last week.’ He pulled a face.
Glasses of wine in hand, they turned to see Tilly heading back inside from the beer garden, her mid-brown hair curling up evenly before it met with the collar of a retro mint-green dress with little red petals. She floated towards them in her peep-toe sandals. ‘We’ve got two tables right at the back,’ she told them after hugging them hello. ‘Just follow the noise.’ She squeezed through towards the bar.
‘I’m not sure I can do rowdy,’ Jade whispered into Celeste’s ear.
‘Me neither, I must admit, but we don’t have to stay all night.’
But they needn’t have worried because the only noise they could hear was the beautiful guitar playing towards the back of the beer garden, and there was only one person Jade knew who played like that.
‘A man of many talents,’ Celeste nudged her sister as they approached.
Linc was playing a classical melody she didn’t recognise and it brought an air of romance to a gorgeous summer’s evening. People stood mesmerised; some stood that little bit closer together than they otherwise might have done. Jade didn’t let on to Celeste that she’d heard him play once before, from her window that night, and the music had had the same effect on her then as it did now, making her want to close her eyes and let it wash over her.
The playing paused when their arrival was noticed and all attentions turned to the sisters and their successful launch of the Twist and Turn Bakery. They had drinks offers coming from all directions, seats were vacated so they could sit down, and when Linc looked over Jade smiled back.
‘I’m glad we came,’ Celeste confided when everyone seemed to, at last, get back to their own tables or groups of friends and leave them to it. ‘People are so lovely, aren’t they?’
‘They sure are.’
‘And Linc – do you think he’s lovely?’ Celeste had her glass of wine between her fingers, cupping the vessel as she watched for her sister’s reaction.
‘Would you stop it. He’s a nice guy, I’ll admit it. There, happy?’
Celeste shrugged. ‘And do I smell the perfume you hardly ever wear?’
‘Yes, you do. No point having it sitting in the bottle and going off.’ Her parents had given her a bottle of Chanel Allure eau de parfum on her last birthday and its concentration of oils compared to the eau de toilette version made it not only pricy in comparison but richer in scent. Tonight, she’d wanted a reward for their efforts over the past few weeks – a treat, a reminder of her femininity and something to make her feel special. Not that she didn’t feel all those things every time Linc’s gaze drifted in her direction.
Celeste swayed a little in time to the music, or perhaps that was the wine’s doing. ‘All right, I promise to hold off on any more comments, at least for tonight.’ When she saw Zara, who ran the local ice-creamery, she went over to chat with her.
‘How’s the wine?’ Linc’s smooth voice fell over her as he came up to the picnic bench where she’d settled and didn’t intend to budge from for the entire night. She hadn’t realised the music had stopped.
‘Going down a treat.’ She raised her glass to his when he lifted up a pint of beer. In place of his guitar playing, a robin was singing high-pitched and confident notes as it perched on the perimeter fence next to the lamp-post that had already become illuminated despite it not being fully dark yet.
