The holidaymaker smiled.
‘Happy grand opening day,’ said Pippa, making jazz hands.
Tammy chuckled. ‘Thank you.’
Christine held her purse open, ready to delve into it. ‘How much do I owe you, Tammy? And before you protest again. I’m paying.’
Tammy grinned and turned to the till to ring up her order. Thankfully, it was very similar to the one they’d used in her previous bakery shop. ‘Four pounds fifty please, Christine.’
Christine handed her the correct change. ‘Thank you, and I’ll try and pop in later. But it all depends on how busy I’m going to be. The new pet grooming part of my shop is also having its grand opening today, so I’m hoping the pets will bring their owners for a trim as well.’ Christine laughed all the way to the door. ‘Cheerio.’
Pippa shook her head with a smile. ‘I love that woman. She hasn’t changed one bit since I was little.’ Pippa pointed to the chalked menu on the wall behind the counter. ‘Two bacon and egg butties on white bread to go please with runny eggs and tomato ketchup on just one of them. Oh, and can you butter the bread of the one without ketchup?’
‘I’ll have exactly the same, please,’ said the holiday maker with a grin.
Tammy nodded and smiled, listening keenly and trying not to show her rising panic as she heard the tinkle of the door again. ‘Sure thing, coming right up.’ She darted into the kitchen to quickly make the orders, hoping they wouldn’t ask for drinks too. She wasn’t sure she could manage numerous different orders.
Pippa oohed and ahhed at the cakes on display. ‘You know what? I think I’ll take two slices of lemon cake and two slices of coffee and walnut cake too, Tammy. My dad and aunt will love a piece of homemade cake with their cups of tea.’
Tammy called back. ‘Okey-dokey.’ I’ll bag them shortly. Right about now, she wished she was an octopus. What was it she’d said to Katherine about managing on her own?
As the first customers started to trickle in, Tammy greeted them with a genuine smile and a warm welcome. The scent of freshly brewed coffee and baked pastries filled the air, creating an inviting atmosphere that drew people in. Come mid-morning, the tearoom buzzed with laughter, chatter, and the clinking of cups.
Ben came in and greeted the locals he knew, immediately falling into the role of host, chatting with the customers, making them feel at home, and ensuring that everyone was having a wonderful time. Tammy watched him with pride, grateful for his unwavering support. But just before lunchtime, he approached the counter with a grimace. ‘Sorry lass. I have to get back to the cart. Ned who’s watching it for me wants to come in here for his lunch.’
Tammy reached over the counter grabbed hold of his arm and squeezed it warmly. ‘Thanks Uncle Ben, I don’t know what I would have done without you. I’ll see you back home later on.’
‘Okay Lass. Don’t work too hard, you hear? Or else you’ll be plum worn out for tomorrow.’
Tammy chuckled, her chest glowing with love for her uncle. ‘I won’t.’
But with her uncle’s absence came a new wave of customers. Tammy pressed a smile onto her face, but behind it, she was screaming. She was totally overwhelmed. The orders were backing up and customers who had yet to be served stood at the back of the room, watching her every move. She tried her best to make drinks while things were cooking in the kitchen beyond the main tearoom, but she was sure she could smell burning—and she definitely heard someone moaning. Her stomach pulled into a tight knot.
The tinkling of the bell sounded out again and she had to stop herself from audibly groaning. She loved how busy she was, but she also hated how slow she was and grimaced at the thought she might be letting Katherine’s previous customers down.
Katherine was right. This gig was a two-person job.
Forcing a smile on her face, she pushed the plastic lids on the latest order of teas to go and turned around to face her next customer. The smile slid from her face when she saw Declan.
‘I-I want to apologise for ignoring you when you greeted me on the beach yesterday.’ The knot pulled tighter in her tummy and her heart sped up. Tammy glanced past Declan to the curious faces who had heard what he’d said and were taking mini steps forward to get a better earshot of the conversation Declan was trying to orchestrate.
Tammy shook her head, dismissing his apology. The reality was, shereallywanted to know why he had been so rude. She wanted to know if it had been anything to do with her being with Pharis. Whether he was curious as to whether their picnic was an innocent one, or one that had intimate connotations.
‘No-no. It’s fine—really.’
‘But it’s not fine...I acted appallingly.’ A few women giggled and whispered to each other. Tammy could feel her cheeks heating.
She held her hands up to stop him. ‘NO! Really, Declan. It’s fine.’
His eyes opened wide, and his brow shot up as he leaned backward from her mini outburst. Tammy thought his reaction was a bit over-exaggerated. She hadn’t raised her voicethatloudly. Declan suddenly began sniffing the air. ‘Is-is that burning I can smell?’
Tammy’s hand shot to her mouth. ‘Oh no! The sausages!’
Declan slipped behind the counter and shot past her. ‘Don’t worry. I got this. You continue serving and making the drinks. I’ll see to the hot food.’
She was flabbergasted. This was her business. She didn’t want to share a kitchen withanother man. She’d been there, done that, and had the t-shirt stolen from her back by the very man she’d shared the experience with. Opening her mouth to protest, Tammy quickly shut it, when a family of four squeezed into the tearoom behind the already long queue.
She smiled at the gossiping women and turned her back on them to complete the hot drinks order. A few minutes later, Declan appeared with four bags, placing them down on the counter before disappearing back through the door again. Tammy’s mouth dropped open. He’d found the stickers to mark what the contents were, and each paper bag was marked up appropriately.
