Page 22 of Tricks & Treats at The Cosy Cornish Bakery

He’d sat close beside her; one long thigh pressed against her leg. Chloe shifted a little, feeling self-conscious. ‘Only for a bit. Thought I’d try to see the bakery through its improvements, its new branding, maybe put a manager in.’ She sipped her Prosecco. ‘Then I’ll have a think.’

He chinked his glass against hers. ‘It’ll be good to have you around.’

‘Thank you.’

‘What have you planned?’

‘The biggest rebrand with the smallest outlay.’

He laughed. ‘Good luck with that, then.’

‘Thought I’d get the interior painted. Source some new tables and chairs, maybe invest in an awning and enquire whether it would be possible to put tables outside. Extend what items are on sale. Pammy baked me some really gorgeous biscuits this morning, so I’d like to give her time to make more of those. I’m going to see if it’s feasible to get her an assistant.’

Nik digested all this. ‘So, you’ll want another baker?’

‘Or even someone who could serve and make sandwiches. Even that would relieve Pammy a little.’

‘Have you thought to ask Amber?’

Chloe frowned at him. ‘Doesn’t she work here?’

‘She fills in a shift every now and again. She’s City and Guilds qualified, I think. Helps out in the kitchens here now and again. Might be an idea.’

‘It might. Thank you.’

They sipped their fizz in silence.

‘Do you know much about Pammy?’ Chloe asked him. ‘Ginger says she doesn’t have any family.’

‘She had a brother, but I think he died.’ Nik’s brow furrowed as he tried to remember. ‘Yes, he died some years back. She lives in the family cottage up near Squeezy Belly Alley. Just her and her cats now, I think.’

Chloe winced. ‘Bit of a cliché. An older woman and her cats.’

‘Maybe.’ Nik looked amused. ‘I suppose we’re all clichés.’ He pointed his glass at her. ‘You, the whizz-kid financier, me the surfer dude. But, underneath it, we’re far more complex.’

‘We are.’ Chloe contemplated his thin face, with its high cheekbones and strong nose. He had amazingly silky glossy hair, which she envied. Her own, unless rigidly straightened, had a tendency to wave and she usually tied it up in a messy bun. ‘We never talked like this at school, did we?’

‘We didn’t. As I said before, we ran with very different tribes.’ He chuckled. ‘Your lot always terrified me.’

She turned to him, laughing. ‘My lot? In what way?’

‘Far too clever. Too intense. I was still grappling with the differences between the Swedish and Cornish educational systems. It took me a while to adjust to the narrower curriculum.’

Behind them, cold clammy air blasted into the pub as a group came in. Nina Simone segued into Adele on the sound system. Along with the muted chatter at the bar, it lent the pub a mellow vibe and Chloe relaxed a little. ‘What happened after A levels?’ She had a vague memory Nik had had to retake his exams. She’d been so euphoric at getting into the LSE and winning her passage out of the village, little else had registered.

Nik pulled a face. ‘Had to resit. Took a few years off. Went to work with Dad in Sweden for a bit. Came back. Applied to Bristol when I was ready.’

‘What did you study?’ Chloe twisted to him, eager to find out more. He was easy to talk to, and friendly, but she didn’t feel she was getting to know him. She wanted to dig under the layers of reserve.

‘Sports Science.’

‘Makes sense. You were always hanging out with the sporty crowd.’

Nik grimaced. ‘When you’ve been ripped out of your country and into something completely new, it takes a while to settle. The Swedish system doesn’t go majorly overboard with end of year exams. That took some getting used to. And sport is sport in any language.’

‘Of course.’ It was Chloe’s turn to think back. ‘All I remember is you turning up, all tall and blond and speaking perfect English, though.’

‘Sorry, it wasn’t quite what I meant. I could fit instantly into the football and hockey teams; there are international rules. Sport doesn’t need a language. As for speaking English, Mum made sure she spoke the language to me at home, so I was bilingual.’ He shrugged. ‘But all Swedish children learn English at school as a matter of course.’ He grinned at her. ‘So I was all tall and blond, was I?’