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Chapter Twelve
‘Ican’t cope. It’stoo hot.’ Brooke stepped back from the counter and grabbed her water bottle from the back counter.
‘You are wearing a long-sleeved top.’ Diane pushed the till drawer in and at her.
‘I thought it would be cooler today. It rained last night.’ She gulped the dregs of her water.
‘Go on, we’ll be okay for ten minutes. Go and change and get some fresh water.’ Heidi smiled before turning back to her customer.
‘Are you sure? I feel bad.’
‘We’ll be okay. We’ve not started the lunchtime rush yet. Could you get me some fresh water too, please?’ Diane picked up the tongs and filled a paper bag with fresh rolls.
‘Okay. Will do. Thank you. I’ll refill yours too, Heidi.’ Slipping out of her apron, she grabbed the bottles and pulled open the door to Elsie’s flat. As soon as she’d walked through, the smell of fresh paint filled her nostrils and she scrunched up her nose.
As she walked past the living room door, she glanced in. Max was standing on a ladder, holding a sheet of wallpaper up in front of him. ‘Hi.’
‘Morning. How’s it going down there?’ Lowering the wallpaper, Max grinned as he spotted her.
‘Okay. It’s hot though. How’re things here?’
‘Good, I think. I’ve got one sheet up already and I’m hoping I can get the wallpaper fished today and then you and Elsie can have the living back.’ He grinned. ‘What do you think?’
Walking over to him, she clutched the bottles in her arms and looked at the wall. The paper they’d bought looked perfect. ‘It’s lovely.’
‘It’s a nice pattern, isn’t it? A complete pain to line it all up, though.’ Lying the piece he was holding up down across the long decorators’ table, he stood next to her.
She could feel the warmth from his arm as they looked at the lilac birds flying through the blossom on the wallpaper. ‘Thanks again for yesterday evening.’
‘No worries. I enjoyed it.’ Looking down, he rubbed his hand across the back of his neck. ‘What I mean is I enjoyed having dinner on the beach with you, not watching you squirm at the table with the nutritional expert.’
Brooke smiled. ‘I know what you meant. I enjoyed it too.’
‘Good. I’m glad.’
‘I’d better go and change my top and fill up these bottles. I promised I’d only be ten minutes.’
‘Okay.’
Nodding, Brooke walked towards the door, glancing back at him before she walked out of the door.
‘Oh, Brooke.’
‘Yes?’ Pausing, she retraced her steps back to the living room.
‘Are you going to the pub quiz this evening?’
‘Yes, I think so. Diane and Heidi were talking about it earlier. Are you?’
‘Ollie invited me, yes. It’s normally a good night.’
‘Great, looking forward to it.’ Brooke smiled as she walked to her bedroom. Diane had said earlier that it was a bakery tradition and most people from the dinner would be there. And with Max going... She opened her bedroom door. With Max going, it would be another person she’d know on the team, another person to help her remember everyone’s name.
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‘RIGHT, I THINK WE’REready. Now I’m just waiting for Ian to come round and Wendy to drop Hudson off.’ Elsie looked around the small kitchen in the flat above the bakery. ‘Oh, cutters. I forgot cutters.’ Going to the drawer, she rummaged around and pulled out three gingerbread man shaped biscuit cutters.
‘It looks as though Hudson is going to have fun this evening.’ Standing in the kitchen doorway, Brooke brushed her hair.
