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Chapter Fifteen
‘Here you go, ladies. I think we’ve got just enough time for a coffee and a chat before we open up.’ Teresa lowered a tray full of mugs of coffee onto the bakery counter.
‘Ooh, yes, I’m pretty sure we’ve got time.’ Diane threw the cloth she’d been wiping the counter with onto the back counter and took a mug before whistling across the bakery to Wendy and Molly, who were looking through a large folder at the wedding counter.
‘Is it time for a chat?’ Walking over, Molly put her elbows on the bakery counter and clasped her hands together.
‘Lovely. Thank you, Teresa.’ Taking a mug, Wendy took a sip of her coffee.
‘Come on, Brooke. Here’s your coffee.’ Heidi picked up an extra mug.
Tying up her apron, Brooke took the mug. ‘Thanks.’
‘Go on then.’ Diane raised her eyebrow.
Lowering her mug, Brooke looked at Diane, Heidi, Wendy and Molly, who stared back at her. ‘Go on, what?’
‘You disappeared from the pub. I’m assuming you and Max are now an item?’ Diane grinned. ‘We want all the gory details.’
Brooke took another sip of her coffee.
‘Did you catch him up?’ Molly lowered her mug onto the counter.
It was no good. They weren’t going to take silence for an answer. She grinned. ‘Yes, I caught him up.’ She glanced down at her mug. ‘Actually, he came to my rescue.’
‘Your rescue?’ Diane’s eyes widened. ‘What happened?’
‘That guy I went on a date with to Daisy and Ollie’s restaurant pulled up in his car and kept badgering me to go on another date. Before I knew what was happening, Max was standing next to me and the guy backed away.’
‘Oh no. What was his name again? Jeremy? He actually got out and started harassing you?’ Heidi placed her hand on Brooke’s arm. ‘You know if you’d shouted, we’d have all come out and told him where to go, don’t you?’
‘Thanks. I know.’ Brooke nodded. ‘I was going to, but then Max appeared by my side and put his arm around me, pretending to be with me again.’
‘Again?’ Wendy frowned.
‘Oh, you don’t know!’ Diane’s eyes glistened with excitement. ‘At the restaurant to get out of the date with this guy, Brooke went up to Max and kissed him, pretending he was her ex and they were getting back together. Then, they had a picnic on the beach. Max had the food boxed up and he and Brooke spent the rest of the evening together.’
‘Really? Oh, wow!’ Wendy raised her eyebrows. ‘And it’s taken you this long to realise how he felt about you?’
‘What do you mean?’ Brooke frowned. ‘You all knew he’d felt a connection?’ She looked around the group.
‘And you to him. Of course!’ Heidi nodded.
‘It was pretty obvious to be fair.’ Diane laughed.
‘Not to me, it wasn’t!’ How could they all have realised how she’d felt about him before she had? ‘How? Why?’
‘You don’t just go up to a bloke you’ve friend-zoned and kiss them to get out of a date.’ Lowering her coffee to the counter, Diane crossed her arms.
‘I did.’ She had. Max had definitely just been a friend.
‘You keep telling yourself that.’ Diane nodded slowly before giggling.
