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Taking a sip of her drink, Brooke let the rich chocolate coat her taste buds before swallowing. ‘No, I guess it’s not.’

‘Right, well, I don’t know about you, but I’m beyond tired.’ Elsie yawned. ‘I’m going to head to bed now. Night.’

‘Night.’ Brooke yawned too, the feeling of tiredness suddenly hitting her. Draining the last of her drink, she made her way into her bedroom.

Sinking onto the mattress, she perched on the edge of the bed. It really was lovely in here. Now night had come, gone were the noises of people walking across the cobbles, making their way to the beach and back and all she could hear was the gentle lapping of the waves through the open window.

She picked up the alarm clock, sliding the envelope from beneath it. Holding it in her hands, she smoothed the edges, just as she had done a million times before. What was inside? What did the letter say and why hadn’t her gran just told her? Why had she made her promise not to read it until she’d passed away? And why on earth had she made her promise to visit Penworth Bay and open it here?

There were so many questions, and she wanted to know the answers. She really did, but now the time had come to open and read it, a part of her didn’t want to. A part of her wanted to keep it, not to look at it because if she opened it and read it, that was it. It would be the last thing her gran had told her, the last letter she’d ever read from her, and she wasn’t sure she was ready for that. Not yet.

She slipped it back under the alarm clock and climbed into bed. She would read it. She would. Just when she wasn’t so tired. She’d keep it and read it when she had the time to savour it.










Chapter Three

There it was again. Another noise. Someone was awake. Brooke glanced at the alarm clock and groaned. It was only five o’clock. In the morning. Who could be up now?

Turning over, she closed her eyes against the morning sun streaming in through the window. That would teach her not to close the curtains. It was no good. She wouldn’t be able to get back to sleep now. She never had been one to lie in, but five was a bit extreme, even for her. Giving in, she forced herself out of bed. Walking towards the window, she looked out. The fishing boats were coming in; some crews had already jumped out of their boats and were sorting out the morning’s catch. Was that what had woken her? Maybe. Although they were right towards the far end of the bay, would she have heard them from here?

She stood still and listened. There was definitely someone downstairs, too. The noise was muffled, barely audible even. Maybe she’d been woken by someone walking past the window or something, but now she was up she should go and see go downstairs. Elsie was probably up already. Someone had to bake the cakes and bread they sold and she should help. That’s why she was here.

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‘MORNING, LOVE. I HOPEwe didn’t wake you?’ Elsie lowered the bread dough she’d been kneading into a bread tin and wiped her hands over her apron. ‘Sit down and I’ll get you a coffee.’

‘No, don’t worry. A noise from outside woke me, and then I realised you must have begun baking. Sorry, I should have set an alarm.’ Brooke sat on the stool opposite where Elsie had been baking.

‘No, not at all. I would never dream of asking anyone to get up at this hour to work.’ Elsie placed a steaming mug in front of Brooke before carrying the bread tins to an oven towards the back of the kitchen.

‘Apart from me, you mean.’ Teresa closed the back door leading outside to a small courtyard area behind her and placed a clipboard on the vast steel table Brooke was sitting at. ‘That’s the deliveries gone out.’

‘Thanks, Teresa, love.’ Elsie chuckled. ‘You get paid. That’s why you come in early.’

‘That’s very true.’ Teresa turned towards Brooke. ‘Wild horses wouldn’t get me out of bed at four in the morning if I wasn’t being paid. Although, saying that, I think this is one of my favourite times of the day.’

‘It’s one of mine too, love. With the sun rising and good company, what more could I ask for?’ Elsie wiped the floor from the table.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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