AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter One
‘Thank you.’ Carmenwaved the bus driver off before looking down at her suitcase. ‘Come on, let’s find this bakery.’
She rolled her eyes at herself. What was she doing speaking to her suitcase? That’s what travelling over ten hours on public transport did to you. That, plus, the six hours she’d spent sitting at the train station in... Nope she had no clue, but she’d definitely be more organised and work out which platform she needed on the way back. She certainly didn’t want to miss the last train of the day and end up with her legs curled beneath her on a metal bench by the side of the tracks for the night again.
It had served her right. She was always doing things like this. That was probably why she’d found herself in this situation as it was. Broke and travelling to Cornwall to volunteer at a bakery just so she had something to do with her summer off.
She looked up and down the hill. Now where could the bakery be? Up the hill towards what looked like a community hall and a school, or down towards the ocean?
Maybe the ocean? Although she had no reason to think it would be that way, there was a huge part of her who wanted to see the ocean and if she’d got it wrong and the bakery was further up the hill then at least she’d have seen the sea.
Carmen checked her mobile and sighed. She was already four hours late. She’d aimed to get to the bakery by nine at the latest and it was already gone twelve o’clock. At this rate, she wouldn’t even be there to help with the lunchtime rush.
Maybe she should try up the hill first. A bakery by the school and community centre to catch passing trade would probably make more sense. Yep, that’s what she’d do. She could always go for a wander along the beach once the bakery had closed for the evening.
Tying her hair up with the purple scrunchie she always kept on her wrist, she then grabbed hold of the suitcase handle and hauled it behind her. Had she really needed to pack almost all her clothes? Probably not, but she didn’t trust her housemates. With no lock on the door, they were always in and out, treating her wardrobe as though it were a library.
Carmen rolled her eyes. She normally didn’t care; she was happy sharing her things. As a twin, she’d grown up sharing toys, a bedroom, clothes, everything. But in the three months since she’d shared the four-bed Victorian terrace with her three housemates, she was already down seven tops. Each had been ‘borrowed’ and then either stained on a night out, or somehow ripped or frayed, and now she just didn’t have the spare cash to replace them. In fact, unless business improved, she wasn’t going you have the money to replace them full stop.
Pausing to catch her breath, Carmen looked towards the pub on her right. A cold orange juice was just what she needed at the moment. She shook her head. Nope, she needed to focus and get to the bakery. She stepped around a couple standing on the path.
‘Ouch!’
Coming to a halt, Carmen turned around and pushed her hair from her face. Had she knocked her suitcase into someone? She looked down at the woman’s ankle and winced at the red mark. She had. ‘Oh, I’m so so sorry. Did I catch you with my suitcase? I did, didn’t I? I’m so clumsy. Everyone tells me I am.’
‘Don’t worry. I’m okay.’ The woman rubbed her ankle before looking from the huge suitcase to Carmen. ‘That looks heavy.’
‘You have no idea. I don’t know what I was thinking, trying to bring this monstrosity down here. First, I couldn’t lift it to put it on the shelves on the train, so I spent the whole journey sitting on it outside the carriage toilet. And that’s not a pleasant place to sit, I’ll tell you.’ Carmen took a deep breath; glad the woman was understanding. ‘The bus was better. The lovely bus driver let me store it underneath in the boot. Is it called a boot on a bus? Do they have boots?’
‘I’m not sure.’ The woman shrugged.
‘Thankfully, I’m on the last leg of my journey now. Not that it matters if I can’t find where I’m going, does it?’ Carmen circled her finger in the air. ‘I’ve just been walking round and round trying to find the place and I have a feeling I’m no closer than when the bus driver first dropped me here.’
‘Where is it you’re going? Maybe we can help?’ The woman looked across to the man she was with.
‘The Cornish Bay Bakery, I think it’s called.’ Carmen sighed and looked down the hill to the beach. ‘I’m late, of course. The story of my life and now I can’t even find the place.’
‘Oh, you’re not Carmen, by any chance, are you?’ The woman grinned.
‘Yes, that’s me.’ How did she know her name?
‘I’m Roxie and this is Mitch. I’ve not long finished volunteering there myself. Elsie mentioned she was expecting you.’
‘Really? Oh, it’s lovely to meet you both. In that case, you must know where it is?’ She smiled.
‘Yes, we do. Here, we’ll walk you down.’ Roxie linked arms with Carmen.
‘Let me take your suitcase for you.’ Grinning, Mitch picked up the suitcase and carried it for a metre or two before thinking twice, lowering it to the tarmac and pulling it along on its wheels.
‘I’m sorry, it’s super heavy. I live with three other people who seem to think my clothes are for the taking.’ Carmen looked back at Mitch and grimaced. ‘I don’t mean they steal them; they just don’t return them in the same condition as when they’d borrowed them.’ She shrugged.
‘Can’t you get a lock on your door?’ Roxie pointed to a small row of shops, which were now visible at the bottom of the hill. ‘The bakery is down here.’
‘No, I’ve tried that.’ She sighed and looked to where Roxie was pointing. ‘Wow, it’s opposite the beach!’
‘Yes. The guest bedroom faces the beach too, so the view is amazing.’ Roxie grinned. ‘I must admit that I’m going to miss that place.’
‘You enjoyed your time volunteering there, then?’
