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‘Thank you. Bye.’ Louise waved as they walked away.
Waving back, Carmen turned to the next customer. ‘How can I...?’ She froze. Rob was there. Right in front of her.
‘Hi, Carmen. How are you finding Penworth Bay?’ Rob placed his wallet on the top of the counter and grinned. ‘I still can’t believe you’re here. Of all the places...’ He shook his head. ‘What a coincidence.’
Carmen swallowed. ‘Yes.’
‘How long are you here for? Maybe we could catch up at some point?’
Catch up? He had really dismissed their relationship that easily? Yes, it had been four years ago, but she’d felt such a connection with him. She’d told him that she’d loved him. She looked down at the cupcake tray. It was almost empty. Two left. Looking up, she met his gaze. She obviously hadn’t meant anything to him. Not a jot. ‘I don’t think that’s such a good idea.’
‘Oh, really? From what I remember, we got on really well.’ He shifted from foot to foot, his expression confused.
A low laugh escaped her throat. She had literally meant nothing to him. She placed the last two cupcakes onto the tray with the doughnuts and picked up the now-empty tray. ‘I’m going to have to go and refill these. Someone else will serve you.’
‘Oh, right. Okay.’ Rob frowned; deep lines etched between his eyebrows.
Taking a final look at him, Carmen shook her head and walked out from behind the counter, weaving her way between customers waiting to be served at the coffee and cake counter before pushing the kitchen door open. Shutting it quickly behind her, she leaned against it and closed her eyes. She’d meant nothing. Zero. Zilch. Not a thing to him.
‘Is everything okay, Carmen, love?’
Opening her eyes, Carmen nodded as Elsie shook some flour into a large mixing bowl.
‘Yes, I’m okay.’ She looked down at the tray in her hands. ‘We’ve run out of cupcakes. Well, there are two left. Or there was.’
‘Oh, thank you. I’ve got some more over there on the side. Are you all right filling them up?’ Elsie nodded towards a wire rack covered in a rainbow of different coloured cupcakes.
Nodding, Carmen walked across to the rack and began placing the cupcakes in rows on the tray.
‘Are you sure everything is okay, love? You don’t look as though it is.’ Wiping her hands on her apron, Elsie walked towards her and began helping her replenish the tray.
Carmen shrugged. ‘I’ve just seen someone I used to know.’
‘I see. A blast from the past?’
‘Yes.’ Carmen nodded. Rob was certainly that. ‘I just wasn’t expecting him to turn up at the bakery, that’s all.’
‘I can imagine. Where have you travelled from again?’
‘Huddersfield.’
‘Ah, yes, I can imagine that being a shock then. We’re a fair way from Huddersfield!’ Elsie chuckled. ‘Would you like a coffee before you go back out?’
Carmen glanced towards the closed door. Rob should have gone by now. ‘No, don’t worry, thanks. It’s super busy out there.’
‘Ah, it’s the last day of school today, so we usually get quite busy with people buying treats for the teachers or planning picnics on the beach to celebrate the start of the holidays. They break up at lunchtime. And then, of course, we’ll get more tourists coming down for their holidays from tomorrow.’
‘Is it the summer fete tomorrow too?’ Carmen placed the last of the cupcakes on the tray, twisting it to fit into the small space.
‘That’s right. I was hoping we’d be able to get some more of the baking for tomorrow done during the day today, but I can’t see that happening if it’s so busy.’ Elsie shook her head. ‘I think the same every year and we never do.’
‘The summer fete sounds fun, though.’
‘Yes, it is. You can come along and help with the stall if you like?’
‘Yes, that would be good, thanks.’ Carmen smiled. From what Diane and Teresa had told her about the summer fete earlier, it would be a fun day. Plus, it was out of the bakery too, so no chance of Rob coming to speak to her again.
