AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘Are you okay?’ Carmen frowned.
‘Yes, I’m fine. I just wasn’t expecting such a big place, that’s all. I assumed it would be a little bakery, but I can see I was wrong there.’ She smiled. Itwouldbe fine. She was sure it would. Carmen seemed lovely, didn’t she? Why wouldn’t everyone else be? She shook her head in an attempt to shake off the feelings of inadequacy. She knew why Andrew had included her in the first round of redundancies at the garden centre and deep down she was certain it hadn’t had anything to do with her ability or inability to do her job, but right now, she was beginning to feel just as she had when waiting to be called into the twenty or so interviews she’d attended over the past few weeks. And it wasn’t a nice feeling.
‘I imagined the same before I arrived. I’m sure you’ll love it, though. I know I did.’
Tammy nodded. She would if she could start believing in herself. But that was why she was here, to have a bit of time away, to have a break. She stepped back as a woman pulled the door open.
‘Carmen, love. How was your yoga class?’ The woman turned to Tammy and smiled, her eyes glistening with kindness. ‘And who have we got here then?’
‘It was great, thanks.’ Stepping forward, Carmen hugged the woman before looking across at Tammy. ‘This is Tammy. Tammy, this is Elsie.’
‘Tammy! Our new volunteer? Lovely to meet you, love. Come on through.’ Elsie ushered them both inside.
‘Lovely to meet you, too. I’m afraid I’m a little early. I know I wasn’t supposed to arrive until the morning, so I’m happy to get a room at a bed and breakfast somewhere for the night.’ Stepping inside, Tammy looked around the vast shop floor.
‘Don’t even think about it, Tammy, love. As it happens, Carmen was our last volunteer, and she’s already moved out, but even if she hadn’t, we’d have made space. We always do, no matter how early our volunteers arrive.’ Elsie drew her in for a hug.
Letting Elsie embrace her, Tammy smiled as she felt all of her earlier uncertainties melt away. Elsie used the same perfume her gran always had, a mix of warmth and floral.
‘Now, pop your holdall down and we’ll give you the grand tour before we all settle for a nice cuppa and a natter, and you, Carmen, love, can tell us all about how your yoga class went.’ Elsie smiled at Carmen. ‘That’s if you’ve not got to rush off, that is?’
‘Nope, I told Rob I was popping around. A cuppa sounds perfect.’ Carmen grinned and held out her hand towards Tammy. ‘I’ll pop your holdall down by the counter and we can grab it when we show to you your room.’
‘Okay, thanks.’ Passing the holdall to Carmen, Tammy turned back to Elsie.
‘So, over here we have the bakery counter. You’ll probably be working behind there, if that’s okay, love?’ Elsie indicated the large counter Carmen had just placed Tammy’s holdall behind. Empty trays lined the shelves behind the glass, ready and waiting for tomorrow’s fresh batch of treats.
‘Yes, that’s fine.’ Tammy nodded. She’d assumed she’d be working behind the bakery counter before she’d known how big the bakery was, anyway. She looked around, her eyes fixing on a smaller counter on the other side of the bakery - a counter showcasing wedding cakes. ‘You do wedding cakes too?’
‘We do. Our very talented Wendy is in charge of those.’ Elsie smiled and led the way across towards them. ‘And she also works with Molly planning weddings as well.’
‘Wedding planners?’ Tammy swallowed. If there was one thing she’d wanted to gain from this trip more than anything else, it was to focus on something other than weddings and now she’d have to spend weeks staring across the shop floor right towards a display of wedding cakes and photographs of happy couples showcasing the wedding planning services offered.
‘That’s right. And in the middle here we serve coffee and cakes to our customers.’ Elsie indicated a smaller counter at the back of the bakery, tables and chairs positioned neatly in front of it filling the large space in between the counters.
Tammy nodded. ‘I can imagine it gets busy with all of this.’
‘Oh yes, we do indeed.’ Elsie chuckled. ‘Through here we have the kitchen.’
Following Elsie through the door at the back of the bakery, she let it swing shut behind her as she looked around the kitchen. The high-spec stainless-steel cupboards, work surfaces and large table centred in the middle, were a far cry from the tiny kitchen she’d envisaged before she’d arrived in Penworth Bay and different still to what she’d imagined it would be when Elsie had begun showing her around. ‘Wow.’
‘Not what you expected?’
‘Not at all. I mean, to be perfectly honest, when I answered your ad I assumed I’d be working in a small bakery, not something this big.’
Elsie smiled. ‘It was, once. When I first bought the place, but a few years ago, the shop next door went up for sale and, well, the rest is history.’
‘It’s amazing.’ And it was. Even her worries about the other members of staff were quickly diminishing. Elsie seemed so lovely and so did Carmen. Hopefully everyone else would be too.
‘I’ll show you your room now if you like?’ Carmen held the kitchen door open for them.
‘Good idea. I’ll pop the coffee on.’ Elsie smiled.
