AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Wendy placed her handbag on the counter and grinned. ‘I’ve just remembered what day it is today.’
‘What day is it?’ Holly frowned. What had she missed?
‘It’s the day we put up Santa’s grotto!’ Wendy grinned.
‘In here?’ Holly looked round the bakery. Where would it fit?
‘Yep, in here. We need it fully decorated and ready for the lantern parade next week.’
‘Oh, the lantern parade is beautiful. Local residents and tourists or anyone who’s out and about in the bay really, come into the bakery or go to the cafe next door to decorate paper lanterns.’ Diane slipped her apron over her head. ‘And then everyone gathers together up the hill and Gerald, the pub landlord, leads the procession to the promenade.’
‘Yes, and the bay’s band plays as we sing carols.’ Brooke smiled as she began counting the float in the till.
‘When everyone gets to the promenade, we sing to the residents at Pinworm Bay’s Care Home before everyone descends on the beach for mulled wine and mince pies.’ Molly grinned. ‘It really is amazing. Better than the normal meagre light switch-on most towns get.’
‘Wow, that does sound nice.’ Holly straightened the two trays she’d just placed down. Her parents had always taken her to every light switch-on in the local vicinity they could. They’d called it the Tour of the Towns. She didn’t recall ever taking part in a lantern parade, though. That was a new one.
Wendy turned to Molly. ‘We haven’t got any clients until this afternoon, have we?’
‘Nope. Actually, I think we only have Arthur and Jayne today.’ Molly tugged a small diary from her handbag and flicked through the pages. ‘Yep, and we’re pretty much up to date with our planning.’
‘Great. We’ll be able to help out with the grotto then.’ Wendy grinned.
‘Haha, as if that would have stopped you anyway.’ Diane laughed.
‘You’re right. We’d have had to hold the meetings in the grotto. This is my favourite time of the year and I love love love decorating the grotto.’
‘We’d better go and tie up any loose ends before Arthur and Jayne arrive.’ Molly pulled her handbag onto her shoulder as she and Wendy made their way towards the office.
‘Is there anything else to come out from the kitchen?’ Brooke nodded towards the trays beneath the counter. ‘We look pretty full.’
‘Just the rolls for the baskets, I think.’ Holly picked up the wicker baskets sitting at each end of the counter.
‘I’ll do that if you like? I need to pop and speak to Elsie and Ian, anyway.’
‘Okay, thanks.’ Holly passed Brooke the baskets before picking up a cloth and wiping the counter down.
‘Has that guy gone home?’ Diane turned and leaned against the counter.
‘Joe? No, he’s staying at the pub for a few days.’
Diane nodded.
Holly turned to face her. ‘I thought about what you said about him having made the effort to come and visit and thought you were right. It was good of him to travel all the way down here.’
‘Ooh, that makes a change, me being right about something,’ Diane laughed. ‘Seriously though, I’m glad. He seems like a really nice guy.’
‘He is. We’ve been friends for years.’
‘Oh, I assumed you two were seeing each other?’
‘No. just friends.’ Holly smiled. Her and Joe? A. couple?
‘You just seemed so natural together, so close and theft that he drove hundreds of miles to visit you...’ Diane shrugged. ‘Sorry, I just assumed.’
‘No need to apologise. We are close. We get on so well, always have done.’ Holly grinned. Out of all her friends, Joe was definitely the one she was closest to, the one she could tell absolutely anything to, however embarrassing or heartfelt.
‘Right, I’d better open up. We don’t want to keep people waiting outside in that.’ Diane made her way towards the door.
