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‘Oh, yes, and the pub will get super crowded. We’ll have to try to get there early.’ Brooke shrugged into her coat.
‘You’ll be coming, won’t you, Holly?’ Balancing her handbag on the counter, Molly buttoned up her coat.
‘Oh yes, you’ll have to come. We have a team with all the past volunteers and their partners, and we go every week. It’s a bakery family tradition.’ Diane grinned.
‘Oh right. Umm, yes, I guess I can come.’ Holly shrugged. After all, she’d already decided that she needed to put a little bit of space between her and Joe, give herself time to think. A pub quiz would be the perfect excuse not to spend the evening with him.
‘Great. We’ll see you at seven then. Daisy and Ollie will be dropping their baby, Bonnie, off for Elsie and Ian to babysit so you can walk down with them if you like?’ Diane pulled open the bakery door, letting a blast of cold air into the bakery.
‘See you.’ Holly held the door open as the three of them walked outside before closing up and locking it. Who were Daisy and Ollie then? they must be close to Elsie and Ian if they were babysitting for them. Diane had said the pub quiz team was made up of previous volunteers. Maybe Daisy and Ollie had volunteered too.
‘Have they gone, love?’ Elsie walked into the bakery, her coat in her arms. ‘I’m just popping out with Ian for a little bit. We need to runt to the suppliers. What with the lantern parade coming up, I don’t want to make sure I’m fully stocked with ingredients. Are you going to the pub quiz with the team later?’
‘Yes, I think so.’
‘Lovely. You’ll meet Daisy and Ollie and their precious bundle when they drop by beforehand then.’ Elsie grinned, pride filling her face. ‘Daisy volunteered here a year or so ago and Ian brought Ollie up after his parents passed away, so Bonnie is our honorary grandchild.’
‘Aw.’ Holly nodded.
‘Right, I’ve found it. It had slipped behind the radiator where I’d put them to dry.’ Ian hurried into the bakery, waving a glove in the air.
‘Good, good, love. We can’t have you catching a cold.’ Elsie pecked him on the cheek before turning to the front door. ‘We’ll see you in a bit, love.’
‘Bye.’ After watching Elsie and Ian step outside and close the door, Holly made her way upstairs. She’d need to find something to wear to the pub later. What had she brought down with her that was suitable for a festive night out? She wasn’t sure if she’d packed anything.
Chapter Twelve
As they made theirway up the hill, Holly could already hear the noise of excited chatter and laughter filing the air. The pub must be close.
‘How are you finding volunteering at the bakery?’ Daisy turned to Holly and smiled.
‘Great, thanks. I’m really enjoying it.’ Holly plunged her hands into her pockets. ‘It’s nothing like I imagined it would be, to be honest.’
‘It’s a lot bigger than I thought it would be when I came to volunteer.’ Diane pointed across the road, indicating that they needed to cross.
‘Yes, it is. It’s also a lot more, I don’t know how to out this, but welcoming and friendly, I guess. I work at a little craft shop back home and my boss is the complete opposite of Elsie.’
