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“Very well, good luck. We’ll see you soon.”
By “we,” she means her and Marcus.
“You will. I need to concentrate on the business, then we will visit.”
“Just before I go, Marcus mentioned Cameron is still there.” I suck in a breath and close my eyes.
“Yes, Dan, Cole and Brant too,” I reveal, swallowing dryly.
“And you’re okay with that?” She sniffs. She had to single-handedly deal with my misery. I turned up out of the blue, red eyed and heartbroken.
“I'm okay with Beau being happy. I don't want to get into it. It’s an adjustment, but I want to learn to laugh in the place that made me cry. It’ll take time, but it will happen,” I say, sounding more determined. I'm still working through my thoughts and feelings, but having her question me only serves as a reminder of the pain I'm letting go of.
“That's one way to look at it, I suppose.” My mother doesn’t seem satisfied. She rarely is; she’s only happy when she is the one making the choices.
“I really have to go, Mum, thanks for calling,” I say breezily.
“Bye, dear.”
I don’t dwell. I head straight for the shop, and as soon as I pull up in the back, Danielle from the bakery arrives. She has my first order of baked goods. “Morning!” she calls when I get out of my car.
“Hi, Danielle, thanks so much.”
“I'm determined to be your first customer.” She laughs, opening her boot to reveal several boxes.
“Let me open up and I’ll help you bring it in.” I smile over my shoulder and almost jog to the door. I'm quick to silence the alarm and dump my bag on the side. Danielle is already bringing the first load, so I head to her car to get the next lot. It’s heavier than expected. “Christ, Danielle, when you said rocks cakes, Ididn't think you actually put rocks in it!” I pant, struggling to the door as she comes out laughing.
“Baker’s arms.” She grins, giving me a little flex.
I get a waft and smile. “Oh, wow, that smells amazing.” Licking my lips, I pick up the cloth on another tray and see a fluffy blueberry muffin. “Just sampling if they’re good enough,” I wink, knowing full well Danielle would offer nothing less than perfect.
A light tap at the door brings both our heads around. Emily is waving through the door at us, so I rush over and unlock the door. “Morning!”
“Starting without me?” Emily asks, smiling at Danielle. “Hi, I'm Emily.”
“Danielle, you're new in Richmond, right?”
Emily nods. “Yes, oh, what's that smell?” she says, looking around.
“That would be Danielle's baked goods,” I tell her, as Danielle lifts the cloth and reveals a tray of muffins, brownies and cakes.
“Have one,” Danielle says. “I baked a few extra,” she reassures.
“Thanks, I didn't have breakfast.”
By the time Keeley arrives, Danielle has gone and Emily and I are stocking the counter with muffins, cake, biscuits and other calorific goods. The place smells amazing, a perfect combination of books, coffee and cake. All my favourite things. I stand back and allow myself a moment to take it all in. This is mine, I did this. Pride fills me. Gripping the side, I allow the emotion in.
“There’re a few people headed this way.” Emily nods out across the green. She’s right, and what’s more is a line is forming to get in. I throw an amazed smile at both girls and check my watch.
My day goes by in a chaotic happy rush, the place so busy that I worry about leaving to go and collect Beau. I even gave up mylunch, eating it in the car on my way to get Beau from school. From the moment we opened, we have had a steady stream of customers, some opting to eat in and others choosing takeout. The weather is good enough that the tables and chairs outside and being used. My book sales have been fantastic, but I try to keep a rational head on me. It’s a novelty and things will ease off into a steady turnover. I leave Emily and Keeley to handle the shop, as it’s quieter with people needing to collect their children from school, but I can imagine we will fill up as quick when they head back this way. Stuffing the last of my sandwich in my mouth, I sip my now cold coffee and make my way down into the school grounds to wait for Beau. It’s only as I'm walking down I realise I still have my apron on. I untie it, fold it up and pop it in my handbag. I recognise a few parents from being in the shop earlier. The door opens and Beau comes pelting at me, her plait hanging together by mere threads, big bags are under her eyes and her cardigan is buttoned up wrong. I bite my lip to stop from laughing and drop down to catch her when she throws herself at me.
“I had the best day!” She grins. “I had cake, and we had stories. I told my teacher, Miss Badger, that you love stories too!”
“I do,” I say, smoothing her hair. “I missed you,” I admit with a soft smile.
She hugs me tight and squeezes. “I missed you this much!” She strains, making me laugh.
“Wow, you missed me a lot.” I peck her head and lower her onto her feet. “Shall we get back to the shop? I saved you a brownie.”
