Page 30 of Tricks & Treats at The Cosy Cornish Bakery

As a thank you, Chloe had suggested she treat the group to a meal in The Smugglers, but Ginger pointed out the risk of Josh being recognised. Instead, Chloe arranged a takeaway to be delivered to The Sanctuary and, after showering and changing, they met there.

Collapsing onto the sofa in Ginger’s homely sitting room and surrounded by her vividly coloured crocheted throws, Chloe raised her glass. ‘Thank you, my friends. Excellent work. To the new Pengelly Bakery and café!’

The others lifted their glasses in response. ‘To the new Pengelly Bakery,’ they chorused.

‘Weirdly, I really enjoyed it,’ Ginger said. ‘Painting the bakery, I mean. Do you think we could do a repair job on The Sanctuary’s roof next,’ she joked. ‘Don’t think it’ll last another winter.’

‘Well, we all come cheap,’ Chloe answered. ‘I couldn’t even get us down to the pub. A takeaway curry is small recompense for all your hard work today.’

‘What’s wrong with the roof?’ Josh asked.

‘Gets battered by the weather,’ Ginger answered. ‘It’s the original roof and I’ve been patching it up ever since I bought the place, but there’ll come a time when the whole thing will need replacing.’ She grimaced. ‘Big job. And expensive.’

Chloe drank deep, stretching her legs out to the welcome heat from the wood burner. She flicked a still-damp lock of hair back. ‘I needed that shower. My body is groaning. I thought I was fit but you must need different muscles to paint. My shoulders! And don’t take this the wrong way, Ginger, but I’m not going up scaffolding on any roof!’

‘Agreed,’ Josh said meaningfully. ‘I’m not all that good with heights either. I’m sorry to hear about your roof problems, though.’ He reached out a hand to Ginger’s and held it, gazing into her eyes.

Chloe felt a stirring of irritation. Yes, the man was charismatic, nice even, and no one could deny he was drop-dead gorgeous, but he was only passing through. He had no right to play with Ginger’s affections like this. She turned to Nik who was sitting beside her. ‘How are you feeling?’

In reply he flexed a bicep, now encased in the blue wool jumper he’d had on the night before. He winced. ‘Sore.’

‘You need one of Ginger’s massages,’ Chloe joked.

‘Ginger treated me to a reiki session the other day,’ Josh said. ‘Man, it was fabulous.’ He regarded Ginger fondly, leaving her looking dazzled. ‘Definitely booking one of those bad boys again.’

‘Ginger has many talents,’ Chloe replied waspishly. ‘And a heart of gold.’ And gives it away too easily to the wrong men, she added silently. The old-fashioned pull bell on Ginger’s front door jangled. ‘That’ll be the curries, she added, glad the interruption stopped her from saying anything more. She liked Josh, she really did. But she needed to protect her friend’s soft heart.

‘I’ll get it,’ Ginger said and jumped up.

‘I’ll give you a hand in the kitchen,’ Josh offered.

She flashed him a look that was painfully full of love. ‘Give us five minutes, Nik and Chloe, and then come through.’

Chloe sat in silence listening to the brief exchange as the takeaway was handed over. She sipped her wine and then sighed. Josh and Ginger’s happy chatter faded as they trooped along the corridor into the kitchen.

‘You’re not keen on Josh?’ Nik asked.

Chloe gave him a strained smile. ‘It’s not that. It’s not that at all. I like him a lot. He’s surprisingly down to earth considering what he does for a living and his lifestyle.’

‘So?’

‘He’s only here for a few weeks, a month or two maybe. And then he’ll be gone, back to his filming or promo or whatever he does in Tinsel Town. I think Ginger’s already half in love with him. What’s going to happen when he leaves?’

‘I do agree. I’m worried for Ginger too, but the heart does what the heart does. You can’t help who you fall in love with.’ He gave her a penetrating look.

‘No, I suppose not. And I suppose there’s even a chance he’ll love her back. He certainly seems keen. Maybe he’ll come back to the UK. Maybe they’ll make a go of it?’ She sighed again. ‘That’s a lot of maybes.’

‘True.’

She met his eyes. ‘And Josh is like me. Only a temporary member of Wheal Kitty Cove. We’ll both move on eventually.’

Nik’s grey-green eyes went arctic. A grim smile flickered for a second. ‘This is also true. And worth remembering.’

‘It’s all ready, guys.’ Ginger appeared at the doorway, her face flushed and alive. ‘Hope you’re hungry. There’s an absolute ton of food. Come on and get stuck in. Josh has brought a bottle of fizz to celebrate. Isn’t that good of him?’

CHAPTER 16

Chloe walked up to her old family home with some trepidation. She’d tried to dodge the repeated invitations to an evening meal with Dulcie, Hannah and the children and had avoided having to go again since the first. As she was now starting her second month in Wheal Kitty Cove, she didn’t think two meals in two months was too bad an average.