Page 34 of Tricks & Treats at The Cosy Cornish Bakery

‘I don’t want your money, Chloe. Is that why you’re in a bad mood, because of the handbag?’

‘Not really, although it is annoying. Dinner with the family was fraught. Hannah was in an even more peculiar mood than normal, had drunk quite a bit and landed me in it with Mum.’

‘In what way?’

‘I had to tell Mum that, although I was staying around to get the bakery on its feet, I wasn’t planning on staying in the village permanently.’

‘Thought your Mum already knew that?’

Chloe shook her head. ‘What Mum hears and what she wants to believe are two different things. I’d already told her I’d look for a London job at some point, but she wants me to stick around permanently. And in her head that’s what I’m doing. She’s been trying to persuade me to take the bakery on full time. I suppose in the hope I’d stay on in Wheal Kitty Cove for good.’

‘Well, you never know, you might well.’

‘I don’t think so. I’m going to enjoy my time here, but I don’t see this place as anywhere I want to settle.’ She lifted her face to the warm autumn sunshine. ‘It’s actually nice to be out of the city but the city is where I want to be.’

‘Shame. I like having you around, Chlo.’

‘Even though I’m in a bad mood?’

‘Even then.’ In a dramatic change of subject, Ginger asked, ‘How are you and Nik getting on?’

Chloe went cross-eyed as she tried to pick straw out of her hair. ‘What do you mean?’

‘Every time you’re together, I get this really good vibe off you both. And you had that huge pash on him at school.’

‘I was a kid, Ginger,’ Chloe scoffed. ‘A tubby book nerd who wore bottom of bottle glasses. He was the most glamorous thing I’d ever seen.’ She watched as a low loader edged down Beach Lane, pulling a load of waltzers. It was heading to the fair on the green. She’d always liked the autumn funfair as a child. Candy floss, hot dogs and slightly naughty fun.

‘I agree. I remember him walking into the sixth form common room on the first day of term. All tall and long-limbed and tanned. Gorgeous. Still is.’

‘I’m not denying he’s easy on the eye and he’s a nice bloke too, but if I’m not staying around, there’s no point starting anything up even if he was interested.’ Chloe rubbed at her nose. ‘Think I’m going to sneeze.’ And did. ‘Don’t even know if he’s single.’

Ginger flicked her a curious look. ‘He’s single. Has been for a while. I think there was someone in Sweden but he hasn’t mentioned her for a while.’ She took the straw-filled tights off Chloe. ‘There, that should do it. Just need to knot them at the top, stop all the stuffing falling out.’

Chloe suppressed the curl of excitement on hearing the news that Nik was single. ‘How do we do the body and arms and head?’

‘Same. Tights stuffed with straw.’

‘Ginger! This is going to take ages.’

‘Nonsense,’ Ginger replied robustly. ‘Where’s your backbone?’

‘About as feeble as this chap’s.’ Seeing Ginger’s determined expression, she added on a sigh, ‘Better go and see if Pammy has any more tights, then.’

Eventually, scarecrow complete, Ginger and Chloe sat, exhausted at the table by the window in the café. Pammy made an enormous pot of tea and provided a plate of home-made biscuits and slices of apple cake and Amber, having been sent off earlier to the charity shop on a mission to find clothing, joined them.

‘Looks a picture,’ Pammy said. ‘Shift over Amber. Let some old legs take a pew.’ She began pouring tea.

‘Thanks for supplying all the tights,’ Chloe said.

‘Had a drawer full of them, maid. Save ’em to knot ’em up and make toys for the cats. My pussies love their toys.’

Chloe suppressed the splutter of laughter that threatened and turned to Amber. ‘And thanks for running up to the charity shop.’

Amber grinned and tossed back her platinum bob. ‘Can’t have the poor bloke going starkers, like, can we? He looks dead good in those Bermudas.’

‘Think I’ll be getting straw out of my hair for the next week,’ Chloe grumbled. She scratched at her side. ‘And it’s got into crevices I didn’t even know existed.’ She accepted the mug of tea Pammy passed her.

‘Have you seen the one Pinky’s made?’ Amber said, slapping a dollop of clotted cream onto a slice of apple cake. ‘It’s outside his house just off the lane.’