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There was a small queue spilling out of Delilah’s Delicacies when they got there, so they headed up to Isla’s shop first. It was empty, as usual, and Isla was sitting in the corner with a book in her lap, her thick black hair braided over her shoulder. When she heard them scuffing their feet on the doormat, she glanced up with a small smile. “I remember you two.”
Olivia grinned, and Paige brought out the brown paper bag of sea-worn glass and shells. “We brought you some things,” she said, setting the bag down on the counter.
Isla put away her book and peered inside, her eyes glimmering in the semi-darkness. “Look at all of these treasures,” she said, reaching into the bag and pulling out a handful of shiny sea-debris.
“We thought you might like to use them in your jewellery,” Paige added, folding her hands in front of her with a nervous smile.
Isla ran her fingers over the glass, the chains and bangles around her wrist clinking together. “That’s very kind of you,” she said, a ruminative expression crossing her face. “How long are you staying in town?”
“We were about to make the journey home, but we can stick around for another hour.”
Isla nodded. “Perfect. Come back here just before you leave. I might have something for you,” she said, an enigmatic smile budding beneath the shadow of her gaze.
Olivia and Paige exchanged a glance. “Okay. We’ll come back in an hour then.”
Isla scooped the glass and shells back into the bag, her mind seemingly elsewhere, so the two of them left behind the cloud of dust and incense and headed downstairs to the bakery.
“I forgot how good everything looked,” Olivia said, breathing in the smell of pastry and icing sugar. “Can we get one of everything? Do you think that’s too much?”
Paige chuckled. “Maybe a bit much. But how about we pick a few things out for the journey home?”
“I guess that’s more sensible.”
“You and your crazy ideas,” Paige said fondly.
They joined the queue behind a girl with light blue hair, who Paige recognised from the cat café.
“Skye, good to see you,” the woman behind the counter said, smiling warmly.
“You too, Delilah,” the blue-haired girl returned, her voice quiet over the humming of the air conditioning unit. “I think I’ll have a cinnamon swirl today.”
Delilah nodded, bagging up the pastry and setting it on top of the counter, a strand of dark curly hair drifting over her eyes. “There we go.”
“Those look yummy,” Olivia whispered behind Paige, eyeing the cinnamon bun that Skye had just bought. “I might get one of those.”
Skye finished paying and turned around, catching Paige’s eye with a faint, barely-perceptible smile before disappearing out onto the cobbled street.
Paige and Olivia took it in turns to make their selections, and Delilah arranged them all neatly into a cardboard box before taping it up. They paid, then went to find somewhere to sit.
“Which one do I eat now, and which one do I save for later?” Olivia mused, opening the box and dusting the air with icing sugar.
Paige nudged her shoulder. “Olivia, just choose before you start attracting wasps.”
Olivia grumbled, but decided on the strawberry tart and put the rest away for later.
“Don’t ever let me move here,” Olivia said around a mouthful of jam, “or I’d be buying out the bakery every morning.”
Paige laughed. “There’s definitely nothing as good as this back home,” she agreed, taking tentative bites of her own cake. “What do you think Isla meant when she said she might have something for us later?”
Olivia rolled her shoulders lazily, reminding Paige of a cat stretching out on a patch of sun-warmed concrete. “I don’t know. Maybe she’s making something from the stuff we gave her.”
“Yeah, that would be nice.”
They finished their pastries and soaked up the sun for a little bit longer before Paige suggested visiting the bookshop.
“Sure, let’s go.” Olivia jumped to her feet and offered a hand for Paige to take. This time, there were no reservations as Paige slid her fingers against Olivia’s, her skin still slightly sticky from the jam. Olivia pulled her up, but neither of them let go, and they walked hand-in-hand down the street, smiles blooming between them.
They entered the bookshop, and Paige went straight to the romance section, where she had found Avery Cole’s book previously. “Romance, huh?” Olivia said with a sly wink.
