Prologue
Robin took another sip of the brilliant blue cocktail in front of her and glanced towards the door. It was pub quiz night, and their table was full of Elsie’s bakery family. A chair beside her sat empty, while Brooke was sitting on her other side.
‘Still not here?’ Brooke whispered to her.
‘Nope.’ Looking at her watch, Robyn frowned. Jasper had promised to meet her as soon as he’d finished his last delivery of the day and she’d rather hoped he’d finish early today. She couldn’t wait to tell him her news.
‘I’m sure he’ll be here soon.’ Brooke took a sip of her drink.
‘Yes, he will.’ Nodding, Robyn pulled her mobile from her pocket, relieved to see a text from Jasper.
Sorry, running late. Will be fifteen mins xxx
‘...and the last question in tonight’s famous pub quiz is...’ Gerald boomed down the speaker, pausing until people in the crammed pub began chanting, ‘Go on, Gerald. Go on.’
Relaxing now she knew Jasper was on his way, Robyn laughed. She’d always enjoyed pub quizzes, but this one was something else. With Gerald hosting, there was never a dull moment.
‘Okay, okay.’ Holding up his hands, palms forward, Gerald waited for quiet before speaking again. ‘The final question... how many people gather in Times Square on New Year’s Eve?’
‘Oh, that’s got to be a couple of hundred thousand, hasn’t it?’ Teresa picked up the pen and glanced around the large table.
‘More than that, I’d say.’ Connor shook his head. ‘A lot more.’
‘Five hundred thousand, maybe?’ Holly suggested.
Leaning forward, Harry whispered across the table. ‘I reckon it’d be closer to a million. New York is huge and they have that famous New Year’s Eve ball drop down the flagpole or something, don’t they?’
‘Yes, we saw it on TV last year, didn’t we?’ Diane waved her hand excitedly. ‘And, Harry’s right, there were loads and loads of people there.’
‘So, we’re going with a million?’ Teresa met Harry’s eyes.
‘I think so.’ Harry took a sip of his orange juice.
Robyn checked her watch again. Jasper would almost be here. Standing up, she twisted the robin pendant hanging around her neck to face the right way and whispered across the table, ‘I’m just going to go and meet Jasper out the front.’
‘Okay.’ Nodding, Brooke pulled her chair closer to the table, letting her through.
‘Thanks.’ As she made her way through the packed pub, she couldn’t stop herself from grinning. Today she’d got the answer she’d been hoping for. An answer which was about to change both hers and Jasper’s lives. Pushing the heavy wooden door open, Robyn spotted Jasper pulling up in his van at the side of the road. Just in time.
Jumping out of the van, he closed the door before striding across to her. ‘Hey, you.’
‘Hi.’ She leaned up for a kiss before stepping back.
‘You must be freezing.’ Rubbing his hands up and down her arms, Jasper nodded towards the pub door. ‘Shall we go inside before you catch a cold?’
Shaking off his concerns, she took his hands in hers. ‘Not yet. I’ve got something to tell you.’
‘You have?’
Robyn nodded, barely being able to control her excitement. She’d planned to make him guess, but she just couldn’t keep the news quiet any longer. ‘I heard back from work, I’m transferring to Trestow!’
Dropping her hands, Jasper rubbed his palm across his face. ‘Sorry, say that again.’
‘I’m moving to Penworth Bay! Work let me transfer!’
‘Robyn, I...’ Jasper shook his head, a slow grin forming across his face. ‘That’s the best news ever!’
‘I know.’ Robyn smiled as he threw his arms around her. The last few weeks had flown by in a whirlwind. Volunteering at the bakery, going on dates and getting to know Jasper but the fact her time at the bakery was drawing to a close had been playing on both their minds so when Jasper tentatively suggested she see if her work could arrange a transfer, Robyn hadn’t had to be asked twice. And now they could face the future head-on, together. Yes, it was early days, but every relationship started somewhere, didn’t it?
‘Excuse me, please?’
With their lips barely millimetres from each other’s, Robyn and Jasper turned to face the person who had spoken. A woman was standing on the path next to jasper’s van, her plaited hair peaking just beneath her bobble hat.
‘Hi, can we help?’ Stepping back from him, Robyn took Jasper’s hand and squeezed it, excitement still bubbling inside her.
The woman red off a piece of paper she was holding. ‘I’m wondering if you could. I’m looking for someone called Elsie?’
Thank you so much for reading. I hope you enjoyed reading Christmas Joy at the Cornish Bakery as much as I enjoyed writing it. If so, I’d be so grateful if you could leave a review, please.