CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
We drove on to the next village, Primrose Wood, in a companionable silence.
I seemed to swing these days between feeling bursts of optimism for the future but also times when I raked over the past, trying to work out when my relationship with Richard had started to go wrong. Meeting Mo and hearing her and her friend Dot’s alarming stories had made me feel quite gloomy.
Where was my life going now that Richard and I were done?
The thought of online dating filled me with dread – having to kiss so many frogs before by some amazing chance I managed to find someone who was vaguely suitable? It wasn’t a very enticing prospect. The single life seemed a far simpler way to live.
There really were so many advantages to living on your own. No compromising over how to spend your day off or what to watch on TV. You could choose exactly what you wanted! And you had the bed all to yourself with no one’s snoring waking you in the early hours so you found it impossible to drift off again. They were the obvious ones, but there were surely so many more little pleasures in a life lived as a single independent woman.
In fact, I was certain there must be loads more. I just couldn’t think of them right now...
With a resigned sigh, I turned off the main road and followed the signs for Primrose Wood.
The village was just a few miles along a pretty country road with sheep in the fields on either side of us – and as I drove along, it suddenly struck me how lucky I was that Ellie had offered me this opportunity at exactly the right time. Driving the cake van around such lush countryside as summer was appearing on the horizon, and meeting lots of new people, was just the boost I’d needed. A break from routine. Ellie could have offered it to Maddy. Or Primrose, who was looking to get back to work after having George. But I had a feeling she’d realised how much I’d benefit from a change of scene.
Being newly single after a break-up wasn’t so bad when you had your friends to look out for you...
On last week’s run, just a few people had come along to the cake van – among them, a lovely silver-haired woman in her sixties called Judy, who’d revealed that she was a widow, having lost her husband the year before.
She was there waiting for us when we arrived in her sensible dog-walking gear, her beautiful chocolate Labrador on his lead by her side, being a very good boy.
As I parked the van by the green, I smiled across at Ellie. ‘I could get a dog if I wanted to!’
She looked surprised.
‘Sorry, that was a bit out of context. I was driving along thinking of all the benefits of flying solo.’
‘Didn’t Richard like dogs, then?’
‘No, he liked them. But he liked them more from a distance? If you know what I mean.’
‘Ah.’ She grinned. ‘Not a hands-on-with-animals sort of a person, then?’
I shook my head. ‘Not anymore. Richard had become annoyingly fussy, to be honest. He hated it when I left coffee cups or magazines lying around. He was always tidying my things away and then I could never find them. So he definitely wouldn’t have coped with a dog running about the place, bringing mud into his clinically-clean flat and slobbering doggy breath all over him. But isn’t Judy’s chocolate lab gorgeous ?’
‘He is. He’s called Twix, if I remember rightly?’
I nodded. ‘Lovely name as well.’
I scratched Twix’s silky head, watched fondly by Judy, who remarked, ‘Those iced fairy cakes last week were absolutely melt-in-the-mouth delicious, by the way. I was hoping you might have more on board this week?’
‘We do, indeed,’ I told her. ‘How many would you like?’
‘I’ll take four, please.’ Her smile was tinged with sadness. ‘They were my husband’s all-time favourites. He loved a fairy cake with white icing on top, and it’s a strange feeling eating them alone now he’s gone. But they are gorgeous. And I do like being reminded of him.’ She glanced away at the sound of boots crunching along the lane towards us. ‘Oh, it’s Bob. Hi there, Bob!’ She waved cheerily. ‘Any letters for me today? Hopefully not, because they’re usually bills these days.’
The postman stopped by the van and started searching through the letters in his bag. ‘Let me have a look for you.’
‘Oh, don’t worry about finding mine among all those,’ smiled Judy. ‘You’ll have them all in order, I expect. So I’m happy to wait my turn.’
‘No, it’s fine.’ The sun gleamed on his salt-and-pepper hair as he burrowed in the bag with his tanned, workman-like hands. ‘Here you go.’
‘Thank you.’ Judy shoved what looked like mostly marketing letters into the large pocket of her green waxed jacket. ‘So how are you, Bob?’
‘Fine, thanks.’ He smiled a little awkwardly. ‘You know... just doing the usual.’
Judy nodded and they exchanged a rather stiff smile and Bob turned to leave.
In a rush, Judy said, ‘Have you got time for a little break? These cakes are absolutely marvellous.’
Bob stopped and glanced over. Warm colour had risen to his cheeks. ‘Maybe next time? I’d better get on.’ He paused. ‘Er... nice to see you, Judy.’
Judy watched him go, a faraway look on her face.
Then she seemed to recollect herself and turned to us with a smile. ‘I’ve known Bob for years. We were in the same class at school, would you believe? How time flies.’ She shook her head. ‘Anyway, I’ll take a couple of those darling gingerbread men as well, please. I’ve got my grandchildren coming tomorrow and they will absolutely love them.’
‘Was it my imagination or was there a bit of tension between Judy and Postie Bob there?’ I asked Ellie, as we were setting off for our next stop.
Her eyes twinkled. ‘Yes, I picked up on that as well. I wonder what the story is?’
‘Who knows?’ I switched up a gear. ‘Right, next stop Hawksley Rise.’
*****
The pretty village of Hawksley Rise, which was more of a town really in size, consisted of a cobbled market square with parking on all sides and a small, select range of shops set among the idyllic cottages – including a bridal shop and a country village store. There was also a cute café with a sign hanging by the door depicting an old-fashioned teapot and a pair of china cups and saucers.
‘This is lovely, isn’t it?’ Getting out of the van, I gazed around me. ‘I wouldn’t mind living here.’
Ellie grinned. ‘Especially now that a cake van comes to town every Wednesday.’
‘Exactly.’
We were parked in the square and as we opened the van doors, a couple of people were already walking over.
‘Perfect timing,’ smiled one of the women, glancing at her watch. ‘I’m having a few friends over for tea this afternoon and after sampling your lovely cupcakes last week, I thought I’d just call by and see what you have on offer this week.’
I was busy explaining – the women were trying to make up their minds – when behind me, I heard Ellie’s muffled exclamation of surprise.
She sounded so taken aback, I swung round, wildly imagining that Ivan and Caleb must have followed us here, deliberately to annoy me.
But when I saw who it was, walking up to a car parked opposite us on the square, my heart lurched in shock.
Richard?