CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Seeing Barley again really perked me up after Jensen’s no-show at the first Pudding Club evening.
Jo, a cheery girl at the rescue centre, went to fetch him when I arrived and he gave me the most wonderful welcome, whining excitedly and licking my face as I hunkered down to his level, and letting me hug him and bury my nose happily in his toffee-coloured coat.
‘You’ll be coming home with me soon, Barley! Would you like that?’ I threw a ball for him and he bounded joyfully after it. ‘I need to go shopping first, though, and get you the loveliest, softest bed ever. And the bounciest balls I can find.’
Barley had got distracted, leaving the ball to sniff at an interesting scent in the grass, and I smiled at Jo. ‘He’ll keep me on my toes, that’s for sure.’
She nodded. ‘He’s a little star. Well, they all are.’ She smiled sadly. ‘It beggars belief how people can just abandon such loving and forgiving creatures like Barley. Worse than that, sometimes.’
‘I know. But their luck changes when they come to you.’ I smiled. ‘This is such a great place and you do an amazing job.’
I went home, having fixed a date to collect Barley. I was excited, but I had a lot of work to do before then. Ellie had phoned at lunchtime to say that everyone in the café was talking about the Pudding Club and she was sure we’d have an even larger turn-out next time.
I had to get myself prepared . . .
*****
I called in to see Loli later, and as soon as she saw my face, she knew the cat was out of the bag.
‘It was you, wasn’t it?’ I reprimanded her gently.
‘What was me?’
‘Stop that! You know what I’m talking about. Unless I entered that competition while I was sleepwalking, which as far as I know, is something I’ve never actually done, then someone else must have entered for me. And the only person I’ve given a boxed golden syrup sponge pudding to recently is you.’
She gave me a sheepish look. ‘Tina was going to one of The Flour Mill’s open days – where they show you how the flour is made – so she offered to deliver our entry in person and I couldn’t say no. Sorry.’
I grinned. ‘So you should be. I’m just ignoring it, by the way. It’s the most ridiculous notion ever.’
‘But why is it ridiculous? People love our puddings. You proved that last night.’ She smiled. ‘It was so lovely being able to watch you on the computer. I almost felt like I was there with you. You were brilliant, by the way.’
‘Aw, shucks.’
‘No, you were. Even I was surprised at how you managed to have that audience eating out of the palm of your hand. They loved your chat and your demonstration. So that only goes to prove that I was right – you are perfect as the face of Vintage Puddings.’
‘You’re biased.’
‘Yes, but I also tell the truth.’
‘Except when you enter competitions on behalf of other people and “forget” to tell them?’
‘That’s not lying. That’s being economical with the truth.’
‘If you entered, why did the email come to me?’
She smiled. ‘I did actually enter in both our names but I said as you were the main partner that correspondence should go to you.’
I laughed. ‘You really did think of everything. But you know, there must be loads of local businesses turning out high quality products in proper factory units. We make our puddings in the kitchen .’
Loli shrugged. ‘Yes, but that’s the whole point of this competition. The Flour Mill started small but with local support and a business grant, look at them now! Their mission is to help small businesses like ours succeed in the same way they did, which I think is fabulous. And the winners will have their product stocked in their on-site shop.’
‘Which would mean we might have to make hundreds of puddings every week!’
She shrugged. ‘So we rent an industrial unit and take on a few staff if we’re successful. You have to dream big sometimes, Lisa, if you want to succeed in life.’
I sighed. She had a point. Sometimes you had to take risks. But you had to be practical as well in business. Dreams were lovely but the reality didn’t always measure up. We’d thought Mum would have years of life left after Loli donated her kidney, and look how that turned out. Our dreams had been crushed just a few months later when her body had started to reject the organ.
I gazed at Loli with affection. I knew why she’d done this and it wasn’t for herself. She was doing it for me, so I couldn’t be cross with her.
‘We’ll just have to see what happens, then, won’t we?’ I conceded. ‘Maybe they’ll absolutely love that pudding and think it’s the best thing since...’
‘Sliced bread?’ Loli smiled. ‘Wouldn’t they be our rivals in a food competition?’
I groaned at the feeble joke and Loli squeezed my hand encouragingly.
I knew The Flour Mill wasn’t going to choose us over the many other businesses that were sure to apply. But if it made Loli happy to think they might, that was fine by me...