Chapter 3 #3
Izzi nodded as the breath caught in her throat. ‘I mean – I’ve never been to the area, but perhaps you know someone who looks like me?’ She asked the question tentatively. She didn’t want to give anything away, but she could feel hope curl in her chest. Could it be this easy?
Maud scoured her face and then shook her head and Izzi’s whole body sagged. ‘I’m sorry, lass, I can’t think of anyone. Perhaps it was a customer I had once.’ Izzi followed her into the back, trying to hide her disappointment.
‘Ta da!’ Maud exclaimed as they entered the kitchen.
Whilst the café was the kind of place you’d be happy to while away a few hours watching the world go by, this room was all about efficiency.
There were silver pots and pans dangling from a pole on the ceiling over a long stainless steel counter which took up most of the centre of the room.
Cabinets and trolleys lined one side of the space and there was a huge oven opposite.
Izzi could see something was baking inside and took another deep breath, enjoying the tantalising scents.
She’d always thought of baking as a kind of alchemy.
Cakes, biscuits, brownies, madeleines, macaroons, doughnuts, cookies, baguettes and bagels – right through to the humble loaf.
None of them were ever identical, even if you followed the same recipe day after day – ingredients, mood, weather, or perhaps just something in the air seemed to alter them.
Izzi had often been told she performed magic in the kitchen, and she considered it her superpower.
Rather than talent, she’d always thought her success was about being positive and joyful around the ingredients – her aunt Regina was usually sour and morose in the kitchen and that had affected her work.
Maud had obviously been busy this morning because there were trays of cooling loaves in various shapes, fresh croissants, chocolate brownies and a dozen bright orange cupcakes on the counter.
The combination of delicious scents had Izzi’s stomach grumbling despite the fact that she’d just eaten.
A large pot bubbled on the stove and when she went to look, Izzi saw it was homemade tomato soup and inhaled deeply.
The whole area was ordered and spotless, which told Izzi that as far as running a kitchen was concerned, she and the older woman were on the same page.
Maud nodded at the cakes. ‘I’m just starting to introduce some seasonal treats.
I love Halloween.’ Her smile brightened.
‘I was supposed to be going to New Orleans with Cameron to celebrate it this year. My cousin lives there and I haven’t seen her for almost ten years, but—’ She paused and frowned, and it was like a dark cloud had suddenly appeared over her.
‘Circumstances beyond our control forced us to cancel the trip. It’s a shame; I was looking forward to spending time with my grandson. He’s always so busy.’
‘I’m sorry.’ Izzi was tempted to ask what those circumstances were. But Maud was her boss and she barely knew her. She’d probably see if she could pry it out of her – or Cameron – at some point. People usually talked to Izzi.
‘I thought you could work in the café today rather than doing the baking.’ Maud quickly moved on and her face brightened again. ‘That way, you’ll get a chance to meet the customers and to get a feel for the kinds of things they like. I imagine you’re probably keen to crack on?’
Izzi nodded enthusiastically before taking a quick sip of the hot chocolate, relishing the hit of sweetness on her tongue. It was good, perfect actually, which boded well.
‘How about I teach you how to use the till and give you your uniform? And could you do me a favour, a bit of research to get sales up?’ She paused looking concerned.
‘I know your special talent lies with making themed cakes – see if you can find out what kinds of things our customers would like to see in here on the run up to Halloween. I’m thinking we might want to offer something special, but I wanted to get your thoughts on that first.’
Maud checked her watch as the door dinged. ‘Ah, that’ll be our first customer. We tend to get a rush at about a quarter to nine, then it’ll start getting busy again at twelve. You’ll be surprised how many people this place sees on the average day.’
She waved a hand towards the front of the shop and immediately headed out of the room, leaving Izzi staring blankly at the kitchen.
She was excited about working in the café – but after her conversation with Maud, she realised it might not be as easy to find her mystery relative as she’d imagined.
Both Maud and Cameron had commented that she looked familiar, but neither could put their finger on why.
It might be a small village, but Izzi realised she had almost nothing to go on to help her quest, no name, address or phone number.
Perhaps her expectations of an easy resolution had been unrealistic? She was starting to realise tracking down her mystery relative might be far harder than she’d thought.