‘Look, I don’t like talking about those times; it was hard and I’m sorry. But do you think we can move on from it? It was so devastating for both of us. Can we try and forget it and pretend we’ve just met? Please.’
Her stomach, which was twisted up in knots just thinking back to that time, unclenched. She took a deep breath and nodded. Although she was desperate to know what had happened, she understood that it wasn’t healthy to harbour bitterness and resentment. It really had been a no-win situation for both of them. She had got over it eventually but meeting him again had churned up all of those feelings and emotions that had caused her physical pain. She released them as she exhaled, allowing them to break down into little atoms and circulate in the air and release her from their hold.
‘Okay,’ she answered. ‘I’ll try.’ He smiled at her and her heart sang with joy. She held her hand out to him.’ My name’s Camilla. How do you do?’
‘It’s lovely to meet you. My name’s Blake.’ He took her hand and kissed it softly without breaking eye contact with her. His touch sent tingles rushing through her body.
‘So, Blake, is it true that you’re not married anymore?’
‘I’m really not and what’s more I’m getting this tattoo removed, so there will eventually be no trace of it ever having happened. What about you? Was that your boyfriend the other day at the farmers’ market?’
Her eyes were glued to his mouth as he spoke. She imagined his lips kissing hers but knew that would be like drinking from a poisoned chalice. The taste would be delicious and all-consuming but the consequences would be dire. She would be handing over the weapon of power that could crush her fragile heart once more and she knew she couldn’t take that risk. She had to protect herself.
‘Who Ged? No he’s not my boyfriend. We’re just friends. I’ve not long broken up with someone. After losing my mum my head was a mess and I couldn’t cope with a relationship. Still can’t if I’m honest.’
He looked down. ‘I’m not surprised. It’s all still so fresh for you and actually I have been—’ He was interrupted by a bright light shining on them. Camilla realised it was the headlights of the estate agent’s car.
‘Oh hi. I’ve just come to collect the keys as you didn’t drop them in. Is everything to your satisfaction?’
‘Yes, thank you, I’ll take it,’ said Camilla.
‘That’s brilliant news,’ she said, no doubt rubbing her hands together in glee, now that she’d managed to rent out two properties. ‘Why don’t you pop into the office in the morning and we can sort out the paperwork.’
They agreed a time, she collected the keys and left them to it.
Camilla shivered. ‘Thanks for, you know, not taking the house so that I could have it.’
‘Not at all. I didn’t want you getting your hands on my super-cool bachelor pad in Nexton. Besides what would I do with a window seat and a babbling brook? They’d be wasted on me. You deserve something lovely.’
‘I do appreciate it. Anyway I’d better get back.’
‘Can we meet up again soon? Maybe for a coffee. I’d love to catch up properly,’ he asked.
‘Yes, I’d like that. Can I have your number back and I’ll text you mine?’
He smiled and dug the screwed-up piece of paper out of his pocket. She took it from him, her eyes not able to meet his for fear of blushing furiously. She could hardly admit that she knew it off by heart. That would be far too embarrassing.
‘It’ll be a while before I call, as I have some business to sort out in Germany first.’
He hugged her and kissed her on the forehead then shut the door of the van as she put her seatbelt on. She tried to hide her disappointment; she had hoped she wouldn’t have to wait. She waved to him and drove off. A shiver of delight swept through her body as she remembered how close they’d just been. It didn’t seem real. Her heart was beating to its own rhythm, although a knot of fear twisted in her stomach, fear of being hurt again. She promised herself she would take this slowly and not give herself too quickly to the one man in this world who had the ability to break her heart again.
Chapter 19
Carrie’s face was glowing as she looked at the beautiful bouquet that her friend had just presented her with. Pink and lemon roses bloomed alongside violets and chrysanthemums.
‘These are so beautiful I can’t believe they’re made of cakes. If I couldn’t smell the delicious hint of lemon in the air, I’d struggle to believe you.’
‘They are quite cute aren’t they. I’ve seen them before but never tried to make them. So, I bought some special nozzles and they were such fun to make. I did one for Lucy and one for Gracie too. I’m so thankful to all of you for helping me out at such a difficult time of my life.’
Carrie hugged her and put the kettle on. ‘It’s been an absolute pleasure having you stay here and you’ve really helped me out with the cattery. You are welcome here anytime. Now have you got time for a cuppa before you go?’
Camilla looked at her watch and sat down on the barstool in the kitchen. ‘Yes, I’ve got time for a quick one; I’m meeting Blake soon at the cottage as he’s borrowed a van to deliver some furniture for me.’ She reached down to pick up Marmalade, her favourite of Carrie’s cats who had come to say goodbye. The cat snuggled contentedly in her lap and she stroked her silky fur.
Carrie took the teabags out of the jar and popped them into the teapot, then stirred them round whilst pouring in the boiling water. ‘That was a stroke of luck, wasn’t it, him finding that house clearance,’ she said as she put the pot down for the tea to brew.
‘Yes, I bought a lovely couch and armchair as the one in the cottage was on its last legs; I also got some soft furnishings too. They were so cheap as the couple were emigrating and so really just wanted to get rid of everything quickly. Blake bought a few bits and pieces for the apartment he’s renting too.’
‘So, he’s planning on sticking around?’
‘For a little bit yes. He’s looking at buying period properties that he can do up and sell on for when he steps down from the business. He’s actually very hands-on.’
‘Oh, is he now? Well I suppose you’d know.’ Carrie pulled an innocent face as she poured the tea out, causing Camilla to laugh and blush.
‘You’re terrible, Carrie.’ She picked up her tea and blew on it, her face beetroot.
‘Well you know me; I love a happy ending. So, when are you getting back together?’
‘It’s really not like that, Carrie. I mean don’t get me wrong he’s absolutely gorgeous, but we were so young and stupidly in love and when we split we were both heartbroken. I’m not sure either of us could go through that pain again.’
‘Has he asked you out yet?’
‘No but he did ask if Ged was my boyfriend and I told him no and that I wasn’t ready for a relationship. I mean my head is all over the place. I think I need to be me on my own for a little while. I’m not the same woman that he knew. After all she had a mum and a solid grounding in this world. I feel as though I’ve had the rug pulled from under my feet and I’m not sure which way to turn.’ She hugged the cat tighter to herself. Marmalade miaowed her disgust and jumped down from her lap. ‘Oh I’m sorry, Marmalade,’ she said as the cat strolled out of the kitchen, her tail sticking straight up in the air.
Carrie sat on the arm of the chair next to her and pulled her into her arms. ‘You are doing amazingly well, young lady, and you’re going to be fine. Ooh talking of marmalade, here you are, a little housewarming gift from me.’ Carrie bent down to a cupboard and retrieved a basket wrapped in cellophane. Inside was a selection of jars of Carrie’s home-made jams, marmalades, pickles and chutneys, a biscuit tin and a matching teapot with two china cups and saucers. Camilla clapped her hands in delight.
‘Oh wow it’s the same as your tin except mine has cupcakes on where yours has cats. I love it,’ she cried.
Carrie flushed with pleasure. ‘I know how much you loved the style of mine so when I saw the cupcake o
ne I just knew I had to get it for you and you’ll never guess what’s inside the biscuit tin.’ She tapped the side of her nose conspiratorially.
‘It’s not my favourite Carrie’s home-made chocolate chunk shortbread is it?’
‘It sure is, honey.’ She laughed as Camilla pretended to swoon.
‘Thank you so much, Carrie. It’s been so lovely living here with you,’ Camilla said as she hugged her. Her phone buzzed with a text message from Blake. ‘He’s at the cottage waiting for me. I’d better go.’
‘It’s been my pleasure, love, and you are welcome back anytime,’ replied Carrie as she hugged her back.
It only took a couple of minutes to walk to the station from the square. Camilla packed her suitcase and a bin bag, which had more of her possessions in, into the cupcake van and made her way round to the cottage. As she bumbled down the lane, she could already see the van parked outside and Blake and Tony, one of his contractors, were carrying the heavy stuff out of it. She could hardly contain the smile that threatened to take over her whole face as she parked up under the pergola and retrieved her things from the van. Was she really moving into her perfect house? And was a gorgeous man helping to unpack her furniture? Her life was certainly changing for the better. But it all seemed too good to be true.
The front garden was not as bad as it had been, as Camilla had been busy. She’d hired some machinery and Carrie’s husband Jim had helped her to chop most of the weeds down to a decent level. It still needed digging over properly but they could get access with the furniture, which was the priority for now. The landlord had offered to cover the gardening but the rent would have been considerably more so she opted to do it herself and was looking forward to the challenge.
When Blake saw her approaching the cottage from the side he shouted for her to stop in her tracks. ‘Just wait there for one minute,’ he said. ‘In fact close your eyes.’
‘Again.’ She laughed. ‘What for? You couldn’t possibly beat a babbling brook surely?’
‘I’ll show you in a second; just make sure you don’t look at anything for one minute.’ He held his hand up with his index finger indicating that she should stay where she was. His eyes were twinkling as they used to whenever he surprised her in the past. Smiling to herself she did as she was told and looked down at the suitcase in her hand and fiddled nervously with the handle. Blake had gone into the cottage with Tony and put the new couch down in the living room. As promised he was back out in a minute. He stood behind her and covered her eyes with his hands then walked her a few steps to the front door.
‘You’re not peeking are you?’ he teased.
‘No, I’m not. I’m very intrigued though,’ she said.
‘Okay then here we go.’ He removed his hands from her eyes and the first thing she saw was a sign next to the freshly painted front door. Her hand flew to her mouth in surprise. His eyes twinkled to see her so touched by his gesture.
She stroked the letters of the engraving and traced the words as she said them out loud.
‘Cupcake Cottage – that’s so perfect; in fact—’ she took a few steps back so she could look up to the roof ‘—the cottage almost looks like a giant cupcake with its thatched roof with a chimney for a cherry on top. Thank you so much. It’s delightful.’
‘Well we couldn’t have you being the poor relation could we? The other cottages have names and so I thought that suited quite well. I’m so glad you liked it.’
‘I absolutely love it,’ she said, smiling inwardly as she noticed a slight blush to his cheeks. ‘It feels as though everything is falling into place finally.’
She kissed him on the cheek; his beard softly tickled her chin, causing fireworks to go off inside her. It was now her turn to blush.
Camilla walked into the living room and felt quite overwhelmed. The jade velvet two-seater settee looked perfect in the bay window and the matching armchair and footstool went in the corner with its back to the open beams. Blake had lit the fire for her as it was quite frosty outside. A fluffy and sparkly patterned rug lay in the centre of the room underneath the oak coffee table, which matched a new small bookshelf.
‘Blake, I thought that bookcase was yours for the apartment,’ she shouted to him as he and Tony lifted the shabby old sofa back in the van.
He shook his head. ‘No I remembered how much you loved to read so thought it would be perfect for you.’
‘Thank you, that’s so lovely of you.’ She was taken aback by such a thoughtful gesture.
Her mind drifted to a memory – the first Valentine’s Day after they’d moved in together. She’d come home from work aching all over and found rose petals leading to a hot scented bubble bath surrounded by candles. She stepped into it and felt the weariness slip away from her muscles as she relaxed. He brought her a glass of rosé and a box of her favourite chocolates. New pyjamas and cute fluffy slippers were warming on the radiator. After a long soak she put them on and went into the bedroom. On the bed was an envelope, which contained a clue.
She’d told Blake once that she loved treasure hunts, as her mum did them when she was little. Each of his clues led to a beautifully wrapped book: contemporary romantic novels by her favourite authors, as well as Romeo and Juliet – her favourite play, classics including Jane Eyre and Elizabeth Barrett Browning – her favourite poet. The idea for each book had evolved from snippets of conversations that they’d had over the years. The treasure hunt culminated in a delicious meal for two, which he’d had delivered as cooking was never his strong point.
She laughed as she remembered he told her he was going to call it a book hunt but thought better of it as it sounded like a profanity. She snapped out of her daydream and ran upstairs to one of the boxes that she’d stored at Auntie Edie’s house. After three trips up and down the stairs, her arms laden, she filled the empty bookshelf. She’d placed the poetry book on her bedside table. She’d forgotten how much she loved to read; her mind hadn’t been able to settle on anything lately but hopefully with this reminder she could get back into it. Her heart felt lighter at the thought.
When she was losing her mum, she was aghast at not being able to find words strong enough to describe the depth of feeling she had for her. ‘I love you so much,’ or ‘I love you more than words can say,’ just didn’t seem to cut it. When she opened the book by Elizabeth Barrett Browning just now she had found a sonnet describing that love perfectly. She wished for a moment that she’d read it out at the funeral but then realised that this way it was just for her. Maybe it was a sign from her mum delivered through Blake. Whether it was or not didn’t really matter because it brought her comfort and that’s what was important right now.
She put the kettle on and went out to ask the men if they’d like a coffee. They put their order in and Blake followed her back into the house, carrying two stripy deck chairs.
‘What’s this?’ she asked.
‘The people we bought the furniture from didn’t want them so I thought you might like them for over there. He gestured towards the patio doors in the orangery. ‘Just until you get some decent ones to sit on. He unfolded them and set them next to each other, facing the view of the garden. She smiled at how amusing but very relaxing they looked there.
She opened a bag that contained three fluffy and sparkly cream-coloured cushions with teal, beige and dark green patterns on them, which matched the rug perfectly, and she placed them on the couch and the armchair. It was starting to look like home.
She made coffee for the men and then went upstairs to check out her bedroom. She unpacked her clothes and found the picture she loved of her and her mum. She stroked her mum’s face but still couldn’t bear to look too deeply into her eyes as it hurt so much. It felt as though someone had reached into her chest, snatched her heart out and squeezed it until there was not one drop of blood left in it. She clutched the picture to herself tightly. It was undoubtedly the most important possession she had. She ran down the stairs and into the kitchen where Blake and Tony were dr
inking their coffee. She spotted Blake’s toolbox on the floor.
‘Have you got a hammer I can borrow please?’ Blake glanced at the back of the picture in her arms and she could see from his caring expression that he’d guessed why she wanted to put it up as a matter of priority, even though so many other things needed doing. He opened the lid and gave her the hammer. She took it from him and he stroked her hand gently with his thumb.
‘Are you okay?’ he asked.
She nodded, her mouth set in a straight line. She went to the living room and hung the picture where she could see it both as soon as she walked into the house and from her new couch. She leaned against the opposite wall with her arms folded and had a comforting sense of satisfaction at the perfect positioning. She felt a warm glow in her chest as though her mum was with her and happy for her.
‘Right these are the last of the boxes that we picked up from Edie’s house,’ said Blake as he carried them into the kitchen, ‘Where would you like them?’
Her stomach sank on seeing them, they were her bits and pieces from her mum’s house, she didn’t feel ready to go through them yet.
‘Oh can you just put them in here please,’ she opened the large cupboard door and Blake put the boxes on the floor.
‘Are you okay,’ he asked, his eyes full of kindness. He stroked her arm gently and she was surprised she couldn’t hear the crackles of electricity as his skin touched hers. She could feel goosebumps standing to attention.
‘I’m fine thanks, it’s just that they’re from my mum’s house.’
‘I see well if you ever want me to go through them with you I will, just give me a call anytime.’
‘Thanks, I will.’ She replied, knowing that she wouldn’t, she felt that this was something she would need to do alone, just her and her thoughts.
She soon thanked and waved to Tony as Blake gave him a lift home in the van. It felt good to have the place all to herself. The house creaked in various places as if to say “welcome home” to her. She wandered around the rooms to get a feel of the place; its convivial warmth seeped into her bones.
The Cosy Little Cupcake Van: A deliciously feel-good romance Page 13