The Cosy Little Cupcake Van: A deliciously feel-good romance

by Annette Hannah

  Whilst waiting for Blake to return, she spent the time fussing around with the cushions, plumping them and rearranging them until they looked simply perfect and homely.

  Chapter 20

  Awakening to the sound of birdsong, Camilla took a second or two to remember where she was. It was such a contrast to the noises she heard in the B&B – the sounds from the market setting up on the square every Monday, other guests moving around their rooms, doors slamming – and that delicious smell of bacon and sausages cooking, which would creep under her door every morning. She had loved staying there with Carrie as that was the place she’d been when her friends had helped to put her back together again. She felt so much stronger but knew that the emotion was still raw and near the surface.

  She bounced down to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee and poured some cereal into a bowl. She went to the fridge to get the milk and laughed at herself as she opened the freezer door by accident; she would get used to the place soon enough. She poured the milk onto her cereal and in her coffee cup and carried them upstairs. Lucy had bought her a darling foldaway TV stand, which was basically a tray with legs, and she had set it up next to the window seat. She placed her mug and bowl on the tray, which was covered in little cupcake images and matched the gifts from Carrie perfectly. They must have gone shopping together, she thought, along with Gracie who had bought her oven gloves and tea towels in the same design. She was blessed to have such kind and thoughtful friends.

  She snuggled into the window seat and gazed out into the picturesque scene in front of her. The day was frosty but the sky was mostly blue; it was a perfect day. She gobbled up her cereal and as no one was looking, she drank the excess milk straight from the bowl, wrapped herself up with a throw and picked up her coffee. Her mind fluttered back to last night, sitting in the deck chairs with Blake, eating fish and chips out of the paper and drinking beer. She’d offered to treat him to dinner as a thank you for helping her to move in and he’d chosen the menu. He was on his way back to Canada now. He’d said he would be backwards and forwards a lot as he was working on the future expansion of the business.

  ‘Edie told me what happened with your mom’s house. If there’s anything I can do then let me know. I have a kick-ass solicitor who might be able to help.’

  She stared at the dreary sky through the window as she recalled the worst time of her life. ‘Everybody gave me advice at the time and even the solicitors were annoyed for me but there was nothing that I, or they, could do and even if there was I was grieving for my mum. I couldn’t have fought my way out of a paper bag.’

  ‘I wish I’d been here for you.’

  ‘Me too,’ she replied.‘Anyway, I later found out that because there was no will, he registered her death as intestate and that meant that everything went to him. I wrote to him asking for sentimental items and he said unless I had a receipt then I was getting nothing.’

  ‘But this was your mum’s house; she worked all of her life to pay for it and to raise you. Did he contribute anything to it?’ His hands were forming into fists.

  ‘Not a thing, apart from a bit of rent from when he was a lodger, but my mum always said he ate more than he paid in rent.’

  Camilla stood up to throw away the chip shop papers and to put the kettle on. ‘Anyway, Auntie Edie always said to me he’ll get what’s coming to him.’

  ‘I know what I’d like to give him,’ said Blake, nodding to her as she held up the coffee jar to him.

  ‘He’s not worth it. I couldn’t believe he’d abused my mum’s trust so badly. That’s what breaks my heart the most – not the house or the money but the fact that he has denied her lifelong wish to leave me an inheritance. I actually hate him. To be truthful I never did like him that much anyway, but I did think he would be companionship for my mum at the time and she seemed happy enough.’

  Blake admitted that he didn’t have any words to help make this better; he just pulled her into his arms and let her talk. She could feel his heart beating like a jackhammer as he listened to the infuriating story.

  ‘Auntie Edie has been my rock. She hated him too after what he’d done. She was so worried when she saw the sold sign going up at the house; she knew I wouldn’t have sold it. Also, she was there when he promised me that he would fulfil my mum’s wishes, but he put the final nail in the coffin when he transferred the house into his name. Legally of course he was entitled to do that but morally it was completely the wrong thing to do. I know he destroyed her will. The next-door neighbour found burnt bits of documents blown into their garden but none of this is tangible proof I’ve been told.’

  She felt a little uneasy being in his arms as the reality of their situation burst the bubble they’d been hiding in and so she wriggled out of his embrace to finish her coffee. She took a couple of salted caramel cupcakes out of a tin, put them on a plate and carried everything into the living room. ‘Come on, let’s go somewhere more comfortable,’ she said, before continuing.

  ‘I’d been away for a couple of days on a trip I’d won and by the time I got to the house everything was gone. There had been a removal van, a skip and a charity van and between them they’d emptied my mum’s house. I thank God that Edie managed to rescue that picture of me and mum from the skip as it was the only copy of it and it’s of one of our happiest times together.’ As she spoke she nodded to the picture she’d hung on the wall.

  ‘What if he died?’ he asked between mouthfuls of coffee and cake. ‘You must surely have rights then as his stepdaughter.’

  ‘You would think so wouldn’t you? But no, stepchildren don’t have any rights. I’ve looked into everything and spoken to so many solicitors that I reckon I actually could be a solicitor myself. All were very sympathetic but all were of the same opinion: that I don’t have a leg to stand on. It’s cost me… well more or less everything in legal fees, which is how I became homeless.’ She took a sip of coffee and leaned back to look at him. ‘Why? You’re not thinking of doing him in are you?’ She chuckled.

  ‘No of course not but I certainly wouldn’t shed any tears over the baldy bastard. Why did he do all this?’ Blake was shaking his head.

  Camilla laughed again. ‘That’s exactly what Auntie Edie calls him. I personally think it was just one huge power trip. He had achieved nothing in life, couldn’t hold down a job or a relationship. He was with my mum for just a few years and I don’t know why she felt the need to marry him. Suddenly he’s her next of kin and got everything, including her house.’

  ‘Let me talk to my solicitors.’

  ‘I do appreciate you wanting to help but I think for my own sanity I need to move on. Greed is a horrible thing and it really brings out the worst in people. I’m doing okay now; I need to admit defeat. My friend’s husband Dom is a solicitor and he looked into the solicitor who this guy used to sell the house and sort out the probate and apparently he’s not the most scrupulous.’

  She took a sip of her coffee and watched his broad back move as he threw logs onto the fire and began to light them. She wished she could stroke it and feel the warmth of his body against hers again but he was strictly out of bounds. He looked around at her. She reddened at nearly being caught ogling him, as if what she was thinking had been written across her face.

  ‘I think he had a grudge against me because he once overheard me asking my mum if she was sure she wanted to get married. I was about to move in with my boyfriend at the time and I offered to stay home if she was just looking for companionship but she said she was fine. As I said she felt sorry for him in some sort of weird way but I don’t believe she ever loved him.’

  ‘I’m sorry you had to go through all of this, Cami, and I’m sorry for reminding you of it. I promise I’ll never mention it again. But I don’t think you should look at it as you being defeated. You’re a strong woman and you will recover from this and come back even stronger. By the sound of it he’s a thief and a liar and a fraudster. You’re a lovely person with a big heart. He’ll come unstuck one day.
Anyway, changing the subject, these cakes aren’t going to eat themselves.’

  His gorgeous face helped to chase away the physical pain she felt when talking about her mum’s house. It felt like someone juggling with daggers in her stomach. She smiled and stood up to go to the kitchen. ‘I made them especially for you as a thank you so please help yourself.’ He followed her and tucked into one of the cakes.

  She bit into one and realised he was looking at her and smiling.

  ‘What?’ she asked, wiping her face with a paper towel. ‘Have I got buttercream all over my face?’

  ‘No,’ he replied. ‘I’d almost forgotten how beautiful you are and I’m so glad I got a chance to see you again after all this time. He gently stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers, causing her to close her eyes briefly and inhale deeply.’

  ‘Would it be okay if I contact you next time I’m over?’

  ‘Yes of course,’ she said. ‘I’d like that.’

  Even though they weren’t in a relationship her stomach churned when saying goodbye. He kissed her lightly on her cheek, just a fleeting moment like a butterfly’s wing. Part of her wanted to hold on to it forever; the other part wondered if it had actually happened. The hug that followed took her breath away it was so unexpected. His strong arms around her rekindled memories of a time when she felt safe and loved. Her face was snuggled into the warmth of his chest; she breathed him in. She could only imagine how devastated she would have been had she become heavily involved with him again and then had to say goodbye to him so soon. Especially as last time he’d left her for Canada it had taken him ten years to come back.

  But the chances of that were zero now anyway, as he’d mentioned earlier that he had started seeing someone in Canada. Someone named Dawn who his sister had been trying to set him up with for some time. He’d been about to tell her when they first looked around the cottage but the Estate Agent had turned up and interrupted them.

  ‘It’s been so good seeing you again. Thanks for dinner,’ he said.

  Feeling far too comfortable she broke away first. Like tearing a plaster off quickly, it seemed to get the pain over with. She patted him on the back as she would any male friend.

  ‘Thanks again for helping me move in. It was really kind of you.’

  ‘No problem – anytime.’

  Chapter 21

  Since moving into Cupcake Cottage, Camilla’s feet had hardly touched the ground. She’d got the job in the college teaching cake decoration one evening a week, which was helping her to get back into the swing of things and provided a boost to her savings. The council had approved her premises which had lifted a huge weight off her mind. She had then been able to approach local supermarkets and garden centres, including Flowerpots, with samples of her goods. Her orders were increasing every day, not just for cupcakes but for regular-sized sandwich cakes too. The cupcake bouquets had really taken off as well and were in huge demand. It was as she was delivering one of these in the cupcake van that she saw Ron coming out of a house a couple of doors away.

  ‘Hello, love, how are you? I’ve got to say it’s been such a pleasure seeing and hearing your little cupcake van delivering sweet treats all over the place.’

  ‘Hi, Ron, I wondered whether I would see you today when I saw the address. I really want to thank you as having this van has changed my life completely. You and the girls have done such a great job. I was at rock bottom when you did this for me and now I can hardly remember that girl I was.’

  ‘You look so much better my dear. You’ve got some colour back in your cheeks now. Anyway I’m glad I bumped into you as I was going to give you a ring but now you’ve saved me a job.’

  Camilla knew what was coming and felt her stomach clench.

  ‘I was wondering if you could dig us out of a massive hole and make that christening cake for me for Sunday? The wife’s got all the details. She tried to have a go and she’s bawling her eyes out in here. I’ll be honest with you, it looks like a bloodbath in our kitchen. She wanted a certain shade of pink and kept adding more and more food colouring until she ended up using the whole bottle and it really doesn’t look good. Please just take a look and if you can do it, this time I’ll be paying you full whack for it.’

  Camilla went to protest but he held his hand up. ‘No I insist, we are square now and so any cakes I order will be paid for. Have you got time to pop in now?’

  Camilla looked at her watch and realised she could spare fifteen minutes before her next delivery. As soon as she saw the state that Ron’s wife was in she knew she would have to help them out. The poor woman had bright red hands and patches of red on her cheeks and as for the cake it really looked like it should have police tape around it. It might take a little practice to get back in the swing of things, but she really needed to help. Ten minutes later she came out of Ron’s house filled with tea and biscuits and armed with a rough sketch of what she had to create by Sunday. A fizzle of excitement swept through her veins. It made her feel stronger than before. Even if she had to make ten practice cakes, she felt she owed it to Ron to make a success of this one. She continued her deliveries with renewed vigour.

  The look of pure joy on the faces of the people she surprised with cupcake bouquets built up her confidence bit by bit. She needed to push the black cloud of what happened with her mum’s house behind her and start to look at the blue sky and sunshine that was her future. Thanks to being surrounded by amazing friends who picked her up when she was down and sheer hard work, of course, she now had a beautiful home, a job she loved and her amazing, cosy little cupcake van. She was surprised how many good things she had going for her.

  Like her mum she worked for everything she got, and she wouldn’t let parasites like dodgy Rog get her down. She may not have the house her mum had worked all her life to give her. Nor the many sentimental things that were in it, but she had her mother’s values and work ethic and not to mention a whole lifetime of amazingly happy memories and you simply couldn’t put a price on that. Counselling had helped her to understand that she hadn’t allowed herself to grieve properly, therefore when she lost the house it tipped her over the edge and the delayed grief combined with the anger at Roger consumed her like an avalanche. The bitterness she felt at the mere mention of his name left a disgusting taste in her mouth and made her think of despicable swear words that she’d never dream of saying out loud. She knew for her own sanity she had to move on.

  She popped into the wholesalers on the way back home as she had a lot of ingredients to buy and lots of catching up to do on making icing figures.

  She hadn’t quite realised how much the anger had been bubbling just under the surface until she spent all night forcing herself to make this cake. After shouting and throwing numerous attempts at icing figures in the bin, and a couple at the wall in total disgust, Camilla was finally able to deliver the perfect christening cake to the Signal Box Café, where the christening party was being held. Ron and his wife and daughter Becky gasped as they saw Camilla’s creation come out of the box. The cake was made of two white-iced tiers with pale pink garlands piped around the sides and joined at the top by tiny pink bows. Sparkling pastel-coloured blocks surrounded the smaller of the tiers and each block spelt out a letter of the baby’s name: Ava Grace. The top of the cake had a perfectly shaped baby, wearing a pink Babygro and holding a teddy. The cake was standing on a pastel-pink-iced board, upon which sat a lemon giraffe and a pink elephant, again made out of icing.

  ‘This is amazing,’ said Ron’s daughter as the little chubby-cheeked girl in her arms squealed with delight. ‘Oh look, Ava, isn’t it beautiful and this lovely lady has made it especially for you.’

  Camilla tickled the little girl under the chin and waved goodbye. Ron handed her an envelope with the money in and Camilla knew she was really back in business. The events of the previous year had been a nasty blip in her otherwise beautiful life. The only other thing she could wish for was that her mum could still be around but that was futile.
Yet she couldn’t help but feel that her mum was around her anyway and that gave her a comforting warm glow as though a candle was shining in her heart and warming her up from the inside out.

  She had lost her mum and would grieve for the rest of her life. Her Auntie Edie had told her that she would never get over the loss of someone so precious in her life but that she would eventually learn to live with it. She knew that the grief was still hiding in the deep dark recesses of her mind and heart and tried not to delve too deeply because she knew that down there lay despair. She seemed to be treading a thin line and had been teetering about on the ledge of that precipice ever since she lost the precious woman who had given her life.

  Thankfully her friends and her auntie were holding her hands as she tentatively stepped down from the blackness to join them. She could feel their strength pushing her forward and like a mother with a baby taking its first steps, their arms were outstretched, surrounding her, ready to catch her if she should fall. Their strength was starting to course through her blood; their belief in her was firming up her self-confidence, making her feel solid again, more grounded and ready to take on the world once more.

  Chapter 22

  The sound of knocking on her very own front door still sent a quiver of excitement through Camilla; she opened it to see Lucy and Carrie standing on the front step with huge smiles on their faces.

  ‘Ah if it isn’t the ladies who lunch,’ she said as she opened the door wider and gestured for them to come in, hugging and kissing them each in turn.

  ‘Well we are today anyway,’ replied Carrie. ‘What a lovely idea to sneak away from our normal daily rituals for a spot of lunch. I could certainly get used to this.’ She handed Camilla a bottle of prosecco and a bunch of sweet-smelling freesias, took off her coat and hung it on one of the hooks to the side of the front door.