‘Those photographs look so old. This place is like something else. Lots of history. I wonder what it was like living in those times. This place has such a good feel to it… It’s homely,’ said Bree.
Molly pointed at a photograph. ‘This is Cam’s Great-Uncle Ted, he was the founder of The Old Bakehouse and won Scottish Baker of the Year many times … ten years running, in fact.’
‘Big shoes to step into,’ replied Bree, admiring the photograph.
‘And Cam has more than filled them,’ said Molly proudly. ‘Come on, this way.’
Molly was in a dilemma. As soon as Bree opened her bag, she was bound to notice her purse was missing and what was she going to think? Most probably that it had been stolen. There were two options: tell the truth or try and sneak the purse back into her bag when she fell asleep. Wishing Cam hadn’t put her in this position, Molly scraped up a brief smile. ‘Here you go, this is your room for the night.’
Switching on the light Molly heard a tiny gasp and saw Bree’s eyes were wide as she looked around the room. ‘I’ve never seen a bed like that before.’
The bedroom was a simple rustic room featuring a beautiful four-poster bed, the white walls, black oak beams and minimal decoration allowing it to stand out. The goosedown duvet with Egyptian cotton linen added elegance and charm, and was dressed with duck-egg-blue scatter cushions.
Bree stepped inside the room. ‘Can I actually sleep in that? It’s like a bed fit for a princess.’
Molly couldn’t help but notice that even though Bree was streetwise and used to fending for herself, there was an innocent, childlike look on her face. She really was amazed and grateful that this was her bed for the night.
‘You can, and there’s a small basin in the corner of the room, you can brush your teeth there.’
A huge smile hitched onto Bree’s face. ‘I’m never going to want to leave,’ she exclaimed, jumping on to the middle on the bed and making Molly burst out laughing as she kicked her legs in the air. The happy look on her face said it all.
Standing there, despite the tension with Cam, Molly felt warm inside seeing Bree smiling and with a glow about her. She was clean, fed and about to have a good night’s sleep.
‘Enjoy. Sleep well and don’t worry about getting up early. Sleep in as long as you like. The snow is going to continue to fall, so you might as well stay warm and cosy. Cam gets up early to start baking and no doubt I’ll be in the shop. Make yourself at home.’
‘Thank you,’ replied Bree, rifling through her bag and pulling out her toothbrush.
‘You’re welcome. Sleep tight.’ Molly closed the door behind her, leant against the wall and took a breath. Thankfully Bree hadn’t looked for her purse and hopefully she would just slip into bed, which would give Cam time to get the purse back into the bag.
Feeling Cam’s presence at the top of the stairs, she turned and saw he was walking towards her holding the purse in his hand. He held it out towards Molly.
‘What are you expecting me to do with this? You opened the bag, you put in back inside.’ Her voice was a hushed whisper.
Molly knew she was testing the water but she didn’t want to get caught putting the purse back when she hadn’t taken it in the first place. But knowing Cam was up early, and that there was no way he could go sneaking into her room, she knew she didn’t have a choice.
‘I’m not happy about this,’ she muttered, taking the purse from him.
‘I’m not comfortable withanyof this.’
Molly brought a finger up to her lips then pushed him gently towards the top of the stairs. ‘Shush, she will hear you.’
But before Molly could say any more, she noticed the door of George’s bedroom was ajar. Peeping through the gap in the door was a sleepy-looking George clutching his teddy bear.
Molly stretched out her arms. ‘What are you doing there, couldn’t you sleep?’
‘No wonder, with all the kerfuffle going on,’ Cam murmured under his breath.
‘Which is your doing.’ She looked at Cam before scooping George up in her arms. ‘Do you want to come and sleep in our bed for a while?’
Cam threw up his arms in frustration. He knew exactly the reason Molly would suggest that and so did she. She was feeling tired too and the last thing she wanted to do was continue this argument in bed, especially with Bree sleeping in the room next door.
She plopped a kiss on George’s cheek and handed him to Cam. ‘I’ll just go and switch off the lights downstairs and tidy away the dishes. We can all do with an early night.’
After switching off the light in the living room Molly stepped into the kitchen and was amazed to see Bree had cleared the table and put the dirty plates in the dishwasher. She placed her hands on the counter and stared up at the lamppost outside. The snow was still falling. Molly poured herself a drink of water. She estimated there were already a good few inches on the ground and by tomorrow morning it was more than likely that most of the village would be snowed in. She glanced at the notepad; Cam’s job advert was scrawled on the top page. She ripped it off the pad and placed it on top of the laptop. Tomorrow she would advertise the job and hunt down the best apprentice he could ever dream of, which would hopefully improve his mood.
Molly sighed. She felt exhausted. Her back was aching and her ankles were swollen. She cradled her tummy; it wouldn’t be long before the new arrival was here. She switched off the lights on the way back to bed and padded quietly up the stairs. George was snuggled under the duvet and Cam was wide awake staring up at the ceiling. Molly knew exactly what he was thinking but didn’t say anything as she slipped into the bathroom to clean her teeth. After changing into her PJs she climbed under the duvet. Cam was still lying in the same position and he didn’t look in her direction.
‘You need to go to sleep,’ she whispered. ‘You have a big order in the morning and the weather is looking worse and worse. I think the school will be shut tomorrow – Dixie told me the teachers struggled to get into school today – but if Dixie is around to look after George, I can help with some of the deliveries in the village.’
