Molly could see Cam’s eyes filling with tears. ‘And we won’t let that happen. Positivity is the word of the day. We carry on as normal. Do you hear me?’
Cam nodded as they hugged each other once again before he held out his hand and helped Molly out of bed. ‘I’ll need to phone Sam to make sure she’s okay,’ Molly said. ‘And what are we doing about the shop today?’ She pulled back the curtain. ‘Oh my lord. Is the van actually buried?’ Her eyes were wide as she stared at Cam and then back at the road. ‘And look.’
There were a couple of trees on the far side of the green that had fallen, and bins tossed on their sides on the pavement.
‘How deep do you think that snow is?’ asked Molly, still staring out over the icy white blanket.
‘Blooming deep. I’ve literally only baked a handful of bread today, as who is going to venture out in this?’ said Cam, slipping his arms around Molly’s stomach and resting his head on her shoulder.
She glanced back at him and kissed him lightly on the lips. ‘If it’s going to be quiet today why don’t you think about the baking competition?’ she suggested, giving him a sideward glance. ‘Like we’ve just said, carrying on as normal is the key here.’ She closed her eyes briefly and waited for his answer. ‘And just think how chuffed Dixie will be. She’s waited for this moment…’
‘There’s nothing like emotional blackmail,’ he replied, holding his hands up in protest. ‘However, with the bakery being quiet today I will have a look over Great-Uncle Ted’s recipe bible. Let’s see if it gives me any inspiration.’
‘Will you really?’ There was hope in her voice and for the first time she felt an inkling of excitement. This was the first real interest that Cam had shown in the competition.
‘I will. Maybe we could take a look together.’
‘I’d like that,’ replied Molly. ‘Look!’
Cam looked and laughed. There was Ash attempting to stomp through the snow, with his post bag slung over his shoulder. ‘Now, that’s a job I wouldn’t want to do in this weather. I’ll go and make him a warm drink. Goodness knows what time he started this morning.’
Molly pulled on a pair of trackie bottoms, slipped a sweatshirt over her head and followed Cam down the stairs. She noticed the welcoming warmth coming from the living room where the open fire was already crackling away. She stood behind the counter and watched as Cam opened the door and hitched a friendly smile on his face. ‘Warm drink?’ he asked Ash who nodded gratefully.
‘Superstar, I can’t actually feel my fingers, it’s brutal out there. There are trees down over at Primrose Park, chimneys pots scattered in the street, and this morning I woke up to a random garden furniture set sitting on my patio. It’s quite nice, to be fair.’
Cam was grinning. ‘We could do with a nice new patio set. Maybe I need to check the garden. Is it really that brutal out there?’
Ash nodded. ‘Brutal,’ he repeated, looking down at his waterproof trousers and gesturing to his thigh. ‘The snow has been up to here in places and it’s minus seven out there at the moment. The high street looks like a mini tornado has hit the village as there are fences missing from gardens, and everywhere is under inches of snow. Even the pub sign has been battered with the blizzard. The bridge is open for pedestrians but I wouldn’t recommend it and there are no vehicles getting through on the track until the snow has thawed. The River Heart is just a layer of ice.’ Ash shivered. ‘And the police have cordoned off the top of Love Heart Lane. It’s so sad to hear about what happened to one of Sam’s residents.’
‘It is,’ agreed Molly. ‘Very sad.’
‘It took me over an hour to walk from the town post office to here,’ continued Ash.
‘Sounds like not many people will be venturing out today,’ remarked Molly.
‘Not if they have any sense,’ replied Ash, looking longingly at the few croissants that Cam had baked before waking Molly.
‘Go on, help yourself,’ said Cam with a grin, offering him the tray.
‘Don’t mind if I do.’ Ash took a croissant and tore off the end. He waved it in the air as he spoke. ‘Talking of no sense, I couldn’t believe Bree was up and about at this time in the morning, especially when everyone has been advised to stay indoors. I shouted at her but she seemed to be in a world of her own.’
With a sharp intake of breath, Molly asked quickly, ‘Bree, you’ve seen Bree this morning? It was actually her? Are you sure?’
‘I’d recognise that smile anywhere, not that she was smiling though. In fact, she looked sad … but I might be mistaken as I was a distance away from her.’
There was a pause as Molly tried to get her thoughts in order. ‘Was this just now?’
‘Yes, just now, outside the church. She was sitting huddled up on a bench, which I thought was odd because I’m not sure I’d want a cold, wet backside.’
Cam met Molly’s worried stare.
‘Are you okay to keep an eye on George?’ she asked.
‘Of course,’ replied Cam.
Molly hurried up the stairs, all fingers and thumbs as she got dressed as quickly as she could.
Ten minutes later she was pulling on her boots and Cam was handing her her coat.
