Chapter Twenty
All eyes were on the stage, where Cam’s confidence oozed out from his workstation. There were cameras dotted all around that panned in and projected images onto the screen at the back of the stage, showing all three competitors as they worked briskly to finish their creations.
The judges flitted from workstation to workstation asking questions and joking with the competitors. Barney could be seen standing at the side of the stage talking with William; then Bree noticed him slip through the door. ‘I’m just nipping to the toilet,’ she said and hurried out of the auditorium.
Moments later, she was standing in a grand hallway, the bright lighting illuminating the royal blue walls and a long line of gold-framed pictures of the previous winners of the Baker of the Year competition. She noticed Barney at the bottom of the hallway talking on his mobile phone and knew this was her chance. Bree hadn’t wanted the toilet; she wanted answers. Seeing him standing in front of her on the stage was a shock and now she wanted to know: what exactly did happen all those years ago?
Bree’s pulse quickened as she began to walk towards him. She really wasn’t sure what she was going to say, but she knew she had to say something. She could barely breathe as he hung up his call and looked in her direction. Barney had once been a huge part of her and her mum’s lives and now he was a complete stranger. Bree tried to keep her emotions under control as the full enormity of what she was about to ask him struck her. Could he possibly be her father? The letter that her mother had left for Molly suggested they had the same father, and the man standing at the end of the hallway was someone she remembered being very close to her mother. He’d also shown Bree a lot of care, taking her out to feed the ducks on a Sunday, or going with her to the park.
Her mother had run from him after that huge row had erupted and Bree needed to know what had been so bad that they had needed to move on again.
Barney had begun to walk back towards the door at the side of the stage and she knew it was now or never. ‘Barney,’ Bree called.
Barney paused and simply stared at her. ‘Can I help you?’
‘Barney. Hi, do you remember me? I think you knew my mother … Lilian.’
‘Lilian,’ he repeated.
‘Lilian Allen.’
Lilian’s name hung in the air as Barney stared at her. ‘Bree?’ he whispered.
She nodded.
‘Wow, you’ve grown. How are you? Is Lilian here?’ He took a swift glance up the corridor.
Bree shook her head. ‘Mum passed away.’
It took Barney a second to process those words and when he did he looked grief-stricken. He raked a hand through his hair and blew out a breath. His eyes had welled up with tears. ‘I wasn’t expecting that… How? When?’
Bree could see that Barney was hurting and told him briefly what had happened.
‘I can’t believe you’re here. I thought the world of Lilian and I missed you both when you left. I thought she would just turn up again after all the controversy had settled.’
‘What controversy?’ asked Bree.
‘I hope there isn’t going to be any trouble, Barney Miller. Cam is taking part in this competition fair and square.’ Dixie was now standing behind them both.
Barney looked a little puzzled. ‘Dixie, how are you? How do you know each other?’
‘Bree is Cam’s apprentice.’
‘Really? You’re a baker too? Just like Lilian. She would have been so proud of you.’
Now it was Dixie’s turn to be confused. ‘How do you know that Bree’s mum was a baker?’
‘Because she worked for me for over seven years. She was the deputy manager of my bakery and she used to bring this one into work most days as a baby and then on Saturdays when she started school.’
‘Lilian Allen worked for you?’ Dixie couldn’t believe what she was hearing. This whole situation was getting more bizarre by the second.
‘And what controversy?’ Bree repeated, wondering what Barney was talking about.
Barney stretched his hand out towards Dixie. ‘No trouble, Dixie. Just an apology, which I hope you and your family will accept on behalf on Ted. He was an honest man. I know that now.’
‘That’s not what you were saying at the time.’ Dixie was taking no prisoners.
‘How do you two actually know each other?’ Bree was looking between them. She was so confused now.
