Page 86 of The Sugar and Spice Bookshop Bakery

‘Come on, I’ll show you the children’s section. Didn’t you say you had a daughter?’

‘Yeah, I do,’ Anna says.

Louise tries the handle of the children’s book nook, but the door is locked.

‘It’s out of bounds,’ comes a voice.

It’s Jack, peering out at them from inside the Crime Scene. Since the road trip, they haven’t seen much of each other – Louise staying out of his way and busying herself with the books, whilst he puts the finishing touches on the outbuildings, a door handle here, an extra coat of paint there – but when their paths have crossed, they’ve been friendly, nothing more. There’s a definite distance between them, and Louise tells herself it’s for the best.

‘Out of bounds?’

‘I think she’s planning to surprise you,’ he says. ‘But I can’t say more. My lips are sealed.’

Louise finds her eyes drawn to his lips at the mention of them. She remembers how it felt when they touched hers and feels herself blushing.

‘I’ll have to show you another day,’ she says to Anna, as Jack disappears back inside the Crime Scene.

‘Are you two….?’

‘No, er, yes, um…’ Louise shakes her head. ‘There was a time when I thought we might be together, but it’s complicated. Clearly.’ She shrugs apologetically.

‘Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked.’

‘It’s not a big deal, really,’ Louise says. It is, in fact, quite a big deal, but Louise isn’t going to say that to Anna.

When they arrive back in the bakery, Miss Anderson and her cronies are already sitting at the window table.

‘Oh God, that’s all I need,’ Louise mutters. Today is clearly going to be one of those days. First the blood and now her old teachers. ‘I don’t know how she has the nerve.’

‘Why? What’s she done?’

‘She’s the bane of my life!’ Louise says, a little too loudly.

She sees her old teacher glance over at them. ‘Want me to take the order?’ Anna offers.

‘Thank you, yes. That’d be great.’ Already she’s glad that she decided to offer Anna the job.

Anna serves them quickly with a large pot of tea and slabs of millionaire’s shortbread. Louise makes a mental note to tell Anna not to be quite so generous with the cakes and bakes next time they come in. Petty, she knows, but they are her least favourite customers.

She watches as Miss Anderson holds up her knife, angling it this way and that, clearly checking it’s clean. She places it down, takes her neighbour’s knife and repeats the process.

She’s trying to catch me out, Louise thinks, suddenly furious. Trying to find fault where there is none.

An image flashes through her mind of standing in front of the class having read out one of her short stories, and Miss Anderson belittling her, scoffing at a description.

‘Clichés,’ she’d said. ‘Full of clichés. Can’t you come up with anything more original?’

In an uncharacteristic fit of anger, she marches up to the table. ‘I think you’ll find the knives are clean. Fresh from the dishwasher.’

‘As they should be,’ Miss Anderson says coldly.

‘And we have our hygiene certificate, in case you’re wondering. Five out of five stars. In fact, the inspector remarked on how spotless the place was.’

‘Again, as it should be.’ Miss Anderson peers at her over her glasses.

The door opens again and Maddie bounds in.

‘Louise!’ she shouts across the bakery. ‘You’ll never believe what’s happened.’