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helped, as those
who had braved the shops instead of ordering everything online entered the shop
frozen stiff. Jacob had heard varying reports on the weather.
    ‘A hard frost this morning, wasn’t it?’
‘I had to scrape my car windscreen today for the first time this year.’ ‘I’ll
need to dig out my gloves.’ ‘Must buy a new winter coat.’ ‘The sunshine’s
deceptive, isn’t it?’ ‘Weather forecast said it might be below zero overnight.’
‘Think I’ll be wearing my thermals tonight.’
    The bakery fortunately was a haven for those seeking refuge
from the cold, with its ovens constantly emitting heat, as well as the café
section being centrally heated.
    At twelve thirty, the door tinkled once more and a familiar
face appeared. Sophie.
    Jacob grinned and said, ‘Ah, so she didn’t eat you alive
then?’
    Returning his smile, Sophie said, moving her hair back from
her face, where the wind had blown it, ‘Nope, I got away with it. I think she
was distracted with too many other things. I did, however, display the spare
chocolate éclair on my desk to wind her up, and she was practically salivating
and giving me evils every time she walked past.’
    ‘Sounds like you’ve got the measure of her,’ Jacob laughed,
his face lighting up.
    Natalie looked on, the corners of her mouth twitching. Jacob
had told her when they were closing up yesterday about Sophie’s evil boss.
    ‘So what can I get you today?’ asked Jacob.
    ‘I’m going to have some of that Rocky Road and the usual
carrot cake for The Ice Queen.’
    ‘Does she think she’ll be able to see in the dark if she
consumes it in vast quantities?’ said Jacob, as he used tongs to lift out a
slice of Rocky Road.
    ‘I don’t know about see in the dark, but she definitely
seems to have eyes in the back of her head,’ was Sophie’s witty comeback. ‘See
you’re busy again. Enjoying it?’
    ‘Yes,’ Jacob said, ‘We’ve had a right good mix of people in
and today everyone’s trying to get out of the cold.’
    ‘No wonder. It’s brass monkeys out there,’ Sophie shivered.
‘Tell you what, stuff Meredith. It’s my lunch hour.
Can I have a latte, please? I’m going to grab a table and read my book for half
an hour. You don’t mind do you, if I eat my sandwich here? I know I didn’t buy
it here...’ she tailed off.
    Jacob, unsure, cast a glance at Natalie, who nodded that it
was fine. They didn’t sell sandwiches anyway and Sophie was still a paying
customer.
    ‘Sure, grab a seat. I’ll bring your coffee and cake over,’
Jacob replied, as he placed the carrot cake in a bag and handed it to her.
    ‘Thanks a lot,’ and Sophie ensconced herself in the corner
table near the window, which had just been vacated by an elderly couple. She
took out her e-reader and powered it up.
    A few minutes later, Jacob brought her order and would have
stopped to chat, but a queue was forming again.
    What a nice girl
    Jacob had served at least a dozen customers one after the
other. He stopped to draw breath and wiped sweat from his brow with a handkerchief.
Working in a bakery, he was discovering, was hard work and it was hot, even on
the coldest day of the year so far. The ovens weren’t so far away and the
proximity to the coffee machines meant he was constantly boiling.He happened to glance up just as a girl came in, taking off her floppy velvet plum-coloured hat as she did so.
    Jacob was struck dumb. She had a perfect rosebud mouth,
heart shaped face and porcelain skin, truly peaches and cream. Her hair
cascaded down her back over her plum trench coat and he stood transfixed, as
she pulled off her gloves. The girl gazed around as if she had never been there
before. Perhaps she hadn’t, thought Jacob, who clearly wasn’t in much of a
position to know. Noticing him smiling at her, she made her way towards the
counter.
    ‘Hi. Can I have a pot of tea, please, Earl Grey, if you have
it, and,’ she cast her eye across the selection of cakes and