The Peridale Cafe Cozy Box Set 4 by Agatha Frost

Author:Agatha Frost [Frost, Agatha]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pink Tree Publishing LTD
Published: 2020-03-16T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Five

Julia spent the entirety of the next day in her pyjamas. She barely moved from the couch, choosing instead to watch Sunday television from under the warm safety of a blanket. She watched a marathon of people going to other people’s homes for dinner and rating them, and a slew of property buying and selling programs.

Jessie brought her regular cups of peppermint and liquorice tea, and Barker intercepted every knock at the door. They had fish and chips delivered for dinner, and by the end of the night, they were all on the couch again, this time watching Barker’s favourite film, Die Hard.

The telephone remained unplugged, and all mobile phones were switched off. The events of the previous day were never mentioned, and even though Julia couldn’t ignore the heavy feeling in her chest, it was easier than she had expected to pretend nothing had happened. When she finally crawled into her warm bed at half past ten, after a bubble bath, she wondered why she hadn’t spent more days of her life so cut-off and relaxed.

On Monday morning, which was also Bonfire Night, Julia’s eyes sprung open at eight, just like they would have if she were opening the café. She got as far as making herself toast before she remembered what had happened, and that was only because she opened the broken fridge to grab the butter.

She stared at her first wedding cake. The cake that never was for the wedding that didn’t happen. It taunted her, urging her to spend another day on the couch. It had been years since she had watched weekday morning television. Were the same faces still lingering around, or had they been replaced with fresher, younger ones?

“If I do,” she said to herself as she closed the fridge, “I might never move again.”

Instead, she quietly dressed and left the cottage, leaving Barker and Jessie asleep. The chilly morning air filled her lungs, refreshing her after a full day of stuffy radiator heat. Though she had her car keys in hand, she decided to walk and stretch her legs, instead. When she reached the centre of the village, her heart was pumping, and her mind was revitalised.

With a renewed sense of self, Julia hurried down the alley between her beloved café and the post office. She rarely used the back entrance, but just this once, she didn’t want people to know she was there.

After turning on the kitchen lights—keeping the front ones switched off—she got to work. She had no idea what she wanted to bake, but a need deep within compelled her to create something. If not to level her mind, then to stop the rushed wedding cake being the last thing she had made.

Her fingers worked automatically, with her mind taking a backseat. Baking was the best free therapy she had access to, and, an hour later, she had twenty neat gingerbread biscuits decorated like fireworks to show for her efforts. She hadn’t planned on celebrating Bonfire Night, so the colourful biscuits brought a smile to her face.

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