The Heavenly Baker Read Online Free Page B

having none of it. With a hefty shove he propels me in the direction of the televised kitchen, and like a moth to the flame I am powerless to prevent the inevitable from happening. Please let it end quickly.

Chapter Four – Room with a View
    â€˜To priceless television,’ announces Bradley, raising his bottle of beer into the air.
    â€˜To priceless television,’ echo the assembled gang of drinkers who then proceed to look over at me. We are sitting in a suitably trendy Big City bar: all velour couches and interesting art hanging from the walls.
    â€˜It wasn’t that bad, was it?’ I reply with a shrug.
    â€˜No, it wasn’t,’ says Laura. ‘You were absolutely brilliant!’
    â€˜You were,’ agrees Bradley. ‘But the moment you realised you were live on TV …’ He stops for a moment, savouring the memory. ‘It was just fantastic. I shall cherish the memory for ever.’
    â€˜You need to get out more,’ I insist.
    â€˜That’s bold coming from you, country girl.’
    â€˜I’m not that country,’ I retort.
    â€˜You just keep telling yourself that if it helps,’ teases Bradley.
    â€˜He’s just jealous,’ murmurs Laura. ‘He wishes he had such sparkling screen presence.’
    â€˜Thanks,’ I say. ‘I’ll remember that,’ and for added effect I poke out my tongue at Bradley. It’s a very classy look, even if I do say so myself.
    The change in the girls assembled in the bar is noticeable the moment he enters. It would be comical if I didn’t feel it too. Backs straighten and cleavage is thrust forward. Beer bottles hover mesmerizingly close to lips where lipstick has been hastily reapplied. I wonder if he notices or is he immune to the world around him. He is the bringer of chaos, the destroyer of female hearts, and like all lethal assassins, he does it with a smile on his lips.
    â€˜Evening all,’ he purrs, making his way through the crowd and smiling back at all the pretty girls smiling at him. ‘Is everyone all right for drinks?’
    Everyone needs a drink. The ladykiller nods at the barman who starts to line up the drinks order on the bar. Reaching into his wallet, Matt hands over a couple of 20s and starts passing out the drinks. He waves away the barman’s attempt to give him the change with a smile and a slow shake of his head. I watch Laura shift on the couch to leave room for her star baker to sit down, but instead he carries over a fresh bottle of beer, sets it down on the table in front of me, and squeezes in between myself and Bradley.
    â€˜There’s no room here!’ protests Bradley.
    â€˜There would be if you stuck to your diet,’ replies Matt, winking at me.
    Bradley’s features take a turn for the cartoonish as he explodes with righteous indignation. Before he can formulate a barbed retort, Matt smiles at him and murmurs, ‘You love it.’
    â€˜I do,’ admits Bradley, nodding. ‘So country girl did well, then?’
    â€˜Is that what he’s calling you?’ asks Matt.
    â€˜That’s the name he seems to have settled on,’ I reply.
    â€˜I can have him fired if you like,’ promises Matt. ‘It’s no trouble, really.’
    â€˜Is that all it takes?’ says Bradley. ‘My loyalty of five years is cast aside and all because of a pair of brown eyes.’
    â€˜Isn’t that a Pogues song?’ asks Matt.
    â€˜It is.’
    â€˜Don’t dodge the issue,’ demands Bradley. ‘Five years of blood, sweat and tears.’
    â€˜You work on a bakery show,’ Laura reminds him. ‘You’re not Spartacus!’
    â€˜I should have known you’d turn on me at the very first opportunity,’ decries Bradley, throwing dagger eyes at his co-worker who responds in kind, but neither can keep up the display and they wind up giggling across the table at each