Ivy Lane: Winter: Read Online Free Page A

and smiled at us. She bent low and hissed into Gemma’s ear, ‘I’ve put extra bacon in yours.’
    ‘You’re literally a life saver,’ Gemma beamed and took a giant bite.
    ‘Excuse me, would you mind displaying one of these, please?’ I said, pinching the poster from Gemma’s fingers.
    ‘Sure.’ The waitress was roughly my age with luscious red hair, and a smattering of freckles across her pale cheeks. ‘Oh, I’d love an allotment,’ she sighed, pushing a strand of hair out of her eyes. ‘Is it very hard work?’
    ‘Depends on who you ask.’ I smirked at Gemma. ‘But no, not really. Come along to the cake event of the year and have a look around for yourself. You could join the waiting list if you like what you see.’
    ‘Thanks, I might do that. Although I’m not much of a cook.’ She walked over to the noticeboard and pinned it up my poster.
    ‘Look at you, advertising the place!’ exclaimed Gemma, squirting a generous amount of ketchup on top of the bacon. ‘Mother will be so proud.’
    ‘I’m on the committee now, you know.’ I smiled at her haughtily.
    ‘So tell me about this cake thing, then,’ she said, taking a large bite of her sandwich.
    I poured us both a cup of tea and filled her in. Since coming up with the idea last week the event had snowballed and had taken over my life. With the rest of the committee’s rather bewildered consent I had created a cake sale with a difference. Each person would enter their cake to be sold and judged under a certain category: novelty cake shapes, cakes with hidden vegetables, the ‘taste better than they look’ cakes, the ‘unusual flavour’ cakes and ‘first time ever in the kitchen’ cakes.
    This list, I rather thought, left no room for anyone at Ivy Lane to try to wriggle out of it.
    I had designed posters like the one I’d just given to the waitress and pinned them up everywhere and had leaflets printed which I was hoping Mia might help me deliver. Plus every child at school had gone home with one in their reading folder yesterday. I’d phoned up every plot holder and begged them all to take part and I’d arranged for people to buddy up, so those who didn’t bake had someone to call on for help or some moral support if their Victoria sponge failed to rise, or whatever. Liz had offered to help Nigel, and Vicky and Dougie, who both claimed not to be able to cook a thing, were going round to Brenda’s for a baking lesson. I’d even phoned Wendy and Richard after Peter had told me they were definitely taking a plot next spring. Wendy had hooted with excitement until she’d realized that the event clashed with their three-week Caribbean cruise, so they couldn’t make it. Charlie hadn’t picked up his phone so I’d left him a message and everyone else had agreed to come. I was thrilled!
    ‘I’ve even made a collection of some easy recipes with hidden vegetables, just to give people a few ideas,’ I said, taking a copy from my bag and waving it under Gemma’s nose.
    I bit into my bacon sandwich. ‘Yum. Good choice. What?’
    Gemma’s eyes were twinkling at me and she shook her head innocently.
    I sighed and swallowed my mouthful. ‘I know what you’re thinking. I’m taking it too seriously. But it’s my first event and I want—’
    ‘No, Tills,’ said Gemma softly, covering my hand with hers. ‘That was
not
what I was thinking.’
    ‘Oh?’ I felt my cheeks colour at her tone.
    We eyed each other in silence for a long moment.
    ‘Just ring him,’ Gemma said finally.
    I took a deep breath with the intention of pretending not to know what she was talking about but I caught her eye and snapped my mouth shut instead. My shoulders drooped and she gripped my hand a bit tighter.
    ‘I know what this is, you know. All this cake competition stuff,’ she said primly, dabbing the corners of her mouth with a napkin. ‘You’re in classic distraction mode: keeping yourself busy to keep your mind off Aidan.’
    I kept my mouth shut.