Christmas at Little Beach Street Bakery
Page 19
‘Oooh,’ said Polly. ‘That sounds… I mean, that doesn’t sound anything like as interesting as what puffins do.’
‘Puffins don’t do anything,’ said Bernard bitterly. ‘They don’t do tricks. Unless you count swimming at forty kilometres an hour and flying at twice that speed and having the best air-to-weight ratio of almost any living thing and mating for life and —’
‘You know a lot about puffins,’ said Selina. ‘Watch out, Polly likes that in a man.’
Bernard didn’t seem to hear her.
‘I mean, just because I haven’t got… stunt puffins.’
The bell tinged and Huckle wandered in, wondering if Polly would be free to have lunch with him, a hope that faded as soon as he saw her face. Neil was with him; since Huckle had let the fire go out, he’d thought he might as well go for a bit of a hop. When the little bird saw Polly, he eeped loudly and marched over to the counter, where he fluttered up in stages – he was getting rather too lazy and fat to fly – until he made it on to her shoulder, whereupon he leaned into her hair affectionately until she gave in and absent-mindedly rubbed him behind the ears.
‘Yes!’ said Bernard. ‘Like that! That’s exactly what I need! How did you train him to do that?’
‘I didn’t,’ said Polly, surprised. ‘He just did it.’
Without thinking about it, she passed Neil a crumb of brioche that had fallen into her apron pocket. He chomped it up cheerfully and leaned against her hair again.
‘There you go,’ said Bernard. ‘But how are we going to train up all those puffins?’
‘What are you talking about?’
He turned his blue gaze on her.
‘You don’t want the puffin sanctuary to close, do you?’ he said.
‘Of course not,’ said Polly.
‘I mean, it would be the end, probably, of puffins in Cornwall.’
‘That would be… that would be awful,’ said Polly, meaning it.
‘We need a star attraction.’
‘NO WAY,’ said Polly.
‘That’s it!’ said Huckle. ‘That’s what you have to start saying to people! Say it again!’
Polly barely glanced at him.
‘I mean, he could turn things around,’ said Bernard weakly.
‘You’re not having him,’ said Polly in a warning voice. ‘Don’t even think about it.’
Neil eeped and edged closer to her hair.
‘C’mon, Polly, shall we take Neil out of here?’ said Huckle.
‘Yeah,’ said Selina. ‘I can stay and look after Bernard. It’s no trouble.’
‘Jayden will be back in a minute,’ said Polly.
As she passed Bernard, she looked at him grimly.
‘You can’t have him,’ she said again.
As if things couldn’t get any worse, Jayden arrived just as she was on the point of leaving. He was blushing all the way down to his moustache.
‘Um,’ he said. ‘Can I have a word?’
Polly looked at him.
‘Of course.’
He rubbed the back of his neck.
‘Um, I wanted to ask… Can I have a raise?’
Polly blinked. Both of them took the absolute minimum out of the bakery. She was planning on raising prices a little during the summer; the holidaymakers who came over from the mainland had plenty of money and were inclined to spend it, and people who had tasted her delicious fresh offerings had assured her repeatedly that her wares would fetch much higher prices in London or Brighton or Cardiff.
The problem was that the local people were on fixed incomes or pensions or low wages – like the fishermen, who worked harder than anyone she had ever met and still found time to pull shifts for the RNLI. She couldn’t have a two-tier pricing structure; it was against the law. And she absolutely wouldn’t compromise on the 00 flour, or using local butter in the croissants and cakes. You got out what you put in, and Polly only put in the absolute best.
But it meant there was very little left over.
‘Oh Jayden,’ she said in disappointment.
Jayden nodded. ‘I know, I know,’ he said. When he’d started at the bakery, the wages had been more than he got for fishing, in much more agreeable conditions.
‘What’s changed?’ Polly asked.
Jayden blushed even redder, if that were possible.
‘Um,’ he said. ‘It’s just… Flora finishes college soon… And I thought. I thought I might put a ring on it.’
He mumbled this last bit, as if embarrassed to say it out loud even just to Polly, whose eyebrows shot up.
‘Oh my God! Jayden! But she’s only twenty-one! And you’re only twenty-three!’
Jayden looked confused at that.
‘Happen,’ he said. ‘That’s older than my parents when they got married. And Archie too.’
Polly reflected on the tired-looking captain of the Trochilus, whose three young children made him look considerably older than his years.
‘I suppose so,’ she said. ‘But Jayden… You see what we take through the till every day.’
Jayden nodded.
‘I know. I just… I wondered. Because Flora will be getting a job, you know, and I thought… I thought it might be time we settled down.’
‘Are you going to stay here?’ said Polly.
‘I’d like to, aye,’ said Jayden. ‘But we’ll see. Getting a place to live…’
Polly nodded. She understood completely. Jayden lived with his mum still, but of course he’d want to find a place of his own one day.
She had the oddest sense that everyone else seemed to be happily moving along with their lives, whereas she felt like she didn’t want to move at all; that she was being carried forward against her will. She knew why on one level. But it didn’t help her to feel much better.
‘I just can’t,’ she said. ‘Not at the moment. Can we see if we have a good summer? Flora can run the other shop and we’ll get the van open for ice cream and see how we do.’
Jayden shrugged.
‘Sure,’ he said, and deftly started clearing up the crumbs in the back kitchen, returning the room to pristine perfection. He was a brilliant member of staff. If Polly could, she’d have given him his raise and then some. She felt like a bad boss; like a mean person. The fact that Jayden wasn’t even complaining made her feel even worse.
‘Puffins don’t do anything,’ said Bernard bitterly. ‘They don’t do tricks. Unless you count swimming at forty kilometres an hour and flying at twice that speed and having the best air-to-weight ratio of almost any living thing and mating for life and —’
‘You know a lot about puffins,’ said Selina. ‘Watch out, Polly likes that in a man.’
Bernard didn’t seem to hear her.
‘I mean, just because I haven’t got… stunt puffins.’
The bell tinged and Huckle wandered in, wondering if Polly would be free to have lunch with him, a hope that faded as soon as he saw her face. Neil was with him; since Huckle had let the fire go out, he’d thought he might as well go for a bit of a hop. When the little bird saw Polly, he eeped loudly and marched over to the counter, where he fluttered up in stages – he was getting rather too lazy and fat to fly – until he made it on to her shoulder, whereupon he leaned into her hair affectionately until she gave in and absent-mindedly rubbed him behind the ears.
‘Yes!’ said Bernard. ‘Like that! That’s exactly what I need! How did you train him to do that?’
‘I didn’t,’ said Polly, surprised. ‘He just did it.’
Without thinking about it, she passed Neil a crumb of brioche that had fallen into her apron pocket. He chomped it up cheerfully and leaned against her hair again.
‘There you go,’ said Bernard. ‘But how are we going to train up all those puffins?’
‘What are you talking about?’
He turned his blue gaze on her.
‘You don’t want the puffin sanctuary to close, do you?’ he said.
‘Of course not,’ said Polly.
‘I mean, it would be the end, probably, of puffins in Cornwall.’
‘That would be… that would be awful,’ said Polly, meaning it.
‘We need a star attraction.’
‘NO WAY,’ said Polly.
‘That’s it!’ said Huckle. ‘That’s what you have to start saying to people! Say it again!’
Polly barely glanced at him.
‘I mean, he could turn things around,’ said Bernard weakly.
‘You’re not having him,’ said Polly in a warning voice. ‘Don’t even think about it.’
Neil eeped and edged closer to her hair.
‘C’mon, Polly, shall we take Neil out of here?’ said Huckle.
‘Yeah,’ said Selina. ‘I can stay and look after Bernard. It’s no trouble.’
‘Jayden will be back in a minute,’ said Polly.
As she passed Bernard, she looked at him grimly.
‘You can’t have him,’ she said again.
As if things couldn’t get any worse, Jayden arrived just as she was on the point of leaving. He was blushing all the way down to his moustache.
‘Um,’ he said. ‘Can I have a word?’
Polly looked at him.
‘Of course.’
He rubbed the back of his neck.
‘Um, I wanted to ask… Can I have a raise?’
Polly blinked. Both of them took the absolute minimum out of the bakery. She was planning on raising prices a little during the summer; the holidaymakers who came over from the mainland had plenty of money and were inclined to spend it, and people who had tasted her delicious fresh offerings had assured her repeatedly that her wares would fetch much higher prices in London or Brighton or Cardiff.
The problem was that the local people were on fixed incomes or pensions or low wages – like the fishermen, who worked harder than anyone she had ever met and still found time to pull shifts for the RNLI. She couldn’t have a two-tier pricing structure; it was against the law. And she absolutely wouldn’t compromise on the 00 flour, or using local butter in the croissants and cakes. You got out what you put in, and Polly only put in the absolute best.
But it meant there was very little left over.
‘Oh Jayden,’ she said in disappointment.
Jayden nodded. ‘I know, I know,’ he said. When he’d started at the bakery, the wages had been more than he got for fishing, in much more agreeable conditions.
‘What’s changed?’ Polly asked.
Jayden blushed even redder, if that were possible.
‘Um,’ he said. ‘It’s just… Flora finishes college soon… And I thought. I thought I might put a ring on it.’
He mumbled this last bit, as if embarrassed to say it out loud even just to Polly, whose eyebrows shot up.
‘Oh my God! Jayden! But she’s only twenty-one! And you’re only twenty-three!’
Jayden looked confused at that.
‘Happen,’ he said. ‘That’s older than my parents when they got married. And Archie too.’
Polly reflected on the tired-looking captain of the Trochilus, whose three young children made him look considerably older than his years.
‘I suppose so,’ she said. ‘But Jayden… You see what we take through the till every day.’
Jayden nodded.
‘I know. I just… I wondered. Because Flora will be getting a job, you know, and I thought… I thought it might be time we settled down.’
‘Are you going to stay here?’ said Polly.
‘I’d like to, aye,’ said Jayden. ‘But we’ll see. Getting a place to live…’
Polly nodded. She understood completely. Jayden lived with his mum still, but of course he’d want to find a place of his own one day.
She had the oddest sense that everyone else seemed to be happily moving along with their lives, whereas she felt like she didn’t want to move at all; that she was being carried forward against her will. She knew why on one level. But it didn’t help her to feel much better.
‘I just can’t,’ she said. ‘Not at the moment. Can we see if we have a good summer? Flora can run the other shop and we’ll get the van open for ice cream and see how we do.’
Jayden shrugged.
‘Sure,’ he said, and deftly started clearing up the crumbs in the back kitchen, returning the room to pristine perfection. He was a brilliant member of staff. If Polly could, she’d have given him his raise and then some. She felt like a bad boss; like a mean person. The fact that Jayden wasn’t even complaining made her feel even worse.
