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inside the shop, baking. While I’m
measuring and mixing ingredients, cleaning the shop and checking
the equipment, I forget. For a few hours, I actually forget. And
it’s heaven. Doing this anesthetises me. I don’t even notice it’s
daylight until Lisa knocks on the door with a beaming smile.
    ‘Morning!’ She hugs me tight,
and the warmth of her bump presses between us.
    ‘You’ll never guess what
happened last night,’ I say, surprised I’m smiling what feels like
a proper smile. One that stretches right up to my eyes.
    ‘Brad Pitt came in wanting a
cappuccino on the way home?’ She smirks.
    I snort. ‘No.’
    She slaps a hand to her
forehead. ‘Oh, yeah, silly me. It was a latte, wasn’t it?’
    I laugh and wonder what I’m
going to do without her here. She’s the only bit of saneness in my
world. I tell her about the hospital. ‘I was so scared, I thought
it was Jack.’
    ‘God.’
    ‘No, it wasn’t God. His name’s
Ben.’
    She tilts her head, giving me a
knowing look. ‘Was he hot?’
    My face flushes. The timer
sounds in the kitchen. Saved by the bell. I turn around and walk
into the kitchen. ‘I didn’t notice,’ I call over my shoulder.
    ‘So, is he OK?’ She follows me
in and puts on her apron. ‘I mean, he’s not seriously injured, is
he?’
    ‘Well, he was talking when I
left. Had a massive lump on his head, though.’
    She studies me for a while as I
pull some brownies out of the oven, but I pretend I don’t
notice.
    ‘Hmm. So, are you going to go to
the hospital and see him again?’
    I shake my head.
    ‘Why?’ Her hand rests on her
hip.
    ‘Because I don’t even know him!’
I turn my back to her.
    ‘But you said he was hot.’
    ‘No, I didn’t. You did.’
    ‘Well, you didn’t need to say
it. I can see it in your eyes.’ She waggles two fingers in front of
her eyes then falls silent for a few minutes, waiting for me to say
something. I know she can’t hold back and stay silent for long.
‘I’ve worked here almost a year, and you never go out on a date or
with any friends. All you do is work like a maniac. This is the
first time I’ve seen you excited in all that time, so I know
there’s something you’re not telling me.’
    ‘Don’t be ridiculous!’ I load up
a tray with cookies and macaroons and walk into the shop, arranging
them under the glass counter. ‘I’m not excited. I was just telling
you what happened.’
    ‘Yeah, whatever.’ She waves her
hand through the air and shoots me a look of disbelief.
    I walk back into the kitchen and
notice a puddle of water on the floor in front of the sink. Opening
the cupboards underneath, I discover the pipe dripping.
    ‘Urgh! Stupid bloody building!’
I cry.
    ‘What’s up?’ Lisa’s in the
doorway behind me.
    ‘Don’t come in here ’til I clear
this up. I don’t want you slipping over.’ I make flapping motions
with my hand to keep her back as someone knocks at the front
door.
    Lisa walks off. ‘I’ll open up
while you sort that out.’
    I find a bucket in one of the
cupboards and place it under the leaky pipe, then clear up the
water on the floor with a towel. Looks like I need a plumber sooner
rather than later.
     
    ~~~~
     
    By the end of the day, I’m
frazzled, and I’ve completely forgotten about the leak. Lisa and I
clean up, and I pack away the leftover food in a box to take to the
homeless shelter.
    ‘See you tomorrow, then, hon.’
Lisa hangs up her apron and gives me a wave as she heads out the
door.
    ‘See you.’ I lock it behind her
and go back to the box. Before I know what I’m doing, or why, I
take out a chocolate chip cookie, a brownie, and a cinnamon bun and
put it in a separate box.
    It’s rush hour, so it takes me
thirty minutes in nose-to-tail traffic to reach the shelter. I park
the Ford in the brightly lit car park. It’s too early for the
homeless to arrive for their evening meal, but Christine and her
friends will be here, cooking up soups and stews. Carrying the