The Heavenly Baker by J J Monroe Page A

by the minutiae of life when we really shouldn’t. Go, call him.’
    â€˜I don’t know, Mum.’
    â€˜OK, then don’t call him.’
    I sit and ponder. Mum chuckles to herself. ‘Please, sweetheart, just go and call him.’
    â€˜How come you’re so wise, Mum?’
    â€˜I’m not that wise,’ she admits. ‘Otherwise I would have seen this coming.’
    â€˜But if there were no surprises I suppose life would be dull,’ I say, reaching a rare moment of clarity.
    â€˜And life has always been about highs and lows. Go, call him, and I’ll be here waiting when you get back.’
    â€˜Dad will get through this, won’t he?’
    â€˜Yes,’ murmurs my mother. ‘I think he will.’
    I wind my way through the hospital corridors until I find myself outside once more and my phone starts chattering, announcing the arrival of a new message.
    I know I should hate him, but HB is awesome. Cleared the backlog and baking up a storm. Think he might be innocent. Call me. Carly XXX
    I hit the speed dial and wait for the familiar sound of my best friend’s voice.
    â€˜Any news?’ she asks.
    â€˜Dad’s still in surgery. What’s with the message?’
    â€˜I don’t want to be seen as a turncoat but your boy turned up at the bakery and wouldn’t leave. He just set up in the back and cracked on clearing the backlog and now he and the rest of his team are on an all-out baking assault. I think he’s innocent.’
    â€˜That’s the general line of thinking,’ I admit.
    â€˜But what do you think?’ asks Carly. ‘What does your heart tell you?’
    â€˜I was so angry with him before.’
    â€˜But that’s before you knew the truth. What about now?’
    â€˜I’ve been trying not to think about it.’
    â€˜You’d better start considering it because we’re about to leave.’
    â€˜You’re coming here?’ I say.
    â€˜Yes. I’d like to say more but it’s probably best you see it, really.’
    â€˜I don’t understand.’
    â€˜You will soon enough,’ she says.
    Carly hangs up, leaving me curious. I don’t have to wait long. The truck is a monster, easing its way into the hospital entrance. An army of helpers disembark from a fleet of support vehicles and then they start unloading.
    â€˜Crazy, isn’t it?’ remarks Carly, appearing out of the chaos.
    â€˜I don’t understand.’
    â€˜It’s a full-scale cake assault. We’ve been baking all afternoon. HB put the word out and it wasn’t long before every other bakery in the county was in on the programme.’
    â€˜What programme?’ I ask.
    â€˜I guess it’s like feeding the five thousand but with cake,’ she suggests as we watch tray upon tray of cupcakes being unloaded and delivered to the hospital to be distributed to staff and patients alike.
    â€˜Who’s funding this?’ I ask.
    â€˜It seems that HB has very deep pockets,’ remarks Carly, spying the man himself coming through the crowd. ‘I think I see a crate requiring delivery.’ And she eases herself out of the way.
    â€˜What is this?’ I ask.
    â€˜Penitence, maybe?’ suggests Matt.
    â€˜But you didn’t do anything wrong, did you?’
    â€˜I seriously misjudged her. I should have sent her away the moment she arrived but I thought I could protect you.’
    â€˜You should have just told me.’
    â€˜I know,’ he says. ‘I’m so sorry.’
    â€˜I’m sorry too.’
    â€˜You have nothing to be sorry for,’ Matt tells me.
    â€˜I turned and fled like a coward. I didn’t give you the opportunity to explain.’
    â€˜You had far more important issues to deal with.’
    â€˜I guess.’
    â€˜How is he?’
    â€˜He’s still in surgery.’
    â€˜I can offer you a cupcake.’
    â€˜What flavours do you