Page 40 of Christmas at the Little Cornish Bakery

‘Lola I can explain everything,’ Tristan implored the second Lola opened her door later that evening.

‘Really?’’ Arms folded, she took him in, the harried desperation on his face.

Her own heart was clenched like a fearful fist, tight and constricted.

The panic that everything with Tristan had been too good to be true had palpitated through her since she’d locked up and café and come home, checking her phone every minute, waiting for something, anything, she didn’t know what.

Now he was here, desperation etched across his features.

Lola resisted the temptation to slam the door in his face.

Reasoned with herself that she needed to hear him out.

‘Can I at least come in? Please?’

Lola inhaled, exhaled, pretended to think about it, before opening the door wider. ‘Come on, no point broadcasting it to the whole of Polcarrow,’ she said coldly.

She led the way into the living room, Tristan unwinding his scarf as he followed.

Dropping into her favourite armchair, Lola curled her legs up under her.

She studied Tristan as he perched on the sofa, his eyes skittering over all the trinkets and Christmas decorations that adorned her home, as if hoping to find support in them.

Lola said nothing, just watched him flounder before he eventually managed to try and explain.

‘That was Anna,’ he began. ‘Yes, ex-girlfriend Anna. The one I told you about on the beach.’

‘The one you weren’t quite ready to make a commitment to,’ Lola recalled.

‘Erm, yes, as you can see, she’s a bit full on,’ he said with a nervous laugh. ‘Sort of bulldozes her way through life. I don’t think she ever takes no for an answer.’ He paused. ‘I’m not making this better am I?’

Lola shook her head as he collapsed back against the cushions. ‘Was she right? You got back in touch with her?’ She tried to keep her voice calm, measured.

‘No!’ Tristan protested. ‘She contacted me. And I was just being friendly. We had a shared past and in a way it was nice to hear how everyone was doing, old friends, her family . . .’ His eyes widened as he realised he must’ve given her some false hope.

‘I think she might have gotten the wrong end of the stick.’

‘She seems pretty adamant that you and her are getting back together.’ Somehow Lola kept her voice measured.

There was no need to tell him about the cards.

They hadn’t exactly said they’d rekindle their relationship, Lola desperately reminded herself, but they had stated Anna should make a go of it.

Tristan’s face was aghast. ‘What? Never. Although she might take a bit of convincing.’

‘Where is she now?’ Lola prayed he wasn’t going to say at the vicarage.

‘She’s just gone back to her sister’s. She tried to stay.’ He fell back against the cushions, exhausted.

‘Will she be back?’

Tristan let out an exasperated exhale. ‘Who knows? I hope not.’

‘Did you give her any reason to believe she’d be welcomed back?’

Tristan hesitated.

‘Did you?’ Lola’s voice was like ice.

‘Erm, the thing with Anna is,’ he floundered, ‘that she doesn’t take no for an answer. If she’s got her mind made up about something then it’s hard to dissuade her. It’s one of the reasons I moved so far away, so she’d get the hint.’

‘Get the hint?’ Lola almost exploded. ‘She was your girlfriend, you told me she wanted to settle down with you! It’s more than her just getting the hint, it’s about you manning up and being brutally honest with her.’

‘I don’t want to hurt her feelings, Lola, she doesn’t take bad news well.’

‘Her feelings? What about my feelings, Tristan?’ Lola flung at him. ‘We had plans this evening. What about them? You dropped me for her! You gave her my flowers!’ Lola fought back the tears. After Jared she’d vowed never to let a man see her cry.

‘Oh Lola, I know, I’m sorry, we could still . . .’ He checked his watch. It was gone nine. ‘I’m sorry, I tried to get her to go, but she wanted to talk about old times and . . . time just . . . It’s hard, very hard, to get her to listen.’

‘What are you going to do? Just marry her now because she doesn’t like bad news?’ Lola scoffed.

Tristan opened his mouth and closed it, as if that hadn’t dawned on him.

‘Well, would you?’

‘No, of course not,’ he rushed to reassure her, ‘of course I wouldn’t. But it’s going to take a bit of effort to extract her again.’

Standing up, Lola shook her head. ‘It shouldn’t take any effort. I thought what we had was something special, that you’d moved on, but what I’m seeing, what you’re saying is that keeping Anna happy is more important than keeping me happy, more important than us, more important than even yourself.’

‘Lola, no, that’s really not it.’

‘Tell me, is she never going to set foot in Polcarrow again? Honest, Tristan. Did you tell her never to come back? That you’re with someone else now?’

Tristan shook his head slowly as he followed her out into the hallway.

‘I see.’ Lola opened the front door and folded her arms. ‘I think you’d better leave and decide who you really want.’

Tristan tried to protest some more, but Lola steeled herself, unable to tell who she was most angry with. Tristan, Anna or herself for believing this time everything would be different.