Epilogue

W alking into the bakery from the kitchen, Erin carried the huge jug of gravy Elsie had just made for the bakery family roast dinner. As she looked across to the tables pushed together in the coffee and cake area, she grinned. Everyone was here, Brooke, Diane, Wendy and Molly with their partners, as well as all the people she'd met at the pub quiz.

After deciding to stay in Penworth Bay, Elsie had made it crystal clear that even though she wasn't volunteering anymore, Erin would forever be a part of this. A part of Elsie's bakery family. She blew Tim a kiss as he waved at her from his seat at the table, deep in conversation with Ollie and Chris.

She suddenly jumped back as Pippa chased Hudson around the bakery and watched as gravy dribbled over the rim of the gravy jug and down her pale yellow dress.

‘Ah, sorry.' Rushing towards her, Teresa took the gravy jug before turning to Pippa as she ran past again. ‘Pippa, slow down. You're being dangerous.'

‘But Uncle Harry is trying to catch me.' Pippa squealed as Harry caught up with her, gripping her under the arms and swinging her around in the middle of the floor.

‘I give up.' Teresa shrugged. ‘Sorry again and if it's ruined your dress, I'll replace.'

‘Don't be daft. It'll be fine.' Erin laughed as she watched Hudson, Rueben and Toby all run towards Harry to try to rescue Pippa.

‘You can't win when it's a grown adult winding them up.' Teresa grinned.

‘No, you really can't. He's going to have to grow up soon, though.' Diane walked up to them and looked down, holding her hands over her belly. ‘I won't be able to cope with two babies in the house.'

‘What?' Teresa brought her hands to her face, the gravy jug falling to the floor before bouncing on the tiles, gravy covering the floor and spraying up the wall behind them.

‘You heard me.' Diane laughed as Teresa pulled her into her arms.

‘Oh my goodness! I can't believe you just dropped that one in so casually! You're pregnant!' Teresa leaned back, holding Diane at arm's length and looking pointedly at her belly.

‘Haha, yep.'

Skidding to a stop, just shy of the spilt gravy, Harry kissed Diane on the cheek. ‘You've started telling people then?'

‘I have.' Diane tucked her finger under his chin and pecked him on the lips before indicating the gravy covered floor and batting her eyelashes. ‘And I can't possibly bend down to clear that up, so could you please?'

‘Of course I can.' With a huge grin on his face, Harry turned and held his arms out to the four children about to run up to him, stopping them in their tracks. ‘Hey, kids. New game. Who can clear up the gravy the quickest?'

‘What do we get if we win?' Pippa crossed her arms, a sceptical expression fixed on her face.

‘I'll spin the winner around ten times in a row. Now let's go and hunt for supplies.' Harry ushered them into the kitchen.

‘Congratulations, Diane. That's amazing news.' Erin smiled as she hugged her friend. ‘And it looks as though Harry will make a great dad.'

‘Umm, I hope so. He's already taken to singing to my belly.' Diane turned as Elsie came out of the kitchen, a row of kitchen paper in her hands and Harry and the children following.

‘What's going on here, then?'

‘It was me. I take full responsibility.' Teresa held her hand up. ‘But in my defence, Diane had just dropped a surprise on me.'

‘Aw, she's told you then.' Elsie smiled as she passed the roll of kitchen paper to Harry.

‘Yep.' Diane nodded.

‘You knew?' Teresa slapped her forehead. ‘Of course you knew.'

‘I did.' Elsie chuckled as she rubbed Diane's arm. ‘And I've got to admit, I'm beyond relieved that you're telling everyone else the news now. I've been bursting to say something and have actually almost let it slip on numerous occasions. Usually to Teresa during our morning baking sessions.'

‘You have?' Teresa raised an eyebrow. ‘Well, I feel foolish now. I didn't pick up on anything.'

Elsie chuckled. ‘I'm surprised at that.'

‘Time to go and help yourselves to dinner.' Ian peered through the kitchen door and called to everyone.

‘Yay!' Jumping up from where they were helping clean the gravy from the floor with Harry, Pippa, Rueben, Toby and Hudson all threw down their gravy-sodden kitchen papers and ran through to the kitchen leaving Harry kneeling on the floor, staring at the smeared gravy.

Bursting out laughing, Diane rubbed the back of Harry's neck. ‘I'm sorry, I shouldn't laugh, but that's just so funny.'

Taking her hand, Harry kissed it before turning back to the mess.

‘I'll help you.' Teresa lowered herself to the floor and held her hand out towards Harry, who passed her the kitchen paper.

‘I won't. This little one needs to eat.' Diane spoke to her stomach before turning and disappearing into the kitchen.

‘I'll help too.' Just as Erin was about to kneel down, Tim called from the front door to the bakery.

‘Erin, someone's asking after Elsie.'

‘I'll get her.' Standing up, Teresa walked into the kitchen.

Shrugging, Erin abandoned the kitchen paper and joined Tim by the door and smiled at the woman standing on the cobbles outside. ‘Hi, do you want to come in? Elsie won't be a moment.'

‘Thank you. I'm Debbie. I'm here for a voluntary position at this bakery?' The woman glanced up at the sign above the door as if unsure whether she was in the right place.

‘Oh, lovely to meet you, Debbie. I'm Erin and this is Tim. I've not long ago finished volunteering here myself.'

As Elsie hurried across the bakery to the door, Erin tucked her hand in Tim's and they made their way towards the kitchen.

‘Hold up a moment.' Tim paused and drew her towards the edge of the bakery.

‘Is everything okay?' Erin frowned.

‘I'm more than okay. I just wanted to tell you that I'm so glad you made the decision to stay in the bay.'

Wrapping her arms around his neck, Erin grinned. ‘So am I. I couldn't leave you, Tim. And I'm so excited to see what our future holds.'

‘Me too.' He nodded towards Chris, Freya, Lauren, and Charlie as they carried plates piled high with Elsie and Ian's roast dinner towards the table. ‘I have a feeling they'll be a few more bakery family roast dinners on the horizon too.'

She smiled. ‘Oh, I do hope so. Everything just feels as though it's fallen into place, doesn't it? Us, living in the beautiful Penworth Bay, being part of Elsie and Ian's bakery family. All of it.'

‘Your new adventure.'

‘Yes, the party planning. Not in a million years did I ever think I'd go from working in the financial sector to starting my own children's party planning business.' She laughed.

‘No, but you seem happier for it.'

‘I am.' She shook her head. She couldn't believe that a few short weeks ago she'd been ready to throw everything she had found here in the bay away to follow the career path she'd thought she'd wanted. No, that wasn't even true. She'd been following a step on her five-year plan, something she'd written on a list years ago. ‘Now if I can just find a place to live and move out of the room above the pub, things really would be perfect.'

‘Move in with me?' Tim searched her eyes.

‘What?'

‘Move in with me, if you want to? We've known each other most of our lives and I think this relationship is going quite well...' He grinned.

‘Quite well? Just quite well?' She raised an eyebrow, desperately trying to keep a straight face.

‘Very well.' He pecked her on the lips. ‘Perfectly well.' He pecked her again. ‘And you do know you're my The One.'

‘As you are mine.' She leaned in towards him and kissed him properly.

‘So? What do you say?' Leaning back, Tim took Erin's hands in hers.

‘I say yes, of course.'

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR reading. I hope you enjoyed reading New Adventures at the Conrish Bakery as much as I enjoyed writing it. If so, I'd be so grateful if you could leave a review, please.