Chapter Thirty Three

Pen shifted to one side and tilted her head. "It's very nice," she said. "But… what is it?"

"A painting," said George. "Obviously."

"You're looking at it the wrong way up," said Lucy, turning the canvas on the table.

Pen grinned. "It's the ocean."

"It's… actually, it's really beautiful, Luce," George said in surprise.

"I like art. There's not much painting on the streets though."

"Is this what you've been locked up in your room doing for the last couple of weeks?" George asked.

"This and a few more like it," said Lucy. "Billy helped me get the canvases stretched and promised to keep it a secret. So don't be mad at him. I thought we could sell a few of them to help raise money for the shop."

"That's a great idea," said Pen with a yawn.

"If it's so great, why are you making it look like it's so boring?" asked Lucy.

"Because she's been up all night baking for the Gupta's bake sale," said George. "And I've got to run."

"Why?" Lucy asked.

"I finally managed to get a hold of Jesús and he's agreed to meet me for lunch," George said. "That way I can put the proposal to him face to face and hopefully, he'll talk to the other Ashley about it for us."

"I can't imagine why she wouldn't be in agreement with the plan," Pen said. "But you're right, you need to be off."

"Have you really been baking all night?" Lucy asked, perching on the shop counter as George showed himself out.

"Yes," Pen said. She didn't add that she'd been up most of the night the night before as well, getting her crochet animals finished for the jumble sale at the church.

"Why don't you go and take a nap?" Lucy asked. "I can handle things here. The Gupta's have closed the newsagent for a few hours while they set up the bake sale."

Pen started the coffee machine for what was probably her dozenth cup of the day. "I'll be fine, I'm a big girl." She was aching with tiredness. But she was doing her part, and that's what counted. She'd stay up every night for a week if she needed to. "If you want to help, you can start ferrying boxes over to the school playground for the bake sale though."

Lucy hesitated. "You're looking a bit pale, Pen. Are you sure?"

"Definite."

"Maybe you've taken a bit much on?"

Pen leveled a look at her. "I'm fine, Lucy. Now, do you want to help or not?"

"Obviously."

"Then the boxes are all piled in the back, go on, get started."

Pen drank down the scalding hot coffee black and strong, letting it burn all the way down. Her phone buzzed before she'd finished the cup.

Still thinking of you, said the message.

And me you, she wrote back.

Was thinking about moving my visit up?

Pen's heart started to beat harder. Seeing Ash sooner than planned was all that she wanted. Except… When were you thinking?

I thought I might come up this weekend?

Except Pen wanted to keep everything a secret so that Ash wouldn't stop them from helping her. She took a breath. What could she do? I'd love to see you, she wrote. But it's a bit short notice.

There was a long pause.

Pen's legs started to feel funny. Had she offended her? She didn't want Ash to think that she didn't want her to come.

What about Tuesday?

Pen breathed a sigh of relief. By Tuesday the fundraisers should be over and she could even tell Ash the news in person. Sounds perfect, she wrote back.

The bakery bell rang as the door opened. Moira Hadley came in, trailed by all four of her children. "Hi, Pen," she grinned. "I'm helping set up the bake sale. I thought I could pick up some boxes for you and help out, take them over to the school."

"Amazing," Pen said. "Thank you so much. Anyone want a bun?" All four of the children nodded and Pen started handing out buns. "You're not taking this lot with you to set up are you?" she asked Moira.

"Mikey's at the football until after lunch," she said. "So there's not much else I can do."

"Leave them here," Pen said, looking at the kids quietly eating their buns. "You can pick them up later. Or I'll bring them over when I come. It's not a problem."

Moira looked at her children, then back at Pen. "Are you sure?" she asked.

"Definite," Pen said.

"It's just…" Moira looked a little more closely. "You do look a bit pale, Pen. You're not coming down with anything are you?"

"I'm strong as a horse," Pen said. "Just a bit lacking in sleep what with all these fundraisers we've got going on."

"It is a lot," Moira agreed. "Mind you, we should have enough to get the shop up and started again, and that's what counts, isn't it?"

"George is putting the proposal together as we speak," Pen said. "I can't believe how many people have come together to help."

"Why wouldn't you believe that?" Moira asked. "You help so many of us, Pen, of course we want to help you. Anyway, the shop is for the community, not just for you. We'd all rather it stay in the family, so to speak. Who knows what a new owner would be like. Even renting it is better than having a whole new person move in and potentially change it into a massage parlor."

"I wouldn't mind a massage parlor today," Pen laughed. "There's cake boxes in the back, Lucy's back there to help. Don't worry about the kids, I've got them."

THE OVEN ALARM rang and Pen rushed to get it, almost tripping over Lea Hadley, who was sitting on the floor chewing on something that Pen really hoped was part of a croissant. She grasped hold of Harley as he chased after Fabio. "No running in the bakery," she said.

"Sorry!" said little Harley. "But I wanted to play with Fabio."

Fabio was sneaking out of the cracked front door and Pen hurried over to close the door before one of the children went after him. Her muscles weren't responding properly, and she was slower than she thought she would be.

She took a breath, her head spinning a little with the effort, and then the oven alarm rang again and she ran off to the kitchen to pull out the brownies she'd baked before they burned.

Her breath seemed not to be filling up her lungs properly and by the time she'd pulled out the brownie tray, she was almost panting.

She walked slowly back into the shop, where the kids were pressing their noses up against the window, breathing and then drawing pictures in the mist clouds.

Harley leaned in and breathed, then Lea joined him and the cloud they created started to spread up and over the window until Pen realized that the mist was impossibly big, until the window was completely covered, until the edges of it began to go dark until…

"I'M FINE," PEN said, struggling to sit up.

"You're lucky that those Hadley children have the sense to pay attention when I do school talks," said Arjun Gupta, helping Pen up so that she could sit on a chair. "Harley ran straight to the police station when you collapsed, knew exactly what to do. Good lad," he said to the boy approvingly.

"I'm just a bit tired," said Pen.

"I've heard all about it from George," Arjun said. "You've been overdoing it. I'm sure you just fainted, but we'll get you to the doctor just in case."

"No, no, I've got too much to do. Anyway, I can't leave these four by themselves," protested Pen.

Arjun looked doubtfully at her. "I think we should see the doc."

"I'm fine," Pen said again.

"Don't believe her," said George, rushing in.

"Ah, you got here fast," said Arjun.

"I wasn't far away," said George. "And I was on my way here anyway."

"Then I'll leave all this in your capable hands," said Arjun. "Pen, I think you should see the doc, but I'm not going to force you. At the very least, you need to get some sleep."

He left just as Lucy was coming in. "I just heard," she said. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Pen said. "Absolutely fine." She was getting sick of telling people that. She was fine. She'd just had a moment, that was all.

She saw George look at Lucy.

"Listen, I get it, I've been doing too much," Pen said. "And I'm slowing down as of right now. There's a tray of brownies to go in the oven and I could use another coffee, so why don't the two of you get on that?"

They scurried off and Pen breathed deeply and evenly, the children watching her wide-eyed. It was only because the kids were being so quiet that Pen could hear what was happening in the kitchen.

"We should take her to the doc," George was saying.

"She doesn't want to go and she's probably just exhausted," said Lucy.

"Well, she won't be when she learns that all this was a wasted effort," said George.

Wasted effort? Suddenly, George's voice had lowered and Pen couldn't hear what he was saying. She got up, her legs wobbly and her head still a bit dizzy, and crept toward the kitchen.

"There's no chance at all?" Lucy said.

"How can there be?" said George.

"No chance of what?" Pen asked, going through into the kitchen and hoping she looked a lot better than she felt.

"It's nothing," George said quickly.

"Tell me," said Pen.

George looked at Lucy who shrugged and then nodded.

"Fine," he said. "I talked to Jesús. And, um, well, he's been in contact with Ashley already. In fact, he's got power of attorney over her inheritance."

"That should make things easier," Pen said, forcing herself to smile.

"Except… except we can't lease the shop," said George, not looking her in the eye.

"Why on earth not?" asked Pen.

George looked up now. "Because it's already been sold," he said quietly.

And Pen's legs gave way again so that she sank to the ground.