All That She Can See(23)

Cherry looked over at Sally and she noticed something she’d never seen before. At the start of each of Sally’s smiles there was a slight hesitation, a moment of questioning. Each time she felt the smallest flicker of happiness, she also felt like she shouldn’t be smiling at all.

‘I had no idea…’ Cherry said, looking away as Sally’s gaze fell on them both.

‘There are two belonging to you out there as well but that would be telling.’ Chase smirked and took another bite of his cake.

Cherry cocked her head at him. ‘I guess you don’t want to know what I see for you, then?’

‘You’ll tell me anyway,’ Chase said without looking up. ‘I think you’re a bit of a show-off.’

‘What do you mean?’ Cherry narrowed her eyes as Chase gestured all around them.

‘This bakery. You don’t set something like this up if you don’t want everyone to adore you and what you do for them.’

‘That’s not what this is,’ Cherry said, taking her tea towel from her shoulder to wipe the sweat off of her hands. She looked around at everything she’d created. The top half of the chalkboard wall was a unique guestbook, full of positive messages from customers, and the bottom half was full of drawings from the younger customers. Everyone who was currently in the bakery looked content, unaware of what Cherry was doing for them. This place was a haven, a safe space not only for those who stumbled across it but for herself too. This was a place where bad feelings were left behind and good ones were created. What she was doing was no different than an anonymous donation to a charity, or leaving a five-pound note in a library book for the next person to buy themselves a coffee. An anonymous act of love and compassion. While her customers enjoyed Cherry’s baking, they’d never quite know what she was doing for them and just how much she was helping them.

‘Of course it is.’ Chase’s voice broke through Cherry’s thought. ‘And not only that but you’re kind of exploiting everyone’s pain too.’

‘Now just a minute!’ Cherry threw the tea towel down on the counter.

‘No need to get flustered!’ Chase smiled, pleased with himself. ‘I’m just telling you how it is. You’ve come up with a way to make money off everyone’s misery. It’s quite impressive. Wish I’d thought of it.’ He stuffed a large bite of cake into his mouth and chewed it loudly and sloppily.

‘I help people!’ Cherry said, her voice rising. Sally’s eyes flickered in their direction and Cherry took a deep breath. The last thing she wanted was for Bruce to come barging in and getting defensive on her behalf. While she appreciated how much of a shine he’d taken to her and the bakery, this was a conversation she didn’t want anyone to hear.

‘Sure you do, sweetheart.’ Chase put yet another forkful of cake into his mouth. Irritated, Cherry snatched the plate away and he laughed.

‘This isn’t much of an apology.’ Cherry felt a heat race through her body and up to her face.

‘No, I suppose it’s not.’ Chase held up his hands, still smiling. He looked at her steadily, the sneer on his face softening into something almost rueful. The knot in Cherry’s stomach tightened. ‘I really am sorry that I got so angry yesterday. I’ve never met anyone like me before and it took me by surprise. I didn’t know how to react, so I didn’t react well.’

‘That’s an understatement,’ Cherry snapped. ‘Quite a big understatement.’

‘Maybe.’ Chase shrugged. ‘Either way, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have behaved towards you like that. That being said, I do stand by what I’ve said here today. You are taking advantage of people and actually, it’s given me a marvellous idea.’

‘Idea? What idea?’ A sense of unease spread through Cherry.

‘Think of it as a gift. Better get baking, Mary Berry. You’re not going to know what’s hit you,’ he said with a finality that chilled Cherry to the bone. He stood to leave.

‘I don’t see what you see,’ Cherry said, catching his attention before he could leave. ‘We’ve both been dealt very different hands from the same dealer and while you see the good in people, I see the worst. I’d think twice before trying to hurt someone who has seen the darkest side of you.’

‘Everyone’s seen the darkest side of me. I’ve never tried to hide it.’ He laughed bitterly. ‘I’m not trying to hurt you, Cherry. I’m trying to learn from you.’ And with that, he left.

Bruce raced over to check that Cherry was OK but Sally remained where she was. She shuffled her cards for a final time and directed her energy towards Chase, watching him storm away. She flipped the top card from left to right and staring up at her was the The Magician, but reversed.





For the first time in his entire life Chase felt a fire in his belly. He’d always known he was special, that his abilities made him different from everyone else, but he’d shunned them in order to be less like his family, to distance himself from their fraudulent ways. Now, however, he had a plan to make life a little more interesting. Finally, he’d found a purpose not only to make his days worthwhile but to earn himself a decent living too.

Chase stood outside the Plymouth Gin Distillery and grinned.

Mischief wriggled in between Frustration and Cynicism, centre stage at last.