Let Them Eat Cake !

One Year Later!

'Let Them Eat Cake' was thriving, Chloe's wedding cake had started a domino effect as word had spread the orders came in thick and fast, the business grew but still remained in the same shop, the shop Nick dedicated to his grandparents.

Sasha worked part time, sharing the job with another girl 22 year old Claire, and studied for her college course, same as Nick she'd chosen to pursue sugarcraft.
She and Jase had got engaged with the blessing of her parents and of course her two adoptive big brothers, Sasha having insisted Jase asked their permission the man had gladly complied.

Chloe and Zak who had settled into their married life in a small house in a village about two miles from the centre of town, were awaiting the birth of their first baby.

Hugo had moved in with his new partner Zacs boss Mary, leaving the boat still moored at the marina for the children and their partners to use anytime, for days out or holidays or simply just to relax on, on summer evenings.

Steve had moved in to the flat permanently leaving his lonely cottage behind, arm fully recovered he took local building work only preferring to spend his days learning from Nick and helping him fulfill his orders and run the shop.

His nights spent snuggled into the tattooed man, simply content.
He even bought himself a new bike, well you know what they say, 'life's like riding a bike, if you fall off you stand up and get right back on again'.

He'd even braved Nicks favourite tattooists, a newly healed fossil design gracing his left upper arm denoting his total devotion to his man, a nod to the tiny worn fossil he'd found in a gravel pile at the building site.

****

The lonely figure of a woman sat at a table in the garden of the country pub, the sunny Sunday aroma of roast beef mingled with the smell of beer and cigarette smoke hung in the air.
Sipping on a glass of red wine she picked at a sandwich as the sun rays filtered through the trees that bathed half the garden in a soft shadow.

Corrine Bailey was unrecognisable, the stark brassy copper hair was faded, the elaborate hairstyles a thing of the past replaced by a simple neat bun with a few strands of hair hanging round her neck.
Simple make up accentuated her hazel eyes, and pinked her narrow lips, a pair of large rimmed owl glasses replaced the contact lenses she'd worn before.

Casual trousers, floral shirt and low heeled lace up deck shoes replaced the spiked heels and expensive couture.

In essence she wasn't the Corinne Bailey anymore.

Corrine Smith, the plain pretty Corinne that had married Hugo over 30 years ago, had borne two children, nurtured and cared for her family until they'd grown and taken their own way had become lost, and without a purpose she'd changed.

Hiding behind arrogance, ignorance, pride, designer clothes, expensive jewellery, new friends she'd bought with her husbands hard earned money, she'd morphed into a monster, turning her back on her children and husband.
So lost in her own world of striving for the pinnacle of social acceptance she'd driven everyone away.

Her only friend now was Rose, a sweet widow in her 70s that she shared a part time job with at the local shop.
She didn't need money, she had plenty left from the sale of the house but she needed the distraction, needed something to ward away the constant regrets, she needed...... to be needed.

Bright chatter broke her musings as a large group of people burst through the back door of the pub and crowded themselves around a large rectangular table, drinks in hand, casually dressed, she watched, teary eyed, mouth slightly agape as she tried to shrink herself in her seat, afraid of being seen.
She could leave, but wanted to stay, refusing to tear herself away as she observed the group.

****

A pretty blonde she recognised from the cake shop cuddled up to a fair haired lad with glasses, his arm slung casually over her shoulder, laughing and joking with, her daughter Chloe.

Her eyes widened at Chloes pregnant form, she watched as Zak fussed around her treating her like a precious gem, helping her sit down, holding her arm, making sure she was comfy.

Linda and James Dance her former friends, that she'd thought below her as her social standing had climbed, and had abandoned for her seemingly better richer friends.

The kind widely smiling face of her ex husband, hands linked with his new love, a pretty silver haired woman with a full figure and a smile that lit up her whole face, animatedly waving his hands while he chatted away to the handsome, honey haired, honey eyed young man sitting next to him.

That crazy hair cut short and slick, his freckled nose shining in the sun as his head rested on the shoulder of the ponytailed, conker brown haired, chocolate eyed, beautiful young man that was holding him in his arms as he smiled and laughed.

Blinking rapidly Corinne desperately tried to stop the tears that were threatening to invade.

Mesmerised, she couldn't move and just watched this happy family interact easily.

If she ever felt truly alone it was now.

Eventually, picking up her bag she rose from her seat turned her back and walked away, not seeing the eyes of the honey haired young man trained on her retreating form.