Julie Caplin - The Little Brooklyn Bakery - A heartwarming feel good novel full of cakes and romance!

Two teenagers in oversize hoodies and enormous trainers eyed her as they leaned on bikes against a lamp-post. Conscious of two pairs of eyes burning into her back and feeling slightly vulnerable, Sophie picked up her pace and scurried down the street towards home. All her good intentions to explore the area evaporated.

As she drew level with the bakery, she spotted Bella beckoning her enthusiastically through the window.

‘Hey Sophie! Good morning, come and meet the Eds.’ Bella bounded up to her and dragged her past the busy tables into the warm kitchen, filled with the slightly steamy air of hot ovens and freshly baked batches of cakes.

‘This is Edie and this is Ed. Guys, meet my new neighbour, Sophie. And I think you met Wes when you arrived.’ Wes, leaning against the dresser, nodded and gave her a wide smile and saluted her.

‘Hey Sophie,’ the two people sitting on the sofa chorused in perfect unison, both lifting their hands in identical economic waves, rather like a pair of spookily in-tandem twins, even down to their clothes’ similar muted shades of green and brown. Both were very thin, with sharp angular features and short cropped hair in an identical shade of mousey brown, although Ed had considerably more hair on his chin than on the top of his head. It was the sort of magnificent beard that you saw in adverts for trendy beer or featuring lumberjacks.

‘They make and supply all the bread for the bakery,’ explained Bella.

‘And the bagels,’ piped up the more feminine-looking one of the pair.

‘And the bread rolls,’ added the other.

‘Coffee?’ asked Bella. ‘Grab a seat. We were having a tasting. You can give me a second opinion.’ The coffee table had been cleared of its papers and in the centre was a large bread-board with several different loaves which had been sliced open.

‘That would be lovely, thanks.’ She sank into one of the armchairs.

‘Here.’ Ed immediately thrust a chunk of bread at her. ‘Try this. Honey and walnut.’

Edie huffed. ‘Not fair.’

‘She can try yours next,’ said Bella. ‘Honestly, they’re so competitive.’ She handed Sophie a rich, dark coffee.

Both Ed and Edie grinned. ‘But of course.’

‘By the way, Sophie is my new tenant upstairs. The one I was talking about. From London.’

‘Cool,’ said Ed, pointing his finger at the bread and urging Sophie to get a move on.

She took a bite of the still-warm bread. ‘Mmm, that is delicious.’

Ed gave his opposite number a smug nod. Sophie was still trying to work out the relationship between the pair when Edie leaned forward and kissed him on the nose. ‘She hasn’t tried mine yet, buster,’ she said as she cut a wedge from the nearest, very pale loaf. ‘Here, this one has a bit of subtlety about it.’ She shot Ed a superior look, tilting her nose in the air.

Sophie hurriedly bit into the crust, aware of the four pairs of eyes on her. This was clearly serious business.

‘Seeds,’ she looked at the bubbled, waxy interior of the bread, ‘chia seeds.’

Edie straightened and beamed. Sophie chewed, trying to get a handle on the familiar taste. ‘Yoghurt?’

‘I like her,’ said Edie to no one in particular. ‘It’s my cholesterol-busting bread. Chia seeds and yoghurt. See, these English people have got taste.’

‘They’re both lovely,’ said Sophie. The honey-and-walnut was much nicer but the shadowed, anxious looks from Bella and Wes suggested that the wrong words might start World War Three right there in the kitchen.

‘OK, sold,’ said Bella. ‘I’ll take a dozen of each next week.’

‘Great,’ said Edie, beaming. ‘Now break out the cupcakes, babe. I’m fed up with the healthy crap. Those chia seeds have played havoc with my system this week. And thanks for the vote, Sophie. So what brings you Stateside? Apart from proving that my bread tastes better.’

‘I told you, she’s hiding out after a bad break-up,’ announced Bella. ‘And she needs to get out more.’

Sophie opened her mouth to protest and narrowed her eyes.

‘You’ve been talking to Todd.’

‘Yeah, I spoke to him last night. He gave me a lecture about not keeping an eye out for you.’

‘Sorry. He shouldn’t have.’

‘Yes, he should. You’ve been here two weeks and not met anyone.’

‘That’s terrible. We can help,’ said Edie, bouncing slightly on the sofa. ‘We can introduce you to a few people in the neighbourhood.’

‘Yes!’ said Bella. ‘There’s Frank and Jim, they run the boutique across the street. They’re always good for a drink and they give great discount in the store.’

‘Oh yes, they have that really cute little guy who works on Saturdays,’ added Edie.

‘Little guy because he’s about sixteen,’ said Ed, poking her affectionately in the ribs as he turned to Sophie.

Edie ignored him. ‘Wes, you know the guys down the road that run the cycle store. We could introduce Sophie to them. They have the most delicious legs. Lovely calves. Steel thighs.’

‘Who’s talking about steel thighs?’ asked a dry voice, appearing in the doorway hidden behind a pile of cardboard pizza boxes.

‘Maisie! Just the person.’ Bella ran over and removed the pile of boxes from the plump arms of a very smiley, short woman. ‘You know loads of people.’

‘That’s because everyone is a sucker for her cheesecakes,’ rumbled Wes, taking the boxes from Bella and sniffing appreciatively. ‘Mmm, they smell good.’

‘Cinnamon and caramel, a new recipe. And a couple of strawberry and chocolate cheesecakes.’

‘Mmm, I love your chocolate cheesecake. Remind me, Ed, to grab a couple of slices when we leave. I need to keep my strength up. I’ve got a dozen loaves to knead this afternoon.’

‘Am I too late for a coffee?’ asked Maisie. ‘I’ve got a twenty-minute window before Carl divorces me for abandoning the twins with him.’ Somehow she’d crossed the room and had wedged her ample bottom into the armchair, her eyes dancing as if she were bursting with happy secrets. ‘And why do you need loads of people?’

‘Maisie, this is Sophie.’ Bella grabbed a mug from the dresser and filled it from the half-full cafetière on the side. ‘She’s taken the apartment upstairs and doesn’t know a soul in New York – well, apart from us. Oh and Todd, but he doesn’t count.’

Maisie laughed, taking the coffee. ‘Well Sophie, you’ve landed in the right place. Bella’s Bakery is the place to meet at this end of Smith Street. We can introduce you to plenty of people.’

‘And she’s a foodie,’ said Bella. ‘She writes for CityZen .’

‘And she likes my chia-and-yoghurt bread.’ Edie held a piece out towards Maisie, who pulled a face.

‘I guess someone has to,’ teased Maisie, pushing it away as Edie laughed good-naturedly. ‘Although if you’re interested in food … has anyone tried the new Mezze place? Hummus to die for. Although the twins made it interesting. You ever tried removing a pomegranate seed from a five-year-old’s ear? A family adventure, I can tell you.’

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