Page 4 of Match Point in Crumbleton
Andy knew this made him appear unadventurous to some people. He’d been accused of having no ambition… but was that such a bad thing, when he was already living a life he loved?
Some people certainly thought so!
Andy shrugged. Frankly, some people could go take a running jump. He knew how lucky he was. After all, how many people could genuinely say they were happy every single day? He was who he was, and he wasn’t about to apologise for enjoying the simple things life had to offer.
Speaking of simple things… today was going to be an extra-special kind of good day. He was going to be working right outside the bakery for the next few hours, and the scent coming from the ovens inside was already making his stomach growl. Hot sugar, cinnamon, allspice and fruit mixed with fresh bread.
Heaven on earth!
Of course, it did help that his sister owned the bakery. Heather was almost guaranteed to bring him something fresh from the oven for a second breakfast a little bit later on. With any luck, it would be one of her fruit slices. They were Andy’s favourites—rich and delicious and drizzled with icing. She only made them on certain days… but as luck would have it, today was one of them.
It was going to be the perfect day—he could feel it in his bones!
Just the thought of the impending sweet treat had his mouth watering… but first, he needed to get on with the job he’d come to do.
With one last glance out across the marshes, Andy turned to the wheelbarrow he always had with him when he was working. It was the perfect way to cart around all the basic tools he needed to do his job—levelling up and repairing the town’s acres of ancient cobblestones.
The old barrow might not look like much, but it was far less of a nuisance than trying to find somewhere to park a van on the high street while he worked.
Grabbing his stack of orange traffic cones, Andy swiftly set them out around the patch of pavement right outside the bakery window. The stones had become loose and raised, and were “a lawsuit waiting to happen,” according to the town council. They were always grumbling about the impracticality of the old cobbles, but Andy loved them—and not just because they meant he had a steady supply of work. To him, they were something ancient and beautiful that simply needed a bit of care and attention to help them last another several hundred years.
‘Hey, little brother! Come to hang out with me today, have you?’
Andy glanced up from his crouched position, only to find Heather beaming down at him as she wiped flour from her hands with a checked tea towel.
‘Yep—gotta sort out this little lot,’ he said, nodding at the patch of raised stones. ‘And FYI, I’ve got plenty of greys in this lot now,’ he added, lifting his hard hat and running his hand over his thick mop of hair. ‘I’m not sure you can call me little brother anymore!’
‘Give over, you’ll always be my annoying little brother,’ said Heather with a wink. ‘Anyway, do you reckon you’ll be finished by the time I open?’
‘I’ll do my best,’ said Andy.
‘No rush,’ said Heather with a shrug. ‘I was just gauging when to bring you a fruit slice.’
‘Any time is a good time for a fruit slice,’ said Andy. He might have had breakfast less than half an hour ago, but his stomach growled in anticipation of the promised treat.
‘I’ll be as quick as I can,’ said Heather. ‘We’ve got to keep you well fuelled, considering you single-handedly keep this town in one piece.’
‘Oh, I don’t know about that,’ chuckled Andy.
‘Let’s face it, there probably isn’t a single part of Crumbleton you haven’t had to repair over the years!’ said Heather.
‘Well, some things deserve a bit of TLC,’ he said, giving the cobbles a friendly pat. ‘I mean, even with the limited traffic allowed up here, these poor old things get a serious battering. Did you know some of them date as far back as the thirteen hundreds? The ones up by the museum are—’
Andy broke off and rolled his eyes at Heather, who was busily executing an exaggerated yawn.
‘Oi!’ he laughed. ‘Some people have no soul.’
‘Not when there’s bread to be baked and fruit slices to ice and you want to give me a history lesson about cobblestones… again!’
‘Fine, you win!’ said Andy. ‘I’m just saying, it’d be a real shame if the council got their way and tarmacked over the whole lot.’
‘They wouldn’t?!’ gasped Heather.
‘They’ve definitely talked about it,’ said Andy. ‘The subject usually comes up whenever the utility companies leave a mess behind them and the town has to pay me extra to put it right.’
‘But… you’re way cheaper than pouring tarmac down the entire hill!’ said Heather, looking horrified.
‘I am,’ said Andy with a nod. ‘Besides, I think the tourist draw of our pretty cobblestones will always win them over. At least, that’s what I keep telling myself.’
