The Little Brooklyn Bakery: A heartwarming feel good novel full of cakes and romance!

‘Sophie, nice to meet you. Erm …’ said the tall, dark-haired woman, rising and smoothing her hand down a slim-fitting pencil skirt before holding it out.

She looked at the receptionist, her eyes flashing some hidden message. ‘Right, erm … take a seat. I’ll be right back.’

Sophie sank into the chair and stared out at the view beyond. New York spread out before her, the green of what had to be Central Park, the trees – so small from up here – reminding her of heads of broccoli, the intricate layout of rooftops a long way below which looked like Airfix models, detailed with water towers and air-conditioning units, and in the distance edging the park, more skyscrapers, blinding white in the brilliant sunshine like sentries on the border. Did you ever get tired of this view, she wondered. It was incredible.

She waited, the minutes ticking by. The tension was back, poking at her shoulders, the muscles bunching. Something was wrong. Surely they were expecting her. It had all been confirmed by email. Admittedly in a rush, but now she could remember Trudy Winkler, Editorial Director. They’d exchanged several emails, copied into the HR Manager. Sophie told herself not to panic. They probably hadn’t got her desk cleared. Maybe it still had balloons and crumbs covering it.

Trudy came back, a smile plastered on her face. ‘Right. Well … actually, there’s been a slight hitch. Nothing to worry about.’ She smoothed her skirt again. ‘We, erm … well. When … erm, Mel, wasn’t it, had her accident, we didn’t think anyone could fill her place … Oh, this is embarrassing. One of the board offered his friend’s daughter an internship … to cover Brandi’s job.’

Sophie’s fingers curled over the edge of her seat, holding on tightly.

‘Don’t worry … it’s fine. You can job share with Madison … it’s just we need to find you another desk, it won’t be with the other cookery writers, I’m afraid, but we’ll find—’

The phone rang on her desk and she grabbed it like a lifebelt.

‘Ah, thanks. That’s great. Perfect. I’ll bring her over.’

A real smile lit up her face. ‘Problem solved. Come on.’

She led Sophie through the office, where heads were bent over their laptops with studious intent as if they didn’t dare look up and acknowledge there’d been a booboo. Only one girl caught Sophie’s eye, her bright-red lips stretching in a slightly smug and triumphant smirk. Immediately Sophie knew. This was Madison, the intern. But as Trudy led her across the room past a few more desks into an area by the window, the girl’s expression changed to one of dismay.

‘Sophie, let me introduce you. Todd writes our Man About Town column.’

‘Hi, we meet again.’ Todd flashed her his usual lighthouse-beam grin. Seriously, that smile should come a health warning, it belonged in a Hollywood blockbuster.

‘You two have met?’

‘Remember I fixed up the rental on my cousin’s place?’

‘Yeah, of course. You’re our regular Mr Fixit. Need a new screen for your phone, know where to buy fresh Oregano or find a holiday let in the Hamptons? Todd is our man.’ Despite her brusque words, she shot him a wry, fond look. ‘And somehow, Todd has managed to appropriate a second desk.’ She wrinkled her forehead. ‘And I have no idea how he did that or how it gets to be in this state.’ Trudy gave the messy surface a plaintive frown.

‘Hey English, we’re going to be roomies.’ He swept a pile of paper from the surface of the desk and dumped it into a box which he then put under his own desk, with a cheerful shrug. ‘No idea what any of that is but I haven’t looked at it in a month.’

‘I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that, Todd McLennan.’

‘Work, boss. Work,’ supplied Todd.

Trudy sighed, but smiled back at him. ‘That’s what you’re calling it?’ She turned back to Sophie. ‘I’m still not sure why we employ him, other than he’s cute to look at.’

Cute was the understatement of the century but she said it without irony. Maybe familiarity bred immunity.

‘And the readers love me.’ He tilted back in his chair, his hands behind his head.

‘Unfortunately, he has a point there.’ She lowered her voice. ‘Voted most popular column last month, and he’s won a couple of awards, but we try not to let it go to his head.’

At that point Todd, with a silly cartoon gesture, as if he didn’t take them terribly seriously, pointed to a couple of crystal-glass trophies on the shelf behind his desk which were doing sterling work as paperweights to teetering piles of paper.

‘However, he has volunteered to clean this desk up for you.’ Her pointed look had him jumping to his feet.

Ignoring him, she focused on Sophie, ‘I’m really sorry about the mix-up. But if you can get yourself set up here … without the aid of a hazmat suit, hopefully … then you can join us for the editorial meeting at ten-fifty. Todd’ll show you where everything is.’

Sophie nodded, noticing Madison gliding up behind Trudy.

‘Hey Todd.’ The younger girl flashed him the sort of predatory smile a prowling jaguar would have been proud of. ‘Look Trudy, maybe I should swap desks. Let …’ she nodded towards Sophie, ‘have Brandi’s desk. It’s with the other food writers. It probably makes sense. I can sit here with Todd.’

Sophie just bet she could.

‘And how would I get any work done, Maddie? I’d be constantly distracted by your gorgeousness.’

Oh please. Sophie schooled her face into polite indifference. He had to be kidding.

‘Oh Todd, you’re such a charmer,’ said Madison, dipping her head coyly.

Really? That sort of cheese was digestible?

‘I know,’ he said cheerfully. ‘But English here is going to help me with a new feature, so it probably makes sense for her to be in the vicinity.’

News to her. Sophie stuck her tongue firmly in her cheek, which only Todd could see. He gave her a twisted grin. ‘Yeah … er … An – um – Englishwoman Abroad, checking out what’s new in New York.’

Madison frowned, or at least tried to. Her forehead didn’t seem to want to wrinkle like normal people’s did.

‘Oh, OK. Well, if you change your mind or finish your feature, I can always help on another one. I know all the most exclusive bars and I can get you into the member-only clubs.’

‘I’ll bear it in mind. Thanks, you’re a doll.’

Trudi smiled pleasantly, the epitome of diplomacy. ‘Right, well, we’ll leave you to it. See you at the editorial meeting.’ She turned on her heel, making a pointed pause when Madison didn’t immediately follow.

‘I’ll see you around, Todd. Maybe we can have that drink sometime.’

Todd waved a casual finger at her. ‘You bet.’

Sophie stood helplessly, while Todd unearthed a phone extension from underneath a stack of magazines. ‘I knew there was one here somewhere.’ He stepped forward and then with a wicked grin said, ‘Let me clear these sex toys away.’ He paused, sorting through a pile of boxes before offering her an open one with a large pink plastic shape nestled in purple tissue paper. ‘Unless you’d like to try a couple out and review them for me. For the column.’

Sophie gave him a level look which he cheerfully ignored.

‘Maybe not.’ He dropped the box on the floor and nudged it under his desk with his foot. ‘Here, grab these a second.’ He shoved a handful of flimsy silk underwear into her hands. ‘Help yourself to anything you fancy. They’re not my size.’

‘Fan mail?’ asked Sophie dryly, beginning to wonder quite what the scope of his column was. The one she’d read entitled ‘West Bank’ had been a recommendation of the best restaurants and bars, with multiple escape routes for those dates that went West, as well as a guide to decoding what men meant when they said certain things on a first date. It had been funny, witty and irreverent, poking fun at men’s hapless approaches to dating.

Todd let out a bark of laughter. ‘Funny, English. Funny. No, they’re samples. Sometimes I recommend gift-buying ideas. I get sent all sorts of stuff.’

‘So I gathered.’

‘Comes with the territory of being New York’s Man About Town, aka expert on everything.’

Todd’s idea of tidying up was simply transferring most of the mess to a pile behind his desk, but she could hardly complain as it meant she now had a clear space to work in. A bit too clear. She gave the bleak desk a baleful look, regretting not even bringing her own notebook to lay claim to her new territory. Digging in her handbag, she pulled out a solitary biro – it was the one Todd had lent her yesterday morning – and put it out in front of her. It looked a little sad. Lost and alone. Her mouth twisted.

When she looked up Todd was studying her.