Page 14 of Cupcakes and Kisses in Micklewick Bay

‘Hey, no problem.’ Jasmine watched as he swiped the screen, a frown crumpling his brow. She took the opportunity to check her own phone and was shocked to see a slew of missed calls and texts from her mum’s number, her mind flying to her kids. She hoped everything was okay there. She felt her mood deflate.

‘I really should take this call, Jingilby.’ Max’s voice brought her back into the moment.

‘And I need to get back home.’ She pressed her mouth into a smile.

‘Oh, okay.’ He sounded disappointed. ‘It’d be good to meet up sometime,’ he said, his finger poised to accept the call.

‘Yeah, definitely. My parents still live in the same house, so you could always call and see them. I could meet you there.’

‘Sounds perfect.’ He gave her a warm smile, raising his hand in a wave. She waved back before turning away and heading in the direction of her car, her head spinning. As she strode on, she was struck by a thought that sent a chill running up her spine: did Max know about Jason Scragg being in town?

Once in the close confines of her car – which she’d parked well away from school to ensure her children wouldn’t spot it and realise where she was – Jasmine scrubbed her face with her hands, her mind turning over the details of the meeting. She’d decided to tackle thoughts of Max later, especially since seeing him again so unexpectedly hadn’t sunk in properly yet.

How had it got to this with the Scragg children? Was she to blame? Had she got so busy her children felt they couldn’t come to her, tell her of their worries and concerns? She really hoped not; they’d always shared everything with her. The reason Jasmine worked so hard was for her kids, so she could afford to give them what they wanted, make sure they had the same as their friends, that they didn’t do without. Had they subconsciously picked up that she felt permanently exhausted? A worse thought crossed her mind: had it tainted the quality time she set aside to spend with them, meaning they didn’t enjoy it as much? If this was the case, how had she not noticed? Granted she had felt more tired recently, but she’d still savouredevery moment she spent with Zak and Chloe. They were her world, her reason for getting up in the morning. She’d hate for them to feel she was too busy for them. Guilt churned in her stomach and made her face prickle. It would be inordinately unfair if her reason for juggling so many jobs had been to the detriment of Zak and Chloe’s well-being.

‘Ugh!’ She threw her head back in frustration, just as a knock at the driver’s window almost made her jump out of her skin.

‘Jeez!’ She pressed her hand to her chest as she turned to see Stella peering in at her.

‘You okay, Jazz?’ Stella asked, her pale blue eyes brimming with concern.

Jasmine wound down her window. ‘Flippin’ ’eck, Stells, you frightened the life out of me!’

‘Sorry, flower, but you were chuntering away to yourself and you looked so stressed out, I just wanted to make sure you were okay.’ She was dressed in her workwear of a neatly tailored black trouser suit and crisp white blouse, a designer handbag over her shoulder. Her glossy blonde hair was swept back into a neat French pleat.

Jasmine puffed out her cheeks and released a noisy sigh. ‘I wish I could say I was, but I was called up to school; problems with the kids. You’ll never guess who’s back.’

‘Who?’

‘Jason Scragg.’ Jasmine watched as Stella’s face paled. ‘And he’s brought his kids with him.’

‘You’re kidding me.’

Jasmine shook her head. ‘Wish I was.’

‘Two ticks.’ Stella hurried round to the passenger side of the car, her high heels clicking over the pavement. She climbed in beside Jasmine, twisting round to face her friend and filling the small space with her clean, crisp perfume. ‘Tell me everything, leave nothing out.’

Jasmine heaved another sigh. ‘I’ll just text my mum, tell her not to worry, that I’ll be back soon.’

That done, she proceeded to recount the contents of the meeting at school to Stella.

Her friend screwed up her face. ‘Hideous little brats!’ She’d never made a secret of her dislike of children – the exception being Zak and Chloe, with the recent addition to that exclusive list being Maggie and Bear’s baby Lucia. Career-driven, Stella was the first to admit she didn’t have a maternal bone in her body and, consequently, children didn’t feature in her future. ‘Mind, shocked as I am to hear Scraggo’s back in town, it doesn’t surprise me that his offspring are as obnoxious as their father,’ she said distastefully.

‘Yeah, same here.’ Jasmine nodded sadly.

‘I know you’ll be worrying that it’s going to be a case of history repeating itself, but from my perspective, I can assure you it looks very different,’ Stella said in her usual no-nonsense manner. ‘For starters, school are fully aware of the situation and have assured you they’ll deal with it, which is a far cry from our day when the teachers seemed to turn a blind eye to what that worm Scraggo was doing. Old Troutface Trousdale was a complete waste of space as far as student well-being and bullying was concerned, especially when it came to the Scragg family. If he spent as much time being an effective headteacher as he did twitching that irritating moustache of his, then Micklewick Bay Primary would’ve been one of the best schools in the area.’

They both chuckled at the memory, each giving a quick burst of the “Troutface Mouth Wiggle” in the way they used to as pupils.

‘In all seriousness, looking back, I actually think Troutface was scared of Scraggo’s father.’

Jasmine nodded; her friend had a point. ‘I reckon you could actually be right there.’

‘Hmm. I’ve developed a nose for these things.’ Stella’s work as a criminal barrister meant she encountered a whole host of unsavoury characters and relationship dynamics. It afforded her an insight into how they operated and had enabled her to fine-tune her senses. Her gut feeling concerning situations were rarely wrong. ‘And don’t forget poor little Max Grainger had no one at home to stick up for him. Zak and Chloe have you, and heaven help anyone who takes you on, Jazz! Jeez! You’re like a lioness protecting her cubs, ready to tear the throat out of anyone who hurts or upsets them! Fierce doesn’t remotely cover it.’ They both laughed heartily at that.

‘I completely hold my hands up at that, but in my defence, apart from my mum and dad, I’m the only one they’ve got, which is why I’m so protective of them.’

‘Jazz, trust me when I say, there’s no “only” about it where you’re concerned. You’re the most amazing mother, Zak and Chloe are a credit to you. I don’t think I’ve seen kids more loved or better cared for than those two – and little Lucy’s included in that now, too. And don’t forget, I kind of know where you’re coming from with your family dynamics; it was the same for me growing up, with it being just me and my mum.’

---