Page 31 of Cupcakes and Kisses in Micklewick Bay

‘Hey, no worries at all. You’ve done the same for me over the years; we’ve all been there for each other, always will be. Anyroad, how about another calming cup of camomile tea?’

‘Lovely as the offer is, I’m fine for stewed compost right now, thanks.’ Jasmine had pulled a face.

‘Rude!’ Lark had said, chuckling.

‘Looking at the time, I reckon I’d best head back home. I’ve eaten such a big chunk into your afternoon, I daresay you’ve got a load of stuff to catch up on, and I’ve got a birthday cake to bake and a conked-out car to track down.’

‘You haven’t eaten a chunk into my afternoon at all, but I think I’ll head back into town with you. Nate said he’d drop by later to discuss our next sourcing trip.’

‘“Sourcingtrip”, eh?’ Jasmine had put finger quotes around the words, nudging Lark with her shoulder. ‘Is that what you’re calling it these days?’

Lark had rolled her eyes good-naturedly as she’d swiftly changed the subject. ‘These are for you, they’re good for tackling stress.’ She’d handed Jasmine a small silk purse containing two crystals. ‘One’s rose quartz to help with your stress levels, the other’s onyx which is for protection. I’ve programmed themfor you, all you need to do is keep them close and give them a rinse under the tap every now and then. And this is a rollerball containing lavender and scented geranium essential oils. Whenever you feel your stress levels rising, just roll it over your temples and your wrists, it’ll help bring them down. And this room spray contains the same mix, it can be used as a pillow mist, too; should help you sleep better.’

‘Oh, thank you, that’s so kind, flower.’ Jasmine never ceased to be amazed by Lark’s thoughtful nature. ‘I actually feel so much calmer for spending time here. Whatever it is you do, it’s working. Don’t suppose you fancy a lodger?’ She grinned at her friend, savouring the lighter feeling.

With the sun beating down on them, and the aroma of seaweed hanging in the air, the two friends made their way along the bottom prom to the one hundred and ninety-nine steps that gave access to the top prom and town. They chatted away about the lack of affordable rental property in Micklewick Bay, the sound of the waves idly lapping against the shore in the background.

They were deep in conversation when a Land Rover pulled up beside them and Bear leant out of the window. ‘Now then, lasses. Need a lift?’ Maggie’s husband was built like a brick proverbial, his bushy beard and wild shock of chin-length wavy hair lending him a Viking-like appearance. However, his striking looks belied the fact that he was a gentle giant, even more so since he’d become a dad.

‘Thanks, Bear, that’d be great.’ Jasmine leapt at the chance.

‘Thanks, Bear.’ Lark beamed at him.

The two women climbed into the rear of the vehicle, settling themselves down onto the benches.

‘So how come you’re down here? I thought vehicles weren’t allowed this far along the bottom prom,’ asked Jasmine.

‘I’ve just been having a look at the roof of one of the beach huts. The new owner said it had been leaking; wants me to fix it for her.’

‘Fair enough.’

As Bear indicated to pull out, Jasmine could feel the weight of Lark’s gaze opposite. She gave her a quizzical look. ‘What’s up?’

A mysterious smile twitched at the corners of her friend’s mouth. ‘I can’t shake the feeling that Max Grainger is going to feature heavily in your life again.’

Jasmine gave an easy-going roll of her eyes, hoping Bear hadn’t heard – he’d no doubt report back to Maggie who’d give her a right grilling about it. ‘Don’t get yourself carried away, flower. You just concentrate on you and Nate.’ She flashed Lark a wide smile which was enough to stop her friend from pursuing her “feeling”.

FIFTEEN

FRIDAY

The rest of the week passed in a blur, with Jasmine spending any spare moment she had trawling the internet and checking shop windows and noticeboards in town for adverts in her search for a new home before they were due to leave Rosemary Terrace. The only place that had seemed suitable, and not too far from where they were currently living, had apparently been snapped up a couple of hours before she’d rung to book a viewing. It had been a struggle to hide her disappointment. If the lack of suitable or affordable property was anything to go by, her house hunting was bound to take more than the couple of weeks she was hoping for. Eager to help out, her parents had told her she and the kids could move in with them if necessary, but, as kind as the offer was, Jasmine would rather find somewhere of their own and get Zak and Chloe settled without having to go through the upheaval of packing up and moving home an extra time. Plus, if they ended up at her parents, it would mean the children would have to share a room, which she doubted would go down well. The potential for niggles and arguments wasn’t at all appealing, but at least her parents’ offer had taken the pressure off if she was unable to find somewhere to move to in time.

At Rosemary Terrace, Jasmine had taken the tiny box room, giving Chloe the bigger front bedroom while Zak had the room in the converted loft space, which he loved and referred to as his “man cave” which tickled Jasmine. Since she only used her bedroom for sleeping and housing her small collection of clothes – which she kept on a tiny rail as there was insufficient room for a wardrobe – Jasmine reasoned she didn’t need much space. But Zak and Chloe sometimes played in their rooms as well as having sleepovers with their friends, so it felt only right that they should have the more spacious bedrooms.

The Scragg situation at school seemed to have calmed down, for which she was inordinately relieved, especially since Chloe seemed so much happier and more like her cheerful self. Zak had reverted to his boisterous ways, enthusing about his new friend Connor and his football-themed birthday party that coming Saturday.

It was one less thing to worry about.If only everything could be fixed so easily, she thought.

Stella had called round at Rosemary Terrace on Tuesday evening armed with a bunch of flowers for Jasmine and a tub of raspberry ripple ice cream for Zak and Chloe.

‘Oh, wow! They look amazing,’ she said, spotting the batch of gooey chocolate caramel cupcakes Jasmine had just finished in readiness for collection by the local knitting group. She’d decorated them with huge swirls of caramel buttercream and sprinkled them with miniature chocolate buttons.

‘There’s one going spare, if you fancy it?’

‘Are you kidding? Hand it over!’

In between chomping on her cupcake, Stella had offered more words of reassurance regarding the letter from the Forsters’ solicitors which had further calmed Jasmine’s concerns. They’d both agreed that a response in the form of a letter from a legal firm would have greater impact than one sentdirectly from her. It would show the Forsters she was taking their allegations seriously. The conversation had naturally turned to Max, but since she’d seen nothing more of him since Monday evening, there was nothing new to share.

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