Page 38 of Cupcakes and Kisses in Micklewick Bay

‘Would you believe, forty?’

Max gave a low whistle. ‘Forty years? That’s a heck of a long time.’

‘It is. Though Mum jokes it feels more like a hundred and forty.’

That raised a smile from Max. ‘Are they having a party to celebrate?’

She shook her head. ‘No. They’re putting the money a party would cost towards a holiday; they fancy going somewhere sunny rather than holidaying in this country, which is what they usually do. They’ve had a few unexpected expenses over the last year so they’ve postponed the break until next year.’

Max listened quietly as he poured the tea, bringing the mugs over to the island. Setting them down, he slid onto the bar stool opposite Jasmine. She took a moment to survey him, her mind running over the hundreds of questions that were piling into her mind. He looked back at her. Though his expression was inscrutable, she wondered if it was the same for him.

‘How’s Ernest?’ she said, breaking the silence – not that it was uncomfortable; she was just a little conscious of it. ‘Cute name for a dog, by the way.’ She chuckled.

‘He’s currently having a whale of a time in the garden with the lads. I’m sure he thinks he’s one of them.’

He’d seemed to be enjoying himself when Jasmine had been looking out of the window. ‘What breed is he?’

‘Good question. We know his mother was a black Lab, and from the look of his coat, his dad was evidently something fluffy or long-haired. We rescued him from a shelter over Harrogate way a couple of years ago, but he’s the most upbeat little fella considering his past. Absolutely adores Connor.’

‘Oh, bless him.’ From the expression on Max’s face, she could tell the Lab cross had taken up a huge chunk of his heart. ‘He seems adorable.’

‘He’s that all right.’ He smiled affectionately. ‘Oh, and I must mention that Connor’s thrilled with his birthday cake. It’sgenius. In fact, he says he likes it so much, he doesn’t want to cut into it.’

Jasmine laughed. ‘Ah, that’s sweet, but he really should enjoy it before it goes mouldy and has to be chucked away.’

‘I’ll tell him you said that.’

After umming and ahhing about whether to do a cake in the theme of a football pitch, with a sugar paste character in a Micklewick Lions football kit, she’d sought Zak’s advice and eventually settled on making a cake in the shape of a football shirt in the local team’s colours, complete with sugar paste football boots posed on top. Much as Zak had liked the first option, he thought it might be a bit babyish for his ten-year-old friend. Jasmine had appreciated his advice.

‘You always enjoyed baking with your mum. I remember the chocolate cookies you used to make.’

‘You do?’

‘Of course, they were so chocolatey and delicious.’

‘That’s probably because I used to sneak in extra hot chocolate powder when my mum wasn’t looking.’

‘That’d explain it then. Don’t suppose you still make them, do you?’

‘I do actually, when I’m not busy baking cakes, that is.’

‘It didn’t come as a surprise when I saw you made celebration cakes for a living. Your creative streak was evident when we were kids.’

‘A lifetime ago,’ Jasmine said wistfully.

‘Yeah, a lifetime ago.’ Max inhaled deeply and ran a hand over his close-cropped hair, his eyes shining as he looked at her. ‘We’ve got so much catching up to do, Jingilby. I don’t know where to start.’

‘My mum and dad were so chuffed to hear I’d seen you in town, they’ll be even more delighted when I tell them you live here and are not just visiting. They’re looking forward to seeingyou again, if you’ve got time to pop in on them.’ It suddenly crossed Jasmine’s mind that if this was Max’s home, and the swanky cars on the drive belonged to him, then his fortunes had clearly changed since he’d left Micklewick Bay. He might have some high-flying business to run and no time for visiting people. Her next thought was to wonder what had brought about such a change in his circumstances.

‘Of course I’ve got time to see your parents! I’ve been desperate to know how you’ve all been doing.’ He reached for his mug, his expression serious. ‘So, Zak’s father…? Connor said he… passed away – sorry to hear that, by the way.’

Jasmine huffed out a sigh. ‘That’s a very long story, and definitely not for right now.’ She’d hate for Zak, or any of the children for that matter, to walk in and hear her talking about what had happened. ‘All I’ll say is that, yes, he’s no longer with us. He’s been gone seven years now.’ She swallowed. Now wasn’t the time to let the memories of such a painful time sneak in. ‘How about you? Zak mentioned his mum’s not around.’ She winced inwardly, wishing she’d worded that better, especially with Max’s history.

‘Yeah, we parted company when Connor was a baby. Being a mother wasn’t for her, she said.’ He paused, lost in his thoughts for a moment. ‘If you’re thinking it’s a case of history repeating itself, you wouldn’t be wrong.’

‘Oh, Max, I’m so sorry.’ She was taken by the urge to reach out and take his hand but thought better of it, and besides, the island was so vast, she very much doubted she’d be able to reach him from her side of it.

He pushed his mouth into a smile, and it struck Jasmine that there was no trace of the chipped front tooth he’d had when he left town. ‘Hey, don’t be. Connor and me are doing just fine, we make a great team. And when I said it was history repeating itself, that’s not strictly true. I’m not quite as flaky as my dad. Iput my lad’s needs way, way before my own. Connor’s my world. He’s brought so much joy into my life, I can’t even begin to put it into words. My driving force is to make sure he feels happy and secure and loved.’

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