Page 48 of Cupcakes and Kisses in Micklewick Bay

‘What did you do after you sold your homeware company?’ asked Steve. ‘After what you’ve been telling us, I can’t imagine you sitting still for long.’

Max swirled the dregs of shandy in his glass. ‘I’d had my eye on another couple of businesses that hadn’t been doing too well and were looking to be bought out. After a good think about what I could do to improve them, I bought them using the profit I’d made from the sale of the previous business.’

‘Wow, Max! You evidently have a flair for this sort of thing.’ Heather beamed as proudly as if he was her own son.

‘Who’d have thought, little Max Grainger a high-flying business entrepreneur,’ said Jasmine’s dad. ‘Good for you, lad. I can’t think of anyone more deserving of success than you.’

‘That’s kind, Uncle Steve, but I think luck’s had a lot to do with it.’

‘Rubbish!’ said Heather. ‘Credit where credit’s due, it’ll be down to good business acumen and a sharp brain.’

Jasmine caught Max’s eye and the two shared a smile. Her mum had always been as protective and supportive of him as she’d been of her and Jonathan. It warmed Jasmine’s heart to know nothing had changed there. And from the look in Max’s eyes, he felt the same.

‘And have you still got these businesses?’ asked Steve.

‘No, I sold them eighteen months ago – I daresay you can see a pattern forming.’ He grinned. ‘The profits I made allowed me to buy a small chain of shops, as well as a few properties here in Micklewick Bay.’

‘Here?’ Jasmine couldn’t hide her surprise. ‘Have you been in town all this time?’

‘No.’ Max shook his head. ‘Connor and I were living on the outskirts of Middleton-le-Moors.’

‘Oh, right.’ Jasmine allowed this information to sink in. Surely he must’ve returned here on several occasions to view the properties he’d bought?

‘And do we know the chain of shops you bought – and do you still have them?’ Steve stretched his legs out, chuckling.

‘I still have them, and don’t have any plans to sell – for the foreseeable future at least. The chain’s Campion’s of York, the flagship store is in Middleton-le-Moors.’

‘Campion’s of York?’ Jasmine asked in disbelief. Max had achieved all this? There was no wonder he could afford his fancy pad on the cliffs.

‘Ooh, I’d heard the one in Middleton had been recently refurbished. It’s lovely by all accounts, I’ve been meaning to have a trip over there. There used to be a little store here, too, you know. S’just used for storage these days.’ Heather fanned herself with a magazine she’d been reading earlier. ‘Don’t tell me you own that as well?’

‘I’m afraid I do, and I’ve got plans to reopen it in time for Christmas.’

‘You’re a right business tycoon, Max lad,’ said Steve.

‘So, I’m guessing you know of my friend Maggie Marsay?’ Jasmine asked. Last year her friend had been approached by the Campion’s buyer Emma Bramley to supply the store with signature handmade bears, as well as designing a new logo for the company which had thrilled Maggie no end. Though Jasmine recalled her saying she’d never actually met the owner, with all her dealings being through Emma, adding an air of intrigue to the proceedings. The thought that it was a small world ran through her mind.

‘Maggie, of course. Why? Is she a friend of yours?’ asked Max. ‘The first time I saw one of her bears, I knew I wanted her to design a range for the store.’

‘She’s one of my best friends, along with Florrie Appleton, Stella Hutton and Lark Harker. Remember them?’

A wide smile creased the corners of Max’s eyes. ‘Of course. It’d be great to see them again. Is Stella still kickass?’

Heather snorted with laughter. ‘Just a bit. Mind, she’s all loved-up now, so she’s calmed down a bit in the fella department. She’s a lovely lass, they all are, actually.’

‘When you mentioned you bought up some other property in the town, you didn’t actually include the Micklewick Majestic Hotel, did you?’ asked Steve.

From the tone of his voice, Jasmine could tell her dad was only half-joking.

‘I did actually, Uncle Steve. It needs a lot doing to it to restore it to its former glory, which is what I intend to do. I reckon it’s going to keep me busy for a while.’

‘I can imagine, it’s stood empty for years,’ said Heather.

‘So I gather. I’m going to brief the same architect I used to convert the old warehouse, Fitzgilbert’s Landing. He’s very forward-thinking. He had some fantastic suggestions and solutions for there. I’m hoping it’ll be the same for the hotel.’

‘That’s Stella’s bloke, isn’t it, Jasmine?’ Steve asked.

‘It is, it’s Alex! Stella actually bought one of the apartments in Fitzgilbert’s Landing, it’s the one opposite his.’ Jasmine laughed in disbelief.

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