Page 50 of Cupcakes and Kisses in Micklewick Bay

‘Your parents are exactly as I remember them,’ Max said as they turned out of the gate and onto the footpath of Arkleby Terrace. ‘It’s been so good to see them again.’

‘I knew they’d be ecstatic to see you, and Connor too. The look on their faces was priceless.’

‘So many memories came flooding back of playing in their back garden, and how they made me feel like one of the family,’ he said fondly. ‘You all did, even Jonathan.’

‘You pretty much were one of the family.’

‘Do you remember the swing your dad made from an old tyre fixed to the end of a rope? He’d suspended it from the branch of a tree that my memory tells me was overhanging from the house at the back. I’d forgotten all about that until today. I used to love swinging on it.’

‘Yeah, me too. It suffered a sad demise when Jonathan was swinging on it a bit too vigorously and the branch snapped. Got a nasty bump on his head for his trouble. Mum gave Dad a right earbashing for not checking it was safe before we used it.’

‘Poor Uncle Steve.’ They looked at each other and laughed.

Despite her smiles, something had been troubling Jasmine all afternoon, and she couldn’t hold it in for much longer. Sheneeded to know; she didn’t want any gossip to start up about her, especially for the kids.

‘Can I ask you something?’

‘Sure, ask away,’ Max said.

‘Where does Sabrina fit into your life?’ She pulled a face. ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean that to sound as direct as it came out. What I do mean is, what’s her role, and should I have invited her to my parents’ with you and Connor? She introduced herself as your PA, but I kind of get the impression she’s a bit more than that.’ Jasmine winced again. Her words had sounded so much better in her head. She didn’t want Max to think she was checking to see if they were an item, or that she was prying.

‘Sabrina and I aren’t together, if that’s what you mean? She works for me, that’s all.’ He looked across at her, but she couldn’t meet his gaze.

‘Phew! At least I won’t have offended her, then.’ Jasmine felt unexpectedly bright at hearing this news.

‘Not at all. She doesn’t live with us, she has her own place in town – one of the little terraces I bought and did up near Fitzgilbert’s Landing. I hung on to a couple of them for rental purposes.’

‘Oh, yeah, I know the ones.’ Up until the terrace in question and Fitzgilbert’s Landing had been renovated, that part of town had been run-down and best avoided, especially after dark, with many of the properties being boarded up. Max’s refurbishments had given the area a change of fortune and the houses had become suddenly more appealing and much sought-after. It was a far cry from her little home on Rosemary Terrace.

‘So, as you’ve rightly assumed, Sabrina is more than your average PA, she helps look after Connor, too – it’s all in her contract, and was in the description when she applied for the job. I’m not taking advantage of her, and she’s more than happy with the arrangements. I do have a PA based at my officein Middleton-le-Moors, who’s solely dedicated to my work life. Sabrina liaises with her.’

‘Oh, right.’ Max was clearly unaware that Sabrina would rather be more than simply a member of staff, not that Jasmine was going to say anything.

Before long, they’d turned onto Endeavour Road and were standing outside The Cellar. Max held the door open for Jasmine and they both stepped inside, their shoes tapping over the wide, wooden floorboards.

‘Wow! This place is fantastic.’ Max surveyed the room, his eyes roving over the exposed brick walls and rustic-chic furniture that included a huddle of semi-circular booths with padded leather seats. The room was illuminated by a range of statement lighting, while candles in lanterns created a more intimate effect on the tables. The décor had been described as “contemporary saloon” in a write-up in a local magazine that had heaped praise on the hostelry. At the far end of the room was a highly polished oak bar, set with a row of gleaming beer pumps advertising The Cellar’s own beers. Bill, one of the bar’s co-owners, was busy at the coffee machine frothing milk, while Pim, his husband and business partner, was pulling a pint of Micklewick Mischief and chatting to the customer he was serving. A carefully chosen playlist of indie rock infused with a hint of folk music mingled with the hum of gentle chatter.

‘Hello there,’ said a smiley-faced member of staff who swept by, carrying a tray of drinks as they made their way to the bar. He was wearing the micro-brewery’s signature uniform of waistcoat, white shirt and long apron, tied at the waist and trimmed with The Cellar’s logo.

Reaching the bar, they didn’t have to wait long to be served.

‘Hi there, Jasmine,’ Pim said in his lilting Dutch accent. ‘I see you have a friend with you.’ His eyes twinkled at her ashe pushed his chin-length, Nordic-blond hair off his face. His expression told her exactly what he was thinking.

Ignoring it, she said, ‘Hi, Pim, this is Max, he’s an old friend of mine. He’s recently moved back to Micklewick Bay. Max, this is Pim, you recall I mentioned he was Stella’s half-brother. He and Bill over there are The Cellar’s owners.’

Max extended his hand across the bar. ‘Hi, Pim, pleased to meet you.’

‘Good to meet you, too, Max.’ When he’d shaken Max’s hand, Pim turned to Bill who’d just finished serving the customer with the coffee. ‘Hey, Bill, come say hi to Jasmine’s friend. He’s called Max and they go back a long way.’ He gave Jasmine an impish grin.

Bill appeared before them, an amused smile on his face. Unlike Pim, Bill was short with a small build and wore a neatly trimmed beard. Both were dressed in The Cellar uniform though their waistcoats were a different fabric to the rest of the staff. ‘Hi, Jazz. Hi, Max.’ From the glint in his eye, Jasmine could see he was thinking along the same lines as his husband.

‘You’ve got an amazing place. I’ll look forward to spending many happy hours here,’ said Max, sounding suitably impressed.

‘And we’ll look forward to seeing you both here, too,’ said Bill, adding extra emphasis to the word “both”.

‘Right then, what cool, alcohol-free drinks can you recommend?’ Jasmine was eager to steer the conversation away from the route Bill appeared keen for it to take.

‘Our virgin mojitos have been a big hit today,’ said Pimm.

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