Page 52 of Cupcakes and Kisses in Micklewick Bay

‘According to the policeman who knocked on the door to break the news, Bart’s car had skidded on a sharp bend, before coming off the road and careering down the cliffside over by Clifftop Cottage not far from where Maggie lives.’ Even after all this time, it still felt surreal to her.

Max ran his hand around the back of his neck, momentarily lost for words. ‘Jeez, Jingilby, I don’t know what to say. Sounds like you’ve been to hell and back.’

Jasmine blew out a deep breath and sat back in her seat. She lifted her gaze to Max. ‘It’s years since I talked about it, sounds even more like something from a soap opera this far on.’

‘Do you think it was a genuine accident? Or do you think someone else was involved; I only ask because of what you said about the people making threats about him not paying his debts.’

‘You’ve no idea how many times that’s crossed my mind, or maybe that he even deliberately drove off the cliff.’ She paused,lost in her own thoughts for a moment. She’d overheard the whispers at Bart’s funeral, that his car going over the cliffside wasn’t an accident. That he’d been driven off the road by the people he owed money to, but she’d brushed it off as spiteful gossip, telling herself it was the people who thrived on drama who were spreading the rumours. She decided to keep that to herself for now. ‘In all honesty, I could never see him hurting himself, though I guess we’ll never know the truth.’

‘Wow, Jingilby, you haven’t half been through it,’ Max said. ‘No one would know it from looking at you, though. You give off serious “don’t mess” vibes.’

‘Is there any wonder when I’ve had gangster-type apes turning up at my home? Took me a long time to get over that.’ Just thinking about it had sent adrenalin racing around her. ‘I honestly have no idea how I let myself get so caught up in all of Bart’s crap. It’s not like me. I mean, I knew I was unhappy, and I knew he was making a mug of me but, for some bonkers reason, I chose to ignore it and stay with him, kidding myself the whole time he’d change. I’m usually a strong person, my own person, but it was as if I’d lost myself for a while.’

‘You’re not the first woman to have done that, and I daresay you won’t be the last so don’t beat yourself up over it.’

‘And that’s the reason I’ve stayed single. I swore I’d never let another man in my life again after that. It’s just me and the kids all the way.’

He reached for her hand, smoothing his fingers over her knuckles. ‘Seems we’re both a little battle-scarred by our past, Jingilby.’

‘Yeah, seems we are.’ She caught his eye and smiled. ‘Unfortunately, it’s still not over yet.’

‘In what way? You look like you’re doing okay to me.’

‘Thanks.’ She found herself thinking that Max’s comment mattered to her, and it brought a smile to her face. ‘I’d say justthink of me as a swan, gliding gracefully over the water, but whose feet are going like the clappers beneath the surface, but I’m not exactly what you’d call swan-like and elegant. Anyway, I’m waffling. So, I got a letter from a solicitor acting on behalf of Bart’s parents last week, listing the jewellery I found in his pocket one time, including the engagement ring he gave me but took back and pawned. They’re demanding I hand it back or they’ll take legal action.’

‘What?’

‘I’ve lost count of the times I’ve told them I don’t have any of it, but they won’t let it drop. The last time I saw the stuff from his pocket was when I handed it to Bart, I just assumed he’d pawned those, too.’

Max rubbed his hand across his jaw, perplexed. ‘But why are they continuing to hound you after all this time?’

‘If you met them, you’d realise. They’re two of the nastiest people I’ve ever known and only seem happy when they’re making other people’s lives miserable. I know they’ve lost a son, and I can’t even begin to imagine what that must feel like; it’s bound to affect you forever. But anyone will tell you they were like that before Bart died. Fuelled by bitterness.’

‘What a horrible way to live your life.’

‘I haven’t told you the worst of it.’ She took a sip of her drink through the straw, the sprigs of mint tickling her nose. ‘They refuse to have anything to do with Zak and Chloe, always have; wouldn’t even acknowledge them when they were born. They told Bart it was to show how disapproving they were that I was their mother. I’d honestly expected them to change after Bart died. In fact, I’d anticipated them getting full-on over Zak and Chloe, and causing problems that way, but if anything, they withdrew even further.’

‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’ Expressions of outrage and disbelief ran across Max’s face. ‘What kind of people are they?’He raised his palm. ‘Actually, you don’t need to answer that, I already know.’

‘At first, I thought it was awful. I felt hurt for my kids, but now I realise it’s probably for the best. I dread to think what sort of poison they’d be whispering in their ears if they had any contact. And I doubt Zak and Chloe would like going to their house. On the couple of occasions I was allowed in, the atmosphere used to be so tense and stifling. I couldn’t wait to get away. Bart told me he felt the same way.’

Max sat up straight in his seat, his face serious. ‘Have you responded to the letter? Would you like me to get my solicitors onto it? They’re pretty hot on stuff like this – they could put something together to make sure the Forsters back off.’

Jasmine shook her head. Though she was touched by his offer, she wanted to deal with this herself. ‘I’ve got an appointment with Cuthbert, Asquith & Co next week, but thanks anyway.’

They were interrupted by Bill arriving at their table, a perfectly balanced tray of drinks on his arm, his crisp, clean cologne wafting around them. ‘Sorry to interrupt, but Pim and I thought you two could do with a little drinky refresh, and these little beauties are on the house.’ He set down a repeat of their first order along with a small bowl of snacks. ‘Enjoy, guys.’ His gaze snagged on Jasmine and he treated her to a loaded smile as he swept away.

‘What a decent bloke.’ Max reached for his fresh bottle of alcohol-free beer, drops of condensation beading the glass. ‘I’ll definitely be back. This place has a great atmosphere, very chilled.’

‘Yeah, him and Pim have worked hard to build up a good client rapport. They often have special nights on here, you know, a live band. Last year, they held an auction to raise funds for a family whose daughter needed some pioneering treatment that’sonly available in the States. Folk were only too happy to support it.’

A round of cheering rang out at one of the nearby booths, followed by an out of tune chorus of “Happy Birthday”. Jasmine and Max looked on, smiling, as Pim carried an elaborate cocktail, trimmed with a sparkler, carefully setting it down on the table in front of the birthday girl. That done, he grinned over at them, giving a thumbs up, to which Jasmine replied with a jokey roll of her eyes.

‘So, the house you’re living in, the one that’s for sale, I assume it isn’t the one you shared with Bart?’ Max said, picking up the conversation once more.

‘You assume right. As I said, the one I lived in with Bart was in his name.’ Jasmine took a fortifying breath. ‘After he died, everything went to his parents. Bart and I never married – though loads of people used to think of us that way, probably cos we’d been together for so long. When his estate was finally sorted, I got a letter from the Forsters telling me that Zak and I had to leave the house, as they now owned it.’

‘Seriously?’

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