Page 60 of Cupcakes and Kisses in Micklewick Bay

Hilda tutted, a frown furrowing her brow. ‘They need to let go now. They’re hurting themselves more than anyone else. I hope Mr Cuthbert’s going to point them in the direction of the pawn shop over at Lingthorpe. From what I’ve heard, their son was a regular there. I daresay their records’ll prove that.’

Jasmine hadn’t thought about the shop having records. ‘Good point. I’ll mention that to Mr Cuthbert tomorrow.’

‘You do that, lovey. But Bart and the Forsters aside, and getting back to what we were talking about before, what I’m trying to say is, when you get a chance at happiness, don’t push it away. You deserve it more than anyone I know. Give love a chance, sweetheart. And give Max a chance, it doesn’t matter if he hasn’t been back long. If those feelings are there, they’ll be genuine. Don’t be frightened to have what me and my Joe had, it’s the most wonderful thing.’

Jasmine lifted her gaze and was met with a kind smile. It had been surprisingly good to get it all out, to hold her concerns up to the light and examine them through someone else’s eyes. She smiled back, feeling suddenly lighter as Hilda’s advice sank in. ‘Remind me how we got onto all of that?’

Hilda gave a hearty chuckle, patting Jasmine’s knee. ‘I reckon it’s because love is in the air for you, young lady.’

Love!A nervous thrill tingled its way through Jasmine. She wondered what Florrie and the rest of the lasses would have to say about that.

TWENTY-EIGHT

Jasmine had worked through lunchtime at Hilda’s, busily catching up with her cleaning session. Her friend, satisfied she’d got her point across about Max, had moved on to quizzing Jasmine about her trip to Danskelfe Castle and her meeting with Lady Caro. She’d been thrilled to hear about the wedding cake offer. ‘I’ll be keeping my Tuesday mornings with you though, Hilda. I look forward to them, and not just because of your delicious shortbread, I promise,’ Jasmine teased, sending her friend a quick grin. And though Hilda had protested, telling her she should focus on her new venture, the look in her eyes told a different story, which made Jasmine glad of her decision.

‘Right, that’s me done,’ she’d said, pulling her household gloves off and stuffing them in her caddy of cleaning equipment. ‘If you let me have your shopping list, I’ll just nip to the supermarket for you.’

‘Are you sure you’ve got time?’ Hilda had asked.

‘’Course I have. I’ll be quick as a flash. Mind, if you spot Jason Scragg while I’m out, you’ve got to promise me you won’t tackle him again, or ever again for that matter.’ Jasmine feared Scraggo wouldn’t back down quite so easily if Hilda confronted him by herself.

‘Cross my heart, lovey.’

‘Good.’

It was while she was in the supermarket car park that Jasmine had rung the school, explaining what Scraggo had said about them being in touch with him. She’d breathed a sigh of relief when Charlotte, the headteacher’s PA, had reassured her it had nothing to do with Zak and Chloe. Instead, Bruce Scragg had targeted another child, and the parents had lodged an official complaint with the governing body. His behaviour had warranted instant expulsion, while his sister, Nina, had been suspended for bringing a vape into school. ‘You can rest assured both Zak and Chloe are fine, and they weren’t involved in any of it,’ Charlotte had said.

Jasmine only hoped that this turn of events would mean the Scraggs would move to another town, not that she wanted to inflict their nastiness onto anyone else, but, with her history with Scraggo, she thought it highly unlikely that they’d manage an easy co-existence in Micklewick Bay.

On her return home that afternoon, Jasmine was dismayed to find a Sale Agreed sticker plastered over the For Sale sign outside her home. It added a new urgency to her house-hunting plans. She rushed into the kitchen, filled the kettle and fired up her laptop. She should be getting on with her latest cake, but knew she wouldn’t be able to settle until she’d had a quick check online to see if any new rental properties had become available.

A quick search threw up a small house on Ox Row which was on the other side of town. The street had a dubious reputation and, worse, from what she’d heard, it wasn’t far from where the Scraggs lived. Added to that, the houses were even smaller than the ones on Rosemary Terrace, if that was possible. She chewed at the corner of her mouth, wondering whether to booka viewing. The only other property that had been remotely suitable was on Lavender Terrace, a couple of streets away from where she was currently living, but it was overpriced, pushing it out of her budget by a considerable amount. She expected it wouldn’t get snapped up as quickly as the other properties.

She was scrolling through the properties one last time, just to make sure she hadn’t missed anything, when a semi-detached house on Wilkinthorpe Road, not far from where her parents lived, caught her eye. Her hopes lifted. It was a new listing since the last time she’d checked. And, if she wasn’t mistaken, the layout looked pretty much the same as her childhood home. Like number eight Arkleby Terrace, it was a former authority house. The accompanying photos showed a neatly kept lawn which was divided by a short footpath that led to the front door, while a generously proportioned garden stretched out at the back. An image of Zak and Chloe playing there filled her mind.

According to the details, the property had three reasonably sized bedrooms, a newly fitted kitchen and bathroom, as well as a new central heating and hot water boiler.Bliss!It was also double-glazed. The property had clearly undergone a renovation with a view to renting it out. Her heart thudded with excitement. It would be perfect for her and the kids. Telling herself not to get her hopes up, Jasmine stole a cautious glance at the monthly rental figure. Disappointment flooded through her. Though it wasn’t unreasonably priced, it was too much of a stretch for her budget, and much as everything about it was ideal, she didn’t want to have sleepless nights, worrying about how she was going to pay the rent every month. ‘You’re just going to have to put it out of your mind,’ she said flatly, closing the page.

Putting her disappointment behind her, Jasmine called the letting agents and booked a viewing at the Ox Row property for Thursday lunchtime. Hopefully, something more suitable would come up in the meantime.

Jasmine was elbow-deep in washing-up, the kitchen filled with the aroma of the fruit cake that was baking in the oven, when there was a knock at her door, startling her out of her thoughts. She dried her hands and headed down the hallway, hoping it wasn’t going to be a viewing she hadn’t been warned about, quickly discounting that as she remembered the Sale Agreed sign. She flung open the door and her heart leapt to attention.

‘Max, hi. Come in.’ She couldn’t have stopped the wide smile that spread across her face if she tried. He looked handsome in his jeans and crisp shirt.

‘Hiya, Jingilby, it’s not a bad time, is it?’ He took off his sunglasses and bent to kiss her cheek, sending butterflies tumbling around inside her.

‘Not at all, I was just washing up, can’t say I’m gutted at having that interrupted.’ She grinned at him.

‘No, I wouldn’t be either.’ He chuckled as he followed her into the kitchen. ‘Mmm. Something smells delicious.’

‘That would be the fruit cake that’s been baking slowly in the oven for the last half hour. It’s for a christening at the weekend.’

‘Lucky guests who’ll get to sample a slice.’

‘There was actually some leftover mix which I put into a smaller tin. If you play your cards right, I’ll let you have some when it’s ready.’

‘In that case, I’ll be on my best behaviour.’

‘D’you have time for a cuppa?’ She glanced up at him, noting he seemed even taller in such a small space.

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