Page 8 of Cupcakes and Kisses in Micklewick Bay

‘Aye, a quick one, lovey. Your dad’s going to whisk me over to York this afternoon and I need to get changed.’

‘How nice.’ Jasmine reached for the kettle as her mum headed over to the small table.

‘Did you see, there’s another house gone up for sale out there?’ asked Heather.

‘What, on this street?’

‘Mm-hm. Number twelve’s got a For Sale sign on it.’

‘I reckon over half the street must’ve gone on the market this year.’ Jasmine hoped her landlord wouldn’t be tempted to jump on the bandwagon and sell this place; affordable rental houses were hard to come by in Micklewick Bay.

‘And you’ll never guess what else I’ve just spotted,’ Heather said, her green eyes, so like her daughter’s, dancing with the news she was about to share. ‘It’s going to cause a right load of gossip and speculation, I can tell you.’

‘What is?’ Jasmine looked up, thoughts of Lady Caro’s offer slipping to the back of her mind.

‘Go on, have a guess.’

‘Er, someone’s painted the station building bright blue with pink stripes.’

‘Granted, that would generate a bit of gossip.’ Heather chuckled. ‘But nope, you’re way off.’

‘In that case, you’re going to have to enlighten me.’ That her brain had been wrestling with so many other thoughts, meant conjuring up random guesses felt nigh on impossible to Jasmine right now.

‘Well,’ said Heather, hooking her bag over the back of a dining chair, ‘as I was driving by the Micklewick Majestic this morning, I noticed there was a sold sign fixed to the gatepost; it was hard to miss actually.’

‘No way?’ This was news. The Micklewick Majestic was a once grand hotel that had been known as the jewel in Micklewick Bay’s crown until recent years when its owner’s fortunes had taken a turn for the worse. The imposing Victorian building had stood empty, falling further and further into disrepair as the years went by, ending up a pathetic and forlorn shadow of its former self.

‘Yes way.’ Heather nodded.

‘It’s been on the market for that long, I’d actually forgotten about it.’ The For Sale sign had long since succumbed to the wind blowing in from the North Sea and now lay in several pieces on the ground.

‘Aye, I know what you mean. Mind, whoever’s bought it has their work cut out for them.’

‘You’re not kidding, especially if the exterior is anything to go by. Last time I passed the place, it looked as if the grounds were being used as a local dumping site.’

‘I think they have been.’

Despite her mum’s news, Jasmine’s thoughts quickly switched back to the phone call from Lady Caro and the dilemma it posed of how she was going to squeeze in a meeting with her.

‘Ooh, this looks interesting.’ Jasmine turned to see her mum admiring the latest sugar paste decoration she’d been working on while she was waiting for the kids to land back. Her open sketchbook was beside it, showing her design of a fondant cruise ship set on a vibrant blue sea, complete with white, frothy waves and dolphins cavorting amongst them. She’d enjoyed thinking up the design and had even included a small sandy island with a palm tree.

‘It’s for a client from out of town who’s stipulated a cruise ship design. It’s not due till next week, but I thought I’d make a start on the elements now.’

‘You’re so creative, lovey.’

‘Thanks.’ Jasmine gave a distracted sigh.

‘Everything okay, lovey?’ her mum asked, a frown furrowing her brow.

‘Yeah, it is, it’s great actually.’ She flashed her a smile. ‘Well, it would be if it wasn’t for one thing.’

‘Oh?’

Jasmine recounted the details of the phone call from Lady Caro as her mother sipped her tea.

‘Oh, sweetheart, that’s wonderful news!’ Heather pressed her hand to her chest. ‘I’m so proud of you, and your dad will be, too, when he hears about it.’

‘Thanks, Mum. My mind’s been racing with ideas for cakes since the call. It’s all I’ve been able to think about.’ Jasmine sat back in her seat. Though talking about it had setexcitement coursing through her veins again, it was tempered by the concern of whether her increasingly busy schedule was sustainable. She puffed out another sigh.

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