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There was something recognisable about the voice. It was someone frail and old, yet the way she spoke about the sweets was peculiarly familiar.

‘And talking of Holly, where is she? I was hoping I’d be able to speak to her.’

That was it. That was the moment it clicked. Shutting her laptop, Holly jumped to her feet and bounded down the stairs.

There, standing next to Evan in all her miniature glory, was Maud.

20

It probably wasn’t sensible to squeeze the old lady as hard as Holly did, but she couldn’t help herself.

‘Evan, this is Maud. Maud, Evan. Maud, Evan is my boyfriend. Evan, Maud is?—’

‘The old owner of the sweet shop. Of course.’ Evan stretched out his hand, which Maud shook without a moment’s hesitation. ‘Pleasure to meet you. Holly told me so much about you.’

‘I hope at least some of it was good?’ Maud chuckled.

‘Oh, every word of it was good,’ Evan said.

‘Is that right? Well, jury’s out on you.’ She looked at Holly as she spoke. ‘He’s nice to look at and everything, but really Holly, that man needs to learn his sweets if he’s going to work here.’

Holly couldn’t help but grin.

‘Don’t worry, he’s not going to work here – not full-time, at least. He’s just helping me out today. It’s a way we get to spend some time together.’

Maud looked at Evan again, though this time, her gaze changed. It was far more wistful. She nodded slowly, turning back to Holly. ‘Then, in that case, I approve very much. This is a good place to spend time with your loved ones.’

The silence swelled between them. Holly couldn’t remember how much she had told Evan about Agnes and her passing away, but she didn’t want him to say anything that might cause Maud distress. So she cleared her throat and spoke as joyfully as she could.

‘So, what do you think of the place now? We’ve got quite a few new lines in.’

Maud let out a slight chuckle before turning in a circle. It was hesitant, slow. A nervousness bubbled through Holly. Even though Maud had let the sweet shop fall into disrepair before she handed it over to Holly, her opinion still mattered greatly.

‘I think you’ve done wonderfully,’ Maud said, causing a sigh of relief to flood from Holly. ‘You know, I stood outside for a bit earlier. I didn’t want to come in. I saw you here, the pair of you, and you had some big queues to deal with. It was like we used to be, back in the day. Me and Agnes and you all together.’

With Agnes having been mentioned again – this time directly – it didn’t seem right for Holly to ignore it.

‘I hope she would be proud of what I’ve done with the place,’ Holly said quietly.

‘Oh, she would, my love. She would be so proud of you. Her legacy carried on by a person she loved most in the world. How could she not feel proud of that?’

Tears pricked the back of Holly’s eyes, but she hurriedly sniffed them back. Back in the day, Agnes and Maud had had a rule that you never let your sadness show on the sweet shop floor. And the last thing she wanted to do was break that rule with Maud standing right beside her.

‘So, what are you doing here?’ Holly said, deliberately making her tone more jovial. ‘Why didn’t you tell me you were back?’

‘Oh, you know, life. Lots of things going on. Not that I want to bore you with them now. Not when you’re at work with your man.’

‘Then why don’t you go for a coffee or lunch together?’ Evan’s voice cut into the conversation. For a second, Holly had almost forgotten he was there. ‘It looks like there are plenty of cafés here in the village. I can call you if I need any help.’

Rather than being grateful for the offer, Maud grimaced.

‘She hasn’t just spent the last two years building this business back up again for you to ruin it,’ she said. ‘If you think I’m trusting you to look after this place while she crosses the road, you’d be mistaken. What are Pontefract cakes, good lord.’

Holly laughed. ‘I am sure he would be completely fine for half an hour,’ she said.

‘No, no,’ Maud continued. ‘I won’t disturb you now and I’m meeting some friends for lunch, anyway. But I’m going to be around for a few days. Perhaps we could do dinner one night?’

Holly leapt at the opportunity. There was so much about the business she wanted to tell Maud. Yes, she could see from the shelves and the customers how it had grown. But there was so much more to it than that. There were the party platters, Drey’s idea, that they were doing for birthday parties and businesses. There were the sweets they gave out each year as part of the Christmas carols to the children and their donations to the care homes, bringing a taste of nostalgia back to the residents there. There was so much to talk about.