Page 34 of Cupcakes and Kisses in Micklewick Bay

‘Sounds good.’ With the rain drumming on the roof of the car, Jasmine became suddenly acutely aware of her close proximity to Max.

From her seat, the gold flashes in his hazel eyes were more noticeable, as were the freckles he’d evidently hung on to from boyhood.

She felt a flutter in her stomach and was sure she could hear her heart thumping inside her chest. She hoped he couldn’t hear it, too.

That would be mortifying! She found herself being torn between wanting to spend more time with him, and wanting him to leave.

Fear of the unfamiliar feelings he’d triggered had unsettled her.

She needed to regain an element of control, put them in order and get back to normal.

Max Grainger is an old friend, you’re pleased he’s back, happy he’s doing well for himself. That’s all it is, nothing more.

‘Tell you what, we could always go to my parents’ house straight from here, if you like?’ she said. ‘Say, midday?’

‘Won’t the weather mean the barbecue’s cancelled?’

‘My mum’ll do a roast if it’s still raining; she’ll be keeping a close eye on the forecast, she likes to be organised.’

‘I remember,’ Max said fondly. ‘I’m really looking forward to seeing her and Uncle Steve again. And I’m not saying your mum’s Sunday roasts are the reason I came back to Micklewick Bay, but they were pretty legendary!’

‘I can’t wait to see their faces when they realise who you are.’ They both smiled at that, Jasmine wondering if Max would tell her what had brought him back to the town. ‘Oh, and Ernest’s welcome, too.’

‘You sure?’

‘I’m positive.’

‘You’re moving, or is that for next door?’ He nodded towards the For Sale sign.

‘No, it’s advertising mine,’ she said wearily.

‘The landlord’s decided he wants to sell up.

He reckons property round here has suddenly become very desirable.

Given me a bit of a headache to be honest; rental properties like this are hard to come by.

I’ve already had one of the town’s most unsavoury businessmen sniffing round it.

You might know him: Dick Swales, a.k.a. Dodgy Dick. ’

‘Hmm. I know of him.’ Max paused for a moment, looking thoughtful. ‘I can imagine Victorian terraces like yours have retained a lot of their original features. They’ll be perfect for first-time buyers who have a bit of money in their pocket.’

‘I s’pose so.’ Lucky them.

After a couple of minutes’ small talk, she unclicked her seat belt. ‘Right, I’d best go, but thanks for the lift and helping me see Scraggo off.’

‘Hey, you had it all under control, you didn’t need any help from me.’ Max raised his hands, chuckling.

‘That may be so, but I appreciate the moral support all the same.’ Stella had seen to it that the group of friends had all attended self-defence classes.

Her line of work as a criminal barrister had made her aware that there were some decidedly unpleasant characters out there, and she’d told her friends she wanted to make sure they could all defend themselves if necessary.

Jasmine had enjoyed the empowering feeling it had given her, not that she’d ever had to put it to use.

After her encounter with Jason Scragg, it made her glad to have it under her belt.

She went to open the door, but struggled to find the handle. ‘How the bloomin’ ’eck do I get out? It’s like some kind of mental agility test.’ She laughed.

‘It’s just here. S’cuse me.’ Max leant across as Jasmine pushed herself back into her seat, the skin of his arm brushing against hers.

‘Oh!’ His touch had sent an unexpected bolt of electricity shooting through her, briefly knocking her off kilter. She cleared her throat. ‘So, that’s where the handle is,’ she said, adopting a casual tone.

Their eyes met as he went to move back. Jasmine could feel the colour rise in her cheeks and dropped her gaze to her hands.

‘Well, um… thanks again for the lift.’

‘No problem.’

‘I’ll see you tomorrow.’

‘You will, indeed.’ Max smiled, giving a happy sigh. ‘I know I keep saying it, but it really has been great to see you again, Jingilby. You and your family have never been far from my thoughts ever since I left.’ He leant across and kissed her cheek. ‘See you tomorrow.’

‘Yeah, see you tomorrow.’

How she’d managed the short walk across the pavement and into her house, Jasmine would never know.

Her legs felt like they could buckle under her at any minute as she kicked off her sodden sandals and made her way down the hall to the kitchen.

What was going on with her? Why was Max Grainger, her friend of over twenty years ago, making her feel all unnecessary after suddenly bursting back into her life? It made no sense.

And it wasn’t just that, but the feelings that were currently swirling around her, she’d switched them off years ago, swearing to herself she was never going to let another man in, that she wasn’t going to expose herself to hurt and heartache again.

She’d built her walls so high, she could barely see over them.

Which was just the way she liked it. It had been just her and the kids for the last seven years, and that was how it was going to stay.

She released a frustrated groan as she headed upstairs to get changed out of her wet clothes. She wasn’t ready to head down that route; she had too many other things to occupy her thoughts.

The Scraggo incident, for example. The reminder of her unexpected confrontation with her former nemesis had a sobering effect.

She quickly made up her mind to alert the staff at school about what had happened, the threats he’d made.

She wasn’t going to allow his bullying ways to intimidate her, and nor was she going to tolerate his children targeting Zak and Chloe because of the history between her and their father.

He and they needed to get the message as soon as possible.