Page 37 of Cupcakes and Kisses in Micklewick Bay

Jasmine wanted to ask how he’d explained Danni’s absence to his son, but held back in case Connor overheard. From what she’d seen of grown-up Max so far, she felt he’d have handled it in a way that would cause his son the least hurt.

‘That must’ve been hard after what happened with your mother,’ Heather said, her voice soft. ‘But looking at that little lad over there, anyone can see you’ve done a grand job of him, Max, you should be proud of yourself.’

‘Aye, from what I’ve seen, he’s a proper chip off the old block, isn’t he?’ Steve chuckled. ‘And he’s the spit of you when you were that age, what with those dark copper curls. He’s even got your twinkle in his eyes.’

Max smiled, twisting round to see Connor taking turns to kick a football into a net with Zak and Chloe. The three of them were getting on like a house on fire. ‘I do my best. He’s a great kid.’

‘Sounds like your life’s been a bit of a whirlwind since you went to uni.

’ Jasmine batted a wasp away. It would seem she wasn’t the only one to have been dealing with a load of chaos over the last ten years.

It didn’t stop her wondering if there’d been any other women in his life.

Her thoughts segued to Sabrina, wondering how she slotted into it.

‘What did you do after you sold your homeware company?’ asked Steve. ‘After what you’ve been telling us, I can’t imagine you sitting still for long.’

Max swirled the dregs of shandy in his glass. ‘I’d had my eye on another couple of businesses that hadn’t been doing too well and were looking to be bought out. After a good think about what I could do to improve them, I bought them using the profit I’d made from the sale of the previous business.’

‘Wow, Max! You evidently have a flair for this sort of thing.’ Heather beamed as proudly as if he was her own son.

‘Who’d have thought, little Max Grainger a high-flying business entrepreneur,’ said Jasmine’s dad. ‘Good for you, lad. I can’t think of anyone more deserving of success than you.’

‘That’s kind, Uncle Steve, but I think luck’s had a lot to do with it.’

‘Rubbish!’ said Heather. ‘Credit where credit’s due, it’ll be down to good business acumen and a sharp brain.’

Jasmine caught Max’s eye and the two shared a smile. Her mum had always been as protective and supportive of him as she’d been of her and Jonathan. It warmed Jasmine’s heart to know nothing had changed there. And from the look in Max’s eyes, he felt the same.

‘And have you still got these businesses?’ asked Steve.

‘No, I sold them eighteen months ago – I daresay you can see a pattern forming.’ He grinned. ‘The profits I made allowed me to buy a small chain of shops, as well as a few properties here in Micklewick Bay.’

‘Here?’ Jasmine couldn’t hide her surprise. ‘Have you been in town all this time?’

‘No.’ Max shook his head. ‘Connor and I were living on the outskirts of Middleton-le-Moors.’

‘Oh, right.’ Jasmine allowed this information to sink in. Surely he must’ve returned here on several occasions to view the properties he’d bought?

‘And do we know the chain of shops you bought – and do you still have them?’ Steve stretched his legs out, chuckling.

‘I still have them, and don’t have any plans to sell – for the foreseeable future at least. The chain’s Campion’s of York, the flagship store is in Middleton-le-Moors.’

‘Campion’s of York?’ Jasmine asked in disbelief. Max had achieved all this? There was no wonder he could afford his fancy pad on the cliffs.

‘Ooh, I’d heard the one in Middleton had been recently refurbished.

It’s lovely by all accounts, I’ve been meaning to have a trip over there.

There used to be a little store here, too, you know.

S’just used for storage these days.’ Heather fanned herself with a magazine she’d been reading earlier. ‘Don’t tell me you own that as well?’

‘I’m afraid I do, and I’ve got plans to reopen it in time for Christmas.’

‘You’re a right business tycoon, Max lad,’ said Steve.

‘So, I’m guessing you know of my friend Maggie Marsay?

’ Jasmine asked. Last year her friend had been approached by the Campion’s buyer Emma Bramley to supply the store with signature handmade bears, as well as designing a new logo for the company which had thrilled Maggie no end.

Though Jasmine recalled her saying she’d never actually met the owner, with all her dealings being through Emma, adding an air of intrigue to the proceedings.

The thought that it was a small world ran through her mind.

‘Maggie, of course. Why? Is she a friend of yours?’ asked Max. ‘The first time I saw one of her bears, I knew I wanted her to design a range for the store.’

‘She’s one of my best friends, along with Florrie Appleton, Stella Hutton and Lark Harker. Remember them?’

A wide smile creased the corners of Max’s eyes. ‘Of course. It’d be great to see them again. Is Stella still kickass?’

Heather snorted with laughter. ‘Just a bit. Mind, she’s all loved-up now, so she’s calmed down a bit in the fella department. She’s a lovely lass, they all are, actually.’

‘When you mentioned you bought up some other property in the town, you didn’t actually include the Micklewick Majestic Hotel, did you?’ asked Steve.

From the tone of his voice, Jasmine could tell her dad was only half-joking.

‘I did actually, Uncle Steve. It needs a lot doing to it to restore it to its former glory, which is what I intend to do. I reckon it’s going to keep me busy for a while.’

‘I can imagine, it’s stood empty for years,’ said Heather.

‘So I gather. I’m going to brief the same architect I used to convert the old warehouse, Fitzgilbert’s Landing. He’s very forward-thinking. He had some fantastic suggestions and solutions for there. I’m hoping it’ll be the same for the hotel.’

‘That’s Stella’s bloke, isn’t it, Jasmine?’ Steve asked.

‘It is, it’s Alex! Stella actually bought one of the apartments in Fitzgilbert’s Landing, it’s the one opposite his.’ Jasmine laughed in disbelief.

‘Blimey, talk about a load of coincidences,’ said Heather. ‘What other properties have you snapped up, Max?’

He was prevented from answering when a loud shriek pierced the air followed by Chloe shouting, ‘Mummy! Mummy!’

Jasmine leapt to her feet and rushed over to her daughter who was holding her hand out, tears streaming down her cheeks. Zak and Connor looked on in concern.

‘Oh, goodness me!’ Heather’s hand went to her chest. ‘Whatever’s happened?’ She pushed herself up and began making her way over to her granddaughter.

‘What’s up, Chlo?’ her brother asked.

‘It’s hurting, Mummy! Make it stop!’ she sobbed.

‘What’s happened, lovey?’ Jasmine examined Chloe’s rapidly reddening finger. Closer inspection revealed a bee sting protruding from the side of her finger. ‘Oh, little love.’ She turned to her mum. ‘Can you bring some tweezers? Chloe’s been stung.’

The revelation made Chloe howl even louder.

‘I’ll grab the medical box.’ Steve rushed into the kitchen and pulled the tub from the cupboard.

‘Is she okay? Is there anything I can do?’ Max was beside Jasmine in a flash, his expression soft with concern.

His arm brushed against hers, the soft hairs sending a tingle rushing over her skin.

She stole a look up at him, to see a pair of gentle eyes looking back at her, triggering a flutter in her stomach.

Once the drama of the bee sting and Chloe’s finger had subsided and the little girl’s smiles had returned, the boys had declared themselves to be “absolutely starving”.

Steve added more fuel to the barbecue and before long the smoky aroma of grilled sausages and burgers was wafting around the garden.

Beckoned over by his son, Max joined the kids to show off his “keepy-uppy” skills with a football, which didn’t look easy with Ernest trying to get the ball.

‘Your Uncle Jonathan taught me how to do this when I was a little lad,’ Max said.

The information seemed to go down well with all the children.

Jasmine observed Max’s easy relationship with his son, so far removed from the one he’d had with his own father.

She wondered what had happened to Bazza Grainger.

No one had heard anything of him after he went to prison.

Max had done well not to absorb even the slightest trace of his father’s toxic personality, nor display any bitterness or resentment as a consequence of his unhappy childhood, and being failed by both parents.

But then, he always did have a positive outlook, even at a young age.

Moving on from “keepy-uppy”, the children had talked Max into joining them taking shots at the basketball hoop on the side wall of the house.

Little Chloe hadn’t managed to score once on account of being so small.

Sensing her disappointment, Max had lifted her onto his shoulders and bounded towards the hoop so she could drop the ball through it.

Chloe’s squeals of laughter had bounced around the garden along with Ernest who was having enormous fun.

‘Oi, that’s cheating,’ called Steve, laughter in his voice.

Setting Chloe down, Max flopped onto the grass.

‘I’m exhausted,’ he said, stretching out and throwing his arms wide.

In a matter of seconds, the three children had piled on top of him, laughing as Max jokingly shouted for help.

Ernest joined the fun, rolling on the ground beside them, his legs kicking out every which way.

Heather and Jasmine were laughing so hard, tears were rolling down their cheeks.

When the hilarity had finally calmed down, Jasmine sat back in her seat, savouring the warmth and surprising herself with how she’d been able to relax – bee sting drama aside.

Usually, her mind would be full of everything she needed to do, reminding herself to be sure she transferred those thoughts to her “to-do” list. If she’d been at home, she’d have been feeding clothes into the washing machine, catching up on housework, changing the beds, ironing uniforms and working on her latest cake, whether it be sketching out a design, crafting elements or baking the cake itself.

Every minute was usually spoken for. But today, after all that had gone on over the last week, she’d listened to her body and allowed herself to relax.

Her gaze went to Max, who was now chatting to Connor and Zak about the Micklewick Lions.

A thought floated into her mind, and she found herself asking if she’d have been quite so willing to switch off like this if Max hadn’t been there.

She pulled herself up sharp, hastily telling herself she didn’t want to know the answer to that. Why was she even thinking it?

‘Have you sampled the delights of The Cellar yet, Max? It’s a micro-brewery in town. It’s very popular.’ Her dad’s voice cut through Jasmine’s thoughts.

‘Not yet, but I must admit it looks very appealing. The signage is great; grabs your interest straight away.’

‘You should get our Jasmine to take you there,’ said Heather, oblivious to the stern look coming from her daughter’s direction.

‘I’d like that.’ Max switched his gaze to Jasmine who quickly changed her expression. ‘It’d give you a chance to tell me what you’ve been up to since I left. I feel I’ve dominated the conversation so far.’

‘Give over, lad, we were all keen to know what had happened to you. It’s been awful not knowing all these years.’

Jasmine went to speak, but Heather jumped in. ‘Tell you what, why don’t the pair of you have a wander down there now? Your dad and me’ll look after the kids, if you’re okay with that, Max?’

‘I’m good with that, as long as you’re sure,’ said Max.

‘’Course I’m sure. We’ve stocked the freezer with ice creams for them.’ She turned to Jasmine. ‘And before you say it, I’ll slather a load of sunblock on them.’

‘Cool! Ice cream! Have you got any of those with raspberry sauce, Grandma? They’re my absolute favourites,’ said Zak.

‘Mine too,’ said Connor, matching Zak’s enthusiasm.

‘Sure do, lads.’ She directed her gaze at Jasmine, hitching her eyebrows at her daughter. ‘Well? Are you going to take your dad and me up on our offer, or not?’

‘I… um…’ Her mum’s suggestion had taken Jasmine completely by surprise but the hopeful look in Max’s eyes pulled at her insides. After hearing what he’d been through, there was no way she could refuse. ‘Okay, why not?’