Page 41 of The Sugar and Spice Bookshop Bakery

‘Mothers too.’ Louise looks at him curiously, wondering what’s behind his outburst.

He’s still gazing at the drawings, picking them up one by one. He puts the last of them down on the table, and holds a portfolio out to Louise. ‘I did these. Not quite in Maddie’s league, but I wanted to give you an idea of what the garden could look like. I was going to show you this morning, but then…’

‘But then I sacked you,’ Louise finishes his sentence for him. She hadn’t noticed the portfolio earlier. Had he had it with him then?

They sit down at the table, and Louise unzips the portfolio and takes out Jack’s drawings. The style is very different from Maddie’s, more architectural, more functional, with straighter lines and no colour, but they show a remarkably similar vision.

‘What d’you think?’ he says.

‘I love them,’ Maddie says, then checks herself. ‘But you mean, what does Louise think?’

Louise smiles. ‘Yes, I love them too. Look, I apologise. I shouldn’t have dismissed your idea when I didn’t understand what you had in mind. I was far too hasty.’

Jack sets down the drawings. ‘Like I said, I get it.’

‘Soooo,’ Maddie says, ‘You’re hired.’ She points at him in the manner of Lord Sugar in The Apprentice.

‘Er, I think it’s rather up to Louise,’ he laughs.

‘Of course, you’re hired,’ she says. She picks up one of Maddie’s drawings. ‘Can you really turn these magical pictures into a reality?’

‘Yes,’ he whispers. ‘I really can. But before we decide anything, we need to talk. Perhaps over dinner tomorrow night?’ He looks at Louise. ‘Just the two of us.’

Fourteen

‘What are you going to wear?’ Maddie says.

They’re standing behind the counter in the bakery, and all the customers have gone.

Louise takes the last three slices of ginger cake and puts them into an airtight container. ‘What I’m wearing now.’

‘You’re not going to change? For a date with the hot architect?’

Louise turns to face her stepdaughter. ‘It’s not a date, Maddie.’

‘Oh, I think it is. It’s most definitely a date.’

‘It’s a client meeting.’ Louise picks up a cloth and begins to wipe down the counter. ‘I’m hiring him as the bookshop’s architect.’

‘What? You think architects take all their clients out to dinner?’

‘I dunno. Maybe they do. I’ve never had an architect before.’ She gives Maddie a look.

‘Perhaps over dinner tomorrow night?’ Maddie laughs at her own attempt to mimic Jack. His combination of flat Yorkshire vowels with Italian sing-song rhythm is difficult to imitate and she doesn’t do a very good job. ‘Just the two of us,’ she continues. ‘He couldn’t have made it any clearer that I wasn’t invited. I think you should at least put clean jeans on.’

Louise looks down at her jeans which are dusty with flour. ‘That’ll brush off.’

‘Clean jeans,’ Maddie drills.

‘You’re going to make a good mum one day, Mads,’ Louise laughs. ‘Firm but fair.’

‘Did you ever want to be a mum?’

Louise bites her lip. ‘Yeah, once upon a time, I thought I would be. But you know what, I’m really lucky to have you. And I wouldn’t trade that for anything.’

‘Yeah, me too. I’m lucky to have you.’ Maddie smiles. ‘So, how about you wear that nice red dress?’

Louise sighs. ‘We’re going to the Lion.’