Page 71 of The Sugar and Spice Bookshop Bakery

‘So they are! Look, I’ll tell you about it, but not till he’s gone.’

A minute or so later, Jack emerges from the bathroom, fully dressed. He leans towards Louise, brushing her cheek with his lips. ‘I’ll let myself out.’

They listen to his footsteps going down the stairs, to the door onto the street closing behind him. Then Maddie squeals and says, ‘He stayed over! I mean, what the actual…?’

‘Someone broke the pots outside, and I was anxious about it and so he stayed.’

‘Let me get this straight. He came to fix a leaking shower tray then stayed to protect you from the mystery pot breaker of Applethwaite.’ Maddie’s tone is incredulous, her face full of laughter, then her expression changes suddenly. ‘You mean, my pots? My lovely autumn pots?’ She rushes over to the window. ‘Oh, what a git! Who’d do that? They’re ruined.’

‘I don’t know. The same person who knocked over the A board perhaps.’ She pauses, wondering whether to voice her worries that someone might have it in for her. But in the cold light of day, it seems less likely somehow.

‘Jack’s sweeping up. He’s such a sweetie,’ Maddie says, still peering out of the window. ‘So tell me all.’ She turns to face Louise. ‘Is he a good kisser? Spill the beans.’ Her upset over the pots seems quickly forgotten.

Louise frowns slightly. Is this the sort of thing you should discuss with an ex-stepdaughter? She wonders how much Maddie shares with her father, if he knows all the goings-on in Applethwaite. ‘Oh, there’s not much to tell. Yes, he’s a good kisser.’

‘But you like him? Don’t you?’

Louise pauses for a moment. ‘I do, yes.’

Maddie pumps the air with her fist. ‘I knew it. There always seemed to be chemistry between you. Don’t think I haven’t spotted all those lingering glances.’

‘I know. He’s lovely, isn’t he? He’s fun to be around.’

‘Incredibly creative.’

‘Gorgeous looking.’

Maddie sighs. ‘He is. If I were twenty years older…’

‘Oi, hands off. I got there first.’ Louise laughs good-naturedly. ‘And he’s kind. Look at how he’s gone straight out to clear up those pots. He didn’t even finish his tea.’

‘He’s a thoroughly lovely bloke, Lou.’

‘He is, isn’t he?’ Louise says.

‘So what’s the problem? Because I’m sensing there is a problem.’

Nothing gets past Maddie.

‘The problem is that sooner or later, just like you, Jack might well be heading back to his life in London.’

Twenty-Five

‘I’ve made a plan,’ Maddie says, the following morning.

‘What kind of plan?’ Louise puts some bread in the toaster.

‘I’m going to throw myself into doing the book nook interiors.’

‘I thought you already were.’

‘Yeah, but really throw myself. Spend every spare minute. Make them as good as they can possibly be. And then, when I’ve done that, I’m going to take loads of photos and do a big social media campaign ahead of the grand opening.’

Louise is puzzled. ‘Weren’t you already doing those things?’

Maddie sighs. ‘Yeah, but now I’m going to live, eat and breathe the bookshop bakery. That way, I won’t have time to think about Theo, let alone phone or text him.’

‘Great idea, Mads. The sooner you forget about him, the better. I never did think he was right…’ Her voice trails away as she catches the look on Maddie’s face.