When Only Cupcakes Will Do

by Daisy James

  ‘Did you know Yolande is pregnant?’

  ‘Yes, I saw the announcement on Facebook.’

  ‘Greg is jubilant, there’s no other word to describe it. He’s already bought everything for the nursery and he’s talking about names and schools. They’re even contemplating moving out to the country and Greg will commute. He’s the most excited I’ve seen him – even more so than after we pulled an all-nighter to secure that takeover bid last November.’

  ‘Alex…’

  ‘And Harry’s getting married in two weeks’ time. Josh has just announced his engagement in The Times, no less! Hey, will you be at the wedding?’

  ‘No. I don’t know Jemima that well. It’s her sister Kate who introduced us and Kate is Jess’s friend. Alex, I …’

  ‘You know, I’ve been thinking a lot about us these last few weeks. I miss you, Lucie. I miss your quirks, your chatter, your funny obsession with gastronomic alchemy. I’m sorry we broke up. Do you think… would it be possible for us to give it another go? What do you say?’

  ‘Oh, Alex, I’ve missed you too. But I’m not sure…’

  ‘Please, Lucie, I want you to forgive me for turning you down. I am truly sorry, believe me. After all the organisation that went into springing that surprise at Tiffany’s you must have been devastated, I realise that now.’ Alex leaned across the table and grasped both her hands in his. He stared into her eyes, smiling broadly. ‘I never stopped loving you, Lucie. I didn’t understand what had happened, what I’d lost, until after the partnership announcement and I had the time to stop and think about it. I made the biggest mistake of my life. How could I have given up the chance to be with someone as wonderful as you? Life without you in it is dull and grey and boring. The sparkle that I took for granted disappeared when we broke up. Please say you’ll give me another chance.’

  Lucie’s spirits lifted as she listened to the speech of contrition she had never expected to hear. Could she really be hearing these words, the words she had longed to hear three months ago?

  But then her emotions crashed back down to earth. She was a totally different person now to the one that had left Tiffany’s devastated by his rejection. She had left her job; okay, she’d had no choice, but she’d taken the chance to shoot for her dreams and now she had a fledgling business to nurture and expand. She was proud of what she’d achieved and she had matured as a person too – as a responsible business entrepreneur. She had even learned how to zip-wire! Was reconciling with Alex truly what she wanted? But Alex was still talking.

  ‘Will you be my plus one for Harry and Jemima’s wedding?’

  ‘Really? Are you serious?’

  ‘Absolutely. If we’re going to give our relationship another chance, there’s no time like the present. Neither of us is getting any younger!’

  Lucie felt him squeeze her hand and her thoughts cascaded through all the future possibilities that had been liberated from their tightly sealed box. Could she return to her old life in London and dust off her dreams of marrying Alex? Would she move back in with Alex in his pristine flat in Pimlico? She wasn’t sure of the answers – she needed time to consider her feelings.

  And there was another factor to throw into the mix. Ed.

  ‘Thanks, Alex. I’ll think about it.’

  ‘I’d better get back to the lads or they’ll be thinking I’m missing-in-action. I’m so please we got this chance to talk. I mean it this time, Lucie. I’m ready to make a serious commitment.’

  Alex stood up, holding her gaze, still grasping her hand in his so she had to stand too. He leaned across the table to kiss her and, before their lips met, she caught a movement at the periphery of her vision. She turned her head so that Alex’s kiss landed on her cheek just in time to see Ed frozen in mid-stride in the doorway taking in the scene. He met her eyes and raised his eyebrows into his fringe in puzzlement. Then he glanced at her companion. Clearly he had put two and two together and Lucie saw the realisation seep into his expression. He retreated from the pub, but not before she glimpsed the reflection in his dark eyes.

  A splice of guilt shot through her chest and the urge to run after him was too strong to deny.

  ‘Ed, wait!’

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  ‘I take it that was Alex?’

  ‘Yes, but…’

  ‘Well, don’t let me interrupt your little reunion.’

  ‘It’s not a reunion. I had no idea Alex was going to be there. He’s part of Harry’s stag party. We just bumped into each other.’

  ‘I saw the way he was looking at you, Lucie. What were you talking about?’

  The intensity of Ed’s challenge surprised her, but as she opened her mouth to explain, another realisation dawned. She had left Alex at the table in the pub to run after Ed. What did that mean? She didn’t have to think too long to come up with that answer. She knew why. But Alex was still a loose end in her life. Those feelings she had experienced when she was with him were real. What if she did still love him? She needed to talk to him further, ask him to expand on his explanation for rejecting her so she could put the whole traumatic episode behind her and move on with a clear mind, without all the familiar questions continually circulating in her mind. She needed closure with Alex otherwise she’d never be able to give her heart, her whole heart, to anyone.

  Ed had been studying her face as these conclusions had dawned. He’d taken her silence as reluctance to discuss her meeting with Alex.

  ‘You might not believe me, Lucie, but Rosa told me I would find you here tonight. She knew Jemima and Kate had asked everyone to go for a drink after the party. I was hoping to find you here and confess how much you’ve changed my life these last few months with your own brand of mayhem. I love the way you throw yourself into every project with passion and abandon and don’t care whether it succeeds or fails, just enjoying the satisfaction of knowing that you’ve given it your all. I love how you’ve taken the nightmare of being fired and turned it into a fabulous mobile cake business. I just know that, with you at the helm, the Travelling Cupcake Company will be a triumph.’

  Ed’s eyes did not flicker from hers. It was the most serious she had ever seen him.

  ‘This is what you can achieve by trusting in your passion, your creativity; by believing that what your heart tells you is right. You should never settle for the easy option of stability and order, whether in business or romance, or you’ll never be truly happy. Let your heart soar, Lucie, and you’ll taste what real love is about.’

  ‘Ed, I need to…’

  ‘If you know anything about me, Lucie, you should know that I’m not the kind of guy who hangs around waiting. Life has taught me that there’s too much out there to explore, to experience, to enjoy. If you need more time to realise how much you’ve changed since leaving Francesca’s, then you’re not the Lucie Bradshaw I thought I lo… knew. I thought you were ready to give your heart a chance for once. I was clearly mistaken.’

  And Ed turned his back and strode out of her life.

  ‘Lucie? Is everything okay?’

  Alex had appeared at her side, squinting into the distance as a silver Alfa Romeo revved its engine and screeched around the corner, the red tail lights flashing as the breaks were applied at the last minute.

  Lucie could almost taste Ed’s anger. Everything he’d said to her was right. She had lived her life craving stability. After watching her parents, and then Jess, go through the pain of broken relationships, all she had wanted was for her life to be settled and steady and the people in it consistent and calm. When she’d met Alex he was all of these things and that was why she’d thought she loved him. There were no dramas, no heated discussions, no fireworks.

  ‘Everything’s fine thanks, Alex.’

  ‘Hey, Alex, where’ve you been?’ shouted Harry, rolling towards them, a pint of Guinness grasped in his hand, which he emptied in one gulp. ‘Come on, we’re moving on to the next watering hole. Say goodbye to your girlfriend!’

  ‘Sorry, Lucie. I
have to go, but will you call me? Let me know about the wedding invitation? It’ll be a great opportunity for us to spend some time together and chat about our future.’

  ‘Okay, I’ll call you.’

  ‘Great.’ Alex leaned in to embrace her, but she swiftly averted her head so he deposited his kiss somewhere around her right ear, a whisper of his breath tickling her lobe. She wasn’t surprised that the gesture didn’t register on her Richter scale of passion.

  Could she have been wrong all this time? Was Ed right when he said that true love wasn’t about safety, security and commitment but about uncontrollable attraction, passionate connections and undeniable sexual chemistry.

  Just thinking of these things and the person who had fired the emotions within her veins sent a tingle of desire through her body.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  ‘So, are you seriously thinking of getting back together with Alex?’ asked Jess as they munched on a plate of muesli flapjacks at her kitchen table. The door out to the garden was open and they could hear Lewis and Jack singing tunelessly to a Disney soundtrack as they scrubbed the wheels of the ice-cream van for extra pocket money.

  Lucie had been so overwhelmed with what had happened over the last twenty-four hours that tears had gathered along her lower lashes when once again had Jess expressed her gratitude for her tumbling back into their lives and adding a sparkle. Everything in Jess’s family garden was rosy; the boys were happy, she loved being part of the Travelling Cupcake Company and planned to keep it ticking over if Lucie decided to go to Spain, and her date with Matt had been a great success. So why had her sister been so muted in her reaction when she had told her about bumping into Alex?

  ‘I’m not sure. We’ve still got a lot to talk about. I know he’s genuinely remorseful about what happened. And this time it sounds like he really wants to settle down. I’ve arranged to have afternoon tea with him at Fortnum & Mason next Saturday after my meeting with their confectionery buyer. Oh, Jess, I’m so excited about that. Just to see a selection of my cupcakes in my favourite London store will be a dream come true.’

  ‘But does that dream feature Alex, though? Could his change of heart about settling down just be because he’s surrounded by friends and colleagues who are doing the same? Have you thought about that? He almost spelt it out to you. Greg and Yolande are expecting their first child, Harry and Jemima are getting married, other friends are getting engaged. Is he really in love with you? Even if he is and now’s the right time for him, the most important question is – is it the right time for you and are you still in love with him?’

  Jess scrutinised Lucie’s expression as she sipped her Earl Grey tea.

  ‘Lucie, you’ve got to follow your heart this time, not your head. Only you know whether you truly love Alex, but you’ve not heard anything from him for three long months. You’ve been through hell since he ditched you; been fired from your job, lost your home, not to mention the fiasco with Twitter. You know we love having you here with us, and if I had my way you would stay in Richmond with me and the boys for ever. But I’m worried about you.’

  ‘Worried about me? Why?’

  ‘I don’t want you to rush back into Alex’s arms now that he’s suddenly decided he wants a relationship because it’s convenient for him.’

  ‘Alex says he misses me.’

  ‘But do you love him? I can’t live your life for you, Lucie, but I want you to be one hundred per cent sure before you give your heart to him again. He let you down once. Will he do it again?’

  Lucie stared into the dregs of her mug. Steph had delivered a similar monologue when she’d called her that morning full of excitement about her appointment with Fortnum & Mason and made a promise to meet her and Hollie after she’d met up with Alex. She loved her friends, and her sister, and she knew they had her best interests at heart, but she had to weigh up her options herself and make her own choices.

  ‘Jess, didn’t I love Alex more than anything else in the world? That’s why I proposed to him! This could be my chance to turn back the clock and have a second chance to get things right, for us to be a couple again and to move our relationship forward to the next stage. I know he let me down and you’re right – he did hurt me; but he’s explained what a shock it was for him and now he’s had chance to think it through he’s genuinely remorseful.’

  ‘What did he say about the Travelling Cupcake Company? Was he proud of what you’ve achieved since you left London?’

  ‘Well, we only spoke for a few minutes. We didn’t really mention what I’ve been doing.’

  ‘Yet there was time for him to tell you about his partnership, his boss’s baby news and his friend’s engagement?’

  ‘Yes, I…’

  ‘Lucie, please, tell me you’ll think long and hard before you rush into anything? You’ve made a new life for yourself here. Our business has such potential – I mean, supplying Fortnum & Mason with cake pops and cupcakes? The Queen shops there! Are you ready to give everything you’ve achieved up to go running back to Alex?’

  Jess paused, clearly struggling with her next sentence and then deciding to throw caution to the wind and toss the grenade into the conversation.

  ‘What about Ed? You two seem to have a connection and you’ve got lots more in common. And he opened up to you about his accident. I’ve spoken to Rosa and she says he never discusses the details with anyone outside the family. You have that in common too – you’ve both made life-changing decisions to follow your passions and, from where I’m sitting, you both seem to have made a great success of it.’

  ‘Ed is just a friend, Jess. But you’re right. We do have a connection and he’s taught me a lot about myself, not just in the culinary arena.’

  Jess reached across the table and took Lucie’s hand. ‘I love you, Lucie, and if Alex is the guy you want to spend the rest of your life with, then go get him! But I have to disagree with you about Ed. He’s more than just a friend. I’ve seen the way he flashes those dark, sultry, sexy glances at you when you’re not looking. In my humble opinion, when he burst into your life for the second time it was obvious there was chemistry between you. He’s painted your previously monochrome existence with a vibrant rainbow of excitement. He took you zip-wiring, for goodness’ sake!

  ‘And he’s a real-life hero too. I looked the story of his crash in Sicily up on the internet. He dragged that lorry driver out of a burning wreck and saved his life. I mean, wow! If it was up to me I’d plump for the Technicolor version of life every time. I know he loves you. And if you don’t mind your big sister shoving her nose even further into your love life – I think you love him too, but you’re afraid to admit it. Take a chance, darling. Look what happened when you did the same with your professional dreams. Are you happy with how the Travelling Cupcake Company has turned out?

  ‘Of course I am!’

  ‘Then grab a few more of those happiness coins by letting your heart rule your head in the romance stakes as well.’

  She had smiled at Jess and thanked her for her love and support over the last three months. Together, they bathed Lewis and Jack and read them a seemingly inexhaustible selection of bedtime stories before falling into bed themselves.

  She hadn’t heard anything from Ed since he’d left her outside the Fox and Hounds. Obviously he was leaving her to get on with her life. Maybe his decision was for the best – if she was contemplating a reconciliation with Alex, why would she want to maintain a close friendship with a male friend? Also, she didn’t have to ponder too long on the reaction she’d get from Alex if she told him she was friends with the guy who had been at the centre of her very public meltdown.

  But while her head told her that her assumptions were valid, her heart thumped a strong objection. As she pulled the duvet up to her chin, her stomach gave a painful lurch, sending a sharp spasm of regret around her body, and tears began to roll down her cheeks.

  The day out with Ed, flying with abandon through the treetop canopy and the mellow, relaxe
d atmosphere of dinner at Adriano’s afterwards, seemed like a distant mirage now. The last image she had of him was of his chocolate-brown eyes fixed on hers as he demanded she give her heart a starring role in her decision-making. She should be tackling life and all its challenges head-on instead of allowing it to happen to her.

  She thought of Alex, of the life she would have with him in Pimlico. Was that what she really wanted? Would she still be able to run her business from his tiny, soulless flat? For one thing there was nowhere to park the van and for another his kitchen was certainly not equipped to survive the assault of her forays into culinary autopsies. For God’s sake, there were still polystyrene blocks in the oven!

  And did she want to live so far away from her family after she’d tasted the joy of seeing them on a daily basis? Of working side-by-side with her wonderful sister and nephews as they designed ever more elaborate figures for their cake pops? She adored being an integral part of educating the next generation about the pleasure that could be induced by the preparation of food and its sweet indulgence.

  She was even less sure of her feelings about Alex. She couldn’t dismiss the connection she had found with Ed – in more ways than one and, in fact, on a much deeper emotional level than she’d ever had with Alex. But she couldn’t function unless she gave her heart to one person one hundred per cent – what was the point otherwise? She had done that with Alex, invested every bit of her heart and soul in him so that her world revolved around his. Except, of course, for that other, non-negotiable relationship in her life – her intimate love affair with desserts.

  As exhaustion chased her thoughts into the welcome oblivion of sleep, the final image to scuttle across her eyelids was of Ed, his dark curls falling over his forehead, his grin lighting up his eyes as he savoured Adriano’s superb risotto or watched her ride the zip wire for the first time. If she were honest with herself, she’d definitely hoped for more than just continued friendship with Edmundo Cartolli before Alex had stormed back into her life.