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‘I hope so, love. I really do. Now, enough of worrying, what will be will be.’
Brooke nodded and pulled the cake book lying in the middle of the steel table towards her. ‘Is it Hudson’s cake you’re making now?’
‘It sure is.’
‘Which one has he chosen?’ brook flicked through the book.
‘Page twenty-seven. That’s the one.’
Turning to page twenty-seven, Brooke opened and closed her mouth. ‘Wow, a dinosaur.’
‘Yep, that’s the one. I’m sure these kids all get together and make a pact to choose the most complicated one they can. Pippa had a rose cake for her last birthday, which you’d be forgiven for thinking would be simple.’ Elsie nodded towards the book. ‘Look at page ninety-eight.’
Brooke flicked through towards the end of the book until she came to the recipe for a rose cake. Each petal was individually cut, iced, and arranged. ‘That must have taken you hours.’
‘Two whole evenings just to decorate the thing.’ Elsie smiled. ‘I do enjoy it, though.’
‘My grandma always used to make my cakes, too. They were just circular ones but beautifully decorated.’
‘That sounds lovely.’ Elsie smiled and looked towards the back door as a series of taps filled the room. ‘That’ll be Ian. Could you let him in please, love?’
‘Yep.’ Slipping off the stool, Brooke pulled the back door to the courtyard open. ‘Hi, Ian.’
‘Hello, Brooke. Off out again, are you? Or are you joining me and Elsie for dinner?’ Stepping inside, he wiped his boots on the doormat.
‘Thanks, but not today. I’m off out with Max.’
‘Great. It’s good to see he’s found someone nice.’
Brooke glanced down at the floor and tucked her hair behind her ears. ‘Thanks.’
‘Elsie, my love, shall I ring and postpone our table?’ Ian kissed Elsie on the cheek before trying to dip his finger in the bowl of cake mixture.
‘Oi! This is Hudson’s birthday cake, we don’t want to poison the guests. Knowing you, you’ve probably got oil or something over your fingers.’ Elsie tapped his hand away and kissed him back. ‘I’ll be popping it in the oven in just a moment and then I’ll run back in half an hour to take it out of the oven.’
‘And that’s one of the many reasons I love you, you always have everything under control.’
‘Oh, don’t. You’ll make me blush. Go and grab us all a coffee and I’ll let you lick out the bowl.’
‘Don’t worry about me. Max will be here any moment. Thanks anyway.’
––––––––
‘SO WHAT DO YOU THINK?’ Standing on the edge of the marina, Max held his hands out towards a small boat floating in the water.
‘It’s bigger than I thought.’ She nodded. They were really going to sail that? The two of them?
‘It’s not big. It’s not even a houseboat. Come and have a look.’ Taking her hand, Max jogged down the small floating walkway before jumping over the side of the boat and holding out his hand.
Taking his hand, she gingerly stepped over the edge of the boat.
‘See, we’ve got an open-air seating area.’ He indicated a cushioned bench at the back of the boat. ‘Then downstairs we have the kitchen and bedroom. Phil, who owns the boat, sometimes takes it out for a few days.’
‘He sleeps in there?’ Holding the roof, Brooke stepped down the few steps to the kitchen area and looked across to a small triangular-shaped bed positioned beneath the front of the boat.
‘Yes, I don’t know how. He’s taller than me, so I’ve no idea how he actually fits in.’ Max chuckled and opened the small fridge, pulling out a bottle of wine. ‘Would you like a glass before we set sail?’
‘Ooh, yes, please.’ I think I might need one. I don’t think I’ve ever been on a boat before. Apart from a ferry, that is.’
