“I instructed a solicitor this morning,” he went on. “There’s nothing to contest. You’re only asking for what you’re entitled to.”

Annie raised her eyebrows. “Thank you, Max,” she said. When she darted a look at him, his eyes were glassy and brimming with tears.

“I am so fucking sorry,” he said with a quavering voice. “So very very sorry.”

“Okay, well, it’s done now. We can both move on.”

“Do you think we could ever be friends?” he asked.

“Don’t push it,” said Annie.

Max choked out a watery laugh, which immediately became a sob. “Can I have one last hug,” he whispered through his tears. “For old times’ sake.”

For crying out loud! she thought. “Sure,” she said. “One last hug. But no funny business.”

“No funny business,” Max repeated like a sobbing parrot.

Max reached out and pulled her into an embrace, clinging to her and making her hair warm and damp as he buried his face and wept into it. Despite feeling mild repulsion at being squeezed, she found herself rubbing and patting his back as though she were soothing a giant child, which, she thought, just about summed up their relationship. She thought she heard the door creak, but when she managed to loosen Max’s hold enough to move her head, there was nobody there.

After taking a moment to compose himself, Max went out the way he’d come. Annie nipped upstairs to change her cardigan and spray perfume in her hair. She didn’t want to spend the whole day smelling Max on herself.

“Max has agreed to buy me out! I can buy Saltwater Nook!” Annie whispered loudly into Gemma’s ear.

Gemma squealed and threw her arms around Annie, and together they did a sort of jump hug behind the counter, which earned them a few curious glances.

“Oh my God, I’m so relieved, and excited obviously. I can’t wait to tell John, I wish he’d hurry up!”

“He’s been,” said Gemma.

“What?”

“He came in when you were speaking to Max. He opened the door to the hall and then seemed to change his mind.”

Annie’s stomach plummeted.

“Did he say anything?”

“No, he just said he’d come back later. I asked him about Alfred, and he said he’s settled in and seemed happy enough. He left in kind of hurry, so I assumed he’d forgotten something.”

Or just seen me in Max’s arms, Annie thought. If she didn’t have a café to run, she would have jumped in her car and chased him down. Surely he wouldn’t think there was anything romantic in that hug? Max was blubbering into her hair, for God’s sake!

Gemma obviously sensed that the mood had changed.

“You’re buying Saltwater Nook, though!” Gemma said, smiling with all her teeth. “That’s amazing!”

—