So, her heart was a little sore but it was time to step back from her relationship woes and build that wall around it once more. What she needed to do right now was to turn her focus back to saving her beloved chocolate shop, and not only saving it, no: making it the best bloody place to come for chocolate, coffee and cake along the whole Northumberland coast.

27

‘Hi, you okay, Em? Can I come up and see you next Sunday?’ Max’s soft Geordie tones came through on her mobile.

‘Max? I’m surprised you’re calling.’

‘What? Why?’ He sounded confused.

‘Let’s just say I had a little visit from Siobhan. Your Siobhan.’

‘Oh, but—’

‘Look,’ Emma cut him off, ‘I don’t want any ifs and buts and she doesn’t understand me – there’s obviously some unfinished business there, Max.’

‘Hey, on her part, not mine.’

‘Sorry, Max, but I just can’t go there.’

‘Em? Come on, give me a chance to explain at least—’

‘My mind’s made up. It was difficult enough as it was.’ Her voice trembled. She needed to protect herself. No more reasons, excuses, tumbled emotions, she’d go back to her straightforward (well, mostly) chocolate shop life. She knew where she stood here. She had her friends, and Alfie, James and her family, she had all the support network she needed. ‘I can’t do it,’ she added decisively. It felt a relief, in fact, to say the words. She’d been so damned churned up the fast few weeks. This would be simpler, so much better.

‘But Em—’

Before he could say any more, Emma turned off the call.

Now that relationships were out of the picture, the next challenge seemed to be to find a joiner to do the alteration work for the café. The two local options were too busy, one of Max’s contacts gave a quote that was horrendously expensive, and the other was booked up until March next year! In a way, now it was all off between them, she was relieved not to have to deal with someone Max knew anyhow.

Finally, Bev’s Pete persuaded a semi-retired carpenter called Ron, a chap in his sixties who lived in the next village and played golf with Pete occasionally, to come and assess the job. As a special favour he agreed to fit the job in on a weekend in two weeks’ time – yay! – provided she threw in a half dozen boxes of chocolates for his family and friends. The deal was sealed, and she put a little notice in her shop window that she would be closed on Saturday and Sunday, 21 and 22 October, for renovations.