The Cosy Seaside Chocolate Shop: The perfect heartwarming summer escape from the Kindle bestselling author. Caroline Roberts

yes. Of course.’

      ‘Mine’s a girl,’ Olivia piped up. ‘I’m going to call her Flick.’

      ‘Flick, the chick. That’s a cool name,’ Max said, grinning.

      Max was a natural with the children, so at ease chatting away with them, despite having no nieces or nephews of his own. Lucy had started calling him Uncle Max soon after Christmas, when Emma had only been seeing him for a few months, and it had stuck. He seemed very much a part of Emma’s family already.

      ‘So, how’s the shop going, Em?’ Chloe, her sister-in-law, asked.

      ‘It’s been really hectic in the run-up to Easter, but that’s good. And I’m managing to keep up with the rent payments okay for now, so that’s a bit of a relief.’ There had been issues with a huge rent hike the year before, but Emma was managing to keep the wolf of a landlord from the door at the moment. The new café area was proving popular and her Chocolate Shop by the Sea was doing well; it certainly kept her busy.

      ‘That’s good news, Em. Glad to hear it. Anyone for a top-up?’ Chloe got up from the table where she’d been sitting with Emma and busied herself with the kettle and teapot.

      The two men were standing chatting by the French windows that led to the garden. They were talking work too.

      ‘The accountancy practice has been full on lately,’ James, her brother, was saying, ‘what with the end of the financial year coming up. You?’

      ‘Yeah, lots on for me at the moment,’ Max replied. ‘Things have really picked up in the building industry again. New houses going up, conversions, all sorts. In fact, I’ve just been offered a great project down in Leeds.’

      Emma’s ears pricked up – it was the first she’d heard of this.

      ‘Converting a warehouse into apartments, right by the side of one of the canals. The job’s worth a lot of money and sounds really interesting. I like working with original buildings, but then that has its problems too, and it’ll mean I’ll be travelling and being away quite a bit. Gotta go where the business is, though.’

      ‘Too right.’

      Well, thanks for letting me know about this, Emma mused, feeling a little disgruntled that he hadn’t thought to tell her first. It was hard enough finding time to spend together as it was, with both of them running their own businesses.

      ‘Uncle Max, can you come and play dens with us?’ Lucy interrupted.

      The girls had a Wendy house all set up in the lounge.

      ‘Yes, Uncle Max.’ Olivia was on the case too.

      ‘Okay, okay. Just give me five minutes to finish my tea.’

      ‘O-kay.’

      It always made Emma laugh seeing him trying to squeeze his well-built frame into the tiny tent-like play zone. He was often the ‘giant’ in whatever scene they were playing. And off he went, escorted by two five-year-olds to the play den, one holding each hand. He gave a mock look of horror to Emma, but she knew he didn’t mind. Hah, they might even get to paint his fingernails again. They had once before, in alternate colours of pink and silver, and he had begged Em to go to the village grocer’s for some remover, before he set off to work the next day. ‘I look like Eddie Izzard or something,’ he’d muttered. ‘I’ll never survive the ribbing from the lads if I don’t get rid.’

      Em chatted with James and Chloe, catching up on her brother’s recent visit to her parents – she hadn’t had a chance to call across herself with the shop being so busy lately – whilst Max kept the girls happily occupied. She peeked into the lounge at one point to find them putting hair clips in his hair, which was a challenge with it being so short. They stayed for another half hour or so after Max managed to escape the den, chatting over a glass of wine, and then set off back to Warkton-by-the-Sea.

      ‘Max …’ Emma said in her car on the way home, ‘I couldn’t help but hear you and James talking earlier. Why hadn’t you told me about the job in Leeds?’ It had been simmering away in her mind. She concentrated on her steering as she reached a sharp bend in the country lane. Her fingers tensed.

      ‘I was going to – it just didn’t seem right last night when I’d only just got there. I wanted to relax and have a nice evening. I would have said something tonight.’

      ‘Oh. Well, with you away more, will I still get to see you?’ They only managed to snatch days together at the weekends as it was.

      She sounded needy, she knew, and hated that. But she was just getting used to being in a relationship again, had only just let someone back into her heart. It felt odd, like a loss of independence, life had been a lot simpler for all those years on her own.

      Simpler, but rather lonely, something inside reminded her.

      Ah, relationships, they made you feel out of control, fuzzy at the edges somehow. Hah, that’s when they didn’t rip you apart.

      To be fair on Max, working six days a week herself and also a Sunday afternoon at busy times, didn’t help matters. It was hard for both of them, with their homes an hour apart, leading different and hectic working lives. It was sometimes a miracle they had time to meet up at all. But the alternative, no Max, she didn’t like to think of that.

      ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean for you to find out like that.’ His green eyes gazing across the car at her were caring, his gentle smile honest.

      How could she stay cross with him? ‘Ah, it’s okay.’ Her tone softened. Through the windscreen, the metallic blue of the sea came into view as they approached her village. She was more annoyed at herself for beginning to rely on him being there. She knew he had to be back at work early tomorrow, leaving her bed in the early hours and she didn’t want to spoil this evening. She had plans for them to walk on the beach with Alfie, before a cosy supper, a seat for two on the sofa by the fire, then hopefully making love once more. Having Max in her life was so much better than having him out of it.

       3

      ‘How’s sexy lover boy, then?’

      ‘Morning, Bev.’ Thank goodness there were no customers in as yet. Em felt her cheeks tingle with a blush.

      ‘So,’ her friend continued angling, ‘good weekend?’

      ‘Yes, thanks … very good. And yes, Max did come up.’

      Bev’s eyebrows arched cheekily. ‘Hmm,’ was all she uttered with a daft grin on her face.

      ‘… to stay.’ Emma completed the phrase, shaking her head.

      ‘Ah, if only I wasn’t already married!’ Bev was still grinning away. She loved teasing Emma. ‘Now I know why you were all ice maiden for six years: I think I would have been too if I knew that was the prize at the end of it.’

      ‘O-kay, enough!’ Yes, so Max was pretty good-looking, but really, despite being her best friend ever since her arrival in Warkton-by-the-Sea, Bev could sometimes take things a little too far. But still, the conversation had made her smile, she conceded.

      ‘Right, what do you need help with this morning, boss?’ Bev asked cheerily.

      ‘Well, I’d like to crack on in the kitchen with making some more ganaches and truffles. It’ll be a nice change from Easter eggs and that’ll replenish the stocks for the refrigerated counter. I fancy doing some Irish Cream truffles and trying out some new Red Velvet ones. I thought I might experiment with that flavour.’

      ‘Ooh, they sound nice. I am prepared to sacrifice my waistline to test any new chocolates out, you know.’

      ‘That’s no surprise. So, if you can just keep an eye on the shop and café whilst I’m in the back kitchen, I promise to bring through a couple to try once they are made.’

      ‘Can’t