Page 60 of The Pop-Up Cake Shop

‘I said is everything all right there? That was a big clatter I heard?’

Caleb grinned at me and sauntered off to the kitchen, and I took a deep breath and blew it out slowly, trying to get myself together.

What the hell was happening to me?

I’d never felt this kind of strong physical reaction to a man before – not even to Richard.

Realising Ellie was requiring an answer, I said, ‘Yes. Everything’s fine. It was just that shelf in the hall falling down.’

‘Right.’

‘Maisie can stay at mine overnight if you like.’ I smiled over at Maisie who was nodding gleefully. ‘But please do what the doctors tell you and look after yourself, okay?’

‘CanIspeak to Mum?’ asked Maisie, running over.

‘Of course.’ I passed the phone to her and as I went through to the kitchen to tidy up and fetch my bag, I could hear Maisie asking if the baby was all right and pleading with her mum to let her have a sleepover at mine.

‘I’ll give you a lift whenever you’re ready,’ said Caleb, collecting his jacket from where he’d left it before the emergency dash to the hospital.

‘Okay. Thanks so much for this.’

‘No problem at all.’ Shrugging on his jacket, he gave me one of his crinkle-eyed smiles and those irritating flappy butterflies inside me picked up the pace.

‘I’ll... just go and help Maisie get her things together. Upstairs.’ I backed towards the stairs, finding myself helpfully pointing at them, just in case he didn’t know what a staircase was.

‘Fine. No hurry. I’ll make sure everything’s switched off in the kitchen.’

He went off and I escaped upstairs.

‘Caleb’s nice, isn’t he?’ said Maisie as we chose some clothes and games. ‘I can’t wait to see the hedgehog house he’s building for me.’

I nodded. ‘It’s very nice of him to help you.’

‘Is Caleb your boyfriend?’ she asked, as we went back downstairs.

The question was so startling, laughter burst out of me.

Where on earth did that come from?

‘My boyfriend? No! Absolutely not.’

‘You’ve gone red, Auntie Katja.’

‘Have I? Well, you took me by surprise, I suppose. No, Maisie, Caleb’s verynicebut I’ll be steering well clear of romance for a very long time. Boys can be nothing but trouble sometimes.’

Maisie nodded cheerfully. ‘They’re nasty, aren’t they?’ She ran down the last few steps and I suddenly realised Caleb had finished in the kitchen and was standing there in the hallway, looking up at us. With a knowing grin at me, he took Maisie’s backpack and ushered her outside to the car.

I groaned inwardly.

How much of that conversation had he heard?

All of it, probably, judging by the smirk on his face!

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

It was Wednesday – and I was going solo for the first time with the Travelling Cake Van.

Ellie had been in hospital for a few days but thankfully, the doctors seemed pleased with her and were allowing her to go home later today on the strict proviso that she was to relax and do nothing taxing.

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