“Here’s where things get a bit convoluted. Remember Gallagher from the dinner party?”
Nathan nodded.
“I gave him my number, something Giorgio managed to pry from him. He called me in Malaysia saying he’d been worried about Clifton and you. Concerned you might cave in and allow Clifton to do something he later regretted—”
“That would never have happened, Jay.”
“I know that. Which is what I told him. Honestly, I think he was more worried about the adverse publicity if something did. Giorgio got the message in the end. So did Clifton. Although he bid on you pretty aggressively at the auction.”
“You heard that?”
“Some of it. I was hidden backstage the whole time, listening to everything going on and waiting for the signal. Once I’d called Raul, I gave my phone to Giorgio, who took over. Clifton’s mother is one tenacious woman. Her first counterbid was my signal. I’m guessing you were caught up in that whole back-and-forth farce with the rest of the crowd and didn’t notice Giorgio hand a phone to Arlene. But Raul and I had already spoken, and he said he would outbid them both, offer two of three thousand pounds, if necessary—”
“Try ten.”
“What?”
“Raul bid ten thousand—”
“Did he, now?” laughed Jaymes. “I didn’t hear that part. Ken told me to go and hide by the merry-go-round before they announced the final amount, and the sound was muffled back there. I didn’t hear the actual bid. But that makes total sense. Giorgio must have told him to bid high.”
“Giorgio?”
“Imagine the headlines tomorrow. The icing on the cake for the press. First, Clifton in a bidding war with his mother for a date with the handsome Crumbington baker. Then a mystery bidder pledges ten thousand pounds, which trumps them both. That kind of story sells. Hell, if they got permission to include the particular naked baker's centrefold picture, even I would eat up that kind of clickbait—”
“You really think Giorgio—?”
“Of course. He’s a businessman. I'd bet good money the whole thing is already up on social media sites getting thousands of hits.” Jaymes fell silent and studied Nathan. “Does that bother you?”
“Not anymore. Shit, Jaymes, not only was the fête a hit but you’re sitting opposite me. How can I possibly have an issue with any of it?”
Once again they sat in comfortable silence until something else popped into Nathan’s head.
“If you’ve spoken to Giorgio, you probably know that Clifton's putting in a bid to buy the bakery. And I’m going to accept. We haven’t hammered out the full details yet, but I've offered to continue running the place for six to twelve months. Hopefully, we’ll still have a home for now. Not only that, but I’m going to apply to do what I always wanted and try to get into the Sports and Exercise Science degree programme at Surrey University in Guilford. If I'm successful, Ken Mills says he can get me an interview with a guy who manages three of those Open Road mega-gyms. They’ll be able to provide me with the practical health and nutritional experience I need to complete the programme. For the first time in as long as I can remember, I’m pretty stoked—but nervous at the same time, if that makes sense.”
“Daring to do something different? Of course you’re nervous. Hey, if we were to get a place in Horsham—which is twenty miles from here—I could get the mainline rail link into London each day, and you could easily travel back here or to Guildford, as long as you don’t mind driving my death trap of a Land Rover.”
Tears brimmed in Nathan’s eyes before he could stop them. Jaymes didn’t need to ask whether they were tears of joy, and he came around the table to pull Nathan up from the chair into his arms. They stood together, an unmoving dance, bodies pressed together, Nathan overcome with happiness.
“Nothing’s confirmed yet,” Jaymes whispered in his ear, although the words sounded more encouraging than cautionary. “But this feels so right. And I know we both feel the same way.
“I love you, Jay.”
“I love you too, Nate.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Cousin
Eight weeks later
As Nathan held out the card reader for the final customer of the day to tap her debit card, he grinned at the screensaver on his phone lying next to the till, which had lit up with a new message. Jaymes had sent him the photo overnight. His team had stopped off for lunch at an orangutan sanctuary in Borneo, and Jaymes had been photographed having a huge slice of watermelon snatched from him by a young orangutan. The shock on Jaymes’ face was almost as priceless as that of the laughing sanctuary ranger standing behind him.
Nathan would be flying out to meet him in six weeks, his first ever long-haul flight, spending time with him in Kota Kinabalu before they flew home together. They had a lot to talk about. Nathan looked up, smiling, and handed over the wrapped goods.
“Thank you, Mrs Hassan. Is little Alissa not with you today?”
“She’s at home with my sister. I’m doing some last-minute shopping before heading home so we can begin preparing the evening meal together.”
