“Cliff, you were right,” said Maxine as she arrived for work the next day.

“I’m generally right about most things. That’s my job. What was it this time?”

“Don’t go being smart with me. Cliff.”

Cliff just ignored Maxine and got on with making some tea. This was always his first job of the day and had been since his wife decided to serve only de-caffeinated tea and coffee at home. This had only started after his daughter, had been dumped by her husband for a younger model who was very beautiful but, in his words, 'as thick as two short planks'.

"Well, Maxi? What was I right about?" asked Cliff as he sat down with his ‘fully leaded’ tea.

“Ann-Lee texted me this morning. She’s not interested in coming to work for me. I suspected she would say no when she didn’t appear at the Birmingham Conference.”

“Hey! I never said anything of the kind.”

“But I can read your face. When we discussed it a week or so ago, I could tell that you were not 100% behind my idea of inviting her to the conference.”

Cliff just grinned back at me.
“So, what is plan Z then?”

“Have we reached ‘Z’ already?”

“It seems that way.”

“Pah. Anyway, I have to head off to Devon. I have a board meeting tomorrow if, you recall. I'm going down there early. There are a couple of places that I want to visit on my way down. I collected my outfit for the wedding yesterday so, I'll probably stay there until Thursday afternoon and head up to Bristol to give my moral support before the big day.

“Are you still set on buying that place near Delphine and Michel?”

“I am. The contracts were exchanged yesterday and, completion is scheduled for two weeks now, that all of the money is in their solicitor's client account."

“What about your Hair? Bea won’t be happy to see you desert her?”

“I’m not going to desert her. Far from it. I’ll be back one day a month to look over the books and to get my hair and lashes done. I can get the train to Reading and then to Gatwick if I don’t want to drive.”

Maxine deliberately didn’t say anything about the offer that she’d made to Emma in Wimbledon the previous day about investing in her business. Cliff would consider it very much a non-strategic investment but, what he didn't know about, he could not complain about.

Cliff just shook his head.
“Ok, I’ll get on with collating all the files for the accountants. That is one job that I will not miss when I retire. You had better train my replacement well because the system you use is not the most efficient one ever devised.”

Maxine laughed.

“Have you contacted any agents about selling this place yet? Don’t forget to include the fact that there is planning permission in place for a four-person office to run from here.”

"It is on my list of things to do for today. I need to walk into town, and I'll see a few face to face and decide on the best ones to get in to do a valuation. I can use it as a dry run for when we sell our place."

“Have you both agreed upon where you are going to go?”

"Nah. We'd sort of set our hearts on going to Barnstaple or Ilfracombe, but the bust-up with my sister -n-law has put the kybosh on that move. I'd like to go to somewhere like Ludlow or Malvern, but the wife has set her heart on somewhere near the coast."

“There is always North Wales.”

Cliff laughed.
“You mean somewhere like Rhyl or Prestatyn with their endless caravan parks?”

"No, I don't. I mean Anglesey or the Llyn Peninsular. Much quieter than Rhyl, but you'd probably have to learn Welsh just to fit in…?" said a grinning Maxine.

"That's out then. Neither of us is any good at foreign languages. I can order a beer in about five different ones, but that is about it."

"There is always Norfolk. If you want a part-time job, then all you need to do is ask.

“Norfolk is a big county. Lots of caravan parks around the coast if I remember correctly.

“And the middle is bypassed by the tourists.”

"But for how long, eh?"

“Think about your options. That is all I’m asking.”

"Yes, Boss!"

Maxine sighed and got on with preparing a bid for the premises next to Emma’s Dress Shop in Wimbledon. She hoped that she'd sown a few seeds in her discussions with Emma about expansion.

---

[Friday morning in Bristol]
"You look, great Mum," said Maxine as she admired her mother's 'getting married outfit'.

"Not a patch on yours," came a slightly grumpy reply.

“Mum, I did offer to have outfits made both of you or had you forgotten that?”

"I know, but we want this to be a small-scale affair. I’m worried about Dawn. ‘It’ was all over the Trowbridge Facebook page yesterday, said Pauline.”

“Don’t worry about her. I have engaged a few gentlemen that won’t let her mess things up.”

"Some stonking great bouncers, I suppose?"

"No, Mum. Just two former Gurkha Soldiers. They come highly recommended by Michel. I took them over to the registry office and then to the hotel, where the reception is being held yesterday afternoon.”

“How much is all this costing?”

"The cost does not matter, Mum. What matters is that you get married to a lovely woman in peace."

Maxine's mother returned that look that mothers have that said, 'I don't believe a word that you are telling me, but I'm not going to argue as I have better things to do'.

“Shall we go?” asked Maxine.

“I suppose so.”

“Are you having second thoughts?”

"Third, fourth and fifth. I would never have believed that I could ever fall in love with a woman, but I do lie in bed some nights and wonder if I am doing the right thing?”

"You are, and I expect that Sally is as well. I just want you to be happy. I've seen how happy you are when you are with her."

“That’s what makes me worried. For almost all of my life, I was told that falling in love with a person of the same sex as me was wrong. I've seen plenty of gay men and women live happily, but I never thought that it would ever apply to me."

Maxine smiled.
“Isn’t it good to experience something new? Live dangerously for once in your life… Take a risk for once? I did, didn't I?”

"Don't go lecturing me, young lady. Your love life is nothing to write home about!" said her mother putting her daughter firmly in her place.

Maxine picked up her mother's handbag and held it out for her. The message she was sending was loud and clear.

“Hayley will be there. You won’t be able to avoid her today.”

Maxine remembered her recent brief encounter with Hayley in Birmingham.

“I’ll handle it. You have other things to worry about today. And before you ask, I have the rings.”

Maxine received a glare from her mother. That turned into a smile.

---

Despite all their collective worries, the wedding went off without issue. Both brides looked so happy as they said their vows. Maxine was proud of her mother and Sally for tying the knot. Even Maxine's grandmother seemed happy with the event, especially when Sally made a point of helping her with her coat when the party emerged from the registry office. The promised rain had arrived a little early, but it didn't dampen everyone's spirits.

Maxine looked around the room where the reception was in full swing. There were so many strange faces. Her mother had made a lot of friends since going to work for Sally, which made Maxine a little envious. She checked her phone and thought…

‘Only three hours before the happy couple have to leave on their honeymoon’.

Her daydreaming was broken by a light tap on her shoulder. She turned to see Sally's daughter, Jasmine.

“Hello Jas, long time no, see, eh?”

The last time they’d met was at Adrian’s funeral. Jasmine had arrived just before the end of the service and had been rightly scolded by her mother.

“Hi Sister,” remarked Jasmine.

“Late again I see,” said Maxine.

“Yeah. Car troubles.”

Maxine sighed. As far as she knew, Jasmine was living with a much older man named Charles in Hackney. They’d met some years earlier when Jasmine was in Peru and had moved in together a few years before.

“Is Charles here with you?”

“Nah, he’s bunked off back to Peru for a while. He has a wife and three children there.”

Maxine shook her head.
“Leaving you to look after your place in Hackney?”

“It isn’t so bad. I can manage.”

Jasmine’s body language told Maxine that she was putting on a good face.

“They look good together, don’t they?” said Maxine changing the subject.

“They do. I wasn’t all that happy at first but my Mum seems very happy with yours.”

“That’s what matters isn’t it?”

“I suppose so,” replied Jasmine with a definite sigh.

“Are you going to do the toast to the happy couple?”

“Me? Why? That’s your job, isn’t it?” replied Jasmine.

“It is yours if you want it. I think that you might know more people here than me.”

“I’ll pass,” said Jasmine.

“Ok. I had to offer it to you as we are now step-sisters.”

Jasmine just smiled back at Maxine.

---

“Can I have your attention please,” Maxine said after chinking a spoon on an empty glass.

Gradually, the level of chatter died down.

“Thank you.”

She looked at the happy couple and smiled.

“I want to thank you all for coming here today to celebrate the marriage of Sally and Pauline. To say that I was a bit shocked when they told me that they were in love and wanted to get married would be a huge understatement. That was then. Now, I see how much they love each other and I give them both my blessing for the future. I’d like you all to stand and raise a glass to the happy couple.”

Everyone stood and waited for Maxine to speak.

“To Pauline and Sally.”

Everyone raised their glasses and the toast was done.

---

If she had just been a normal wedding guest, Maxine would have ducked out of the reception before the dancing started. But… she wasn’t and had to be there for her mother until they departed for their honeymoon. That duty didn’t stop her from socialising. Maxine’s first call was to sit down near her grandmother. She seemed to be a bit tipsy but she knew that Cliff and his wife would look after her when they took her home.

"Hello, Gran.”

"Hello, love. You did well standing up there and speaking to everyone.”

"It was my pleasure, Gran. Mum is looking good, isn’t she?”

“She is.”

“Gran? You could seem a bit more pleased for Mum!”

“It isn’t right but I’ll have to accept it. Sally is a nice person but..”

“Gran? What about me then?”

“I knew that you were a girl from the first day I even held you as a baby. You were only a few hours old, but something told me that you had been born wrong. That's why when you became your true self, I supported you, but with your mother, my daughter it is different. She loved your dad."

"I know that she loved dad, but she could never find any man who could come close to him. After a few years, she gave up looking for ‘Mister Right’ as you well know. Sally is a good person, and I think that they are good together."

"I know all that love, but I just can't get my head around it. All my friends at the Institute think I'm mad for doubting my daughters wish to move on, but perhaps I am just too old to change?"

“Give it time gran and I’m sure you will come around.”

Maxine’s gran just glared at her.

“Hello Gran,” came a voice from behind Maxine. She stiffened up immediately. The voice belonged to Hayley.

"Hello, Hayles,” said gran using her childhood nickname.
“You look nice.”

Maxine managed to stop herself from reacting. Her gran had not commented on how she looked but did to Hayley.

"Hi, Maxi. You did well with your speech,” said Hayley.

Maxine could not take the stress any longer. She just fled from the reception and headed for the car park. Then, she burst into tears.

---

Maxine was still feeling like crap when there was a quiet knock on the window of her car.

Through bleary eyes, she saw Hayley. Hayley was about the last person she wanted to talk to at that moment. Maxine didn’t move.

“Maxi, come on. Don’t be silly. I’m not the enemy you know?”

Maxine still didn’t move.

Hayley found the button on the door lock and pressed it. The doors opened, and Hayley took her opportunity and go in and sat in the front passenger seat.

Maxine could not look at Hayley, but Hayley took her opportunity.

"Maxi, I have always loved you. Right from the first day at primary school. I knew that I was gay and that while you were a boy, there was a woman inside just waiting to come out. She did come out when Maxine appeared for our shopping trips. You looked so happy on those trips, and then for weeks afterwards, you were a grumpy old sourpuss. It was no coincidence that was when you usually lost your job and had to start again. Then when you rubbed Dawn's nose in the dog shit and became Maxine full-time, suddenly you were happy again. You were able to be the real you for the first time in your life. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

For a good ten seconds, Maxine never said a word. With her eyes still screwed tightly shut, she nodded her head.

"From what your mother has told me, something went out of your life when Adrian died. I never met him, but he seemed to be an incredible man. He made you the confident woman that I saw on stage in Birmingham, but it was clear to me from what you said, that something was missing in your life. Remember that I've seen you grow from a stubborn five-year-old into the woman that you are. Do you understand this?"

Once again, Maxine remained silent. Hayley was not going to be deterred from her course of action.

“Seeing you speaking from the heart in Birmingham made me feel proud. Proud that the Maxine, I grew up with is being her own woman, but I was also worried that you were trying to take on the world on your own. Perhaps I do exaggerate a bit, but from where I stood, it seemed that you were immersing yourself in work as a substitute for real life. That is not good, and I know that your mother is worried about you, but as you know, you close up when she tries to mention it. I know this because I've been party to some of her calls to you."

This time Maxine turned her head and looked at Hayley.

“What?”

"Maxi… There are people, who are worried about you, and that includes me, especially me. Seeing you in complete command of that audience rekindled my feelings for you.”

Hayley didn’t wait. She leaned over and took hold of Maxine’s head with both hands and kissed her. She wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

After a few seconds, Maxine relaxed and eventually began to respond to the kisses.

When they broke apart, Hayley continued.

“That was nice, thank you.”

Maxine managed a little smile.

"I've wanted to do that for years and years, but Dawn saw how I looked at you. She told me in no uncertain terms that if I made even one more move on you, she'd out me to my parents. That's why I dumped you when I did. When you went off to Chichester to work for Sally, Dawn, was as you know, even angrier with the world. She tried to out me, but I beat her to it. My mother didn't want to accept it at first, but to my astonishment, Dad simply said, ‘about time too’. Dawn’s outburst a few days later was enough to get Mum 100% on my side.”

“Why didn’t you say anything back then?”

"Yeah, I am a coward. I hoped that you would come back, and then I'd tell you, but Adrian took you away, and that was it. Whenever I had the misfortune to encounter Dawn in the street or a shop, she’d blame me for your success even though we all knew that it was down to you.”

Maxine nodded her head.
“Dawn is a total fruit case and has been for years,” commented Maxine.

"Then I found myself working for Sally and your Mum. She told me about Adrian and how deeply you loved him and how his death had affected you, so I didn't do anything about getting to know you again until the conference in Birmingham. You were brilliant, but you were gone before I had a chance to talk to you."

“I had a meeting in Banbury to get to,” said Maxine softly.

"I know, your Mum told me that it wasn't an excuse. That led me to today and, I was determined to let you know how I felt then and now about you.”

“Has there been anyone else in your life?” asked Maxine.

“A few that got past a second date, but they didn’t work out because I kept comparing them to you.”

Hayley took Maxine’s hands in hers.

“Maxine, you are my first love and my only love. Do you at least feel something for me?”

“Hayley?”

“Come on Maxi, stop beating about the bush. You aren't a frigging politician up for election. Yes, or No?”

Maxine sat quietly for a while with her eyes closed before she said,
“Yes.”

Then she added,
“But…”

“It is complicated, isn’t it?”

Maxine nodded her head.

"Please don't say that you are too busy to even think about a relationship. From what your mother has told me you promised Adrian that you would not become a workaholic. It seems that that is exactly what you have done. Is there no place in your life for someone to love and who loves you and has always loved you?"

Hayley’s words had put Maxine right on the spot. She remembered the promises she had made to Adrian and suddenly felt very guilty about letting him down.

Hayley gripped Maxine’s hands tightly.

"I know it isn't going to be easy for you, but I'm here for you all the way."

Maxine replied with an even bigger smile.

“Why don’t we repair our makeup and go back inside? People will be talking…”

Maxine knew very well what Hayley was hinting at.

This time Maxine leaned over and kissed Hayley.

“You taste nice,” said Maxine when they broke apart.

“That’s the blackcurrant flavoured lip gloss.”

“I like the taste.”

Hayley smiled.
“That’s more like the Maxi of old.”

[to be continued]