Page 58 of The Second Chance Supper Club

‘Cath … uh … I think I’d better go.’ He was standing up, getting ready to leave. It was like a switch had been flicked.

‘Ah … okay.’ Cath stood too, slightly taken aback by the sudden change in him. She was still part-wrapped in her fleecy cover.

‘It’s been a lovely night … yep, the quiz was great fun.’ He deftly switched the focus from the two of them and their starlit moment to the quiz earlier in the evening.

‘Yeah.’ Cath felt at a loss how to react to his abrupt reaction. From cosy to cool in a matter of seconds. She dropped her blanket onto the seat, and followed his swift steps down to the house and towards the front door, where the earlier promise of his kiss suddenly seemed daft, delusional. And yet her body still felt the warmth of his hand in hers. ‘We’ll have to do it again sometime …’ she ventured.

‘Thanks for the coffee,’ was all he replied.

‘You’re welcome. And hey, thanks for walking me back.’

‘Night, then.’ He sounded awkward.

‘Night, Will. Oh, and thank you for the stargazing lesson,’ she added, trying to claw back some of their earlier closeness. ‘No worries.’ And he turned to go, without so much as a wave or a glance back.

Cath was left in limbo. What was that all about? She hadn’t imagined their connection. Their evening could have surely ended in a tender kiss as easily as this swift exit. And, how the hell did a touch that felt to her like the start of something, end up with Will in a mad dash to leave? Damn it, the can of emotional worms she’d been so determined to keep shut was already starting to prise open.

Chapter 34

Damned stupid middle-aged woman, she should have known better than to let daft romantic feelings go to her head. Last night had been wonderful, a little sprinkle of star-like magic, but it was just a moment in time. Romance wasn’t meant for middle-agers like them … especially not ones who’d been battered and bruised by married life. Best to steer clear of the next phase of confusion and hurt which was bound to happen, and to keep that evening as a lovely memory. With that in mind, Cath was determined to busy herself today, getting on with her new life, and drive this latest, though lovely, incident aside.

She arrived at the village stores, to the now familiar welcome of the jingly doorbell.

‘Morning, Cath. And how are you today?’ asked Dan chirpily.

‘Good, thanks. You?’

‘Fine thank you, petal.’

‘And Maria? How’s she getting on?’

‘Back from hospital and making steady progress,’ he replied. ‘Ah, that’s good.’ Cath opened the glass door to the fridge compartment to reach for a carton of milk.

‘Oh yes, she’s perked up a lot,’ Andreas added, as he appeared from the back room with a knowing smile. ‘Back to her old ways … trying to organise my life.’ He shook his head as he raised his dark eyebrows.

With a fresh loaf, some tomatoes on the vine, milk and ground coffee to hand, Cath approached the counter where the lads now stood together with a slightly serious look on their faces.

‘Shall we ask her?’ Dan prompted.

‘Oh, ask me what?’ Cath was curious.

‘It’s a bit of a biggie,’ Andreas chipped in.

‘Try me.’

‘Umm, well, would you consider minding the shop for a weekend? In two weeks’ time? It’d be the full day on Saturday, and then, a half day on Sunday.’

‘I could! What’s up?’ She actually felt quite excited by the prospect. This was her chance. It’d be nice to get involved locally. She’d hoped for a couple of hours trial in the shop at first, with help to hand, rather than flying solo, but hey-ho, in for a penny, in for a pound.

‘Well, it’s a bit of a story. Mama’s insisting I attend my cousin’s wedding,’ Andreas explained. ‘Family representative and all that. But well, it’s down in London. And after her fall and everything, I have to admit I’m really not sure about leaving her and going so far. Eleni – that’s my cousin, the bride to be – says she understands if we can’t make it. But Mama is going on and on about it, as though I’m letting the whole family down if I don’t go.’

‘Well, you did say she’s doing okay now, back at the home?

Nice and stable,’ Cath countered.

‘Ye-es, but you just don’t know what might happen next …’ Andreas faltered.

Dan chipped in here. ‘They’ll be there with her all the time, Andreas. She’s in good hands.’