Page 65 of The Second Chance Supper Club

‘Yeah, ’course, I’d love to see it.’

They wandered out into the garden, where tall Spode-blue-and-white delphiniums, delicate cream roses, and lacy-pink peonies were now in bloom, sheltered in a sunny spot by the fence – more of Reggie’s green-fingered legacies – and headed on up the steps.

Cath opened the glass doors of her summerhouse to reveal its white and sage-green interior with its eclectic chairs and shabby-chic furniture. Earlier, she’d even popped a posy jar of home-grown sweet peas on the table, just in case. She felt a buzz of pride as she showed the little shed off.

‘All my own work. It was more than a bit run down when I first got here.’

‘You dark horse, you. Wow, it’s amazing. I love what you’ve done,’ Susie commented, eyes wide as she took a step inside. ‘So, have you turned into some DIY goddess or something, now Trev’s off the scene?’ Her sister beamed at her.

‘Not quite, but I have given it my best shot. And hey, if I can do a few jobs myself, well, it saves spending a fortune on some handyman.’

‘Hmm, depends on who the handyman might be?’ Susie quirked an eyebrow with a cheeky grin.

And why did Will leap to mind then? He fixed bicycles, not houses or sheds, and certainly not broken hearts, Cath reminded herself sternly.

The girls settled down in the summerhouse, fizz in hand, looking out over next door’s slate roof tiles towards the country hills. The barley fields, lower down in the valley, gleaming in the just breaking sun, with ripening ripples of green and gold. The two sisters were ready to catch up on all the goss and family chit-chat from the past few months.

Chapter 38

After a chilled and chatty afternoon, Cath and Susie were browsing the menu at The Star, sat at a table near the characterful old-stone open hearth. Being the summer months, it was unused, but a stack of logs nestled ready in the grate.

‘Ooh, nice menu. Anything you’d recommend?’ asked Susie. ‘I’ve tried the Sunday roast, which was delicious, though I suppose that’ll not be on today. The fish and chips looked great as they were coming by a minute ago’.

‘Yummy, though the chicken and wild mushroom risotto has caught my eye. Oh, and there’s a ribeye steak and peppercorn sauce … Decisions, decisions.’

With a glass of chilled white wine to hand, adding to the fizz from before, Cath was feeling slightly merry. She was enjoying the buzz and chatter of the country pub, that was now her local, with its characterful flagstone floors and muted green walls, and was savouring the treat of coming out for supper. The pair of them had hardly stopped talking since Susie’s arrival several hours ago, except for when her sister had taken her things up to her cottage bedroom, which she thought was ‘adorable’.

After Adam had left, Cath had discovered some second-hand limed-oak furniture – a dressing table and small wardrobe – in a curious, pre-loved furniture depot in the original old railway station building at Kirkton. Instantly, she knew they would suit the quirky slanting roof and wooden beams of the spare room. She offered a lower price, and after a little haggling, had secured a good deal. They were well worth parting with some of her diminishing savings for, she figured. The double bed, which had come with her from the spare room back in Leeds, was now draped with an oh-so-soft white linen duvet cover, and she’d scattered some grey-and-white damask-patterned cushions (a bargain from the high street charity shop) too. Dusky-pink roses, picked fresh from the garden, were sat in a bud vase on the little bedside table. It was so lovely to be able to put her own touch on things at the cottage.

She’d been excited about her sister’s visit. And here was Susie, now sitting opposite her. Older than Cath, she was into her mid-fifties and always looked amazing, her clothes colourful and stylish, and her glossy brunette hair glamorous. Thank heavens she’d finally got her own hair done recently, Cath mused. But Susie, well, her style wasn’t overly coiffed or groomed, just sassy and Susie-style.

‘Okay, so how do you do it?’ Cath asked.

‘Do what?’

‘Still look so glamorous at fifty-four, and be so bloody bubbly and positive about life?’

‘Well, I haven’t been through what you have for a start … being let down so atrociously by your dick of a husband.’ Susie wasn’t known to mince her words. She and Trevor had always had this distance between them. Susie had never really taken to him, though she was always polite. He’d finally proven her right.

‘True.’ Cath took a big sip of wine, pausing to gather her thoughts. There was something about being with her sister that made her open up. ‘You know, sometimes I felt more-or-less invisible, those last couple of years with Trev … hitting midlife, sticking to my steady known path, teaching, home … doing what everyone expected of me, I suppose … And then, I think I let myself slip into being pretty much invisible too.’ She thought of the baggy cover-it-all clothes, the unkempt greying hair. The awful vision in the charity shop mirror. ‘No wonder Trevor stopped noticing me.’

‘Oh, Cath. Don’t start shifting the blame back to you. Trev’s the one who let you down … he’s the one who allowed you to feel like that.’

‘I suppose. But you didn’t let mid-life get to you, you still do all sorts of exciting stuff, and manage to look brilliant.’

‘Well, HRT is a wonderful thing, and,’ Susie added, ‘I made a conscious decision to keep putting myself out there. There’s no way I’m going to slip quietly into middle age. I like wearing bright colours, they make me feel good … And I want to keep trying new things – be it clothes, restaurants, hobbies.’ Susie took a sip of wine. ‘Hah, went for my first park run the other day … absolutely knackered me. Hannah was home from uni. She whizzed around the track like it was a breeze … and there’s me just about on my knees by the end. It felt weirdly good though. Once I’d showered and had a massive cup of coffee afterwards, that is.’

‘Hah, don’t think I’d be up for a run. But I’m walking now, a few miles at a go, it’s doing me good. It’s great around here for that. Loads of local footpaths, and the countryside is so scenic.’ She really was enjoying her daily walks near the village. Finding new routes, and discovering public footpaths she hadn’t spotted before. And hmm, she was still looking forward to that stroll with Will.

Cath looked up and spotted a familiar face at the bar. Her stomach did a little flip. Or, perhaps, she might just have to try cycling again, she thought with a secret smile. It was Will, dressed in full cycling Lycra, with a mate. They’d just ordered a couple of pints and were stood chatting with landlord Bill. The waitress came over and took the ladies’ order. Cath sticking with the fish and chips, and Susie choosing steak frites. The wine was slipping down well, as they continued to catch up on each other’s busy lives. Cath’s eyes were unwittingly drawn to check, now and again, the place at the bar where Will was still standing. Hmm, his muscles looked damn good under the tight cycling shorts and fitted top. His dark hair slightly damp with bike-riding sweat. He hadn’t spotted her as yet, so she could let her gaze linger momentarily.

‘So, Hannah has done really well in her second-year exams,’ Susie repeated, raising her voice a little. ‘Did you catch that, Cath? You seem a bit distracted.’ Her sister’s eyes swept to the bar area.

Cath diverted her gaze. ‘Ah, yes, yeah, that’s great news.’

And the sisterly chat flowed again.

Their meals soon arrived, drawing her attention back to their table. Cath managed to enjoy her crispy-battered fish and chip supper, despite her stomach doing all kinds of weird things. Every now and then, her eyes were drawn sneakily back to a certain person stood at the bar.