Page 8 of The Seaside Supper Club

Cath had been a maths teacher for the past thirty years, reaching deputy headship in the last few years at her secondary school in Leeds. It was a demanding and very satisfying role. When her early retirement plans for travel and a new chapter with hubby, Trevor, went belly up after his fling – which surprisingly and hurtfully had lasted – she found herself in a dark and unexpected place. Her brave move to the tiny Northumbrian village of Tilldale for a solo fresh start was lifting her back up, slowly but surely, with a whole new set of friends and adventures that she could never have imagined just a few years before.

How life can change. The wrecking balls came, smashed into you, then you started off in a whole new direction. She was learning, gradually, how to embrace these new opportunities. And here she was, standing in a traditional rural village shop, chatting away with her gorgeous new friend who was part of her supper club group, a lover (whoop!) – a rather hunky one, too – in her bed, and warm flaky crisp croissants in a bag. Life was very much looking up. She handed over her payment with an ‘I-can’t-quite-believe-it’ smile lacing her lips.

‘Well, don’t waste time. Get yourself back to lover boy. Your croissants will get cold.’ Andreas gave a wink.

Cath chuckled, as she turned on her heels; this morning her steps were light and hopeful. The jingle of the bell sounded chirpy, as she walked back through.

‘Thanks, Andreas. Catch you again soon.’

And she was thanking him for far more than his freshly baked goods. When her world had tilted on its axis, it was Andreas, Dan and the supper club gang who had helped her stand upright again.

*

Will was freshly showered, his hair damp and ruffled, and the coffee was smelling good, as she walked back into the cottage and through to her kitchen.

‘Hot milk or cold?’ he asked as he stood at the counter. Oh, that counter …

‘Hot, please.’ Her lips creased into a smile.

They shared a knowing, sensual look.

‘Yum, something smells great. What treats have you got?’

‘Freshly baked croissants. Chocolate, almond or plain?’

‘Ooh, almond for me.’

Cath fetched two tea plates, and popped the baked goods onto them.

‘The lads all good?’

‘Yep, I saw Andreas. They enjoyed their night.’

‘Of course, they did. Goes without saying, hosted by our domestic goddess here.’ He smiled proudly, which slipped into a cheeky grin, as if he too was remembering their kitchen antics. He handed her a frothy-milk coffee.

It was just what she needed. Caffeine and a gorgeous sweet treat. The chocolate chunks were still slightly melty, as she bit into the flaky butter croissant. Delish. ‘Ahh.’ She couldn’t help her satisfied sigh. Small pleasures.

‘I bought a Sunday paper, too. I’ll look at the magazine first if you fancy the main paper to flick through.’

‘Yeah, sounds good.’

And they settled at the table in the galley kitchen, sipping coffee, savouring their croissants. Anyone looking in through the glass of the back door, might think they were a well-established married couple. Not all new and shiny, and still a little nervous of where this relationship might lead them.

*

Mid-morning, though he seemed rather reluctant to leave, Will said he’d better be making a move. Even though it was a Sunday, he intended on catching up on some urgent admin for the cycling shop – explaining that it was often too busy to start on that kind of work whilst dealing with walk-in customers. He was a one-man business, after all, and lots of his time and skills at the shop were taken up with servicing and repairs.

He’d also organised to go out on a thirty-mile bike ride this afternoon with one of his pals, a strenuous one by the sounds of it, up and away in the hills. His favourite hobby; he loved getting out in the fresh air, with the scenic countryside whizzing by, and the sheer physicality of pushing his body.

‘Time to head off … I’ll give you a call.’

‘Yeah, of course. Enjoy the bike ride.’ It wasn’t her thing at all, cycling, but hey it kept him fit, and she was gaining the benefits in other ways. A smile formed at that thought, as she moved in for a goodbye kiss, which was warm and lingering, with a hint of almond croissant.

With Will away, it was a good time to do some prep for her tuition classes, all back to back this afternoon. Sundays were popular with the sixth form and GCSE pupils she coached, no doubt being a quieter day for them socially. She enjoyed her work supporting them with extra tuition, helping these youngsters to achieve their goals by passing their exams, and much more. Maths was key to so many careers, and a great life skill. It was wonderful, and felt very much a privilege, that she now got to focus on helping students directly, without all the worry of the internal and external politics that being a deputy head at a busy school involved. Teaching had always been a huge part of Cath’s life, and it still felt like her vocation.

*

It was just after 8 p.m., and with her last online lesson of the day completed, Cath headed down from her little office in the spare bedroom to make herself a cup of tea, ready to curl up with on the sofa with her latest read. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, her mobile phone buzzed in her pocket.