Page 82 of The Seaside Supper Club

From their chairs on the deck, Cath and Will gave each other a glance. Will was still looking rather pale, Cath thought, but slowly and surely, he was making a good and steady recovery. Yesterday, he’d even ventured out on his beloved bicycle again. Perhaps it had taken it out of him a little. He probably pushed the distance. They might take that walk a little later, but for now, sitting here in a comfy seat – making the most of the gorgeous bay view as the tide rolled in, hearing the splash of the surf and the families playing in the August sunshine – seemed the perfect place to rest.

‘We’ll stay here a while,’ Cath answered, as Will nodded in agreement. ‘But we’ll be sure to keep out of your way.’

Adam was due to arrive at the bungalow shortly. On hearing of their beach hut plans, he was delighted to be asked to join them, and had offered to help out. He had been recruited by the girls to the culinary team. He was, apparently, organising the dessert, which he had stayed back at Cath’s cottage to make, and was bringing along with him. Cath had hitched a lift earlier with Will and the girls, to make the most of the day. It was a wise move from Adam, no doubt, with no fridge facility here, and Will’s girls on a compact kitchen takeover.

So, it was going to be a real ‘family’ day out. Cath was curious, and if she were totally honest, a tad anxious, about how the dynamics might work out. Adam had at least met Will before in the village, though she and Will hadn’t been established as a couple at that point, and she knew her son was easy-going company. But yes, it was early days for them all. New family ties were about to be made. And as well as some inevitable nerves, that was exciting, too.

‘Anyone for a beer or glass of wine?’ asked Sophie. ‘Or would you prefer a soft drink for now, Dad?’ she added thoughtfully.

Will had been careful with his alcohol consumption since the diagnosis and treatment, wanting to give his body the best chance possible to get through this thing.

A muffled voice came from inside the hut, followed by Sophie saying, ‘Oh, right, and Maddie says there’s some 0 per cent lagers, too.’

‘Yep, one of those will be great,’ Will responded.

‘I’ll go for that, too,’ added Cath. ‘Thank you, girls.’

A chilled beer from the cool bag, on this sunny day, would be perfect.

Cath sat back in her chair. It was unusual for her to be the one resting and sitting down. Well, this was nice; the girls cooking for them, making the effort to do something special for their dad, and yes, air punch moment, for her too. It was gorgeous here at the beach bungalow today. The sun was peeking past slow-scudding clouds. A late-summer warmth to the air. And looking across at Will, she could see that he felt comfortable here. Maddie had been amazed by the refurbished bungalow. The new loo, thanks to Gemma, made life far more pleasant, too. And here on the re-oiled deck were the best seats in the house.

A pew with a view.

*

Adam soon arrived with hugs, and Cath’s cool box which he’d carefully and levelly carried over the dunes.

‘Hi, guys.’

‘Hey, Adam.’ Cath stood to give him a peck on the cheek.

‘Hi, mate, how are you doing?’ her son asked Will kindly.

‘I’m good, getting there,’ came Will’s response. And they shook hands warmly. ‘The girls are inside … Sophie, Maddie, Adam’s here,’ he called out.

‘Great, I’ll go say hi, and get this pudding into the cool.’

They could hear chatting, as they made their introductions.

And within a few minutes, supper by the sea was about to be served.

‘Okay, here goes. Maddie’s chilli con carne on the coast, and I’ve done the nachos,’ announced Sophie. ‘And before you mock me, yes, I know they came out of a packet, but I have made the guacamole dip all by myself.’

‘Ah, that’s brilliant, girls. And hey, no mocking here. Remember your good old dad’s not exactly the chef of the family, either.’

‘It smells delicious,’ Cath commented, realising her tummy was rumbling.

Bowls of steaming hot chilli, garnished with a blob of crème fraîche, a sprinkling of black pepper and a sprig of fresh coriander, were passed out by Sophie. The colours looked vibrant, all rich-red, as aromas of spiced tomato filled the air. Adam followed with a bowl of crunchy tortillas and Sophie’s luscious-looking green avocado-based dip.

He then nipped back in to bring out three additional fold-out chairs, as they gathered en famille to eat al fresco on the bungalow deck, sat overlooking the bay, with bowls on their knees. ‘Head chef’ Maddie appeared last, with a bottle of red wine to hand and a trio of glasses. ‘Anyone care to join me in some vino?’

The girls were all in, Cath accepting a glass which would go perfectly with that spicy savoury supper. Will stuck to the 0 per cent beer, with Adam doing the same. Adam had offered to take the girls back to the village later, the plan being to leave Cath and Will to their own devices. Cath had packed enough clothes for them to stay over if they felt like it. Fingers crossed.

The food was simple and delicious, and halfway through the meal, Cath scanned the deck where the five of them sat; their grown-up children chatting away. It was great to see the three of them cooking, serving and having fun together. And as well as the warmth of the spices in her tummy, she had the heartwarming feeling that at last things might really work out. Adam and the girls, her and Will, this was the start of something new, something special, and hopefully something lasting. Is this how life could be? The grown-up kids getting on well, meeting up, having fun, sharing food, chatting … The youngsters would have their own lives, jobs and uni going on, of course, but might the three of them want to share some family time with Cath and Will?

In a beach bungalow by the sea, a blended family was growing its roots.

Later, with the empty chilli dishes cleared away by the girls, Adam popped in to the hut, coming out bearing a cheesecake-style stainless-steel dish. The zesty scent of lime filled the air. ‘I hope you’ve saved some room. This took me longer to make than anticipated. Here’s my Key lime pie. I figured the lime flavours might work well after the chilli.’ He’d evidently picked up some culinary skills from his cooking-mad mother. ‘Ah, wonderful. Great idea. Well done, Son.’