Page 89 of Second Chances at the Board Game Café

It was Max’s first day at his new school and Taylor couldn’t settle. She’d agreed that when they moved back to Essendale, Harry would take him to school on the three mornings a week that he went into the office, but she hadn’t quite had time to move their stuff to Mr B’s house and they were still in Hebbleswick, so that morning, she’d walked him there herself.

‘I miss Ollie and Ava,’ Max had said, as they neared the school gates. ‘But I’m looking forward to getting the train with Harry.’

‘Well, you’ll be doing that later this week,’ she said. ‘Once we’ve moved to Essendale. Do you want me to come in with you today?’

‘Nah, I’ll go by myself. Bye, Mum.’ He set off through the gates. He was growing more confident by the day. Modelling in the fashion show seemed to have given him a boost; she hoped that he didn’t get teased for wearing that red petticoat. What had possessed him?

Halfway across the playground, Max turned round and waved to her, then suddenly ran back over and threw his arms around her. Taylor returned the hug, lifting him off the ground slightly, though he was really far too heavy for her to be doing that these days; she’d probably end up with a bad back again.

And then he was gone again before she had chance to say, ‘Love you, Max’ or ‘Have a lovely first day.’

She went back to the Airbnb and began to pack up their belongings, but her mind kept wandering back to Max and Hebbleswick Primary. What was he doing now? What time was playtime? Was this school really going to be any different or would he be bullied again? Jo was lovely. Mr Morgan and Mrs Woods had seemed lovely too, but it was the children she was really worried about. Max needed to find a way to fit in, but he’d never been good at that. He needed to learn how to make friends.

Friends. They’d been very much missing in her own life too in the last few years, but she felt like she’d turned a corner recently. Harry was definitely a friend. She hoped that in time he’d be more than that but he was a shy kind of man, very like Max now she came to think of it, and she didn’t want to rush him. She’d wanted to kiss him as they’d stood on the catwalk at the fashion show, but sensed it might embarrass him with so many people looking on.

Kate was becoming a friend too. Taylor thought of all that Kate had done for her – getting the fashion show off the ground, printing flyers for her business, and giving her so much encouragement. She gave Taylor that ‘you’ve got this’ feeling. Yes, she was bossy but her heart was in the right place. Perhaps she could meet her for a coffee sometime, even though there wasn’t now a fashion show to discuss.

Actually, what she really wanted was a coffee and a chat right now to take her mind off Max. Otherwise, she was going to spend the entire day sitting here on the floor trying to pack, worrying and getting absolutely nothing done at all.

There were cafés in Hebbleswick, of course, but there’d be no-one she knew there. There was only one café where people knew her name, and that was the board game café.

*

Kate could often be found hanging out in the board game café, chatting to her mate Emily, but Taylor was disappointed to see that she wasn’t there this morning. In fact, hardly anyone was.

‘Morning, Taylor,’ called Emily as she walked in.

Taylor went up to the counter. ‘Morning, Emily. Could I have a latte, please. No Kate today?’

‘No, not today.’ Emily turned to the coffee machine and grabbed a mug off the shelf.

Taylor gazed at the cakes and biscuits on offer. The Bakewells looked particularly tasty and there were square biscuits too that were iced to look like Scrabble letter tiles; these made her think of Jo saying there was an after-school Scrabble club at Hebbleswick Primary and she wondered for the umpteenth time how Max was getting on.

Please let him be okay. Please. She crossed her fingers.

‘Can I tempt you with a cake?’ said Emily. ‘On the house.’

‘Go on then,’ said Taylor. ‘I’ll go for a Bakewell, please.’

‘Sure, I’ll bring it over. Grab yourself a table.’

Taylor chose a corner in the window where she could sit and watch the world go by. It was disappointing that Kate wasn’t here, because she’d felt like a chat, but people-watching was the next best thing. Or geese-watching. She watched as the squadron of fearsome white birds paraded up and down outside the library, causing several passers-by to step onto the road to get past.

‘I don’t suppose you fancy some company, do you? I made myself a coffee.’

She looked up to see Emily holding a tray with two coffees and two slices of Bakewell tart. ‘You must be psychic. I definitely do fancy some company.’

‘Great.’ Emily put the tray down on the table and sat down opposite Taylor. ‘It’s not often that this place is quiet enough for me to take a break. Congratulations again. The show was brilliant. You’re a fantastic designer.’

‘I’m not really a designer,’ Taylor said. ‘That was my childhood dream, but if the truth be told, I mostly replace broken zips and repair broken seams.’

‘I have a feeling all that’s going to change. The upcycling side of things is going to take off. You’ve got Kate behind you for one thing. She’s been such a good friend to me – helped spread the word about this place.’

‘I hope so.’ Taylor tried to sound optimistic, but if truth be told, she didn’t feel it.

‘You don’t sound too sure?’

‘I’m just down, you know. Worrying about Max starting his new school. And losing the shop – the house. I mean, I know I’m lucky. It could have been so much worse. I could have been in the bath when it came through the ceiling. And now I’ve got Mr B’s house to live in and Harry’s dining room to work in, but I miss having somewhere to display my stuff. Etsy’s great, but it’s not the same as having that lovely big shop window.’