Page 21 of The Second Chance Supper Club

At last, they’d been able to be honest. She hadn’t wanted Helen to leave here in a huff. The change had hit her old friendship group too. It was inevitable really. The bomb had ricocheted far further than Cath had first imagined.

Since leaving Roundhay, and in those few weeks of moving on and beginning to find her feet in a quieter rural world, distance and time had made her see her old friends and relationships differently too. She’d heard enough about Trevor and his antics last night, plus the social gatherings in suburbia, to make her head spin. Helen would be setting off in the morning. And yes, whilst she’d keep in touch with the old gang, she found she didn’t need that social group in the same way anymore. It belonged to a different life, a different Cath.

Her old life, or more so, some of the people in it, didn’t seem to fit all that well with this new one. But it didn’t mean she had to cut them off totally, either. In time she might reconnect. But for now, there was no rush for that.

And she realised that that was okay. Changes were afoot, and she was open to that. No point wallowing in the past. Something old, something new …

Chapter 15

Helen had taken flight the next morning, back to her suburban nest. Cath was relieved that they had at least smoothed out some of the weekend’s furrows between them, and they had left things on a polite footing for the future, both coming to an understanding that they were in very different places right now.

Back at the shop later that morning, Dan and Andreas were full of apologies.

‘Morning, Cath.’

‘Hi, lads.’

‘Oh, I’m so sorry we couldn’t help your friend with her medication yesterday.’ Dan looked concerned.

‘Ah, don’t worry, Dan, it’s no problem. You’ve probably done me a bit of a favour, actually. I have a feeling my friend Helen won’t be rushing back to the country life, or my cottage, any time very soon.’ She gave a knowing grin. ‘And you know what … I think I’ve realised that’s not such a bad thing. We get on fine to be fair, but she’s a bit of a blast from the past. And obviously very much a townie.’

‘Yeah, she did seem rather, how can I put it, full-on.’

‘Demanding,’ added Andreas.

‘Hah, don’t I know it.’ Even though they’d accepted their differences, and had their heart-to-heart last night, Cath began to wonder what tales of village life and ‘country Cath’ Helen would now be going back with. What gossipy news was being passed back to Trevor and the old crew? And then she realised that she didn’t particularly care, which was a very satisfactory revelation indeed.

‘Well, sounds like it’s been a stressful visit for you. Andreas, this is a sure sign that Cath is in need of some suppertime solace … a further supper soiree in fact.’

‘Oh, yes, agreed. You made us so welcome the other evening. We had a truly wonderful time. And Dan’s right, we must arrange another supper club soon. We’ll host this time. It’ll give us a chance to pamper you.’

‘Sounds perfect. Just let me know when …’ Cath found herself smiling, delighted that their supper group was going to continue.

‘Same old gang?’ asked Andreas. ‘Shall we ask Nikki and Will again? It seemed to work well, didn’t it?’

Cath was nodding. They had all got on fine. And she had no real reason not to invite Will. Just because they’d had the car park bump, and the fact he looked a bit like the lead singer in Wet Wet Wet, which had set her slightly off kilter. And, how did you start to explain that?!

‘Well, we’ll not get away with not asking Nikki,’ added Dan, smiling. ‘She’s desperate to get out and about again. She was asking about a supper re-run just yesterday when she called in, in fact.’

Cath browsed the shelves as they chatted, choosing some fresh fruit and veg, and a crusty baguette, along with a chunk of local Doddington Dairy cheese, to make some cheese and chutney sandwiches for lunch. At the counter, Andreas was already planning. ‘So, how does a week’s time sound? Dan, get the diary and we’ll check dates with you now, Cath.’

‘Okay. Well, yes, great.’ Cath really didn’t need to check hers; other than a dentist’s appointment and her tutoring, she didn’t really have anything else to work around. Christ, she was close to being a recluse. Perhaps Helen did have a point … not that she’d have admitted that to her.

‘Now then, give us a couple of days that suit you best, and we can moot them to the rest of the gang.’

Messages had been sent, and a supper soiree ‘chez Andreas and Dan’ was arranged for early June, just a week away. Andreas was to be lead chef, apparently, and was buzzing about planning his recipes and tempting tipples. It was going to be ‘a night to remember’ with a Greek Cypriot theme, so Dan enlightened Cath in the shop a couple of days later. And, except for her mixed feelings about Will, which she’d have to learn to live with or risk spoiling the new friendship group, Cath couldn’t wait.

There was a bicycle perched outside the village shop, later that week, as Cath was about to head in. Out came Will, oh, in full Lycra, with a takeaway coffee to hand. She couldn’t help but notice his toned muscles through the clingy material, especially those in the upper thigh area – well-defined cyclist’s muscles.

She swiftly lifted her gaze. ‘Oh … hi.’ Her throat felt dry all of a sudden.

‘Hey, Cath. Nice to see you. How are things?’

‘Good … yep … fine.’ It was odd that Mr Grumpy was now Mr Chatty … and jeez, Mr Lycra. She didn’t know quite where to look.

‘I hear we’re on for another supper evening. The lads have just been filling me in on all the details. Sounds like we’re going to get spoilt.’

‘Yeah.’