Page 73 of The Second Chance Supper Club

As the rain started to blow inside, they part-closed the doors and shifted their seats a little further back into the shed. Though it was rather snug in there, it also now felt a tad chilly. Luckily (well, strategically), Cath had positioned herself two seats away from Will, so they weren’t sitting side by side. There had still been no real conversation directly between the two of them. Cath hoped that other than eagle-eyed Nikki, the others hadn’t twigged. The last thing she wanted was to spoil the evening for them.

‘I’ll go and see if I can help Lily.’ Will got to his feet, slipping out of the small space and into the rain.

‘Oh, you’ll get soaked!’ shouted Dan.

‘No worries, I get soaked on my bike all the time …’ And he was off.

A short while later, the two of them came up the garden path, the rain still pouring. Will was being gentlemanly, holding one of Cath’s umbrellas – sourced from the coat stand by the front door – over both Lily and yet another tray of her delicious-looking desserts. Lily stepped inside the shed, mostly dry, and the puds still perfect, whilst Will shook the wet brolly off outside. His clothes were pretty much drenched, but he didn’t make a fuss.

‘Ah, you’re soaking, mate, come on in and dry out next to us.’ Dan patted the empty seat.

‘It’s fine, it’s nothing worse than I get out on the bike at times.’

‘Yes, but you’re usually in Lycra. Quick drying, and tight.’ Andreas quirked an eyebrow cheekily.

Will shook his head at that, but had to smile. ‘True, but I’ll be fine. And most importantly the puddings are saved.’

The group gave a rowdy ‘hurrah’.

‘Well then, you’ll be the only thing with a soggy bottom,’ quipped Dan.

They all had to chuckle.

The latest display of desserts were all in little pots. ‘These are dark chocolate and chilli mousse, and these are lemon possets,’ Lily announced. ‘And that’s it, that’s your lot.’

‘Oh, thank heavens for that,’ said Dan. ‘I mean they’re all downright delicious, but I don’t think my tummy could take any more.’

Andreas gave Dan’s slight paunch a little pat. ‘I wouldn’t be so sure about that.’

And laughter filled the little hut once again.

The evening rolled on, and so did the thunder, which added some drama to the proceedings. There was no point in going anywhere, so they stayed right there, enjoying the last of the puds and the bubbles, and apart from Will and Cath’s frostiness, the company.

The overall dessert winner was voted to be the passionfruit profiteroles – ‘A mouthful of bliss’ – closely followed by the lemon posset – ‘Creamy, zesty and totally delicious’. For third place, Lily was going to have to re-check the top three and tally them up to see if there was a runner-up, as everyone seemed to have their own special favourites.

A short while afterwards, as the weather began to ease, Will stood up to go. It was only just past nine-thirty. ‘Sorry folks, got a big cycle ride tomorrow. Need to get my kip in, and I’ve probably had far too much of this stuff already.’ He pointed to his now empty fizz flute. ‘It’s been great though. Thanks so much, Lily, Nikki … Cath.’

He aimed a polite nod at Cath, who stood up as the hostess, ready to show him out.

‘Ah, no need to see me out. You stay up here and enjoy yourselves.’

It would save an awkward goodbye, at least. Will then gave a polite, ‘Thank you’ to Cath as he passed. But it felt to Cath like he’d turned back into Mr Grumpy all over again. But hey, in the circumstances, she couldn’t really blame him, could she. The others stayed, chatting, and enjoying the rest of the soiree. Despite the rain, and huddling in the shed, it had turned out to be a lovely evening of friendship, food and fizz. Cath hadn’t been able to relax as much as usual, of course, what with the stand-off with Will. It really had taken the shine off her evening, which was such a shame. Would other supper clubs in the future be this difficult for the pair of them? Had it totally altered the dynamics of the group? Would Will even want to keep coming? Or should it be her to duck out politely?

These concerns weighed upon her.

But it was still about tonight, she reminded herself, and ambitious Lily had done an amazing job. Cath felt proud of her, managing to achieve all that at such a young age. She wished her all the best for her baking future, and despite the chasm between her and Will, she really hoped that Lily and the others had had a wonderful time this evening.

It was almost midnight when they took the plunge, ducking out into the renewed showers, to head back inside the cottage. The supper clubbers gathered up coats and belongings in the hallway, getting ready to head home.

Nikki whispered in her ear, as she gave Cath a peck on the cheek. ‘Hey, you need to tell me what’s going on with you two. No getting out of it… next time I see you.’ It wasn’t going to be brushed under the carpet that easily, dammit. ‘And thank you so much for hosting. You’ve made Lily’s night,’ Nikki then said louder.

‘I think she’s actually made ours,’ Cath countered. ‘Thank you for such fantastic food. Well done, Lily, that was a huge effort, and you must have put so much time into the menu. I’m sure any of it would go down well as part of your course, but the profiteroles and lemon posset were to die for.’

‘Hey, when your bakery or bistro opens, Lily, let us know,’ said Andreas. ‘We’ll be there!’

‘Aw, thanks guys.’ She looked so proud, bless her. Her confidence was growing.

They gathered at the door. A selection of brollies and rain macs having been borrowed for the short, but inevitably soggy, walk home.