Page 7 of The Seaside Supper Club

But the feelings of vulnerability still lurked. After all, she’d broken her promise to herself, at the beginning of her fresh start, not to get involved romantically with anyone. She’d been torn apart by love not so long ago, and those feelings of hurt remained, a stark warning. By opening herself up to love, was she also opening herself up to pain?

Not wanting to disturb Will, she crept out of bed to nip to the bathroom across the landing, but by the time she’d slipped off her dressing gown and was ready to get back in under the covers, he was stretched out with his arms above his head, looking at her.

‘Morning.’ He gave a warm smile from his nest of pillows.

‘Hello.’ She snuggled in next to him.

‘Well, that was a very nice night, indeed.’ He looked happy, relaxed.

‘It was,’ she agreed, tracing a fingertip over his chest. Was she ready for a morning re-run? She wasn’t quite sure; she was just relishing this closeness. Despite her fears about embarking on this new relationship journey, she was determined to enjoy the now. Not quite ready to leave the haven of their bed and start the day, Will gently kissed her forehead, as if acknowledging that, and nestled in close.

Not everything needed to be rushed in life. They had time. And a life of experiences behind them; some good, some bad. A cuddle and a kiss could mean so much, too. Togetherness. They held each other close, and dozed off for a few more mellow minutes.

*

Around forty-five minutes later, the bell jangled as Cath entered the village stores. She’d left Will making coffee, but after that busy night, and perhaps a touch too much alcohol, the yearning for something baked and sweet had drawn her to the shop.

There, behind the counter, was Andreas with a jolly smile but slightly weary-looking, giveaway eyes. He must be feeling the same way, too. ‘Good morning, petal. And how are you at this early hour?’

‘Mmn, good, I think. I need sugar.’

The aroma of warm, fresh-from-the-oven croissants filled the stores. There were definitely buttery baked goodies on the go, thank heavens. The lads must have been up early despite their night of entertainment.

‘Oh, don’t we all, lovey. That was such a wonderful evening, but we may have overindulged a tad. So, what are you craving?’

‘Croissants? What flavours have you got?’

‘Plain, almond or chocolate. All freshly baked.’

‘Fantastic. You’re a star.’

‘And will you be needing one, or perhaps two, for this morning?’ he said pointedly, as he cheekily quirked an eyebrow.

Cath blushed, knowing exactly what he meant by that. Blimey, there were no secrets around here. Honestly, she loved her new small village community, but crikey, everybody liked to know everyone else’s business. She knew there was no point hiding the truth, they were grown adults, and she had a feeling Andreas had their best interests at heart. ‘Two,’ she answered with a smile. ‘Or perhaps make that four. I’ll take a selection.’

‘Wonderful. And your secret’s safe with me, petal. Mum’s the word. Honestly, it’s just lovely to see the two of you so happy. Our matchmaking was meant to be.’

The supper club had been instrumental in getting the pair together, after a few false starts. Andreas took pride in his matchmaking achievements.

‘Thanks, Andreas.’

It was a good job Will hadn’t left his car outside last evening, she mused, or they really would be ‘the talk of the town’ otherwise. They might well have ended up as part of the agenda for the next village hall meeting. Point of interest 6(a): There has been news of a romantic dalliance between resident A, William Matthewson of 18 Main Street and resident B, Cath Taylor of Cheviot Cottage. Evidence of Blue Audi hatchback spotted outside of Cath’s residence overnight.

‘And hey, thank you so much for last night.’ Andreas pulled her back from her humorous musings. ‘We had a ball. And the food, that roast-chicken-in-a-dish was divine. You must share the recipe.’ As he chatted, he placed one of each flavoured croissant into a large brown paper bag with tongs.

‘You’re welcome, it was wonderful having you all around again.’

‘Ah, we loved it.’ He looked up, gesturing at the croissant stack with his tongs. ‘So, what’s the fourth going to be? You’ll need to double up on one.’

‘Let’s go with the chocolate,’ Cath replied.

‘I should have guessed that. There you go, petal. Is there anything else I can do for you today?’

‘Ah yes, some more milk, please, that’s getting low.’ She’d made a round of frothy-milk coffees to go with the brownies and Lily’s chocolate truffles last night. Cath moved to take a large carton from the stand-up fridge. ‘Oh, and I’ll pick up a Sunday newspaper.’ She hadn’t done that for ages; curl up on the sofa and flick over the news, travel pages and the book section. A slow leisurely breakfast with lots of strong coffee was absolutely in order.

‘Any plans for the rest of the day?’ Andreas asked, as he rang the prices into the old-fashioned till.

‘A chilled breakfast, a slow morning, and then I’ve got four online tuitions booked back to back for this afternoon. It’s all ramping up with exam season looming. So, I’ll need a clear head by then.’