Page 9 of The Seaside Supper Club

She took it out to see the caller ID: Susie. Ah, lovely, it was her sister, and ideal timing. She had the chance to put the kettle on, and have a good old catch-up and a goss. Susie was two years older than Cath, and throughout their lives, despite or perhaps because of the occasional minor sibling fallout, they’d always been there for each other.

Susie’s first marriage had broken down only a few years in, leaving her as a single parent with two very young girls. Cath’s determined and inspiring sister found her feet, a job as a PA, and her self-belief, and was already doing a sterling job of bringing them up, when her now-husband Mark came along. The man she probably should have married in the first place, but life wasn’t like that, was it. Lessons were learned, and this steady, supportive grown-up kind of love was appreciated all the more. Beth and Hannah adored him too, with their biological father only sporadically showing up in their lives. Mark was more of a father to them than their blood relation.

Susie had been there for Cath, time and again too, especially these past few years when the shit hit the fan with Trevor, and her marriage had folded.

‘Hi, Suz,’ Cath answered, as she reached the kitchen, moving to click the kettle on and grab a cup.

‘Hey, Sis, how are you? And, how’s it going with Mr Pellow?’ Susie quipped. Her sister had met Will in the village when she’d come to visit a few months earlier, and commented on the likeness to Marti Pellow, lead singer of the band Wet Wet Wet back in the 80s, immediately. There was something there, Cath had to agree. A handsome, rather cheeky sparkle across his green-and-brown-flecked eyes. The look that had made her stomach flutter on many occasions since.

‘Hah, yes, and Will’s fine, thank you,’ she responded with a smile. ‘We had a really nice get-together here last night with the supper gang actually. I cooked; my roast dinner in a pot. We were out in the garden shed again – it’s back in action after the winter.’

‘Sounds a bit like you,’ her sister jibed.

‘Hah, well, I can’t really argue with that.’ Cath chuckled. It was exactly how she felt, to be honest … back in action after a very cold and dismal spell in her life.

‘Well, the lucky things. Your roast chicken dish is amazing. I still remember when you made it for us, a while back. And hey, it’s really great that you’re finding your feet in the village. You sound so much happier, Cath.’

‘Thanks, and yes, I am.’ At last life was turning itself around. ‘How’re your tribe? The girls doing okay?’ Cath asked. They were both grown up now; Beth worked in corporate legal and lived in Sheffield, and Hannah was at Bristol Uni doing maths.

The sisters chatted away, as Cath brewed her tea, moved to the lounge and sank down on the sofa. After catching up on Beth, Hannah, plus Adam’s latest antics, they reminisced about their trips to Northumberland with their parents (who’d sadly now both passed away) in the ‘good old days’ and then generally put the world to rights between them, an hour quickly disappearing.

‘You’ll have to come down and visit us again, soon. Come for a long weekend or something,’ suggested Susie.

‘Yeah, that sounds a lovely idea.’ It had been too long, she knew that. She’d been feeling fragile and somewhat reclusive, initially holing up in her cottage whilst she found her feet again. Susie had come to visit her, but maybe it was time for Cath to test her wings and do a bit more travelling again. They’d been clipped for far too long.

‘Well, I’d better get going. Believe it or not, I’m in the bath. Mark’ll think I’ve gone down the plughole. I’m also getting that shrivelled-prune look. And don’t you say that’s my norm.’

‘I wouldn’t dare.’

The pair of them laughed.

‘Well, you take care, Sis.’

‘You too.’

‘Say hi to Mr Pellow … ah, Will from me.’

And that shifted Cath’s thoughts back to a certain Marti look-alike. After last night, she was absolutely still feeling it in her fingers, toes and much more.

Chapter 3

Will was at the door. Cath’s heart gave an involuntary lift. It was early evening, a couple of days later, and his visit was a surprise. He hadn’t mentioned he was calling by.

‘Hi.’ Cath smiled.

Even though they’d only been together on Sunday morning, she couldn’t help but feel a fuzzy glow, the one she got whenever he came around. Especially a bonus visit, out of the blue, like this one.

‘Hey.’

‘Well, this is a nice surprise. Coffee? Something stronger?’ She offered.

‘Ah, yeah. A coffee would be good, thanks.’ He sounded upbeat, as he followed her into the kitchen, but there was something else to his tone that she couldn’t quite work out. As if he might be about to tell her something. She hoped his girls were okay.

She popped the kettle on, choosing a decaf for herself; hopefully warding off the 3 a.m. caffeine-induced whirl.

‘So, I’ve had some news,’ Will started, a bemused look crossing his face.

Cath looked up from her coffee-making, now curious. ‘Oh?’