The Seafront Tea Rooms (19 page)

‘Hello,’ Euan said. He was standing on the doorstep in a shirt and a leather jacket, a smile on his face. ‘That was quick.’

‘I don’t mess about,’ she said, her pulse quickening at the sight of him. He looked even more gorgeous than she’d remembered. ‘Shall we head out?’

‘Sure. I’m just over the road. Although I’m wondering now how I can compete with that. Is that your sister’s car?’ He pointed at her MG.

‘Nope, it’s mine,’ she said.

‘Nice,’ he said, nodding. ‘I’m a little embarrassed about introducing you to my ancient Fiat right now.’

‘Not that I care about riding in a Fiat, but do you fancy driving mine?’

‘Are you serious?’ His eyes lit up.

‘Sure, why not?

‘That would be amazing.’

‘Here you go,’ Charlie said, passing him the keys. ‘She could do with a run around.’

Euan got in and turned the key in the ignition. ‘I could ruin our date right now, couldn’t I?’

‘You won’t. I trust you,’ Charlie said.

He drove them through South Cliff and down to the seafront, deftly steering around the curves. Charlie put some music on.

‘It’s nice to be able to get up some speed,’ Charlie said. ‘In London I’m usually creeping between red lights. I still love driving around though. It’s such an escape.’

‘I feel the same way about getting out on the water. Not that I’ve got my own boat – that’d be the day – but I love to go surfing, windsurfing, sailing with friends. I’ve never felt the same thrill about driving, but perhaps I could get used to it.’

‘Don’t go getting too attached,’ Charlie said cheekily. ‘So where are you taking us tonight?’

‘It’s a seafood restaurant, pan-Asian. Nice conservatory with sea views. Sound OK?’

‘Sure. Sounds perfect.’

Charlie and Euan were sitting in a quiet corner of the restaurant, and had ordered their starters. With low lighting and a laidback atmosphere, friendly staff and an original menu, Charlie noted that it was exactly the kind of restaurant she would have chosen.

‘How are things going at your sister’s?’ Euan asked.

‘Magic at times, with the kids, but far more tiring than my normal job.’

Charlie thought of how she’d now be at Pippa’s longer than she’d planned. Her talk today with Jess hadn’t been the easiest, but she’d finally managed to negotiate a few extra days away, given that she’d already submitted some of the content. She was happy she’d now be able to make the centenary party.

Euan smiled. ‘I’ve always fancied being an uncle – you get all of the good bits then, don’t you?’

‘You get a lot of cuddles,’ Charlie said, ‘but also glitter on your face, and plastic spiders in your bedsheets.’

‘I have to confess when we first met, and you were with Jacob and Flo, I thought – damn, she’s already taken.’

Charlie smiled.

‘I’m probably saying too much,’ Euan said. ‘I don’t know why I find it so easy to do that with you.’

‘Ha. That’s the journalist in me. I don’t have to say a word and people think I can tell what they’re thinking. I’ll tell you a secret…’ She put her hand to her mouth and whispered: ‘I can’t.’

‘I’ll play my cards closer to my chest from now on, then. So what do you fancy eating?’

‘Anything – I’m starving.’ She looked down the menu. ‘So long as it’s not potato waffles or fish fingers. I’ve been eating far too much of Flo and Jacob’s leftovers lately.’

‘Can’t have those standards dropping.’

‘I know, can you imagine?’ She put on her poshest voice. ‘“Yes, this chic eaterie in Broadway Market has steak freshly imported from Argentina, but there was NO alphabetti spaghetti on the menu.”’

Euan laughed. ‘Do you cook a lot at home?’

‘No. Ironic, isn’t it? I’ve always enjoyed cooking – don’t get me wrong – but with the hours I do I’m usually too tired when I get home. I love cooking for friends when I do have the chance though. What about you?’

‘The same. I like to make simple dishes, fresh ingredients, nothing fancy, but food that’s good for the soul, I suppose. And of course I enjoy eating out. Have you ever thought about going in the other direction – running a restaurant rather than reviewing them?’

She paused before answering. The truth was it had been on her mind for the last year or so. When she visited restaurants she often had ideas ticking away in her head – what she would do if she had a place of her own, how a menu she put together might look. But she’d never said it out loud before.

‘Yes. I’ve thought about it a lot.’

‘What’s stopping you?’

‘Oh, it’s not that easy.’ She shook her head and smiled. ‘I couldn’t do it. It’s a pipe-dream.’

There was the money she’d need to set the whole thing up, the dog-eat-dog world of urban restaurants – and then, of course, the fact that she had no experience whatsoever of running a business.

‘Where would we be without those?’ Euan said with a smile. ‘I didn’t take you for someone who’d be put off because something wasn’t easy.’

‘What do you mean by that?’ she said.

‘That you seem determined, ambitious – I admire that.’ He looked at her and held her gaze for a moment. A shiver of anticipation traced its way up her spine.

‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘I think.’

Shortly after ten, Charlie and Euan walked out of the restaurant into the cool autumn night. She felt pleasantly full from the meal, and content. Considering this was the first date she’d had since breaking up with Ben, it had all gone surprisingly smoothly.

‘I guess we’ll be getting taxis home, then,’ Charlie said. ‘That wine was far too nice.’

‘It goes down pretty well, doesn’t it?’ He smiled mischievously.

‘You’re a bad influence.’ She shook her head.

‘I don’t seem to remember you needing that much persuading.’ Euan laughed. ‘So, shall I call you a cab?’

‘There’s no hurry. Let’s go for a walk.’ The wine had left her feeling slightly fuzzy-headed, some fresh air would do her good. Plus she’d enjoyed talking to Euan. No reason to cut things short.

‘It’s pretty cold – are you sure you wouldn’t rather go on somewhere, a bar or something?’

Charlie looked up the bay and saw the old cinema on the corner. A smile crept on to her face. ‘You haven’t got the keys to that place, have you?’

‘Erm…’ he said, narrowing his eyes. ‘What exactly did you have in mind?’

‘Show me around?’ Charlie said playfully. ‘So I can see what it looks like inside?’

‘I can’t,’ Euan shook his head. ‘It’s a building site – I can’t take you in at this time of night.’

‘Oh, go on,’ she said, nudging him. ‘Please?’

He seemed to be on the verge of refusing for a second time.

‘Pleeease?’ she said. Now that she’d got the idea in her head, she wasn’t about to let it go. She was in the mood for an adventure.

‘You get what you want a lot, don’t you?’

She laughed. ‘At times.’

‘OK, OK,’ he conceded reluctantly.

They walked the block together, and his hand found Charlie’s, naturally. There was a thrill at his touch, yet at the same time the warmth of his skin against hers relaxed her. It felt easy, being with him. They reached the building, and he turned to whisper an instruction to her.

‘Now follow me and be careful.’

‘All right, all right, Mr Health and Safety,’ she teased.

He unlocked the building and let them both in. Inside, he put a yellow hard hat on her, and took one for herself.

‘I feel like Bob the Builder in this,’ she said, tapping the top of it.

‘No taking it off,’ he said sternly.

‘Yes, sir. So, what’s the plan, what are you going to do in here?’ She gazed at the interior of the building.

‘We’re going to knock this wall down, and we’re building a glass-roofed area over here.’

‘Cool.’ Charlie looked up. ‘Can we go upstairs?’

Euan frowned. ‘We shouldn’t.’

She raised an eyebrow.

He sighed. ‘But then we shouldn’t be in here at all. Come on, then.’

He led her up a staircase to a domed roof with tiny windows.

‘It’s beautiful up here,’ she said, looking out on the white lights of the town, and the bay beside it. From their vantage point, it looked as if the streets were lined with little dolls’ houses.

‘It’s a lovely view, isn’t it?’ Euan said, looking out with her. ‘This dome was one of the things that made me want to take on the project. We’re going to retain it and make it more of a feature.’

‘Nice setting for cocktails,’ she said, looking around.

‘Trust you to think of that,’ he joked.

‘I’m only trying to assist you with the plan,’ she said.

She turned towards Euan, and her arm brushed against his. As their skin touched, she felt the rush of attraction.

Euan cupped her face with one hand, and ran his thumb gently over her lips, and instinctively she covered his hand with her own. She looked into his blue eyes, feeling closeness. Excitement. But as he leaned in to kiss her, the excitement blended swiftly with something less comfortable – panic.

What was she doing? How had she thought she was ready for this?
 

She froze, and he sensed it right away, before their lips touched.

‘I must have read that all wrong,’ he said softly, moving back. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘You didn’t.’ She shook her head. ‘I wanted you to. But…’

She searched for the words to explain what she was feeling. That she wanted him – so much it ached. And yet something was standing in her way.

‘You don’t need to explain. Look, let’s forget it even happened.’ He smiled at her kindly. ‘Why don’t I finish showing you around?’

‘Yes, let’s do that,’ she said, her voice catching in her throat.

She’d messed it up. She’d missed the moment. And she only had herself – and the stupid walls she’d built – to blame.

27

Thursday 25 September

‘The Copper Kettle was gorgeous, wasn’t it?’ Kat said, tucking her legs up under her on Séraphine’s bed.

‘Yes, I loved the little touches: the crisp white tablecloths, that beautiful silver cutlery – and the pink-and-yellow cake. What’s that called again?’

‘Battenberg.’ Kat smiled. ‘You can’t beat a good Battenberg.’

Séraphine and Kat had spent the day on the coast, stopping at tea rooms from the list they’d put together with Charlie. In the early evening, tired but still buzzing from the new discoveries, they were in Séraphine’s room, typing up their notes.

‘The Cove was my favourite, by a long way,’ Séraphine said.

‘Yes – and the long walk you had to take to get there made it even more special. Worked up our appetite for the scones, didn’t it?’

‘I could have eaten four of them! That freshly made strawberry jam was out of this world.’

‘It was incredible.’

‘The styling was imaginative too – that reupholstered chaise longue and the antique armchairs.’

Kat started typing again. She might remember the scones and the styling for a few weeks – maybe months – but she knew already that what she’d recall most of all were the conversations she and Séraphine had had. They’d talked easily while they were walking along the coast, the wind blowing through their hair, and savouring the hot tea at the end of their journey. They’d laughed together, and they’d shared things that mattered. Kat felt privileged that Séraphine had opened up to her about Carla, and told her that in the past couple of days they had spoken on the phone and begun to rebuild the relationship that they’d had in France. The change showed in Séraphine – it was as if a cloud had lifted, leaving her eyes bright and her face relaxed, with her natural beauty showing through.

When they’d finished the reviews, Séraphine got to her feet and walked over to her wardrobe. ‘Kat, I was thinking – you know that dress you were looking at the other day? In Whitby?’

‘The crazily expensive one?’ Kat said. ‘I love that with window-shopping there’s no budget.’

‘Yes. I have something similar that I think would suit you. We’re pretty much the same size.’

She rifled through the hangers in her closet and pulled out a vintage tailored dress, black with a Hawaiian flowers on it. ‘What do you think?’

‘It’s beautiful,’ Kat said, getting to her feet and touching the fabric.

‘Go on, try it on,’ Séraphine urged.

‘No, honestly, it’s fine.’ Kat shook her head.

‘Seriously,’ Séraphine said. ‘Just try it on, see how it looks on you.’

‘But it’s yours,’ Kat said, embarrassed. Perhaps she shouldn’t have mentioned to Séraphine how rarely she got to buy new things.

‘I never wear it. Ever.’

‘OK,’ she said. ‘If you’re absolutely sure.’

Kat pulled off her T-shirt and put the dress on over her leggings. Séraphine zipped her up and they looked together in the mirror.

‘Wow!’ Séraphine said. ‘You look stunning.’

‘It fits well, doesn’t it?’ she smiled, twisting to the side to see how the dress looked at the back.

‘It fits perfectly. It’s meant to be yours. Have it.’

‘Are you serious?’

‘Absolutely. It’s never suited me, I’m not even sure why I brought it over.’

‘That’s very kind. Thank you.’

Someone knocked on the bedroom door, and Kat startled.

‘Just a second,’ Séraphine called, doing the zip on the dress up all the way. ‘OK?’ she asked Kat. She nodded.

‘Come in,’ Séraphine said.

Adam opened the door, wearing jeans and a grey cashmere sweater. He paused for a moment, looking at Kat, their eyes meeting. Kat felt conscious of the way she looked, and wished she was back in her T-shirt.

‘Nice dress,’ Adam said.

‘Thanks,’ Kat said. ‘It’s Séraphine’s.’

‘It’s yours now, I told you,’ Séraphine said, nudging her.

‘Well, whoever’s it is, it suits you,’ Adam said, with a smile. ‘Dinner’s nearly ready. Will you join us, Kat?’

Kat checked her watch – it was still early. There was no harm in staying for dinner. It would be nice to spend some more time with Séraphine, and with Adam. She could always call Leo on the way home. ‘Yes, I’d love to.’

‘Help yourself to more,’ Adam said, pointing to the remaining slices of pizza.

‘I’m full,’ Kat said, glad that she’d changed back into her own clothes, which were stretchier and more accommodating than the dress. ‘But thank you, it was delicious. I’m impressed you made this, Zoe.’