Page 47 of The Second Chance Supper Club

The weekend had disappeared in a flash, with Susie heading back to the Peak District on Sunday evening.

After the flush of animated sibling chatter and company these past two days, the quiet of the cottage and the sleepy street outside was a contrast. Cath felt a little emptier, a little lonelier.

A solo life was now hers, and she was still trying to adapt to that.

She wondered if Reggie had felt this too, over the years.

Once his wife had passed away, it was more than likely.

She sighed, feeling that allegiance with him.

Well, then, she knew where she could find a bit of company and some chit-chat, plus the bonus of some freshly baked goodies to cheer up her morning coffee time: the village stores. Time to crack on, and remind herself of the happier things in life.

It was fresh with a light breeze as she stepped outside, with the sun trying to peep around some scudding cotton-wool-balls of cumulus clouds.

The sound of birdsong lifted her spirits as chaffinches and sparrows darted among the garden shrubs, and dipped artfully in and out of next door’s hawthorn hedge.

The short run of honey-stone cottages led her to the village green, and on over the crossroads to the shop.

Aromas of … hmm, croissants and something savoury, cheesy perhaps, delighted her nostrils, getting stronger as the shop door opened, to reveal … Oh .

There was Will coming out of the village shop. Her heart missed a beat, but she managed to give a friendly wave. ‘Hey, there.’

She hadn’t seen him since his swift departure from the pub, a few days ago, when she’d been with Susie.

Now was her chance to try and suss out whether Will’s quick exit was somehow related to her in any way, if there was still some impasse between them, or if she was just making daft assumptions.

‘Hi, how are you doing?’ Her voice came out chirpy, but she felt on edge.

‘Ah …’ Will’s brow furrowed above his dark eyes. ‘Yep, I’m okay. You?’

‘Good. Yeah, I had a lovely time with my sister up.’ ‘Yeah … great.’ His lips then pursed into a tight line.

Ooh, there was a definite edge there. This wasn’t how she’d hoped things might go. ‘So…’ she persevered, taking the plunge, it was now or never. ‘Uhm, do you fancy that walk you mentioned, sometime? It’s so lovely along by the river on a nice morning like this.’

‘Ah, look, things are pretty busy at the bike shop right now … I really need to dash and get over there. Perhaps some other time.’ He was already making a move to leg it away, off up the street.

Cath was left standing there, even more confused than when she’d started.

Well, that felt very much like a brush-off, if there ever was one.

She was left mouthing the word ‘bye’ and feeling downright rejected.

He definitely seemed miffed with her, but why?

They’d been getting on so well since the beach picnic, teaming up to help out the lads.

The stars had seemed to be aligning literally for them, and more than that …

a real connection had been building. And, she had to confess, despite trying to protect her bruised heart, the more she had grown to know him the more she found herself falling for him.

Cath left it for a few days, but couldn’t help feeling that something was wrong.

Had Will perhaps felt he’d opened up too much about his wife?

Shared too much about their life together, about those last difficult months, and now felt uncomfortable?

Were those tender moments watching the stars just too much too soon?

Or had she inadvertently said something amiss, without realising it?

Well then, sitting moping about and wondering wasn’t getting her anywhere.

She hated a bad atmosphere. In all these years, one thing she had learned was to try and face things head on, however difficult things might seem.

Even with these crazy romantic emotions she’d been flooded with recently, and her head beginning to fill with half-baked dreams, the bottom line was that her friendship with Will was something that she didn’t want to lose.

Cath took a deep breath, a step forward, and then knocked on the grey-painted door of the smart semi-detached village house. A potted bay tree neatly adorned each side of the step.

She had never been inside Will’s home before, having only met outside for the bike ride those few weeks ago.

This new frostiness between them didn’t sit easy with her, and it seemed to have started that evening in the pub with her sister.

Well, if she’d done something wrong or upset him, then he needed to tell her why.

Outside the shop yesterday, it seemed like he could hardly look in her direction, and those brief words on the village street were cool.

But how could she possibly have offended him?

Perhaps she was totally overanalysing the situation, and he’d be fine with her today.

Stood there, ready to face the music, she tried to lift her mood, she’d go on in with a positive attitude.

She’d figured an offer of baked goodies might make her unexpected arrival more welcome. The flapjacks in the tin in her hand were still warm from the oven. Ideal fuel for an active cyclist, she’d thought. She knocked again, took a slow breath, and held the gift aloft with hope.

Eek, the sound of footsteps approaching made her tense up again.

The turn of a key, the door opening …

He was there, handsome as ever, dressed in denim jeans and a casual blue T-shirt. His chin lightly stubbled. Hazel eyes catching hers. ‘Oh … it’s you.’ He looked surprised, and not in a particularly good way.

‘Hi, Will.’ She braved a smile. ‘Umm, I’ve been baking.

There are some extra flapjacks I made, which I thought you might like.

’ Cath tried to sound as normal as possible.

As if she’d just had this thought, not that she’d been lying in bed last night wondering what she’d done wrong, since receiving that rebuff in the street.

‘Ah, r-right.’ The words came out staccato, as he stood blocking the doorway. There was an awkward pause, then he reached out a hand to take the tin that was offered.

Cath hovered on his threshold, feeling distinctly uneasy.

There were a few further tricky seconds where they both waited, then he added stiffly, ‘Well, thanks … umm, I suppose you ought to come in.’

‘Thank you.’ She stepped inside, firing up her inner resolve. Cath cleared her throat, and launched in. ‘Will, have I done something to upset you? I don’t know what, or how … Have I said something without realising it?’

He paled as he uncharacteristically chewed a hang nail on his thumb, his brow furrowing further. ‘You’d better come through.’

The house was tidy. The hallway was a little bare: plain grey carpet, white walls, pairs of gents’ trainers lined up neatly in a low wooden stand.

It was pleasant enough, but the atmosphere felt cool, as if its soul was missing.

Then, as they entered the kitchen, she spotted some photos mounted on the wall, a collage of family pics.

One in particular caught Cath’s attention …

a close-up of an attractive red-haired lady, with sun-kissed lightly freckled skin, smiling happily, in a floaty yellow-and-white floral dress that sang of summer, of happier days.

Cath guessed it must be Jane. Will saw her eyes drawn to the image.

He looked saddened, but didn’t say a word about the photo.

Was this it? The key to his distance? Was he still hurting too much to move on?

‘Umm, can I get you a drink … some water, juice?’ It sounded like the last thing he wanted to do, seeming awfully put out.

So, this wasn’t going to be some cosy coffee and chat over flapjacks, then. ‘Ah, water, that would be good, thanks.’

He poured a glass from the fridge dispenser, and handed it to her coolly yet politely. ‘Here.’

What was going on?

‘Okay, whatever it is … please tell me? This is feeling so awkward, and I don’t know why.

’ Cath was sick of emotional games, of secrets, of being let down, she’d had her fill with Trevor – though she knew she and Will didn’t really have a ‘relationship’ to break as yet.

But it was hurting already … and a friendship, if that’s what it was destined to be from here on, that shouldn’t feel like this either.

Will took up a seat at the kitchen table, and then drew in a slow breath, before saying, ‘Do you really not know me? Hasn’t it twigged yet?’

‘Sorry? I’m not sure what you mean … ?’ Cath’s brow creased.

‘Belford … the holiday park … It was me.’

What?! His eyes were holding hers. Those eyes that she’d always felt she knew.

‘Will Matthewson,’ he continued.

She felt a shiver, part excitement, part shock running through her. And the penny dropped, the realisation … Matthewson … ‘Matty ? ’

He nodded, his face tense but still a mask. ‘Yep, there was another lad called Will in our group at school,’ he explained, ‘so I got called Matty.’

‘You’re Matty. The Matty?’ She wasn’t sure if she was saying this aloud or to herself.

‘My Matty. Oh, my goodness.’ A strange ache of nostalgia centred within her.

She wanted to grab him, the boy she’d fallen for all those years ago, to hold him in her arms …

but she kept her hands, and her arms pinned by her sides, feeling the tension buzz through them.

She knew that gesture would be completely wrong after all this time.

‘I had begun to wonder,’ he cut in. ‘Not straight away, but a few weeks ago … you mentioned about holidays, coming up here when you were younger. But then loads of people do, I put it down to coincidence … It was so random that Cathy might actually be you, so unlikely. And I really wasn’t sure, so how could I say anything? It was years ago …’