Page 23 of Things We Need to Say (Second Chance Love Stories #2)

Jay pushed down the handle on his nan’s front door and it yielded, just as he’d known it would.

‘Hello, Nan!’

‘In the kitchen.’

He walked down the hallway to where Betty spent most of her time when she was at home. She pulled a tray of freshly baked scones out of the oven.

‘They smell wonderful.’

‘Then you’ve timed it just right,’ she said with a broad grin.

‘I certainly have.’

He didn’t dare tell her that he’d just eaten a huge breakfast and wasn’t hungry — he knew better than to refuse any food his nan offered him. Emma was on a late shift again so, determined they should spend some time together, he’d made her favourite brunch dish — shakshuka.

‘This is nice,’ Emma had said, yawning as she’d walked into the kitchen.

‘I didn’t think you’d have had much of a chance to eat last night.’

‘You’re right, I didn’t. And I’m absolutely starving.’

He placed the pan containing eggs cooked in tomato sauce and spices in the middle of the table, and added freshly baked bread.

Emma sat down and ate hungrily. When they were both finished, Jay turned to her. ‘I’m sorry if I’ve been neglecting you recently. I haven’t meant to. You mean the world to me, but I’ve had a lot on my mind.’

‘I know that and I understand. All I want to do is to support you, but I can’t do that if you shut me out.’

‘I get that and I’ll try to include you in the future.’

‘That’s all I’m asking. Being shut out makes me feel insecure. I suppose it stems from my childhood. I never really felt like I was part of Mum and Dad’s life, so maybe that explains why I have a tendency to overreact if it happens to me now I’m an adult.’

He felt another wave of guilt at her explanation.

She’d never really spoken much about her parents, other than saying that they weren’t close, but this explained a lot.

When they had more time together, he decided he would ask her more about what her life had been like growing up, so that he could understand her even better.

‘I forgot to mention it last night, but Liz phoned me yesterday,’ she said, startling him out of his plans.

His stomach lurched. ‘Oh?’

‘Yes, she told me her good news. I’m thrilled for them both.’

‘Yes, me too. She never thought it would happen.’

‘She told me you already knew.’

‘Yes, I did.’ He paused. ‘Look, I’m really sorry I kept it from you but I made her a promise.’

‘I understand. It wasn’t your secret to tell,’ she said.

‘I don’t think she would have even told me if she hadn’t been suffering from terrible morning sickness.’

‘Well, at least it now all makes sense. The virus excuse certainly didn’t.’

‘Yes.’ He sighed, glad that it was finally all out in the open.

‘I knew you were keeping something from me, so it’s a relief to know that’s what it was.’

‘Again, I’m sorry. No more secrets from now on.’

She smiled then. ‘Good, I’m glad we’ve got that all sorted.’

* * *

‘Jam and cream?’ Betty asked, interrupting Jay’s thoughts.

‘Of course.’ He groaned inwardly as she handed him a huge plateful of her baking. ‘Nan, I wish you’d keep your front door locked.’

‘I know. You keep telling me.’

‘If you’d just put your key in the lock when you come in, then you’d always know where your key was.’

‘I always do know where it is. It’s on the dresser. See. Here.’ She picked up the key and waved it under his nose. ‘Besides, if the door was locked, I’d have had to come and open it for you just now and my scones might have burned.’

‘Nan! Anyone could walk in. I worry about you.’

‘Oh, okay, I give in.’ Betty stomped down the hallway and he heard the key turn. ‘There! Happy now?’ she said as she came back into the kitchen.

‘Very.’

‘Good, now eat up. Do you want a cuppa?’

‘Please.’

‘So,’ she said while she waited for the kettle to boil. ‘Tell me what you’ve been up to.’

‘Working mainly. I didn’t tell you when we spoke on the phone, but Liz and Alex are expecting a baby.’

‘Oh, that’s wonderful news!’ She clapped her hands. ‘I’ll have to get my knitting needles out. I love having a baby to knit for.’

Jay smiled. Knowing Alex, he suspected all Baby Sinclaire’s clothes would be designer. ‘That’s lovely, Nan. The thing is, Liz has been suffering from terrible morning sickness and the last thing she needs is to work with food, so I’ve been trying to pick up the slack for her.’

‘That can’t have been easy alongside the competition. Is she feeling any better?’

‘Starting to, yes, which is good timing because I’ve just got the brief through for the next stage.’

She moved towards her armchair and scooped Roland up into her arms. ‘Come on you, time to let the humans have a seat.’ She put him gently down on the floor and he looked up at her.

If cats could scowl , Jay thought, that one was definitely making his feelings known .

‘Go on, go outside.’ Betty nudged him gently with her foot.

Roland twined himself around her ankles, jumped onto a kitchen chair and plonked himself down again.

‘Oh, well, have it your own way.’ Betty turned to Jay. ‘So what have you got to do this time?’

‘Well, it’s the same brief as last time, but now it’s a starter and a fish course.’

‘And do you know what you want to cook?’

‘Not really, no. I’ve been looking through the recipe book, though, and it has given me some ideas, but I’m not sure if they’re too simple.’

‘What are you thinking? I might be able to help you there.’

Jay was surprised. ‘Help me create a banquet-worthy dish?’

‘Don’t mock. I’ve been watching MasterChef and I figure I’ve learned a bit about fancy-pants cooking.’

Jay stifled a chuckle. He could see she was being sincere and, if she thought he was laughing at her, she’d be deeply offended. He could always run it past Liz later.

‘Well, a lot of the recipes were written during the war, so many of them are vegetarian due to rationing.’

‘That’s right,’ Betty replied. ‘Meat was in such short supply, even after the war ended as the rationing continued. Everyone had turned to their gardens into vegetable patches and were practically vegetarian.’

‘And with plant-based foods being so popular now, I thought I might try to make a version of a vegetable soup.’

‘Vegetable soup?’ Horror was written all over Betty’s face. ‘Are you off your trolley?’

‘Don’t worry, it won’t be a chunky, stick-to-your-ribs kind of soup.’

‘The kind I make, you mean?’

‘The kind you need on a cold winter’s day to warm your cockles.’ He was rewarded with a smile. ‘No, I’d treat the veg very delicately and use edible flowers. But the soup itself would be a vegetable consommé. There’s an enormous amount of skill in making that properly.’

‘There is,’ Betty replied knowingly. ‘But consommé doesn’t sound very English.

‘I suppose it doesn’t,’ Jay said, realising she had a point. ‘The ingredients are English though. Maybe I could call it a vegetable broth?’

‘That sounds better. And you can serve it in one of those glass teapots they like so much. And put the vegetables and flowers at the bottom of a wide dish so that they look like a garden.’

Jay stared at his nan, dumbfounded. ‘You have learned a lot on MasterChef .’

She grinned at him. ‘Told you so.’

‘Maybe I could call it, “Garden on a Plate”?’

‘Oh, yes, I like that idea. So what are your ideas for the fish course?’

‘Fish and chips?’

‘Hmm, yes, a good old staple, but how can we posh that up? What fish were you thinking of using?’

‘Traditional cod or maybe seabass. Either way, a delicate white fish.’

‘And instead of doing chips, you could do those spirally things and deep fry them.’

‘Now that is a good idea,’ Jay replied, once again impressed.

‘Will you be having mushy peas?’

Jay pulled a face. He’d never been a lover of mushy peas. ‘No, samphire, maybe, and I’d serve it with a champagne-and-cockle sauce.’

Betty frowned and Jay asked. ‘Don’t you like champagne?’

‘Can’t say I’m overly fond. But it’s French again. Why don’t you use sparkling English wine? They make that in Kent, don’t they?’

Jay gave her a hug. ‘You know what, Nan? You’re a genius.’

‘There’s wisdom in this old head of mine, and don’t you forget it.’

‘I won’t,’ Jay said. He was keen to get back to the kitchen to crack on with turning their ideas into winning dishes.

‘Now, before you get too carried away.’ Betty stopped him in his tracks. ‘How are you getting on with your mother?’

‘Nan! You know I wasn’t impressed with that little stunt you pulled the other week.’

‘I know you weren’t and your mother said the same. But someone needed to do something to bang your heads together. The question is, did it work?’

‘Well, we’re texting each other more often.’

‘But you haven’t met up yet?’

‘No. I’ve been too busy and I’m not sure my head is in the right space at the moment. I’ve got too many other things going on.’

‘Yes, I can see that. But don’t keep putting it off for the sake of it.’

‘I won’t, Nan, I promise. Maybe when this competition is over we can meet up, and then take it from there.’

‘Good. Make sure you do. And now, you’d better get off. I can see you want to be back in your own kitchen.’

Jay reached out and gave her another hug. ‘You know, Nan, sometimes I think you know me better than I know myself.’

‘You might well be right there, son, you might well be right.’

* * *

Emma was nervous as she walked into the hotel, worried that Heather would have recovered from her migraine and be back at work.

She was still furious with her line manager for giving her a bad reputation among the others, and wondered whether she’d be able to keep a lid on it if she had to deal with Heather face to face.

One of the receptionists called out to her as she passed by the desk.

‘Emma, Faye asked you to go to her office when you came in.’

‘Okay, thanks,’ Emma replied. A flurry of nerves somersaulted in her stomach. She hoped this wasn’t going to be bad news. When she reached the office, she tapped lightly on the open door. Faye looked up and smiled.

‘Emma, come in and take a seat.’