The Seafront Tea Rooms (14 page)

Charlie crouched to the dog’s level. ‘Can we start over?’ she asked. Bagel raised a muddy paw and she shook it.

‘OK,’ she continued. ‘He’s forgiven. But you? You might have to work a bit harder. How do you intend to make it up to me?’

Charlie and Euan were sitting outside Rosa’s, a coffee shop by the pier, with croissants and two cappuccinos. Bagel was barking at seagulls nearby, his lead held tightly by Euan. The seafront was slowly starting to wake, with one or two people emerging from their houses, and in the distance Charlie could see the lights go on in Letty’s tea rooms.

‘It’s good you get time to run – are your children at home this morning?’ Euan asked.

‘No. I mean, yes, they’re at home – but no, they’re not mine.’ She smiled. ‘They’re my sister’s kids.’

‘Oh, right, I see.’ His face relaxed and he smiled. ‘I just assumed.’

‘I’m the super-auntie.’ She laughed. ‘Or something like that. They’re been keeping me pretty busy. There’s Flo – she’s the eldest, then Jacob, and finally the new baby, Gracie.’

‘A new baby, that’s lovely. Is that what brought you up here?’

‘Yes – or at least it was… It’s a long story.’

He opened his mouth to speak and she shook her head.

‘I won’t ask,’ he said.

‘It’s a lot to explain, but suffice to say my sister needs a hand at the moment.’

‘So did you get time off work to come here?’ Euan asked, breaking off a bit of croissant.

‘I’m actually still working – kind of.’ She smiled. ‘I persuaded my boss I could do my research here. I write food and drink reviews, and I’m editing the next magazine, which has a section dedicated to tea rooms.’

‘Cool job,’ said Euan. ‘Now I understand why you were so interested in Mum’s tea rooms.’

‘Exactly. Although Kat’s persuaded me to leave them out of the feature. She thinks some things are best kept a secret, and I’m starting to understand what she means.’

‘Yes. I’m not sure how Mum would cope with a flood of gastronomic enthusiasts quizzing her about her scones. She’s happiest when she has time to chat to the regulars. I tried to talk her into building a website last year, but she just laughed and said why try to fix something that’s not broken.’

‘It’s true. What she does, she does well.’

‘I know. I leave her to it these days,’ Euan said.

Euan smiled at Charlie, and she felt her shoulders, hunched from the stress of the past few days, start to soften. There was something about him that put her at ease. They were silent for a moment.

‘Do you enjoy the reviewing?’ Euan asked, gently. ‘It sounds a dream job.’

‘Oh yes. I love it. I’ve always been obsessed with food, so getting paid to try out other people’s cooking works for me.’

‘You must get a lot of perks.’

Charlie nodded. ‘I get invites to new restaurant openings in London, pop-ups on rooftop terraces, boat parties, that kind of thing, and I’m working my way up to…’ Charlie paused, suddenly aware that she was reeling off a spiel that sounded hollow.

‘What is it?’ he said.

She laughed wryly. ‘I’m not going to lie, it’s the same as any job. It has its great points, but a lot of the time I’m commuting, answering emails at midnight and stuck in pointless meetings when I want to be writing.’

‘I know exactly what you mean,’ Euan said.

‘What is it you do?’

‘I’m an architect. See the cinema?’ He pointed to the building on the corner nearest to them. ‘We’re turning part of it into a restaurant.’

‘It’s a fabulous building. Art Deco, right? You’re not going to knock it down, are you?’

‘No, definitely not. It’s a conversion – we’ll be retaining the period features, but enabling the space to work in a very different way.’

‘I like the sound of that. I’ll have to come back and see it when it’s done.’

‘Should be finished by the summer, hopefully, although the buyers want it yesterday. I enjoy the planning stage, but negotiating with them is the part of my job that reminds me it’s work.’

‘How do you find time to help out at the tea rooms?’

‘I make time, when I can. I’d rather work late once in a while, if that’s what it takes. Although, to be fair, often I’m just enjoying the scones along with the rest of you, so it’s not all hard graft.’

‘It must be nice for Letty, having you nearby,’ Charlie said. She thought briefly of her own parents and how rarely she saw them these days. It was easier that way, of course – not to have to deal with her mother’s questions and her dad’s unpredictable outbursts, but she was also dimly aware that one day they wouldn’t be there, and that then she might feel differently about it all.

‘I think it is, especially since she and my dad separated,’ Euan said. ‘She’s always given me space to do my own thing, but as it turned out I chose to stick around in Scarborough.’

‘I can understand that.’

‘Do your parents live in London?’ Euan asked.

‘No. They live in Bristol, where Pippa and I grew up. We’re scattered all over the country these days.’

‘What are your family like?’

Charlie bit the inside of her lip, wondering where to start. ‘My mum is lovely. She’s kind of an old-fashioned mum, runs around after all of us, cooking and organising. Dad and Pippa are pretty high-maintenance. We’re very different people.’ She paused, then smiled. ‘That, or we’re the exactly the same and I’m in denial about it.’

Euan was listening to her calmly, an empty coffee cup in front of him. In a grey hoodie and T-shirt, his hair ruffled, he looked completely relaxed. She was aware of her torn lycra running gear, and the fact that her hair, coming loose from a ponytail, was a mess. This wasn’t something she did – sitting with a man she barely knew, still sweaty from a run, talking about her family. Saying things she’d never said to anyone other than Sarah.

Unsettled, she switched the focus back to him.

‘I bet you had a great childhood, growing up here.’

‘It was good, lots of time outdoors. Mum’s a magpie and she used to drive Dad mad collecting things. When I was young she brought home a broken old rowing boat, complete with oars, and set it up in the garden for me. I loved it – Adam was always round, playing in it with me. We’d pretend we were sailing out to a secret island, like in
Swallows and Amazons
.’

‘That must’ve been fun.’

‘It was. I had friends round a lot. I think Mum and Dad were worried about me turning out weird, being an only child. But I reckon I turned out all right.’ He wrinkled his nose. ‘At least, I hope I did.’

‘You seem relatively normal.’ Charlie smiled. ‘To be honest, I’m not sure having a sibling makes you any saner. Probably the opposite.’ She glanced at her watch. ‘Speaking of siblings, mine will be wondering where I’ve got to,’ she said. ‘I told Pippa I wouldn’t be long.’ Charlie tipped her croissant crumbs on to the floor next to Bagel, and he snuffled them up quickly.

‘Sure, of course,’ Euan said.

As he asked for the bill, Charlie wondered if she’d said too much. When she’d been with Ben, they hadn’t ever talked about family – it was something they had both chosen to overlook, preferring to focus on going out, enjoying every high-octane, indulgent moment in the city’s bars and clubs when work was done. Yet here she was, opening up to someone she had only just met.

‘Thanks for being so understanding about this terror.’ He pointed at Bagel.

‘It’s fine. As long as he’s learned his lesson.’ Charlie stroked the dog’s ears. ‘Behave yourself,’ she said to Bagel. ‘He can still give you back, you know.’

She got to her feet. ‘Thanks for the coffee,’ she said.

‘It was good talking to you,’ Euan said. ‘See you again, I hope.’

‘Yes,’ said Charlie, secretly hoping the same. ‘That would be nice.’

20

Thursday 18 September

Kat spread an ordnance survey map out on the tea room counter.

‘Over here in Whitby there’s a lovely place run by an old friend of mine,’ Letty said, tapping her finger on the map. ‘The Alexandra Tea Rooms. You should give that a visit. And then up here’ – Letty’s finger moved up a centimetre to the port – ‘you’ll find the loveliest little tea shop. The Hideaway, I think it’s called. Doesn’t look much from the outside – and I haven’t been there for a decade – but I seem to remember they do the most delectable strawberry tarts.’

‘Sounds perfect,’ Kat said, marking the spot with a Post-it.

‘I’m rather envious. You and Séraphine are going to have a wonderful trip.’

‘I’m looking forward to it.’

‘It seems to suit you, this work,’ Letty said. ‘I haven’t seen you this excited in a long time.’

‘I have been enjoying using my brain again, as well as my taste buds.’ Kat smiled.

‘You were always cut out for great things, Kat.’

‘Thanks. I feel a little out of my depth, to be honest – but Charlie seemed happy with the reviews I’ve written up till now, so hopefully I’m on the right track.’

‘I’m sure you are,’ Letty said. ‘You’ve always had a knack for writing.’

‘When I sat down, the words simply flowed,’ Kat said. ‘I didn’t think it would come so easily to me. You know how it is when you’ve got a young child – the last few years I’ve struggled to find time to read a grown-up book, let alone do any writing. But once I got started, it was as if something clicked in my mind and the cogs starting whirring again. Perhaps those years at uni weren’t wasted after all.’

‘Of course they weren’t,’ Letty said. ‘You’ll find the right job for you. And as long as it involves tea, I’m sure you’ll be happy.’

‘You know me too well.’

‘Talking of tea – I’ve christened the lovebirds Lady and Earl Grey. What do you think?’

‘Perfect!’

‘They’re settling in rather nicely. Not quite as sophisticated as the names make them sound. They’re more than happy to watch
Corrie
.’ She smiled. ‘They’re nice to have a chat to though, when I’m making my dinner. They fly around and then rest up on the rafters – always together.’

‘How sweet.’

‘Yes. They’re very romantic, a real team, won’t be separated.’

A thought came to Kat. The tea rooms were quiet, and now seemed a good time to ask Letty something she’d been wondering about. ‘I don’t suppose anything’s changed – with John. The two of you still aren’t talking?’

‘No, love,’ Letty said, shaking her head. ‘We’ve gone too far for that. I hear the occasional thing from Euan about what he’s up to: fishing trips they’ve taken together, or a new car he’s taken on to repair. I don’t mind hearing about him. It was a long time we were together, a lot of them happy years. I’ll always care about him. But it’s easier this way. Better two happy parents than an unhappy home – you know all about that, of course.’

‘Yes,’ Kat said.

‘It’s must’ve been harder for you, though, with Leo so young.’

‘I don’t know if there is such a thing as a good age where that’s concerned. But children are resilient, I think – I hope. I felt bad about it at first. But when Jake left… well, I felt lighter, somehow. I suddenly remembered how to have fun again.’

‘You certainly seem happier,’ Letty said.

‘I am. And this time alone, while Leo’s with Jake, has reminded me of all the things I used to enjoy doing. I realise now that I don’t have to give up being me in order to be there for Leo. If anything, I’ll be a better mother to him if I know what I want.’

21

Friday 19 September

‘I was so happy when I got your call,’ Séraphine said to Kat the following morning, as they boarded the bus for the journey to Whitby.

‘I’m glad you had time to come.’

‘Adam’s pretty easy-going as a boss. He knows I’ve been working hard with Zoe, and he says he wants me to be able to see some of the country while I’m over here. Especially now the weather’s good.’

That day, Kat had woken to sunshine pouring in through the slatted blind in her bedroom window, warming her face. After a week of grey days, she’d almost forgotten how it felt. She’d put on a denim jacket and an orange scarf that morning, and walked to the bus station where she met Séraphine.

‘Where exactly are we going again?’

‘The fish-and-chip capital of the north-east,’ Kat said, unfolding the map to show Séraphine the places she’d marked with luminous Post-its. ‘And hopefully the home of some fine tea rooms too.’

‘OK. Interesting… The Hideaway – I like the sound of that one.’

‘Me too. We can start there.’

‘It’s a plan.’ Séraphine took out her guide book and opened it at a page with a smaller local map. ‘I have a friend back home who would be so envious. She’s obsessed with English tea, cakes, all that kind of thing.’

‘You’ll have to try everything out for her,’ Kat said.

‘I suppose it’s my duty,’ Séraphine said, with a mischievous smile.

‘How are things at the house?’

‘They’re getting better, actually.’

‘What’s changed?’ Kat asked.

‘I’ve got to know Zoe better, and I think she’s starting to trust me. We’ve been talking about her mum, who was French, and she’s begun to open up. We’ve also been painting together, and she seems to enjoy that – we’ll chat but without the pressure of a class.’

‘Sounds as if you’re doing a good job. How old is she again?’

‘Ten. Going on sixteen.’

‘It’s a tricky age, ten, isn’t it? You’re stuck in the middle. I remember when I was ten, I’d be looking at my cousins, who were teenagers, and wanting desperately to go out with them, but to them I was just a kid. Books were the thing that saved me. I’d go up to my room and read – whether it was Jane Austen or Sweet Valley High, it gave me an escape.’

‘I know what you mean. With a good book, you can enter into whichever world you want. When I find the twins still reading under the covers late at night, sometimes I can’t bring myself to tell them off.’

‘It’s a magical time, discovering that.’

‘That’s part of what makes me want to be a teacher.’

‘Is that what you’re going to do?’

‘Yes. Teaching English. I’m qualified already, so I’ll look for a job when I get home. I came here because I wanted to polish up my English conversation and pronunciation, I feel it’s become quite rusty.’