As she observed the familiar Maynard family dynamics playing out around the dining table, she realised her father was smiling at her. Whether this was due to being in the presence of his girls or the promise Oliver Hogarth offered, Elsie wasn’t sure, but she resolved to put her concerns to rest.
‘Excuse me, is this the right place to sign up for the choir?’ The lanky teenager kept his hands firmly shoved in the pockets of his hoodie as he spoke, his body slouched into an elongated ‘S’ as he stood by the counter in Sundae & Cher.
‘Yes, it is,’ Elsie replied, handing him a clipboard that already bore the names of three new recruits. ‘I’m Elsie, by the way. I lead the choir with Woody Jensen – he was the lead singer of Hellfinger in the 1980s?’ She cringed as the words came out. Blimey, I’m beginning to sound like Woody …
The teenager nodded sagely. ‘My dad knows him. That’s why I’m here. He said I should come.’
‘Good, um, great. Just pop your details on this list so we can contact you and I’ll see you at choir rehearsal next Wednesday at seven-thirty.’
‘Is that another one?’ Cher asked, passing with a tray of dirty dishes en route to the dishwasher.
‘Yes. So far every one seems to know Woody in one way or another.’
‘See, I told you he was useful.’
‘No, you didn’t. You said he was fit. In my dictionary that doesn’t mean the same thing.’
‘Whatever. He’s certainly proving himself.’
By the end of the day, the choir’s number had more than doubled and Elsie gazed happily at the list of new members. Quite how Woody knew all these people remained a mystery. They ranged from Dee, a fourteen-year-old girl who was already a member of two local choirs and was looking for a new challenge – to Juliet, a retired headmistress who had never sung a note in public before. Kathy, a twenty-something estate agent who had blushed and changed the subject when Elsie asked how she knew Woody, and Graeme, a local butcher with secret operatic ambitions joined Lewis, the lanky teenager, and Sheila, a forty-something matronly dental nurse to complete the new recruits.
‘Think you can make it work?’ Cher asked, peering at the clipboard list.
‘I reckon we could have the makings of a nicely rounded sound here.’
Cher sniffed. ‘One suggestion? You need a name. That Burton dragon has The DreamTeam – wanky, I grant you, but it’s a name you remember. The choir needs a title everyone can get behind. How about The Sundaes?’ Cher suggested, as she lifted a steaming tray of newly washed sundae glasses from the dishwasher. ‘It’s a bit like The Saturdays, with a link to this place. I mean, I don’t know any other choir that meets in an ice cream café.’
‘Cher, you’re a genius!’ Elsie declared.
The Sundaes. Elsie loved the name and, when she relayed it to Woody on Saturday morning, his immediate reaction confirmed her confidence:
‘We’ll be the smooth sauce of musical splendour, with layers of decadent brilliance building on the irresistible sweetness of the Greats …’
Daisy and Elsie stifled their amusement as Woody twisted his hips alarmingly with each syllable, the act earning a disapproving tut from an elderly lady walking towards them on the promenade.
A fresh breeze from the sea was a welcome addition to the already considerable heat of the morning as they strolled towards town, Elsie tryng not to think about the minutes ticking away before her arranged meeting with Olly.
‘We should get T-shirts,’ Woody continued, ‘now our baby has a name. There’s a possibility I could secure us some funds …’
‘All legal, I hope?’ Daisy asked, a little too quickly.
Woody observed her with disgust. ‘Always. The law and I are good friends, girl. You should know that by now.’
‘What sort of funds?’ Elsie asked, careful to keep her tone light to avoid any hint of concern.
‘A benefactor – a sponsor, if you will. I happen to know someone who is keen to support us as a community venture.’ He glared at Daisy. ‘If no one has any objections, that is.’
Daisy pretended not to notice. ‘None here.’
‘I am also good friends with an old roadie of the band who now runs his own T-shirt printing business. Handy, wouldn’t you say?’
‘That’s wonderful, Woody,’ Elsie reassured him. ‘It would be good to have T-shirts by the time we perform at the Carnival.’ An alarm beeped on her mobile and she felt her heart jump. ‘That’s my cue to leave. Woody, I’ll see you on Wednesday evening. Thanks for all your hard work.’
‘A pleasure as always, a-a-a-angel.’
‘Have a great time,’ Daisy said, hugging her tightly. ‘And call me later. I want to know all the details, OK?’
CHAPTER NINE
I’m sorry, have we met?
The interior of the small café was heaving with bodies taking advantage of BiblioCaff’s air-conditioning. Outside, already perspiring shoppers passed by its windows gazing in on the artificially cooled customers with barely concealed envy. Olly raised his hand in greeting when Elsie entered the café.
‘Come and enjoy the air-con,’ he smiled, as she sat down at his table. ‘I bet this place has never seen so many people desperate to get in before.’
Elsie felt a shiver of excitement as she basked in his smile. ‘It’s been crazy all week at work, too. We’ve never seen an April like it.’
They ordered coffee and Eggs Benedict and settled down for a leisurely brunch. As they talked about their week, Elsie noticed how Olly watched her constantly. Even when the food on his plate momentarily called his gaze away, it returned to her at the earliest opportunity. It had been a long time since she had commanded so much of somebody else’s attention and it felt good, if slightly alien, to experience such scrutiny again.
‘How’s the choir?’ he asked.
‘Good. Woody brought some new people, so the next practice should be fun.’
‘It’s bound to be fun with the combined magic of you and Woody,’ Olly grinned.
Elsie felt the back of her neck prickle and turned her attention to stirring the froth into her latte.
‘I was chatting with your dad first thing,’ he continued, oblivious to Elsie’s reaction. ‘He’s incredibly proud of you, you know. I think he’d join the choir in an instant if he didn’t think it might cramp your style.’
Elsie looked up. ‘He said that?’
‘Not in so many words, no. But I know how he feels.’
‘You do?’
The intensity of his stare was back again, and this time Elsie couldn’t look away. ‘The way you talk about the choir – it’s infectious.’ He dropped his gaze and gave a self-conscious laugh. ‘Heck, I sound like a complete groupie, I’m sorry.’
She was aware of tension now creeping along her spine. ‘No you don’t.’
His smile returned, along with the searching stare. ‘Thanks. Listen, about the other night …’
Why was she feeling like this? When she had spoken to him a few days ago she couldn’t wait to see him. What had changed now? ‘Olly …’
‘I just wanted to say, I had fun. And I haven’t stopped thinking about our kiss. It was – incredible …’
Elsie kept her smile steady, despite the silent screaming of her limbs to move away. ‘I’ve thought about it a lot, too.’
‘You have?’
‘Isn’t it always the case that you run into someone you know when you come into town?’ someone said beside them.
I recognise that voice, Elsie thought, turning to see Torin Stewart standing by their table. He was dressed casually in jeans, red T-shirt and blue trainers and appeared to be highly amused by the surprise his interruption had caused.
So much for keeping away from me, Elsie thought. ‘I didn’t know you knew this place.’
‘Know it? I love it! Although, I must confess, today that’s mainly due to the air-con. If you ask me, the coffee can be a little hit-and-miss …’
Olly cleared his throat a little too loudly and Elsie was qu
ick to respond.
‘Well, it’s excellent today. Olly and I are very impressed.’
‘Really? I stand corrected.’ Torin held out his hand to Olly. ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t introduce myself: Torin Stewart.’
‘Oliver Hogarth, good to meet you.’
They shook hands and Elsie was acutely aware of something else lurking beneath their politeness.
‘I hope the proprietors of this place know how fortunate they are to receive your vote of approval,’ Torin grinned at Elsie, increasing her discomfort. ‘Considering the excellent coffee you make.’
‘How do you know each other?’ Olly asked, his smile covering much.
‘I advised Elsie on a certain legal matter recently.’ His lie was deftly delivered.
‘Oh.’
Torin smiled. ‘And how does she know you?’
He was goading Olly, of that Elsie was sure, and she wasn’t about to let that happen. Forgetting her own reticence, she spoke. ‘We’re here on a date, actually,’ she stated, seeing victory and defeat register simultaneously opposite her and to her right. ‘So, if you don’t mind …?’
Chastened, he took the hint, stepping back. ‘Certainly. Good to see you “getting out there” again. Have a good day.’
Turning back to Olly, Elsie smiled. ‘I’m sorry about that,’ she said, meaning every word. ‘He’s a bit intense. Lawyers, you know.’
‘Don’t apologise, it’s fine. I’m sorry if I embarrassed you – before your friend came over, I mean.’
‘You didn’t. And for the record, he isn’t my friend. Look, Olly, what you said was lovely, I’m just … This is all very new for me. I might take some time to …’
‘It’s cool. We’re both trying this thing on for size. It must feel odd considering what you’ve been through.’
Unwittingly, he had hit the nail on the head. Even though Elsie knew this was what Lucas wanted her to do, she still felt as if she were betraying him, somehow. In all the time they’d been together, it had never even occurred to her to look at another man, and while she accepted his assertions that she would find love again, putting it into practice was proving more emotionally challenging than she had anticipated.
Olly sensed the struggle within her and lowered his voice. ‘I’m not trying to replace your husband. I’d just like to spend some time with you. No pressure, no expectations. Just you and me having fun together. Deal?’
His words meant more than he could have ever realised. ‘Deal.’
For the rest of the afternoon, they talked and laughed, the earlier atmosphere all but erased from memory. Elsie had to admit that she was liking Olly more as the hours passed. His view of the world was similar to hers and he possessed a startling ability to make her laugh. As they wandered around the specialist shops in North Laine, she caught herself glancing at the handsome young man at her side, and when his tanned hand bumped against hers she let his fingers slip briefly between her own before pulling away. It became an unspoken game between them – stealing glances at each other and finding excuses for contact while appearing unaffected by it all. The way he looked at her – with a mixture of bashfulness and attraction – thrilled her, and his every action appeared to be designed to put her at ease. She liked his easy nature, his laidback worldview – so different from Lucas, yet somehow familiar. When she laughed at his jokes he lit up and it felt good to be the centre of his attention. Oliver Hogarth was quietly breaking down Elsie’s carefully built boundaries and she knew it.
At four-thirty p.m., they walked to the entrance to the pier, where they would part company. Olly took Elsie’s hand and raised it to his lips.
‘Thank you for a wonderful afternoon.’
‘Thank you.’
‘Look, I meant what I said: I have no intention of rushing things here. So let’s say we’ll meet up in a couple of weeks – I’ll wait for your call this time. But you have my number: if you want to make it sooner, you just have to say.’
‘I will call you,’ she assured him.
‘I know you will.’
They hugged, the sensation of peace that Elsie had experienced on their first date returning like a flood. When Olly pulled back, Elsie hesitated for a moment, then dismissed her cautiousness and reached her hand to rest gently on his cheek. He accepted the invitation and leaned down to kiss her.
‘Incredible,’ he whispered, his breath brushing across her lips before he moved away.
Willing her heart to stop thudding quite so hard, Elsie waited until he had disappeared from view before reaching into her bag to find her mobile phone. She was about to call Daisy for the required post mortem, when she noticed a new text message:
Babe. T shirts are go.
Sponsor says we can ask him for anything.
Magic! Woody J
Elsie smiled at the message. The reach of Woody’s influence was impressive to say the least. He certainly was a surprising character – but then several people in Elsie’s life were surprising her lately.
Elsie found an unoccupied bench under the white-painted wooden canopy running along the length of the pier and sat down, compelled by a sudden familiar urge to take stock of all that had happened. She felt the movement of the pier boarding as people walked past – a sensation that always surprised her. How odd that you never realised how much the boards shook when you were walking along them! Gazing down at her feet she looked through the gaps in the boards to the swirling grey-green waves far beneath the pier, her thoughts drifting out to another place in time …
In the last year of Lucas’ life, Elsie had often come to the pier alone to think and it had become an important place for her ever since. One of the few outward signs of the changes that had occurred in her life since his death had been her discovery of her own ability for introspection. Previously she had never thought to question her actions, always relying on her gut reaction to guide her – but when the challenges of supporting Lucas arrived, Elsie found greater comfort in the few moments she could be alone to let it all wash over her. Lucas was the first to notice it, concerned by the change he witnessed in his young wife.
‘You’re becoming such a thinker these days,’ he had observed one day from where he lay on their bed, as she folded freshly laundered clothes for him. ‘I hate that I’m the cause of it.’
‘Are you saying that you don’t want me to be thinking about you?’ she had joked, wishing with all her heart that she couldn’t see the regret etched into his features.
‘Of course not. You should be obsessed by my very beauty, obviously.’
‘Which I am, obviously.’
He had held her for a long time then, saying nothing, the insistent beat of his heart betraying his emotion. From that moment, Elsie was careful to hide this new side to her character, waiting until Lucas was asleep, or spending time with members of his family, to slip away to think.
‘Elsie? Hi!’
Elsie shielded her eyes from the sun and saw a tall, slender teenager walking towards her.
‘Hi, Danny. Nice to see you.’
‘I’m on my break – can I join you?’
‘Be my guest.’
‘Thanks.’ He opened a bottle of spring water and took a long swig. ‘It’s so hot today. And all the customers are cranky. I hate Saturdays like this.’
‘Where do you work?’
‘On my uncle’s deckchair pitch, just down the beach. I swear some of those people visiting have forgotten they’re not in London. I mean, it’s the weekend, don’t they know they can chill out?’
Elsie smiled. ‘I don’t suppose this heat is helping, either.’
‘Probably not. But it’s always like this once Easter arrives. Start of the season, you know.’ He twisted the cap back onto his water bottle and wiped his brow. ‘I’d rather be with Aoife, of course. But I have to take every opportunity to make some money for us.’
‘How long have you been together?’
Danny flushed. ‘Next Saturday is our three-year anniversary. I asked her out o
n the last day of school when we were sixteen. She’s amazing – completely different when it’s just us. I love her so much.’
A familiar flutter passed across Elsie’s heart. ‘The One, eh?’
‘Absolutely The One. I’m going to marry her, you know. I’m saving up for a ring – that’s why I work weekends on the deckchairs as well as bar work in a club in town.’
It was impossible not to draw parallels between this young couple and the pair of young lovers she and Lucas had been at their age. Elsie remembered Lucas talking about their future together as early as their second date. They had been so in love, with all of their lives yet to happen – so full of positivity and unshakeable hope. Maybe she could feel like that again. Maybe with Olly … Elsie smiled at Danny. ‘That’s wonderful.’
A man appeared at the entrance to the pier and shouted across the heads of the visitors milling around. ‘Oi, Danny-boy! Customers!’
‘Better go,’ Danny grinned. ‘Uncle Eric’s like Genghis Khan with a hangover today. See you Wednesday!’
Standing slowly, Elsie found her mobile again, dialled a number and began to walk home.
‘Hi, Dais, it’s me. Checking in as promised …’
The heatwave passed after a week, much to the relief of Brighton’s workers, and as the Easter holidays ended the town settled back into an easy routine. Woody’s sponsor – a local business owner who was one of the few remaining faithful members of Hellfinger’s fan club – provided the choir’s T-shirts as promised. Barring a slight design fault (namely two unfortunately-placed ice cream cones with cherries on the women’s T-shirts, which caused great hilarity), the new uniform succeeded in bringing the choir closer together – a fact borne out by the significant improvement in their performance.
When I Fall in Love Page 13
