The Second Chance Tea Shop

by Fay Keenan

  Matthew immediately picked up on the change of tone. ‘What happened to James?’ he asked gently.

  Anna felt a sudden, sharp stab of pain. ‘You mean the gossips haven’t told you?’

  ‘I don’t listen to them, having been the subject of so much of their hot air time myself.’ Matthew’s expression was calm, compassionate, but there was still a trace of anger in his tone.

  The silence between them seemed to extend past the table and cover the whole restaurant. Anna was taken back in time to when her whole world changed. The sound of the doorbell at ten o’clock on that icy winter’s night would never leave her. Nor would the tone of careful compassion in the police officer’s voice as he broke the news. Swallowing hard, she spoke.

  ‘He was working late. It was Christmas party season. He’d driven the road a thousand times, but the other car came out of nowhere. A teenager who’d passed his test barely a week before. Over the brow of the hill on the wrong side of the road, ice everywhere. He was overtaking a tractor. James didn’t stand a chance. The teenager was in his father’s Range Rover, something far too powerful for him to handle in the road conditions. He survived. James was killed outright. That was my only comfort. If he’d lived, his injuries would have been horrific. Ellie has no real memories of him, except from the photos and videos we have, and what I tell her.’

  If the matter-of-fact tone of Anna’s voice shocked him, Matthew didn’t show it. He put his hand over hers, where it rested on the table. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said softly. ‘I can’t imagine how hard it’s been for you.’

  ‘In the end, I wanted to settle back here. Mum and Dad are in the village, and although my grandfather lives about five miles away from our old house in Hampshire, I couldn’t stay where I was any more.’ As she spoke she found herself turning her hand to hold Matthew’s on the table. ‘But sometimes it gets so tiring being both mother and father to Ellie. And even though the tea shop is exactly what I wanted to do, I fall into bed absolutely shattered each night.’

  ‘Now that I can identify with!’ Matthew smiled. ‘Cider’s not quite as seasonal as people imagine; the work goes on all year, in one form or another, and after Tara left, I had to re-evaluate what I knew about parenting, and girls in particular. While Meredith has plenty of women around her, she misses a mother in her life to navigate some of the more girly things.’

  ‘Does she see Tara at all?’ Anna asked.

  ‘She used to fly out to the States during the school holidays and spend time with Tara and her new man, but since she hit puberty she’s been clashing with her mother more and more. She seems to prefer being here, with me.’

  ‘You’ve done a great job,’ said Anna warmly. ‘She’s a lovely girl.’

  Matthew blushed. ‘Thank you. She’s had a tough time and it’s a miracle she’s turned out as sensible as she is. Although I’m dreading when she brings her first boyfriend home. I’m a bit unreconstructed in that regard.’

  ‘My dad wasn’t exactly friendly to James when he first met him!’ Anna said, surprising herself with the ease at which she was able to mention her husband’s name. ‘It took eighteen months for Dad to speak properly to him. I’m amazed he graced you with a conversation tonight!’

  ‘I like your dad’s style.’ Realising he was still holding Anna’s hand, he disentangled his own gently. For a moment there was silence between them again, broken eventually by the waiter returning with a very decent Chablis.

  *

  The food, when it arrived, was excellent. Matthew, doing the driving, had barely half a glass of wine, which left Anna feeling relaxed on most of the bottle of Chablis, although the heavenly scallop dish, followed by a cut of local beef, did a great deal to mop up the wine. Conversation flowed freely between them during the meal, and as Matthew called for coffee and the bill, Anna couldn’t quite believe they’d been out for so long.

  ‘I hope Mum and Dad don’t mind me being out this late,’ Anna said as they walked back to the car.

  ‘Should I ready my apologies?’ Matthew asked. ‘Is your dad likely to meet me at the door with a shotgun?’

  Anna laughed. ‘Hopefully not, but they’re still a little bit protective, after… everything.’

  ‘As well they might be.’ Matthew’s tone was gentle. After the briefest of pauses, he headed round to the passenger side of the Jaguar and opened the door. ‘Let’s get you back before they start to worry.’

  Matthew was a fast but careful driver, and the Jaguar was, it had to be said, an elegant method of conveyance. Anna leaned back against the comfortable leather upholstery and settled in for the ride back to Little Somerby.

  ‘Would you like some music?’ Matthew asked.

  ‘That would be lovely,’ Anna replied, wondering what he would choose.

  There was a pause as Matthew fiddled with the CD player. As the music filled the air between them, Anna smiled in the darkness.

  ‘Everything all right?’ Matthew asked, taking his eyes off the road for a second to glance over at her.

  Anna hesitated, then nodded. ‘I was just thinking that Ed Sheeran’s a pretty cool choice for people our age. I’m impressed. Is he one of your favourites?’

  Matthew grinned, partly in relief and partly in amusement. ‘Actually, I can’t say I’m familiar with him, although I am enjoying it. Meredith chose it for me. My music taste kind of stopped evolving when Kim Wilde was better known for her singing than her gardening!’

  ‘So what would you have chosen?’ Anna asked.

  Matthew laughed, a rich, deep sound that made Anna’s stomach flutter. ‘Shall we save that for our second date? If you’d like to see me again, that is!’ Anna paused just long enough for Matthew to qualify his comment. ‘You… do want to see me again?’

  She glanced at him. ‘That would be lovely,’ she said softly.

  A companionable silence extended between them for the remaining few miles back to Little Somerby. Eventually, Flowerdown Lane came into view.

  ‘I hope Ellie’s slept through OK,’ Anna said as they drew up outside Pippin Cottage.

  ‘I’m sure we’d have heard if there’d been a problem,’ Matthew turned off the Jaguar’s engine and paused for a moment. He shifted in his seat to face Anna. ‘I had a really lovely time tonight. Thank you for coming out with me.’

  ‘I’m the one who’s supposed to thank you first!’ Anna laughed nervously. ‘Thank you for inviting me.’

  There was an expectant pause. Neither of them moved. Then, slowly, tentatively, Matthew leaned towards Anna. Her heart started to beat faster.

  ‘You’re welcome…’ Matthew replied. ‘But I have to warn you…’

  ‘W-what?’ Anna said softly.

  ‘My dad told me that the interior passenger door is very sticky in the cold weather, so I’d better open it for you!’ Playfully, he leaned further across her and grabbed the handle. As he opened the door, the cool night air rushed in.

  Anna grabbed her handbag from the footwell and stepped out of the car. They headed up the garden path together. As they got to the front door, Matthew put his hand on Anna’s arm and turned her to face him. His face was cast in the soft glow of the outside light, his eyes slightly in shadow.

  ‘Look, Anna…’ Matthew hesitated, looking painfully uncertain. ‘It’s been a long time since I’ve done this…’ he cleared his throat. ‘But… I like you.’

  Anna blushed under his suddenly intense scrutiny. ‘I like you too, Matthew.’

  Another pause. Then, slowly, gently, Matthew leaned forward and kissed Anna’s cheek. ‘I’m glad.’ He laughed nervously.

  ‘I’ll see you soon,’ Anna said as Matthew hovered on the doorstep.

  ‘Definitely.’

  To break the tension, Anna scrabbled in her bag to find her door key, hoping against hope her mum or dad wouldn’t open the door before she found it. As she located it, she looked back up at Matthew. ‘Thank goodness, here it is.’

  Matthew smiled. ‘Well, goodnight then.’ He hesitated, then,
as if coming to a decision, he leaned forward and touched Anna’s lips very, very gently with his own. The electrical charge between them made both of them draw breath.

  ‘Goodnight,’ Anna murmured as they broke apart. Matthew just smiled.

  Closing the door, she wasn’t surprised to feel that her knees were shaking. It had been a brief kiss, but she was stunned by how good it had felt. Taking another deep breath, she opened her front door and prayed her parents didn’t give her the third degree.

  11

  ‘I couldn’t, like, get a thing out of Dad when I asked him how it went last night, so I thought I’d come round and bug you about it instead!’ This was in lieu of a greeting when Anna opened the door to a very cheery Meredith on Saturday morning.

  ‘And what makes you think I’m going to spill the beans about anything?’ Anna smiled.

  ‘Because I saw Charlotte come round about ten minutes ago, when I was walking Seffy in the orchard, so I thought it would be worth a shot.’ Meredith went to tie Sefton up on one of the porch struts, but Anna was well used to the dog by now and beckoned them both inside. Lizzie worked three Saturdays out of four, which meant Anna could catch up on the books from home. There seemed scant chance of that, with Charlotte and now Meredith in situ.

  ‘OK, well shall we start with what an utterly amazing snog we had?’

  Meredith made retching noises. ‘Well, OK, perhaps I don’t want to know everything!’

  Anna grinned and led Meredith through to the kitchen. ‘Guess who’s here?’

  Charlotte looked up. ‘Good luck, Merry. She won’t tell me anything, either!’

  Meredith raised a sceptical eyebrow and helped herself to a freshly baked cupcake from the plate on the table. ‘These look lush. You’d better start selling them in the tea shop soon.’

  ‘I’m just waiting for the Health and Safety assessment,’ Anna replied. ‘But I’m glad they meet with your approval,’ she added wryly, watching Meredith demolish the cupcake and reach for another one.

  Meredith paused before her next mouthful and grinned. ‘They’re well nice. But anyway, tell me about your date with my dad!’

  ‘I wouldn’t bother. The Merry Widow is playing things very close to her D-cup.’ Charlotte scrunched up the cake case she was holding and threw it across the room, where it missed the bin by a mile. Sefton ambled over and hoovered it up.

  ‘Don’t call me that,’ Anna muttered. ‘And why should I tell you everything? Or anything for that matter? There’s nothing to tell.’

  Meredith and Charlotte’s ‘pull the other one’ was unstated, but extremely obvious. Anna was about to chuck them out when her phone beeped. Grabbing it from the table, she turned away from them both and read the screen.

  I had a great time last night. When can I see you again? BTW, is Merry with you?

  Anna tried to stop the smile that tickled at her lips as she read, but before she could reply, Charlotte had snatched the phone.

  ‘Ooh! Nothing to tell, eh?’ Pressing the reply key, she started to type.

  ‘You can see as much of me as you like, you gorgeous stud-muffin wink-smiley face,’ she cackled.

  ‘Don’t you dare, Charlotte, I’m warning you!’ Anna tried to grab the phone back, but Charlotte chucked it to Meredith, who ran into the hall.

  ‘Send it, Merry, go on!’

  ‘What’s it worth?’ Merry dashed for the front door.

  ‘Meredith Carter if you send that text you will never eat another one of my cakes!’ Anna hollered at the girl’s rapidly disappearing back.

  ‘Dad can take a joke, I’m sure he’ll see the funny side.’

  ‘Funny side of what?’

  Anna froze in horror as Matthew ducked through the door, holding his daughter by the arm. He had Anna’s phone in the other hand.

  ‘I believe this is yours,’ he said mildly, handing Anna back the phone. His expression didn’t give away whether he’d read the screen or not.

  ‘Thanks,’ Anna gasped, puce with embarrassment.

  ‘Meredith, that dog needs more than a quick jog to Anna’s cottage,’ Matthew said, as his daughter tried to slink away. ‘Get him back into the orchard and give him a proper run.’

  ‘Yes, sir!’ Meredith grinned, sticking her tongue out at her father’s back as she made her way out of the front door with Sefton.

  ‘I’d better get back, too.’ Charlotte drained her mug and scuttled for the door, although her expression as she left definitely had something of the call me when he’s gone or I’ll disown you about it.

  ‘I take it you got my text,’ Matthew, looking rather sheepish, turned to Anna. ‘I’m sorry to just descend on you. My feet sort of left the house before my brain did, so I texted you on the way.’

  ‘Yes,’ the corners of her mouth twitched in amusement at Matthew’s demeanour. ‘Thank you. I was about to reply when… well, you saw.’

  ‘I meant it,’ Matthew replied. ‘I had a great time.’

  ‘Me too,’ Anna said. There was a pause. ‘Can I, um, get you some coffee?’

  ‘Thanks,’ he sounded relieved. ‘Look, I’m sorry to burst in on you. I suspected Meredith might have gatecrashed you again, and I wanted to make sure she wasn’t making a nuisance of herself and putting you on the spot.’ He followed Anna through to the kitchen and took the mug of coffee she poured him from the cafetière.

  ‘Not at all,’ Anna said. ‘Although she did try to cross-question me. Oddly enough, though, the thought of us kissing seemed to put her off knowing anything else!’

  ‘Really?’ Matthew raised an eyebrow. ‘Then perhaps we should put her off some more.’ Putting his coffee down on the kitchen table, Matthew closed the short distance between them.

  Suddenly, the kitchen seemed entirely too small. Anna’s head started to swim as Matthew drew closer. She drew a shaky breath, and jumped as his hand slid around her waist. He pulled her to him, and Anna closed her eyes in anticipation of the touch of his lips.

  The kiss deepened in intensity. Matthew’s mouth tasted of coffee and sweetness, and Anna felt herself going under in the waves of sensation that were being unleashed by his presence. It had been so long since she’d been kissed like that. He was the first man since James who had kissed her, and though he was still being incredibly gentle, there was an undercurrent of hunger. The feeling of being adrift on a sea that was intent on taking her breath away was absolute, and she hovered between wanting to surrender entirely and feeling completely overwhelmed. His hand reached up to run through her hair, and she found herself doing the same, pulling him closer so they were body to body, pressed against one another, until her heart was beating wildly in her chest and the speed of her pulse made her feel weak.

  ‘I can’t… I just can’t… I’m sorry.’ Breaking away, lips bruised, head hanging, Anna couldn’t meet his gaze.

  Matthew’s eyes, half closed and dark with desire, softened as he dropped his hand from her cheek. ‘I understand.’ He took a step back from her. ‘I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have rushed you.’

  ‘It’s not you.’ It was barely a whisper. She covered her face with her hands. ‘I just can’t seem to let go.’

  Wordlessly, Matthew stepped forward again and enfolded her in his arms. He smelt of apples and woodsmoke, and the comforting scratch of his cable wool jumper made Anna want to cling to him for safety. Her tears soaked into his chest, in a rush of sorrow. His long fingers stroked her hair, his arms gently rocking her, and a sense of peace came over her that had been absent since James’ death.

  Sometime later they broke apart. Anna wiped her nose on her sleeve.

  ‘It’s never pretty, is it?’ she hiccoughed.

  Matthew reached into the pocket of his jeans. ‘Here.’ He gave her a rather crumpled cotton handkerchief.

  ‘I didn’t think people carried these any more,’ Anna’s smile was cracked.

  ‘What can I say? I’m old-fashioned.’

  ‘I’ll return it to you – washed and ironed of course.’

/>   ‘Any time.’

  ‘Matthew…’

  ‘Anna, I—’

  They both laughed nervously.

  ‘Shall we take a rain check?’ Matthew’s smile faltered only slightly.

  ‘Let’s. I… I want to see you again. Really I do.’

  Matthew brushed a stray lock of hair out of Anna’s eyes. ‘Meredith would have us walking down the aisle by next Sunday if it was up to her. She likes you, Anna.’ He paused, as if considering his words before he spoke. ‘So do I. Very much. But if anything happens it has to be in your own time, Anna, and if it doesn’t happen… it’s OK.’

  ‘Thank you.’ Standing on tiptoe, she kissed him on the cheek. She felt him tremble slightly and closed her eyes as the sensations threatened to overwhelm her again.

  ‘Perhaps it was fate, all those years ago on that night we first met. But it was the wrong time, the wrong place.’ He paused. ‘I know you think I don’t remember, but you’ve drifted in and out of my mind ever since, like a summer breeze.’

  Anna’s knees went weak again. ‘You don’t mean that, surely? It was such a long time ago.’

  ‘Of course I do. I’ll see you soon. Take care of yourself.’

  As he walked out of the door, Anna sagged back against the kitchen worktop, completely confused by what had just happened. Last night she had felt more normal than she had in a long time, but this morning, in the cold light of day, the twin bonds of obligation to the past and desire for the future were at war in her head and her heart. And the more she tried to untie the tangled skeins of her emotions, the more she found herself caught up in them.

  Before Anna had a chance to mull over the kiss in the kitchen, however, Charlotte, desperate for information but now stuck in waiting for a delivery from the supermarket, had broken the silence by phoning her.

  ‘I’ll talk to you later, Charlotte – I’m taking Ellie to the park in a couple of minutes. Yes, yes, OK, I’ll pop round later.’ Anna pressed the end call button on her mobile. In her current state of mind she couldn’t bear to be interrogated. She turned the phone off, and walked briskly upstairs to hurry Ellie along.