Stormy Weather at Castle Court

by Holly Hepburn

  ‘Fragile?’ Cat let out a bark of laughter. ‘I’m not an ornament, Elin. And finding out from you would have hurt but not as much as hearing about it months after the event, when its been hardened by lies and deceit from people I thought I could trust.’

  ‘I know,’ Elin whispered, looking away. ‘I’m sorry.’

  A thick silence grew and Elin began to cry. An all-too-familiar pressure started behind Cat’s own eyes and she blinked hard. ‘I haven’t told Jaren.’

  Elin’s gaze snapped back to her. ‘What?’

  ‘He knows that Seb slept with someone else but he doesn’t know who. As you can imagine, he’s pretty upset on my behalf and although it happened before you two got together, I don’t think he’ll be impressed when he finds out you’re the other woman.’ Cat paused and fixed Elin with a bleak stare. ‘So if I were you, I’d tell him myself instead of letting him find out from some third-hand gossip. That way you might just save your relationship.’

  ‘Thank you.’ Elin shook her head. ‘It’s more than I deserve.’

  ‘It is,’ Cat agreed. ‘But it’s him I’m thinking of, not you.’

  Elin nodded, tears dripping from her cheeks. ‘I know. And I really am sorry.’

  There was no doubt she meant it, Cat realised; regret was etched into every part of her. But there was something more, a deeper sadness that she wasn’t sure she understood. ‘Seb said it didn’t mean anything – is that true?’

  ‘Yes.’

  The word had been firm and uttered quickly but Cat had caught the faintest hint of hesitation in Elin’s voice. It told her everything she needed to know. ‘You know he’ll break your heart,’ she sighed, with a pitying shake of her head.

  Elin squared her shoulders. ‘I know. But love isn’t a choice, is it?’

  Cat recalled Seb’s dismissive words of the night before. ‘If that’s really how you feel then you need to tell Jaren. Now. Don’t wait until the next time.’

  Elin gave her an agonised look, causing Cat to remember that she’d been a good friend before this. She softened her voice. ‘You know you have to.’

  ‘Yes,’ Elin said, her shoulders drooping. ‘You’re right. Thank you.’

  ‘Don’t thank me,’ Cat replied. ‘This isn’t an easy way out – you’re going to feel worse than ever for hurting him. But at least he won’t be as hurt as he could be.’ She headed for the door. ‘I don’t think we’ll ever be friends again, Elin. But I wish you luck if you decide to get together with Seb. He’s not the man I thought he was.’

  Without waiting to hear Elin’s reply, she slipped out into the Court and forced her feet to lead her towards the oak tree in the centre. Tears burned her eyes and tumbled down her cheeks. ‘Enough crying,’ she whispered as she passed beneath its leafy branches. She wiped her face with the sleeve of her jumper and shook her head fiercely. ‘No more tears over Seb de Jager.’

  Chapter Nine

  If anything, Easter Saturday was even more chaotic than Good Friday had been. Sadie was relieved to tap her final sale of the day into the virtual till system and pack the cart away; she and Cat had already decided they wouldn’t open on Easter Monday.

  ‘We’ve definitely earned a day off,’ Cat said, surveying the few biscuits they had left. ‘And besides, what would we sell?’

  ‘You know, maybe we should stay closed for the rest of the week,’ Sadie suggested. She eyed Cat with almost motherly concern. ‘You need to get some rest – this time last week, you were in hospital with concussion and you’ve taken an emotional battering too. I could use some time to focus on the repairs to the shop, too. The plastering will be done on Tuesday and the new fittings will be in by the end of the week.’

  Cat nodded. ‘As much as I hate the idea of closing, it would give us the chance to build up our stock levels ready for re-opening. Which reminds me, if we’re going to celebrate that, we should probably send out some invitations.’

  Instantly, Sadie’s thoughts flew to Adam. She blushed guiltily. ‘Good idea. Let’s start with our regular customers and the local businesses who’ve supported us.’

  Cat glanced over at the bright lights of Elin’s shop. ‘Maybe not all of them.’

  Sadie swallowed the now-familiar surge of indignation she felt every time she thought of Seb or Elin; was this how Cat felt when she looked at Daniel, Sadie wondered? It would certainly explain the dislike she’d never quite managed to hide. Sadie had never really understood until now . . .

  Pushing the thought away, she gave her friend a supportive smile. ‘No.’ Her gaze flicked to Let’s Go Dutch, which was still crowded with customers. ‘Have you heard anything from Jaren?’

  ‘No. But I don’t know when Elin was planning to speak to him – it could be she’s waiting for the right moment.’

  Sadie snorted. ‘There’s never a right moment to tell your boyfriend you’re in love with another man.’

  ‘I’ll check in with Jaren tomorrow,’ Cat said. ‘If nothing else, we can mope together.’

  Sadie eyed her best friend’s downcast expression and reached out to pull her into a hug. ‘You’re both going to be okay. Give it time.’

  ‘I know,’ Cat replied, with a sigh. ‘But I can’t help wishing we could fast-forward a bit.’

  *

  The week whizzed past in a whirl of paint fumes and hammering. Sadie split her time between project managing the repairs and icing the fresh stock Cat and Delilah produced on a daily basis.

  ‘I thought you were supposed to be resting,’ Daniel said one morning, as Sadie balanced the phone between her ear and shoulder while mixing up another batch of icing. ‘This doesn’t look like my idea of time off.’

  She threw him a wry look and continued to speak into the phone. ‘No, George, I said white with a hint of peach, not the other way around.’

  By the time Saturday morning dawned, the repairs were almost complete. The basement kitchen had gleaming new units and a freshly plastered ceiling. Upstairs, the warped floorboards had been replaced and the water-damaged display tables restored. Everything had been repainted and the air was heavy with the scent of emulsion.

  ‘Don’t worry,’ Cat said, as Sadie stood wafting the shop door back and forth. ‘The smell of baking beats paint every time.’

  Clare and Delilah arrived early to help stock the shelves. By the time midday rolled around, Sadie was satisfied that everything was where it should be. She glanced over at Cat, who was filling plastic flutes with Prosecco. ‘Ready?’

  Cat looked up and smiled. ‘Ready.’

  Sadie crossed the shop floor and pulled the door back. ‘Welcome to Smart Cookies,’ she called to the crowd waiting in the Court outside. ‘We’re open for business again. And to celebrate, we’re offering twenty per cent off everything!’

  A cheer went up. Delilah bustled past, a tray of bite-sized cookies in her hands. ‘I’ll start handing these out.’

  Cat lifted up a tray of drinks. ‘And I’ll be right behind you with these.’

  ‘Biscuits and fizz – who could resist?’ Sadie said, reaching for a flute from the table. ‘Don’t forget to grab a glass for yourselves, you two. It’s been a hard slog to get to this point again.’

  She sipped at her drink as she surveyed the crowd. It was a good turn-out, and more people seemed to be arriving with each passing minute. She was pleased to see Adam in the Court, chatting to the Smart Cookies regulars. He’d always been popular – sometimes a little too popular, Sadie thought – and he was certainly getting plenty of attention now. But he seemed to be holding his own.

  ‘You’ve done an awesome job here, Sadie.’

  She turned around to smile at Earl, who was gazing around in open admiration. ‘When I think of what this place looked like after the flood hit . . .’

  ‘I know,’ she said. ‘The builders have really pulled it out of the bag.’

  His eyes twinkled as he studied her. ‘No, you’ve pulled it out of the bag – you and Cat. Andrew and I can’t believe you guys kept goin
g without a kitchen to bake in or a shop to sell from. We take our hats off to you and we’re not the only people you’ve impressed.’ He waved a hand towards the throng. ‘Look at this turn-out. Castle Court loves Smart Cookies, just like we love you and Cat.’

  Sadie felt her face flush with mingled pride and pleasure. ‘Thank you, Earl. You have no idea how much that means.’

  He shook his head in wonder. ‘You’ve had some seriously stormy weather lately and you’ve sailed through it brilliantly. I hope you know that you’ve made a lot of friends here.’

  Sadie resisted the temptation to glance up at the third floor. ‘We do – thanks.’

  ‘If there’s ever anything we can help with, just let us know,’ Earl said, reaching out to grab a biscuit from Delilah’s tray as she passed. ‘You can pay us in cookies.’

  ‘Sounds like my kind of arrangement,’ Sadie said, smiling.

  Earl lowered his voice. ‘In fact, I might have a very special commission for you soon. How good are you at keeping secrets?’

  Intrigued, Sadie leaned towards him. ‘The best. Tell me more...’

  *

  By the time the crowd started to thin out, Sadie’s head was spinning with all the congratulations and lovely words that had been showered upon her and the Smart Cookies team. Tired but happy, she started to collect up some of the discarded Prosecco flutes. Adam was standing beneath the oak tree; her gaze met his, inviting her to come and talk, and she saw no reason to resist. ‘You came,’ she said when she reached him.

  His eyes crinkled into a smile. ‘I did.’ He paused and looked around. ‘No Daniel and Lissy today?’

  ‘No,’ Sadie said. ‘I knew I’d be run off my feet and – well – I take enough work home for the novelty of biscuits to have worn off for both of them.’

  Adam nodded. ‘It’s a shame they didn’t come to see how hard you’ve worked – the place looks as good as new.’

  She managed a tired smile. ‘I don’t mind admitting it’s been a tough few weeks.’ She looked over at Cat, who was chatting to Jaren. ‘But we survived.’

  Adam followed her gaze and his expression sobered. ‘How is she?’

  ‘She’s been better,’ Sadie replied. ‘But I think she’ll be okay. It helps that she’s surrounded by friends here.’

  ‘Castle Court is like that,’ Adam said. He flashed a glance towards Seb’s. ‘Mostly.’

  ‘And I think knowing she wasn’t alone has helped,’ Sadie went on, tilting her head at Jaren.

  ‘Ah. I wondered whether she’d tell him.’

  Sadie shrugged. ‘Actually, that was Elin. But from what Cat has told me, Jaren wasn’t as devastated as she expected him to be.’

  ‘I’m not sure his heart was ever in that relationship, to be honest,’ Adam said quietly. ‘I think someone else got in there first.’

  Sadie and Adam stood for a moment, watching Cat laugh at something Jaren had said. ‘Yes,’ Sadie said, as a smile tugged at her own lips. ‘I think they’re both going to be absolutely fine.’

  ‘And you?’ Adam said, his eyes coming to rest on her once more. ‘Are you happy, Sadie?’

  Her heart gave a flutter as she stared up at him. ‘As happy as I can be,’ she said, after a moment’s thought. ‘Happier now that we’re friends again. We are friends again, aren’t we?’

  He smiled. ‘Yes. I think it’s safe to say we’re friends.’

  As the party wore on, Sadie lost count of the number of times she picked up and put down her glass without actually drinking any of the Prosecco inside it. When she finally had the time and space to come back to the last place she’d left it, just after closing time, she found Delilah had whisked it away.

  ‘Sorry!’ she said, obviously mortified as she stood at the sink in the kitchen. ‘I thought it was an abandoned glass.’

  ‘And the Prosecco has all gone,’ Clare said, shaking her head. ‘I can’t believe you didn’t even get to drink one glass.’

  Cat appeared at the bottom of the stairs. ‘Don’t worry, I’ve got it covered.’

  She squeezed past Delilah and opened one of the tall, floor to ceiling fridges to pull out a bottle of champagne. ‘I’ve been saving this for now. Grab some glasses, Delilah – we’ve got some celebrating of our own to do.’

  ‘To us,’ Sadie said, once all four women had a glass of fizzing golden champagne in their hand. ‘Team Smart Cookies!’

  ‘To us,’ they echoed and chinked the glasses together.

  ‘Thanks for sticking by us,’ Cat said sincerely, glancing at Clare and Delilah. ‘We really couldn’t have done this without you.’

  ‘My pleasure,’ Delilah said, grinning as Clare nodded her agreement. ‘And there I was thinking retirement was going to be easy!’

  Much later, Sadie and Cat stood side by side at the window of Smart Cookies, gazing out at the early evening diners making their way through the Court. ‘I can’t believe we did it,’ Sadie said, glancing back at the newly restored shop.

  ‘I can,’ Cat said, smiling. ‘We had the best project manager I’ve ever seen.’

  Sadie waved the praise away. ‘Stop it – I muddled through and you know it.’

  ‘Maybe, but you still got the job done,’ Cat insisted. ‘In the face of some pretty heavy pressure. That’s the mark of a true professional.’

  ‘Oh shush,’ Sadie scolded but she couldn’t stop the warm glow Cat’s words caused. ‘How are you doing, anyway? I saw you talking to Jaren.’

  ‘I’m fine,’ Cat said. ‘Well, maybe not fine but I will be. He’s taking it better than me.’

  ‘Hmmm,’ Sadie said, studying Cat’s expression for a sign that her friend had any idea why Jaren might have found Elin and Seb’s betrayal easier than she had. ‘That’s good news at least.’

  Cat gave her a sidelong look. ‘And how about you? I see Adam made the effort to come back.’

  Sadie forced herself not to blush. ‘I’m glad he did. It’s good to be friends with him again.’

  ‘I bet,’ Cat said, her tone dry.

  ‘Don’t start all that again,’ Sadie said, giving her a sharp look. ‘We’re friends, that’s all.’

  ‘I know,’ Cat replied. She raised her glass towards Sadie and smiled. ‘Here’s to us, anyway, and whatever the future brings.’

  ‘To us,’ Sadie echoed, chinking her glass against Cat’s. She looked over at the bright yellow splendour of the Bus Stop, hugging Earl’s secret to herself, and then focused on the softly-lit windows of Let’s Go Dutch. ‘I have a really good feeling about what’s coming next.’

  Acknowledgements

  Undying thanks to Jo Williamson of Antony Harwood Ltd, who shelters me in all kinds of weather. Much gratitude to the wondrous Emma Capron, the fabulous SJ Virtue and everyone on the Books and the City team – let’s keep splashing through puddles together for a long time to come. Thick gooey hot chocolates to Kate Harrison, Miranda Dickinson, Rowan Coleman, Julie Cohen and Cally Taylor – my favourite research buddies. And syrup-coated waffles to T and E – the marshmallows on my sundae. Last of all, thanks to all my readers – I hope you love Stormy Weather.

  Also by Holly Hepburn

  Snowdrops at the Star and Sixpence

  Valentine’s Day at the Star and Sixpence

  Summer at the Star and Sixpence

  Autumn at the Star and Sixpence

  Christmas at the Star and Sixpence

  *

  Brief Encounter at the Picture House by the Sea

  Singing in the Rain at the Picture House by the Sea

  Dirty Dancing at the Picture House by the Sea

  Some Like it Hot at the Picture House by the Sea

  *

  Snowy Nights at Castle Court

  Stormy Weather at Castle Court

  Coming Soon

  Starry Skies at Castle Court

  First published in Great Britain by Simon & Schuster UK Ltd, 2018

  A CBS Company

  Copyright © Tamsyn Murray, 2018

  The right of
Tamsyn Murray to be identified as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.

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  A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

  eBook ISBN: 978-1-4711-7200-7

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual people living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.