The Second Chance Tea Shop (Little Somerby)

by Fay Keenan

  ‘Thanks, but Dad’s actually promised he’s going to be home a bit earlier tonight so I’d better get back and do some dinner for him.’

  ‘What’s on the menu?’ Anna asked, wondering just how able Meredith was in the kitchen.

  ‘Chicken chasseur and roast potatoes.’

  Anna whistled. ‘There I was thinking you were strictly a fish fingers and beans kind of girl.’

  Meredith laughed. ‘It was either learn to cook or starve after Mum left. Luckily, Pat taught me a lot!’

  ‘Well, enjoy it,’ Anna replied. ‘And don’t worry about your dad. If you’re honest with him, he’ll give you a bit more freedom.’

  ‘Sure, Anna, and were you ever, like, a teenager?’

  ‘Go home!’ Anna playfully pushed her out of the tea shop door.

  ‘You’ll have trouble on your hands if this place gets popular with that school,’ Miss Pinkham, who was sitting at her usual table, sniffed. ‘Rowdy buggers they are, up there, considering how much their parents pay to send ’em.’

  ‘Oh, I don’t know,’ Anna said, picking up the now empty teapot on the old bat’s table. ‘The ones I’ve met so far seem all right.’

  ‘Ursula barred them.’ Miss Pinkham paused meaningfully. ‘I hope you’re not going to let standards slip, now you’re in charge.’

  Anna was tempted to snap back that so long as they all paid their bills and were polite they were welcome, but since Miss Pinkham was as regular as clockwork with her custom, she merely smiled and went to refill her teapot.

  14

  During the second week of February, working around her shifts at the tea shop, Anna busied herself with finishing painting Ellie’s bedroom. She buried herself in the task, listening to the local radio station, which played a comforting mix of older tunes and the more middle of the road current hits. On the third evening, Charlotte volunteered to give her a hand.

  ‘So how many coats do you reckon we need?’ Charlotte said as she merrily slapped the paint on the far wall.

  ‘I hope we’ll get away with two.’ Anna replied. She pulled her ponytail a little tighter. ‘I’d like her to be back in here by the end of the week.’

  ‘How is she as a bedfellow?’

  ‘Wriggly.’

  ‘But I guess you could do with the company over the next few days, right?’ Charlotte paused her painting and turned to look over at Anna, who was taping the windowsill before tackling the wall.

  ‘You remembered,’ she said softly.

  Charlotte crossed the small room and gave Anna a hug. ‘Of course. He’d have been forty this year, wouldn’t he?’

  Anna nodded. ‘We always joked about arranging his midlife crisis for midnight on his birthday. I’d have liked to have seen it happen!’

  ‘Did he want sports cars and fast women?’ Charlotte asked, putting her paintbrush down before she accidentally daubed Anna with it.

  ‘Hardly!’ Anna gave a shaky smile. ‘He was rather partial to the idea of a motorbike, though.’

  ‘Really?’ Charlotte smothered a snort of laughter. ‘Sorry, darling, but I just can’t see you as a biker’s chick somehow!’

  ‘Meaning what?’

  ‘Well, you wussed out of go-karting on the Upper Sixth night out because you were such a scaredy-pants. I can hardly see you riding pillion on James’ back seat.’

  ‘Any cracks about throbbing engines between my legs and I’ll bloody well paint you a new hair colour!’

  They continued for a while in companionable silence. Eventually, Charlotte spoke. ‘So have you and Matthew made any plans for Valentine’s? It’s only a couple of days away, you know.’

  Anna nearly dropped her paintbrush. ‘Me and Matthew? You make it sound like we’re actually a couple!’

  ‘Sorry, darling – didn’t mean to freak you out. I wondered if he was going to whisk you off to Paris or something.’

  ‘We’ve had one date, Charlotte. I hardly think that qualifies me for a trip that requires a passport.’

  ‘So he hasn’t mentioned anything to you?’

  Anna shook her head. ‘I’d be surprised if he had, to be honest. I haven’t been out with him since our date few weeks back. He’s been busy at work and I’ve been busy here and at the tea shop. Plus, we’re taking things slowly. One date does not a marriage make!’

  ‘Ah well, since Meredith Carter seems to be the arbiter of her father’s love life lately, perhaps I’ll just have to ask her next time I see her!’ Charlotte rested her brush on the top of the can of paint. ‘Now can we please stop for a cuppa before I die of thirst?’

  As if on cue, Anna’s mobile buzzed. Wiping her hands on the old shirt she was wearing over her top, she picked the phone up and retrieved the message. She couldn’t help the grin that spread over her features.

  ‘What? Who’s it from? Is it from lover boy?’ Charlotte tried to grab the phone, but Anna locked the screen and put it back in her pocket. ‘Come on, what did it say? Don’t leave me in suspense!’

  Anna gave her friend the benefit of her grin. ‘Let’s just say I might actually have plans for February 14th after all!’

  *

  ‘This place is so much bigger than I remember it!’ Anna exclaimed as, two days later, on a chilly St Valentine’s evening, she and Matthew walked across the yard between the brand new bottling plant and the older part of the business.

  ‘I bet you say that to all the guys,’ Matthew said, a twinkle in his eye.

  Anna laughed. ‘What, you mean the millions of men who’ve been queuing up to ask me out since I got back on the market?’

  ‘Don’t flatter me and tell me I’m the first,’ Matthew said. ‘I’ll never believe it.’

  ‘Well, James’ sister did try to get me to join an internet dating agency a few months back but I bottled out after the trial period and never actually went out with anyone.’

  ‘I don’t blame you,’ Matthew shuddered. ‘Meredith did the same to me about eighteen months ago; said I was turning into a sad old man who didn’t know how to have any fun anymore. I was so outraged she’d signed me up without my consent, I stopped her allowance for a month.’

  ‘Evil dad,’ Anna laughed. ‘Besides, I’m hardly a great prospect with a three-year-old in tow – tends to put potential dates off.’

  ‘Evidently,’ Matthew raised a wry eyebrow.

  Anna grinned back. ‘Well, maybe you just need your head examined!’

  They crossed the main part of the farm and were soon at the door of the on-site shop. Matthew produced a key from his pocket and unlocked the door, then reached for the light to the left of the door frame. They stepped into the shop, which had closed for the evening about an hour previously.

  ‘I remember coming in here as a kid,’ Anna said. ‘And seeing all these old men filling up their tankards and plastic bottles, then, heaven forbid, driving home.’

  ‘Ah yes,’ Matthew shifted uneasily. ‘That was before the drink-driving laws thankfully put paid to most of that. We had a regular troupe of local farmers who’d spend more time in the shop than in their fields during the summer, but they were good old boys. Most of them are no longer with us now.’

  As Anna came fully into the shop, Matthew led her to the wooden counter. She smiled when she saw he’d set up glasses, two plates and a few small bottles of different varieties of cider. Next to the bottles were several types of cheese, all locally produced.

  ‘I thought this might be a bit of a corny thing to do for our second date, but Meredith convinced me it would be fun to give you another tour, just you and me this time. And I hope you might have worked up an appetite,’ Matthew said.

  In truth, Anna had been too nervous to be hungry, but when she saw the effort Matthew had gone to, she decided she should at least taste some of what he’d put out.

  ‘See what you think of this first.’ Matthew poured a snifter from the first bottle.

  Anna took a sip. It was perfectly chilled, sweet, with a slight fizz and very agreeable. ‘That’s nice.
Very refreshing. Not sure I’d have it with cheese, though – rather sweet to wash down a slab of Cheddar’s finest.’

  ‘Very good,’ Matthew smiled approvingly. ‘That is actually one we’d recommend as a dessert drink. Goes rather well with Yeo Valley Vanilla ice cream.’ He poured another small glass. ‘This one should taste a little different.’

  Anna took the glass. This time the cider was earthier, drier, with an undercurrent of cognac. ‘Now that would be good with cheese,’ she said. Immediately, Matthew handed her a small piece. The cider brought out the tangy undertones of the cheddar, and she suddenly found she was hungry after all.

  Sometime later, Anna was starting to feel the effects of the fizz, and even Matthew’s eyes were sparkling a little more in the lamplight. ‘So how does this compare to Valentines past?’

  Anna smiled. ‘Well, I suppose with every relationship there are memorable ones, and not so memorable ones. James and I tended to treat ourselves to a takeaway and a bottle of wine most years. I can’t say I’ve ever spent Valentine’s night in a cider shop, though!’ She took another sip. ‘How about you?’

  Matthew looked thoughtful for a moment. ‘It was always a big deal for Tara, even long after we were married. Perhaps it comes with being American – she and her family always seemed to do things bigger, better, more extravagantly. I remember one year she stopped speaking to me because I forgot to get her a card and she’d cooked me a five course dinner. I got quite familiar with the spare bed, that week!’ He smiled ruefully, but, Anna noticed, without any particular chagrin. ‘That sums up why we split, really,’ Matthew said. ‘We always came from two different places, on everything.’ He pushed back in his chair and stretched long arms out above his head. ‘I can’t believe I’m telling you this,’ he said wonderingly. ‘I don’t talk about it, to anyone. And it’s hardly the most tactful thing in the world, is it? Forgive me.’

  Anna shook her head. ‘Nothing to forgive. We’re not teenagers, Matthew – we both come with rather a lot of history.’ She finished the glass of cider she’d been cradling. ‘Like a second-hand car…’

  ‘Or a library book!’ Matthew laughed.

  ‘Or a cider farm…’ Anna mused. ‘Plenty of history in here.’

  ‘Like you wouldn’t believe,’ Matthew said. ‘Sometimes it’s helpful and sometimes it’s a total bloody hindrance. I spend my working life struggling to modernise while staying true to the old principles, and finding the balance between the two can be more hassle than it’s worth sometimes. And don’t get me started on Dad…’

  ‘I can imagine,’ Anna said. ‘But, like everything, it’s a case of holding on to the best bits of the past while trying to work out a direction for the future, isn’t it?’

  ‘Sounds like a mantra for life!’ Matthew replied. Finishing his own glass, he stood suddenly. ‘Can I show you something?’

  Anna’s immediate thoughts must have registered in her expression, because Matthew threw back his head and laughed.

  ‘Relax! I’m not going to jump on you.’

  Anna blushed. ‘Sorry – was I that obvious?’

  Matthew’s eyes twinkled. ‘Follow me.’

  ‘Where are we going?’ Anna trailed out of the shop in his wake.

  ‘Come and see,’ he said playfully, and grabbed her hand.

  Anna felt like a teenager as he pulled her across the courtyard to the large central barn that was the oldest part of the farm. Laughing breathlessly, Anna tried to match Matthew’s longer stride but found herself trotting behind him. As they drew closer to the barn’s main door, Matthew let go of her hand.

  ‘Wait here,’ he said.

  It was dark on this side of the yard, and Anna could barely see her hand in front of her face. After thirty seconds or so, she began to wonder whether Matthew was having a laugh at her expense. Just as she opened her mouth to call out to him, there was a click, and a soft orange glow suffused where she was standing.

  ‘OK?’ Matthew asked, coming back to her.

  ‘I think so,’ Anna replied.

  Matthew took her hand once again, and led her through the large double doors of the barn. A slight draught whispered through the air, and Anna felt a tingle go down her spine. There was history in the building, softly weaving its spell around her like the motes of dust in the atmosphere.

  Anna looked around as she walked into the dimly lit main barn. To her left and right, enormous wooden vats stood sentinel, reaching thirty feet up towards the roof of the barn. The concrete floor was slightly uneven, and the only light came from two orange roof bulbs that cast a glow over the barn. Particles of dust glittered and danced, and Anna’s shadow loomed long in front of her. ‘I remember seeing this place, years ago… of course it wasn’t quite the same with the Guides in tow!’

  ‘Ah yes,’ Matthew said. ‘The night you actually did fall for me… or over the steps, at least!’ He grinned at her.

  ‘Oh, haha,’ Anna muttered, feeling again like a mutinous teenager.

  ‘Come on,’ Matthew said. ‘I won’t let you trip this time.’ He took her hand and led her to the stainless steel steps that were attached to the gantry overlooking the top of the vats. In the air was the earthy scent of fermenting apples. Underlying the sweet, fruit smell was the faintest whiff of cognac from the barrels themselves.

  ‘Wow!’ Anna breathed as they reached the top. ‘That’s quite something.’

  ‘It’s certainly quieter up here,’ Matthew replied. ‘I’m not often the last person on site, these days – we work through the night most of the time, so there’s nearly always someone here, but every so often I like to sneak in when everyone else has knocked off and just spend a few minutes up here. It’s a good place to think.’ He looked around. ‘This was where I came the night Tara left me. It was also where I made the decision to take Carter’s to the USA.’ Gesturing to the vats, he smiled. ‘It’s like they’re the guardians of this place – patient, watchful, making sure we do the right thing. They’ll be here for another hundred years, I would think, long after the next few Managing Directors have moved to pastures new.’

  ‘It’s quite a contrast to the rest of the site,’ Anna said. ‘Everything else is so high tech – so scientific.’

  ‘I like to think of this barn as the beating heart of the farm,’ Matthew replied, turning to look at Anna in the low light. ‘Everything reaches out from here and touches everything else.’ Slowly, deliberately, he took her right hand in his and placed it on his chest. ‘It’s all linked, connected, alive,’ he kept her hand covered with his. ‘A living, breathing, thing…’

  Anna felt the roughness of his thick jumper under her palm, and below that, his heart beating, the heart of a man steeped in the tradition that surrounded them, shaped by the land and the fruit of four generations. A man who’d put his own dreams on hold to take the business to the next level, but who had suffered for that choice. A man who was now sharing this moment with her. Cider might have been in Matthew Carter’s blood, but life and passion was in his veins, and Anna could sense it burning.

  ‘Matthew,’ she whispered.

  ‘Sssh…’ His lips were a breath away.

  This time, there was no doubt, no hesitation and no lingering worry. Anna yearned for the kiss, ached for it, and when Matthew’s beautiful mouth met hers, she didn’t just taste cider—she tasted desire. She slid her hand from his chest up to caress the back of his neck, where his hair curled over his shirt collar. Entwining her fingers in his dark, wavy locks, she felt him shift closer to her, pulling her more tightly into his embrace. Her mouth opened to taste him further, and the kiss deepened. His arms slid around her, his fit, hard body against hers, and, not for the first time she realised that while his job title might suggest sitting behind a desk all day, this was a man who was still very much in touch with his physical side. As his right hand moved to rest in the small of her back, her head swam with the sensations their contact was unleashing. She pushed herself against him, never wanting it to end.

&nbs
p; Eventually they broke apart. Matthew’s eyes looked almost black in the low light.

  Anna drew in a slightly shaky breath. ‘Wow,’ she said softly.

  Matthew gave a broad smile. ‘That’s a better reaction than the last time I kissed you! You’re not crying, that’s a start.’

  Anna grinned back. ‘I think we both know your timing wasn’t great on that last occasion.’

  ‘Well, it seems the cider barrels are magical, after all!’ Matthew replied. ‘I must remember to tell the Green Man next year at the wassail.’

  ‘Thank you for bringing me here,’ Anna said softly. ‘It means a lot to me.’

  ‘I wanted to share it with you,’ Matthew said. ‘I don’t expect anything of you, Anna. I know we both have a long way to go but maybe we can help each other get there.’

  Anna smiled. She felt both touched and absurdly flattered. ‘I’d like that. But tonight we should get home.’

  ‘Agreed.’ And with that, Matthew turned out the barn lights.

  SPRING

  15

  March dawned chilly but full of sunshine. Anna found herself very busy as she was due a visit from Ursula’s accountant at the end of the month, which was also the end of the tax year. When she wasn’t serving in the tea shop, or out in the back kitchen baking up a storm for the next day’s trade, she was poring over the books for the last financial quarter. Thankfully, she’d always had a head for figures and found the spreadsheets strangely therapeutic. This was mostly due to the fact that takings were up on the previous year, which she put down to an increase in the number of people taking up cycling as a New Year’s resolution. By the time most of them reached Little Somerby’s stop on the Strawberry Line, they were in urgent need of sustenance, and her home-baked apple and rosewater cupcakes had hit the spot for many of them.