Elsie felt a shiver of happiness across her back. ‘I think I am.’
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
A night to remember …
September arrived with a prolonged spell of wet weather, diminishing the tourist numbers further than the traditional return to school did. Cher took the opportunity to redecorate the kitchen at Sundae & Cher, creating a temporary kitchen in the café while her uncle and cousin replaced worktops and repainted walls and ceilings. For a week, the place was in chaos, but the lack of custom and unusual working conditions proved conducive for Cher and Elsie to talk properly about the events of the past month.
Cher had been spending so much time with Jake lately that Elsie hadn’t seen much of her outside of work. Not that Elsie minded; she was pleased that Cher had finally found a decent man after so many dead-end relationships.
‘So, how is Mr Wonderful?’ Elsie asked, loving the way her boss positively twinkled at the mention of her beau.
Cher gave a little squeal. ‘Wonderful! He’s everything I hoped he would be – handsome, loving, sexy as …’
‘No complaints, then?’
‘None at all. Apart from how busy he can be, but then he’s the senior partner at his firm so it’s one of those things, you know. Actually, I’m seeing him tonight for the first time in two weeks and I just can’t wait.’
‘Has he been away?’
‘No, just work at the practice. They’ve inherited a lot of cases from a rival firm that closed, apparently. Jake’s a man in demand, what can I say?’
Elsie giggled. ‘Lucky you.’
‘Talking of luck,’ Cher winked at Elsie, ‘how’s everything with the lovely Oliver Hogarth?’
‘Good, actually.’
‘Don’t give me that Little Miss Nonchalant act, Els, I’m not buying it. Are you still doing the “just friends” thing or have you finally sacked it off and jumped his bones yet?’
Elsie picked up a cleaning cloth and began to wipe the counter. ‘Charming question.’
‘No point in skirting the issue. So?’
‘We’re still just friends. But …’
Cher whooped and clapped her hands. ‘There’s a “but”! I knew it!’
‘Calm down. All I was going to say is that I like him. A lot. The more time I spend with him, the more I enjoy his company.’
‘Not exactly the answer I was hoping for, but it’s a start.’
‘Thanks for the vote of confidence.’
‘No, honestly, I’m pleased that it’s going well. There’s no rush, so you just enjoy getting to know him. He strikes me as being in it for the long run, if you know what I mean.’
It was a good prospect, even if the mention of the ‘long run’ did cause Elsie a flutter of anxiety. ‘Actually, there was something I’ve been thinking about that I wanted to run past you.’
‘Oh?’
‘I’ve been trying to come up with something The Sundaes can work towards – an event in Irene’s memory. And last night I had a brainwave.’
Interested, Cher sat down and motioned for Elsie to join her. ‘Go on.’
‘I thought we could do a charity night at a pub, where we perform and maybe ask some of the other choirs in the area to come and do a couple of songs. We could charge a small entrance fee and all the money raised could go to Cancer Research.’
What Elsie didn’t tell her boss was that the idea had occurred to her in Olly’s apartment last night, as he made coffee after another successful Thomasina Miers recipe had been consumed. They had been discussing possible ideas for the choir when Elsie remembered the monthly talent nights at The Feathers and the germ of an idea was born.
‘Sounds like you’ve got it all worked out. Where do I come in?’
Elsie gave a sheepish smile. ‘You know how Nick at The Feathers would do anything for you?’
Instantly suspicious, Cher folded her arms. ‘Mm-hmm?’
‘Well, I might just need to call on your devastating charms …’
With no customers left in Sundae & Cher by three o’clock, Cher made an executive decision to close early. Ten minutes later they were standing outside the black and white frontage of The Feathers, gazing up at the painted pub sign that was swinging in the strengthening breeze. Ensuring her blouse was suitably arranged in order to exert maximum influence over her target, Cher exchanged glances with Elsie and they entered.
The pub was quiet, with only the muffled music and flashing lights of the fruit machines providing any movement in its red plush interior. Elsie peered over the bar to see Nick crouching by the other side, restocking the bottles in the line of fridges that ran the entire length of the back wall. Seizing the advantage, Cher leaned provocatively over the bar.
‘What does a girl have to do to get your attention?’ she purred, her tone low and seeped in suggestion.
Nick almost head-butted the fridge door in his hurry to scramble upright. ‘Cher, Elsie! Well, this is a nice surprise. I thought you two would still be beating back the ice cream crowds.’
‘Oh if only,’ Cher said, lowering her lashes as she spoke. ‘I’m having vital renovation work done this week, so our offering is restricted.’
‘I wouldn’t have thought it was possible to improve on perfection,’ Nick grinned, leaning on the bar and fully surveying Cher’s assets.
Elsie had to look away when Cher unleashed a Marilyn-esque giggle on her more than willing prey. ‘I mean the kitchen, not me, silly.’
‘Oh, I see. My mistake. So what can I do for you lovely ladies? Bit early for a drink for you, isn’t it?’
Cher leaned further towards Nick, the low-cut blouse commanding his full attention. ‘We need a favour. A big one.’
The dirtiest smile oozed its way across Nick’s lips. ‘I see. Well, if it’s a big one you’re after, you’ve come to the right place …’
‘A-a-angel!’ Woody exclaimed in wonderment when Elsie told him the details of the charity open mic night she had arranged to hold at The Feathers. ‘It’s clear to me that you are the Chosen One I dreamed of.’
‘It was mostly Cher, actually,’ Elsie replied. ‘Nick was only too happy to help after she asked him.’
The ageing rocker gave a wry smile. ‘I’m guessing that blouse might have been responsible for such bewitching.’
‘How did you know about that? I thought Cher’s persuasion tactics were a closely guarded secret.’
‘Believe me, angel, that blouse is legendary in this town for its mystical power over defenceless males. Now tell me, what’s your vision for this event?’
The plan was simple: work out a small programme of songs for The Sundaes to perform and invite the other choirs in Brighton to do the same. Cher had balked when Elsie broached the subject of approaching The DreamTeam to participate, but when Elsie explained that they were the most likely to bring a crowd of supporters which increased the potential for raising a decent amount of money, she reluctantly agreed.
‘But keep that hideous Jeannette Burton out of my way. If she kicks off, I can’t be responsible for what I’ll do.’
Elsie called Jeannette later that week and was invited to visit a DreamTeam rehearsal in order to discuss their possible involvement. She arrived at Brighton Electric, an imposing Victorian building that had been converted into a recording studio and rehearsal rooms and was widely acknowledged as the best rehearsal space in town. The room in which the show choir was gathering was an elegant, high-ceilinged space with an enormous oriental rug covering almost the entire floor. A timid-looking woman played an old upright piano at the far end of the room, making hurried notes on her score with a pencil as the members of the choir chatted around her.
Suddenly, the noise ceased and all eyes turned towards the door. For a moment Elsie thought they might be looking at her, but the click of high heels on the polished floor behind made her turn to see a woman dressed entirely in red entering the room. Jeannette Burton certainly knew how to make an entrance. She paused by the piano as her choir respectfully applau
ded, shaking her shoulder-length mane of platinum-blonde hair in an unconvincing attempt at bashfulness, holding up her hands to halt their adoration. ‘Places, darlings,’ Jeannette boomed and the choir dutifully filed into place at the far end of the room. Turning, she acknowledged Elsie with what she imagined passed as a genuine smile. ‘We have a guest this evening. Choir, let’s make Elsie Maynard feel at home.’
A patter of polite applause echoed in the room.
‘Elsie leads The Sundaes choir,’ Jeannette continued, and Elsie was sure she could see a sneer invading the professional smile. ‘She’s come to hear us sing, so let’s show her what we can do. June – a chair for our guest.’
The mousey pianist scurried across the room and placed a wooden chair next to Elsie.
‘Sit, sit,’ she urged, flashing Elsie the briefest of smiles before hurrying back to her piano stool.
The choir began to sing, the power and unity of their voices filling the space. Elsie had to hand it to Jeannette – she certainly knew how to create a cracking arrangement. They moved as one, sang as one and even smiled as one, all the time maintaining faultless timing and never taking their eyes off their leader.
And yet something about the choir felt wrong. Beyond their uniform smiles and impeccably choreographed movements Elsie sensed little else. No heart, no passion. The Sundaes might not be note-perfect, but their enthusiasm and sheer joy at singing together were plain to see. As she listened to The DreamTeam’s performance, Elsie secretly congratulated herself that The Sundaes were nothing like them.
The performance ended and the choir broke into hammy, orchestrated applause, whooping artificially and congratulating one another. Jeannette smiled at Elsie.
‘And that is how we do it, Miss Maynard.’
After the rehearsal, Elsie and Jeannette stood by the piano as timid June set about making them tea from a small travel kettle on a fold-out table. ‘Our idea is to create an evening of music in memory of a lady from our choir who died recently. Irene loved singing, so it seems like a fitting tribute. My lot are really keen to do it and I thought it could be a great opportunity to showcase Brighton’s choral talent and raise money for Cancer Research UK.’
Jeannette drummed her long scarlet fingernails on her notebook. ‘Excellent. And you’ve thought about a sound system, engineer, lights?’
Elsie hadn’t. ‘Um, well I …’
Jeannette dismissed this. ‘No problem, I’ll arrange that. Can’t have my choir sounding anything but their best, can I? I take it you haven’t started the publicity campaign yet?’
Publicity campaign? This was a charity event at a local pub, not a multi-million-pound performance at the O2! ‘No, I was waiting to confirm the programme before …’
‘Elsie. This event is in three weeks’ time. You’re already cutting it fine in terms of adequate promotion. We need full coverage – papers, radio, local TV. June!’ She turned and barked sharply at the timorous lady making tea, who jumped a few feet off the ground and dropped the teaspoon with a clatter. ‘Get onto this. I want a press release out first thing tomorrow morning.’
Feeling sorry for the poor put-upon assistant, Elsie offered, ‘My friend is a designer and he’s offered to provide posters and flyers for the event. Now I know you’re on board these can be ready in the next two days, so I’ll post some to you.’
‘Too long,’ Jeannette pronounced. ‘You can’t trust the post and we can’t afford to lose another day. You work with Cher Pettinger, don’t you?’
‘Yes.’
‘Good. June will visit you on Friday morning to collect our allocation.’
‘There’s no need for her to make a special trip to see us.’ Elsie smiled at June. ‘If you let me know where you live, I can drop them off on Friday evening.’
June was just beginning to nod when Jeannette interrupted. ‘Nonsense! June is more than happy to do it, aren’t you?’
‘Y-yes, really, i-it’s no bother,’ June spluttered, head bowing even lower.
‘So. All sorted. Any questions?’
Elsie hid her smile. ‘No. I think you have everything covered.’
Jeannette grimaced. ‘Always, darling, always.’
At the next rehearsal, Elsie and Woody gathered The Sundaes together to reveal their plans.
‘I vote we stick to what we already know,’ Daisy suggested. ‘We only have three rehearsals – that isn’t enough time to start something new.’
Graeme and Sheila agreed, the prospect of having to master new songs anything but attractive.
‘But wouldn’t it be nice to have something new that people haven’t seen yet?’ Lewis suggested. ‘Especially because we’re doing it for Irene. She always loved learning new stuff.’
Elsie raised her hand. ‘Whichever way we do this, we have about twenty-five to thirty minutes to fill. It should be something we all enjoy.’
‘E-exactly,’ Daisy agreed. ‘Which is why our existing repertoire will work.’
‘Rubbish, girl. The Sundaes have to rock it large.’
‘I don’t have a problem with us rocking anything large provided it’s something we already know.’
‘But we can give the people so much more …’
Danny laughed and pointed to the list of suggestions Woody had given to everyone. ‘And what, exactly is a Carpenters/Aerosmith mash-up giving to anyone?’
Woody surveyed him with solemn sincerity. ‘Purity and strength, dude. Purity and strength.’
After much discussion, Elsie made an executive decision to include one new song and fill the rest of the programme with songs they already knew. With everyone happy, they embarked on the considerable challenge ahead, determined to make the event the best they could, in honour of Irene.
‘At least it’ll be a memorable evening,’ Elsie said to Daisy, as they walked back to the seafront. But little did she know how true her words would prove to be …
Olly arrived at Sundae & Cher the next day, carrying several packages wrapped in brown paper.
‘Promotional material,’ he announced, struggling through the door as Elsie raced over to help him. ‘And, yes, a large mocha latte and ice cream sundae will be perfect as payment.’
Elsie planted a kiss on his cheek. ‘Coming up.’
His eyes shone. ‘That’s why I come to this excellent establishment. How did the rehearsal go last night?’
‘Good.’ Elsie scooped large balls of rich Dark Chocolate, Cinder Toffee and Butterscotch Pecan ice creams into a large sundae glass. ‘It’s going to be a lot of work, but it’s something everyone seems up for.’
Olly grinned when Elsie handed him the ice cream construction. ‘Wow. Where do I start?’
‘Wherever you like, it’s your sundae.’
‘Lucky me! Wait – before I do that, have a look at the posters and flyers.’ He began to unwrap the packages and Elsie squealed when she saw his handiwork.
‘Olly, they’re perfect! I love the design.’
The event had been called ‘Songs for Irene’ and Olly had, with permission, set a recent photograph of Irene in the centre, surrounded by undulating music staves that curled like floating ribbons around her smiling face.
‘There are fifty posters and about two hundred flyers here. Will that be enough for you and the other choir?’
‘More than enough. Thank you so much.’
‘You’re welcome.’ He took a massive spoonful of ice cream and closed his eyes. ‘This is amazing. You know, you could sell these.’
‘Do you think so?’ Elsie’s heart skipped a little as she played along with the joke.
‘Absolutely. Mind you, I’d pay just to see you in that outfit.’ His eyes widened. ‘That came out so wrong! I’m sorry!’
‘Oliver Hogarth, I’m shocked! Dismayed!’
He feigned conviction. ‘What can I say? I’ve let myself down. But in my defence you do look amazing.’
Elsie winked back. ‘Oh, I know I do. Why do you think I agreed to wear it?’
While it fel
t a little strange to be indulging in cheeky banter with someone, Elsie found herself enjoying it. As the borderline flirty conversation continued, Cher’s words replayed in her mind:
‘There’s no rush, so you just enjoy getting to know him.’
Cher was right. The thought of spending time getting to know Olly was proving more irresistible by the day.
Just after lunch, the timid pianist from The DreamTeam scurried in.
‘I’m June Nunnington, from The DreamTeam. I’m here for the leaflets and posters?’ she asked, obviously assuming that Elsie wouldn’t remember her.
‘Of course. Nice to see you again, June. Would you like a drink?’
June hesitated, her eyes darting left and right as if expecting Jeannette to storm in and drag her off for even considering the offer. ‘I’m not really … I don’t know if … Well, maybe just a quick one. Cup of tea would be lovely.’
‘Excellent. Take a seat. Have you come far today?’
June sat at the table nearest the counter. ‘No. I work mornings at an estate agent’s about five minutes’ walk from here. My son owns it so I go and help out with paperwork.’
Elsie brought tea to June’s table. ‘I thought you might like one of these, too,’ she smiled, placing a dark chocolate oyster shell filled with Raspberry Coulis ice cream before her. ‘It’s a shame to come all the way here and then only have tea.’
June gazed at the confection before her with childlike wonder. ‘You really are too kind.’ She picked up her spoon and demolished the whole thing in what must have been record time, almost as if she was scared it would be taken from her if she ate slowly.
Elsie patiently waited for her to finish and then handed her one of the flyers. ‘This is the design for the event.’
‘Oh, how lovely. I’m very sorry to hear of your loss.’
‘Thank you. I think Irene would be pleased with the event. I hope so, anyway.’
‘Jeannette lost her mother last year, you know,’ June confided. ‘Between you and me, I think she’s still trying to cope. Do you know she wouldn’t let us sing at the funeral, even though it was what her mum wanted?’ She reddened and stared at her teacup. ‘Sorry.’
When I Fall in Love Page 21