The Single Mums' Picnic Club

by Jennifer Joyce

  ‘I’m so sorry.’ Jack ran his hand through his hair and shook his head. ‘What must you think of me? I invite you out and then leave you on your own.’

  ‘It’s okay. I wasn’t on my own.’

  ‘Oh?’ Jack followed Katie’s gaze as she turned to look at her new boyish pal, who raised his hand in greeting. ‘Wait, isn’t that…’ Jack was frowning as he faced Katie again. ‘Isn’t that Ellie’s teacher?’

  Katie placed a hand on her chest as her mouth made a theatrical ‘O’. ‘Is it? How funny. I didn’t recognise him.’ She thought she’d pulled off the fib pretty well, but one quirked eyebrow from Jack told her otherwise. ‘Okay, fine. I knew. But we’re only chatting and it isn’t as though I’m socialising with one of my kids’ teachers.’

  ‘Hey, it’s nothing to do with me.’ Jack lifted his palms up. ‘You can chat with whoever you want.’ There was a smile itching to break out on Jack’s face, and Katie rolled her eyes.

  ‘Chatting is all we’re doing. I’m old enough to be his mum.’

  Jack barked out a laugh. ‘You are not. Slightly older sister, maybe.’

  Katie snorted. ‘Slightly?’

  ‘Yes, slightly.’ Jack placed a hand on Katie’s shoulder. ‘Anyway, I’m going to leave you to it. I’ve got a job booked in at eight.’ He winked at Katie. ‘Have fun.’

  ‘We’re just chatting, so you can stop your winking,’ Katie said, but Jack simply laughed as he wandered away. Katie grabbed the drinks, took a deep breath and returned to the table.

  ‘That was Ellie’s dad, wasn’t it?’ The teacher’s eyes wandered down to Katie’s hand as she placed the drinks down on the table, his eyebrows raising as he clocked the wedding band she couldn’t bring herself to remove. ‘Are you two together?’

  ‘No, I told you we’re neighbours.’ She sat down, tucking her left hand under her thigh. ‘He’s just a friend.’

  ‘You are married, though?’ He looked towards her hidden hand.

  Katie took a sip of fortifying wine. ‘Technically, yes, I’m married.’

  His eyes narrowed slightly. ‘Technically?’

  She grimaced. ‘We’re getting divorced.’ Her stomach still churned at saying that word aloud.

  ‘Oh. Sorry. Sort of.’

  ‘Sort of?’ Katie frowned. How could anybody be ‘sort of’ sorry that your life had been ripped to shreds?

  ‘I can’t help feeling a little bit glad that you’re single because…’ And then he kissed her, with all the confidence only youth and boyband good-looks could bring.

  Chapter Fourteen

  George

  George’s playlist was blasting in her ears as she backed out of the downstairs shower room, the mop swishing along the final few tiles in time to ‘Build Me Up Buttercup’, so she didn’t hear Cecily approach and almost jumped out of her skin when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

  ‘Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.’ Cecily pulled an apologetic face as George removed her earphones. ‘I was just wondering how it went on at Grant’s place last week?’

  George placed the mop in the bucket and grabbed the handle, hefting it up off the floor. ‘It went well, I think.’ Cecily had recommended George when her neighbour from a few doors down needed a new cleaner. ‘The house is stunning.’ If George had to clean for a living, she’d rather keep gorgeous houses in tip top condition than scrub the manky loos in the town’s pubs.

  ‘I was just about finished here.’ She started to move along the hall, careful not to slop water from the bucket on the parquet flooring. Once she’d cleared everything away in the utility room, she grabbed her cleaning caddy and waved a quick goodbye to Cecily before she headed home. She had another shift that afternoon, but she’d arranged to meet Katie and Frankie for lunch down at the beach hut first.

  Taking a short cut through the park, George grabbed her phone from her pocket, tapping out a quick message to Katie as she passed by the lake.

  Let me know if I can bring anything for the picnic! George xxx

  She couldn’t help herself; providing food was in her blood. She’d watched her granny for years as she stocked her baking tin just in case somebody popped round, as she presented little plates of homemade biscuits on the tea tray and had a seeming never-ending supply of snacks in the fridge and cupboards. Nobody left Granny Pappas’ home hungry, that was for sure. Sandwiches were coaxed into the mouths of visitors, casseroles were delivered to sick friends and neighbours, and no family gathering was complete without a Granny P buffet.

  Nope, all in hand! Just bring yourself! :) K

  George couldn’t help feeing a stab of disappointment at the reply. She’d made a batch of chocolate-coated flapjacks the evening before, on the off chance they were needed, but she was sure Thomas wouldn’t mind disposing of them in his lunchbox over the next few days.

  After dropping her caddy and ‘Kiri’s Clean Queens’ tunic at home, George made her way down to the beach. It was cold again, with the temperature seeming to have dropped even further over the past couple of days. Snow had been predicted for the morning, but luckily it hadn’t materialised.

  ‘Hello.’ George waved cheerily as she spotted Frankie waiting outside the beach hut, hunched over and looking pretty miserable as the wind tried its hardest to knock her off her feet. ‘Let’s get inside.’

  ‘Yes please.’ Frankie’s teeth were chattering as she spoke, and she almost tripped over the hut’s threshold in her eagerness to reach shelter.

  ‘I’m not late, am I?’ George checked the time, but they hadn’t arranged to meet for another five minutes.

  ‘I set off early.’ Frankie sat on the bench, her hands still deep in her jacket pockets. ‘Went for a bit of a run on the beach first.’ Her lips were still quivering, but at least her teeth had stop gnashing together. ‘I’m trying to get back into keeping myself fit. I’ve lapsed a bit since the twins and everything.’

  By everything, George assumed she meant the death of her partner. George honestly didn’t know how Frankie had managed to cope with the loss. She’d been floored when her grandmother passed, so much so that she couldn’t bring herself to bake any of Granny P’s old recipes for a long time as they brought back so many memories that were too painful to dredge up at the time. So how did you get over the death of the love of your life? The father of your children? George was dumbfounded with respect for her new friend.

  ‘Do you think we could close the door?’ Frankie removed her hand to point, but she quickly shoved it back into the depths of her pocket.

  ‘Of course.’ George pushed the door shut, but it didn’t make a great deal of difference to the temperature. Perhaps they’d picked the wrong season to meet up for a picnic. ‘I’ll just let Katie know we’re here.’

  Sitting next to a shivering Frankie, George sent a quick text to their friend, letting her know the door to the hut was unlocked and to come straight in.

  Running a *teeny* bit late. Be there asap! :) K

  Hopefully Frankie wouldn’t be sporting a carrot nose and coal buttons by that time.

  The beach hut still felt like an industrial freezer by the time Katie arrived with the picnic, so they decided to relocate to somewhere a tad warmer. Katie suggested her house, as it was only across the road from the beach.

  ‘Wow, nice place.’ Frankie’s shivering subsided as she stepped into Katie’s house, wide eyes taking in the airy hallway with its white-panelled walls displaying framed family photos, the ornate staircase and light, polished wooden flooring. ‘Your hallway is as big as my living room.

  Katie’s hallway was almost as big as George’s entire flat, but she didn’t say this out loud. ‘It’s gorgeous. You have great taste.’

  ‘Thank you.’ Katie slung her coat on one of the hooks and led the way into the kitchen, which was even more impressive than the hallway had been, with a modern kitchen at one end and a cosy, family area at the other. George may have felt intimidated at the obvious affluence the house suggested had it not been for the clear mar
kers of the kind of family life she was used to; breakfast dishes piled in the sink, the washing machine gurgling and humming through its cycle, homework scattered on the high-gloss table, and a pair of sand-encrusted wellies lying on their side in front of the French doors.

  ‘Sorry it’s such a mess.’ Katie gathered a couple of glasses still half-filled with orange juice from the table and dumped them in the sink. ‘I had an interview this morning so I didn’t have the chance to clear up after the kids left for school.’ She grabbed a T-shirt from the back of a chair and tossed it into the laundry basket. ‘Take a seat and I’ll put the kettle on.’ She indicated the sofa at the other end of the kitchen. ‘I bought some fizzy water, but I think a brew is called for, don’t you?’

  ‘Hell, yes.’ Frankie rubbed her hands together to warm them as she headed for the sofa. ‘I’d love a cup of tea.’

  Katie got started on the picnic while she waited for the kettle to boil, tipping the contents of a flimsy carrier bag onto the coffee table in front of the sofa. She offered a brief, sheepish smile as she righted the triangular boxes of pre-prepared sandwiches, family-sized packs of mini sausage rolls and pork pies, and a multipack of crisps.

  ‘The interview took longer than I expected so I had to dash into the mini market on my way home.’ She shifted a novel to the end of the table to make room for the food. ‘It isn’t as fancy as your picnic, George. Sorry.’

  ‘Don’t be.’ George shuffled forward so she could help to tear open the packaging. ‘This looks great. I just can’t help going over the top when it comes to food.’

  ‘Well then.’ Katie didn’t look convinced, but she smiled gratefully at George. ‘Dig in.’ She headed back to the kettle as it clicked off, leaving George and Frankie to chat as they made a start on their lunch. She returned with the drinks, squeezing them on the table beside the sausage rolls.

  ‘Everything okay?’ George asked as she reached for a packet of ready salted crisps. Instead of tucking in, Katie had curled herself up in the corner of the sofa and was currently feasting on her fingernails.

  ‘Yeah.’ Katie bobbed her head up and down, but her face didn’t have the same enthusiasm. Her eyebrows were pulled down low and her mouth was a thin line of apprehension.

  ‘Are you worrying about how the interview went?’ Frankie reached for her cup of tea, taking a quick, scalding sip before returning it to the table.

  ‘No, not really.’

  ‘Then what is it?’ George asked.

  Katie cringed. ‘I’ve done something really stupid.’

  Frankie wrinkled her nose. ‘Posted nude photos of Rob online as an act of revenge?’

  Katie’s face lit up as she giggled, the lines caused by the cringe smoothing out. ‘God, no. I don’t have any photos of Rob’s willy. Unless you count the baby photos his mum gave us when Lizzie had a family scrapbook project at school. The post-bath ones didn’t make it in there – Lizzie was mortified enough to see them without showing her friends and teacher.’

  ‘What did you do then?’ George placed the untouched packet of crisps on the table and twisted to face Katie fully. ‘It can’t be that bad, surely.’

  Katie drew her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on them. ‘I sort of… met someone.’

  Frankie sucked in her breath while George clapped her hands together.

  ‘But that’s wonderful. Isn’t it?’ George beamed across at Katie, but Katie groaned and began to nibble on her nails furiously, making her next words inaudible.

  George delicately removed Katie’s fingers and held onto her hand gently to prevent any more chewing. ‘What was that?’

  ‘I, um, sort of…’ Katie scrunched up her features, and George felt a gentle tug as Katie attempted to retrieve her hand, no doubt so she could gnaw at her nails again. ‘Slept with someone. Three times.’

  ‘It wasn’t Rob, was it?’ Frankie asked, and Katie shook her head.

  ‘It was someone new. Someone I met in the pub.’ She squirmed her hand out of George’s hold and threw her face into her hands.

  ‘Wow.’ George’s eyebrows were attempting to shoot to the very top of her forehead.

  ‘Wow indeed.’ Frankie was grinning as she leaned in closer to Katie. ‘What was it like? Was it amazing? It must have been if you had several goes. Are you seeing him again?’

  Katie shook her head, face still burrowed. ‘No. Definitely not. It was a mistake.’

  Frankie sniggered. ‘It took you three goes to figure that out?’ She pressed her lips together when George shushed her.

  ‘It shouldn’t have happened.’ Katie peeked out from beneath her finger mask. ‘I was feeling vulnerable and stupid and…’

  ‘Horny?’ Frankie earned herself a nudge in the ribs from George, but she didn’t look as though she regretted a thing.

  Katie dropped her hands from her face and grabbed her cup from the table, concentrating on the contents rather than her friends’ inquisitive gazes. ‘I may have been a teeny bit drunk.’

  George nodded and sighed. ‘We’ve all been there.’

  ‘But I haven’t.’ Katie’s eyes were wide, almost wild, as she looked up at her. ‘Before this, obviously. Rob was the only one.’

  ‘Blimey.’ Frankie leaned across to grin at her. ‘Then you’ve got some ground to cover, lady.’ She winked at Katie. ‘It sounds like you’ve made a good start.’

  Katie frowned. ‘Do you think?’

  Frankie snorted. ‘Absolutely. It sounds like you’ve been going at it like rabbits.’

  Katie groaned and covered her cheeks with her hands. ‘This is so embarrassing.’

  George tutted. ‘Nonsense. Sex isn’t embarrassing.’

  ‘Especially not the really good kind, which it sounds like you and… what did you say his name was?’

  Katie blew on her tea and took a hesitant sip. ‘It’s, um, Jarvis.’

  ‘It sounds like you and Jarvis are having the really good kind of sex.’ Frankie grinned at her friend. ‘That’s nothing to be ashamed of. You’re both single.’ Frankie leaned in closer again. ‘He is single, right?’

  Katie nodded. ‘He’s just out of a long-term relationship too.’

  ‘Well, there you go then.’ Frankie threw her hand up in the air, careful not to spill her tea. ‘You’re perfect for each other. It doesn’t have to be anything serious. Unless you want it to be…?’

  ‘Absolutely not.’ Katie shook her head. ‘I mean, he’s lovely and everything. And he’s so gorgeous I can feel my stomach doing funny things just picturing him, but I don’t want a relationship.’

  Frankie shrugged. ‘Then don’t have one. Have some fun.’

  ‘Really?’

  George nodded. ‘As long as you’re both aware that’s all it’s going to be.’

  Katie nodded for a moment, but then stopped and scrunched up her nose. ‘There’s just one problem. I sort of told him I didn’t want it to happen again, and I refused to give him my number.’

  ‘You met him in the pub, right?’ Katie nodded at George’s question. ‘Then it’s probably his local. Go back and see if he’s there again.’

  ‘You really think I should?’

  George nodded. ‘What’s stopping you?’

  Chapter Fifteen

  Frankie

  ‘Are you sure you don’t mind babysitting tonight?’ Frankie stood in the doorway of her living room, watching as her brother rifled through the bucket of Duplo on the floor, searching for a particular coloured brick while Skye stacked hers in a haphazard tower of colour. Finn had decided against joining in and was instead clinging onto Frankie’s thigh while emitting little whimpers at intervals.

  ‘Nope. I told you I’m happy to watch these little monkeys anytime.’ Spotting Finn’s impression of a baby chimpanzee clinging to its mother, Isaac scrabbled up onto his feet and scooped his nephew up, lifting him into mid-air before bringing his tummy down onto his lips for a loud raspberry. The whimpering stopped and was replaced by a fit of giggles. ‘We’ll be fine, I pr
omise.’ Isaac rested a still-giggling Finn on his hip. ‘Go out and have fun. You deserve it.’

  Frankie nodded, yet she still clung onto the doorframe. Any minute now, she was going to start whimpering.

  ‘Frankie…’ Isaac had adopted a warning tone.

  She held up a hand. ‘I know, I know. It’s just… hard. Leaving them.’ She lowered her voice. ‘What if something happens?’

  She had that feeling again. The feeling she was doing Something Wrong. It was usually there, humming in the background, but now it was front of stage, waving its arms around for attention.

  ‘What, like you actually have a good time?’ Isaac widened his eyes and gasped. ‘Oh no! We can’t have that.’

  Frankie rolled her eyes. ‘You know what I mean.’ Something bad. Something she couldn’t control because she’d taken her eye off the ball.

  ‘I do, and I get it.’ Isaac held Finn out for a goodbye kiss. ‘But you’re going out anyway, even if I have to march you there myself and embarrass you in front of your friends.’

  Frankie pulled Finn in close to her body, pressing her nose to his baby-soft hair, while Isaac tried to coax Skye away from the Duplo.

  ‘Busy.’ Skye held up her tower, which was about to keel over from the weight of so many bricks, as proof.

  ‘Come and say goodbye to Mummy, otherwise I’ll make you watch motor sport instead of having a bedtime story.’

  ‘Fine.’ The little girl sighed heavily before toddling over for a kiss and a too-tight hug.

  ‘Be good for Uncle Isaac, okay?’ She passed Finn to her brother, half-expecting, half-hoping he’d start to cry, meaning she’d be forced to stay behind and comfort him. But for once, Finn simply held up a hand and jangled it in a goodbye gesture. ‘Ring me if anything happens.’ Her eyes bore into Isaac’s at the request.