Cathy's Christmas Kitchen: A heart-warming feel-good romantic comedy

by Tilly Tennant

  At this, Iris’s head whipped up. ‘What did you say?’

  ‘It isn’t fair to spring it on everyone over Facebook, so I’m going to announce it next week.’

  ‘But you can’t!’ Dora squeaked. ‘Everyone loves it!’

  Cathy looked sadly at her. ‘Do they? As far as I can tell they didn’t love it today.’

  ‘If you got rid of that girl we’d be just fine,’ Iris said.

  ‘But that’s just it,’ Cathy said. ‘No exclusions. It’s supposed to be inclusive and open to everyone – wasn’t that our mantra when we first started it? To be there for people who were lonely or needed that bit of human connection to get through the week? To help people to help themselves, no matter who they were or what their situation? If we ask Tansy not to come back that goes against everything we set out to do.’

  ‘But she’s the cause of all the trouble,’ Dora said.

  ‘She might be, but she clearly wants to come because she keeps turning up. And when she gets down to it she’s a good baker and she wants to learn. I can’t ask her to leave. More to the point, I won’t ask her to leave.’

  ‘So you’d rather ask everyone to leave?’ Iris said tartly.

  ‘It’s not asking everyone to leave – it’s calling it a day. We can still keep in touch via the Facebook group and people can share their baking stories on there. You could even run one without me if you really wanted to – that way you can invite who you like to join. I’m not going to do that – if someone wants to come then they’re welcome as far as I’m concerned. If you want me to continue then that’s my deal.’

  ‘She makes everyone uncomfortable,’ Iris said. ‘Nobody likes her.’

  ‘I’m sure that’s not true.’

  Iris held her in a challenging gaze. ‘Name one person who’s said they do.’

  ‘Erica,’ Cathy said.

  ‘Pah!’ Dora chipped in. ‘Of course she’s going to say so. But I’m not sure even she likes her when it gets down to it. Blood is thicker than water, but it doesn’t mean you have to like who you’re related to.’

  Cathy shook her head slowly, but she didn’t reply. Instead, she went over to fetch the mop and bucket from the cupboard. She could hear Iris and Dora talking softly to each other as she went. She wasn’t all that bothered about what they were saying – it wouldn’t change how she felt about today. She’d agreed to this club on the terms she’d just laid out, and nobody was going to persuade her to continue it on any others. Much as she loved being here, she would disband it if she was forced to, even though she secretly hoped that Iris and Dora would back down and it wouldn’t come to that.

  By the time she’d filled the bucket with soapy water they’d stopped talking and were watching her expectantly.

  ‘Perhaps what happened today was a genuine mistake,’ Iris said. ‘I’m willing to put it behind us if Tansy is.’

  ‘That’s good of you,’ Cathy said. ‘I’ll let Erica know next time I speak to her.’

  ‘So you’ll carry on with the club?’ Iris asked.

  Cathy paused for a moment. ‘Yes,’ she said finally. ‘I’ll carry on.’

  Dora and Iris both looked relieved.

  ‘I wouldn’t have wanted to be the one to tell Myrtle,’ Dora said.

  ‘Or Colin,’ Iris added as she opened an oven door to wipe it down. ‘He loves coming here on a Friday morning – highlight of his week now.’

  Well, Cathy thought, if that’s the case, let’s just hope everyone behaves from now on.

  Cathy phoned Erica as soon as she got home, but there was no reply. She sent her a quick text instead.

  Please call me when you can, need to talk. I’m sorry about today x

  Then she put the kettle on to boil and, while it bubbled away, took the cakes that Tansy and Erica had left behind out of her bag and put them into tubs to keep cool in the larder. If Erica would let her, she’d feel much happier about taking them over to her house than keeping them here, especially if she forgot to give them to Matthias when he came to pick her up tomorrow night. And it would give her an opportunity to iron things out with Erica. Not that she thought Erica was angry at her, but she still felt somehow responsible for what had happened. Regardless of the circumstances, it had all kicked off on her watch and if she’d been paying better attention she might have seen enough to stop it before it got as bad as it did.

  And she’d meant what she’d said to Iris and Dora afterwards too. The last thing she wanted was to disband the cookery club, but if they started to exclude people when they took a dislike to them (even if that person had brought it on themselves to some extent) then Cathy didn’t want to be a part of it anymore.

  The kettle had just boiled when her phone pinged the arrival of a message. It wasn’t Erica though; it was Matthias.

  How’s your day been so far? Work is hell today, clinic was overbooked and patients are spilling out of the door – might have to phone you much later tonight. That ok? X

  Cathy tapped out a reply to the affirmative. It wasn’t like she had much else to do so it didn’t really matter to her what time he called. If he wanted to call at three in the morning she’d wait up for it. Talking to him would have been one bright spot in an otherwise fraught and difficult day, if only it didn’t make her think quite so much about how annoyed his sister might be with her. She just hoped she could get to iron things out with Erica before he phoned.

  She didn’t have to wait long. As soon as Cathy sat at the table with her mug of tea her phone rang and she saw Erica’s name on the display.

  ‘Erica… I’m so sorry about today,’ she said.

  ‘I was about to say the same to you,’ Erica replied, and Cathy was glad to hear the warmth in her tone.

  ‘I spoke to Iris afterwards and she’s realised that it was a genuine mistake.’

  ‘About that…’ Erica paused, and her tone was more uncertain when she resumed. ‘I’m not sure it was. Tansy can be… well, it can’t have escaped your attention that she can be a bit difficult.’

  ‘I suppose not,’ Cathy admitted, realising that there was no point in doing otherwise. Erica had opened the discussion, indicating at last that the time for turning a blind eye or pretending nothing was wrong had passed.

  ‘None of that is her fault,’ Erica added. ‘The things she does – she often does them deliberately but the fact that she does them… that’s not her fault really.’

  ‘You don’t have to explain,’ Cathy said. ‘Whatever Tansy needs we can be there for her.’

  ‘I’m not sure that’s true of everyone.’

  ‘Well… I’ll admit that Iris and Dora have been a bit judgemental, but they said after you’d gone that they were willing to put today behind them.’

  ‘The thing is, I know Tansy loves cooking with you – I can see it’s doing her so much good. It’s the first thing I’ve ever seen her concentrate so well on and the first thing I’ve ever seen her do that makes her forget for a while that she doesn’t have to be angry at the world all the time. I’d hate to be the one to take that away from her, but I would have to if it was going to make it hard for you to run the club.’

  ‘It won’t,’ Cathy said.

  ‘But you’d tell me if she was causing so many problems that it was becoming a real issue for you? You’ve been so kind to her, I’d hate that. She doesn’t see it yet, but one day I think she will. At least, I hope so.’

  Cathy didn’t think she’d been especially kind to Tansy – in fact, she’d mostly done her best to stay off the girl’s radar. But she smiled and nodded.

  ‘I’d tell you, but right now there’s no problem as far as I’m concerned. And if she’s getting as much out of it as you think, then I can only be happy to be a part of that.’

  ‘Thank you.’

  ‘While we’re being so open…’ Cathy began as another thought occurred to her, ‘the missing blender… that wasn’t you, was it? That was Tansy too, wasn’t it?’

  Erica gave a chuckle. ‘Nothing gets past you
, does it?’

  ‘I thought it was strange at the time, that you’d managed to somehow drop it into your bag.’

  ‘She only took it because she thought it would be funny that Iris would be looking for it – she didn’t mean any real harm. I found it and confronted her, but it didn’t seem worth bringing up at the time… I mean, all I’ve just said to you about her getting a lot from the club… I was worried you’d kick her out if you thought she was a thief.’

  ‘So you took the blame? You are a good aunty.’

  ‘I try,’ Erica said, ‘but never having had any kids of my own to practise on, I don’t know that I’m very good at working out what your average teenager wants or needs. Not that I’m convinced Tansy is your average teenager.’

  ‘I don’t have any kids but I’m not convinced she is either,’ Cathy said. ‘And I don’t mean that in a derogatory way…’

  ‘Most would. It’s nice of you to be diplomatic but I know what people tend to think of her and – if I’m totally honest – I know she doesn’t do much to help herself there either. People think she’s sulky and aggressive and it’s a message she takes great pains to send out, but when you really know her…’ Erica let out a sigh. ‘It’s hard to explain.’

  ‘It’s OK,’ Cathy said. ‘I understand, and you shouldn’t have to explain it to anyone anyway, least of all me. Was she alright when you left? Iris didn’t upset her too much? She wants to come back?’

  ‘She said she didn’t care what Iris thought and she would carry on doing exactly what she liked because she hadn’t done anything wrong – which includes coming to the cookery club. I think she was lying about Iris, but the rest… I think she probably doesn’t see that she did anything wrong.’

  ‘But she did take the cake out of the oven deliberately?’

  There was a pause, and Cathy seemed to sense a helpless shrug at the other end of the line. ‘With Tansy, you never know what’s going on in that head of hers.’

  Twenty-Five

  Cathy had been shopping, this time having had more warning about their next date, and she had on a new dress. It was a navy-blue floral with chiffon bell-sleeves, a flattering sweetheart neckline and a mid-length skirt. It showed her figure at its best, skimming over her belly and thighs, and, as she’d made a final check in the mirror, she’d felt sexy for the first time in a long time. Matthias’s reaction had certainly done a lot to boost that too – as soon as she answered the front door he’d joked that she looked so incredible that they shouldn’t bother going out to dinner but should stay in together instead, a flirty, cheeky look on his face.

  But, just like a perfect gentleman, he’d escorted Cathy out anyway, back to the bar they’d tried briefly on their first date, only this time they could order a full meal and make the most of the warm, ambient atmosphere.

  ‘I love it in here,’ she said as they settled at their table. ‘Do you come here a lot?’

  ‘Not really – I’ve been to a couple of work socialising things here but that’s about it.’

  ‘Erica says you’re a physiotherapist… Do you like your job? You were going to tell me about it at the theatre and…’

  ‘I got distracted,’ he said, smiling. ‘Hardly surprising considering the company I had. I’d much rather hear about you than talk about my job.’

  ‘But I’d like to know. It sounds interesting.’

  He raised his eyebrows and grinned. ‘You’re sure about that?’

  Cathy laughed. ‘Yes!’

  ‘Well, there are physiotherapists for more things than anyone realises. I specialise in rehabilitating people with heart conditions.’

  ‘Erica said that. She’s very proud of you.’

  He looked vaguely surprised and Cathy laughed. ‘She is!’ Cathy said through her laughter. ‘She said so!’

  ‘She could try saying that to me once in a while.’

  ‘She doesn’t?’

  ‘I think it’s a sibling thing. You’re not supposed to say things like that to your brother.’

  ‘I wouldn’t know – I’m an only child.’

  ‘Do you wish you’d had brothers or sisters?’

  ‘I always wished for a brother or sister but I never got one. But you seem close, closer than a lot of siblings I know of. I’m envious of that.’

  ‘Your parents didn’t want any more children after you?’

  ‘It wasn’t that simple.’

  ‘Erica told me about your mum… I’m sorry. What about your dad? Is he…?’

  ‘He died when I was five. I find it hard to remember him now. Mum got ill a few years later. It wasn’t too difficult to manage at first, but then she got sicker and sicker… I had to start looking after her. I wouldn’t have had it any other way, of course, but I don’t mind admitting it was a lonely time of my life. My friends moved on, I lost boyfriend after boyfriend and then I decided it just wasn’t worth bothering with any of it. It became too painful to see people move on and disappear from my life so I cut myself off to a point.’ She shrugged. ‘It was just easier to cope that way.’

  ‘So it was just you and your mum?’

  Cathy nodded.

  ‘She must have been so grateful to have you.’

  ‘I think she was and that made it a lot easier to bear, knowing I’d made her feel safe and cared for.’

  ‘I know a lot of people who care for others in my line of work, and I know that it’s never easy. I don’t honestly know that I’d be able to do it; you must be one amazing person.’

  She smiled up at him. She’d never seen herself that way, but to hear it from him now warmed her in a way she hadn’t felt in a long time. It made her feel that maybe what she’d done for her mum had been worth something after all, that it was something to be proud of.

  Her hands rested on the table in front of her, and she glanced down as she felt him cover them with his own before looking up to meet his gaze again. There was that now familiar thrill of excitement as she fell into those eyes and the world around her disappeared.

  ‘I suppose we ought to have a look at this menu…’ he said in a husky voice.

  ‘I suppose we should,’ Cathy replied, but she didn’t move her gaze from his, utterly trapped, mesmerised… not that she would have wanted to be rescued.

  He smiled. ‘This is weird, isn’t it?’

  ‘Is it?’

  ‘The way we met… how quickly I feel I know you… how quickly I feel as if we could be…’

  He cleared his throat and reached for the menu with a sheepish grin. ‘Ignore me – I’m talking rubbish as usual.’

  ‘No – no, you’re not,’ Cathy said, reaching for his hand again. ‘It’s not just you. I feel as if I’ve known you for years not days. I mean, it’s all new and that’s wonderful, but at the same time, it’s like you’ve always been there.’ She blushed and reached for her own menu. ‘If that’s not what you’d been about to say then I sound pretty stupid right now.’

  ‘It was,’ he said. ‘That’s exactly what I was trying to say and you saying it has only proved I’m right.’

  Suddenly aware they were no longer alone, Cathy looked up to see the waiter at their table.

  ‘Had time to look over the menu, folks?’ he asked brightly.

  Cathy glanced at Matthias and they grinned at each other.

  ‘Could you give us five more minutes?’ Matthias asked. ‘I promise we’ll stop talking long enough to give you an order when you get back.’

  The waiter nodded. ‘Sure thing – no need to rush.’

  He walked away, Cathy hardly noticing, her gaze trapped in Matthias’s again.

  ‘We’re never going to get any food at this rate,’ he said, laughing, though he made no move to do anything other than look into her eyes.

  Eventually, she managed to tear herself away and blushed as she put her attention to the menu again. ‘We should probably…’

  ‘We should,’ he said, but when she looked up he was still gazing at her.

  ‘Menu!’ she said and laug
hed, making him chuckle too.

  ‘Right,’ he said, finally making a move to read his. ‘Let’s see what there is.’

  Matthias was a lot more knowledgeable about Spanish food than Cathy. She’d spent a lot of time over the years cooking as well as baking, but she tended to concentrate on the things her mum would like and usually ate the same. As Miriam got sicker their choices had become smaller because her appetite had waned and she’d found fewer and fewer foods tempting or palatable, and so, to some extent, Cathy’s choices had shrunk too. It had just been easier to go with what her mum wanted rather than cooking separate meals, but it meant that she’d stopped experimenting with different cuisines and had baked a lot more of the sweet treats that her mum would always eat.

  Cathy had been torn about what to order as she’d wanted to try so much, so in the end they’d gone for small tapas-style portions, as they had the first time they’d come here, but this time they chose more varieties including garlic shrimps, a meatball dish called albondigas, patatas bravas, chicken wings and even some octopus.

  But despite enjoying what she’d tried, and even making a note to find recipes so she could replicate some of it at home, if anyone had asked her to describe what she’d eaten afterwards she’d have found it difficult, because all she could think about was the man sitting across from her. She hardly registered the tangy tomato sauce that came with the meatballs, or the sharp green olives with the shrimp, but she’d memorised every line on his face, the way his nose wrinkled when he laughed, the resonant timbre of his voice, the way one lock of hair in his swept-back fringe refused to sit with the rest, the feel of his hands whenever they’d crept to meet hers, the woody scent as he’d leaned close to share a joke or a stolen kiss.

  As the evening drew to a close, they had another friendly disagreement over the bill and Matthias, again, insisted on paying, but only once Cathy had made him agree that next time they met he’d let her cook for him because she didn’t want him to keep paying for her and he didn’t want her to splash out on him. So he settled up and they stepped out onto damp pavements made glassy by a sharp frost, his arm around her shoulders to pull her close as she shivered at the sudden change of temperature.