As she started her usual tidy and clean, Erica and Tansy came to bid her goodbye.
‘How did you find today?’ Cathy asked. ‘There was a bit more to think about with today’s bake but everyone seemed to get on well.’
‘Good,’ Erica said. She looked at Tansy. ‘Don’t you think it was good today?’
‘Yes,’ Tansy said – it was about as close to praise as Cathy was ever going to get so she’d take it.
‘In fact,’ Erica said, ‘Tansy wants to do some baking at Matt’s house over the weekend. You get a bit bored, don’t you? It’s a bit too far to see your friends—’
‘They’re all bitches anyway,’ Tansy cut in.
Cathy’s smile held, despite the acid in Tansy’s tone.
‘I could help,’ Cathy said. ‘If you wanted some help, of course, I mean, if you wanted to get on with it then of course that’s fine. But if you like, I could show you some new things to make. You’ve got natural talent – I think you’d be able to handle far more complex bakes than we do here.’
‘I think that might be good,’ Erica said, looking at Tansy for agreement. ‘Sounds like fun. I think you’re good too – better than I am.’
Tansy nodded. ‘Alright,’ she said. ‘You could. I suppose you’d be coming to see Matt anyway.’
Cathy had been planning to see Matthias and, in fact, he’d booked a day off work to do just that, but it certainly hadn’t involved spending time with Tansy. But this seemed like a good opportunity to make those inroads she’d vowed she was going to make, and she didn’t think he’d mind. She hoped he’d see it as a good thing. She half wondered if it would have been this hard trying to get on with an actual daughter rather than just his moody niece. Anyone who had to go to such lengths to ingratiate themselves with the son or daughter of a new partner had her deepest sympathy.
‘Great!’ Cathy said. ‘I’ll talk to your uncle and we’ll fix something up!’
Before her day with Matthias, Cathy had a day at work. Ordinarily she’d look forward to spending time with Fleur, but today she was filled with a vague impatience as she stood at the stall, hands in the front pocket of her green tabard, eyes fixed on the doorway to the market hall. They’d finished their usual morning cup of tea and cake and there had been a flurry of customers which had tailed off about half an hour ago. It was almost midday. Cathy had told Fleur to go and have her lunch first and she’d follow. Fleur often argued that she didn’t need lunch and it would have been no surprise if she’d done so today. However, surprisingly, she seemed to jump at the chance.
‘I’ll go in ten minutes or so,’ Fleur said. ‘Just let it get to a respectable time – can’t have my lunch when it’s not even afternoon.’
‘Nobody will care if you’re hungry,’ Cathy said absently, eyes still on the doorway.
Fleur clicked her fingers in front of Cathy’s face. ‘Earth to Cathy!’
Cathy turned with a grin, shaken out of her daydream. ‘Sorry.’
‘No prizes for guessing what you’re thinking about.’
‘Actually I was thinking about what I was going to bake with Tansy tomorrow,’ she said.
Fleur raised her eyebrows.
‘OK,’ Cathy said, laughing, ‘I was thinking about Matthias a little bit too. But I promise there was some baking in there.’
‘Are you taking your little recipe book?’
‘I suppose I’ll have to; otherwise, most of it’s in my head and I think Tansy will find the idea of me dictating quite random measurements and staring at the bowl for ages until I decide if it looks right quite frustrating.’
‘She certainly wouldn’t be doing much of it herself. Why don’t you go and buy her a proper recipe book? She might like that.’
‘She might,’ Cathy agreed. ‘I think that’s a brilliant idea, actually. A token of friendship and all that. I might take mine anyway in case there are recipes she wants out of there, but I think I’ll get her something that’s her own for when I’m not there.’
‘Is your book finished yet?’ Fleur asked.
‘More or less. People are still coming to me with recipes, but I suppose I’ll have to have some kind of cut-off point or we’ll be going at it forever.’
‘You still don’t fancy getting a few printed for sale on the stall?’
‘I think it’s too close to Christmas now.’
‘We have two weeks.’
‘What if they don’t sell and we’ve got a load left?’ Cathy shook her head. ‘It’s a lovely idea but I think I’d rather just give copies to people.’
‘Like whatshername…?’
Cathy frowned.
‘Oh, you know, that woman who’s in charge at the church hall.’
‘Iris?’ Cathy smiled. ‘She thinks she’s in charge… actually, come to think of it, she’s probably the closest thing to a manager they’ve got. Whatever they pay her – and I’m not sure they do pay her – it’s not enough. She’s always there no matter what day it is and I’m pretty sure she doesn’t need to be.’
‘That’s dedication,’ Fleur said.
‘It is.’
‘So she’s already got a copy of your book?’
Cathy resisted the urge to frown. ‘Yes… a rough one. Why do you ask?’
‘Oh, no reason,’ Fleur said airily. ‘Do you know what…? I might have my lunch now after all. If I’m late back hang on for me – might have to run an errand or two.’
‘Oh, right…’ Cathy began, but she wasn’t even sure that Fleur heard that much because without another word she grabbed her coat and dashed off.
Cathy arrived at Matthias’s house the following day with everything she thought they might need and he wouldn’t have for an afternoon of baking. He’d seemed a touch sceptical on the phone when Cathy had explained their plans and what she’d hoped it would achieve, but he was happy that she was making an effort. He was even happier that Tansy seemed to be making an effort too.
Matthias greeted Cathy at the door with a tender kiss. They both understood that it would probably be the only one of the afternoon, unless Tansy decided to make herself scarce, though Cathy thought that was very unlikely. Even if she’d wanted to go out, she wouldn’t have wanted to make life easy for anyone, least of all Cathy.
‘Hello,’ Cathy said, breathless as he pulled away.
‘Hello,’ Matthias replied with a warm smile. ‘Well, this is new, isn’t it?’
‘What?’
‘I sort of feel as if you’re on a date with both me and Tansy.’
‘So do I,’ she said with a laugh. ‘Like I’m on approval and if she doesn’t like me she can send me back.’
‘Not on my watch she can’t,’ he said. ‘This is as much about her making an effort as you – don’t think otherwise.’
Cathy didn’t believe that for a moment; Tansy – as far as Cathy could tell – had never heard of the word compromise. You either played her way or you didn’t play. It was a cycle that needed to be broken and there was no way the stick method was going to work so it would have to be the carrot. That was what today was about – carrots and lots of them. Or one big one, if you really wanted to stretch the analogy.
Matthias took a bag from her and winced. ‘What the hell is in here? It weighs a ton!’
She laughed. ‘It’s not that heavy.’
‘I wouldn’t have fancied carrying it on the bus. If you’d told me you were dragging so much over here I’d have insisted on picking you up.’
‘I didn’t know I was bringing this much; I got a bit carried away. I looked in the cupboards and it just felt as if I needed everything.’
‘Well, I hope she appreciates the effort,’ he said, and Cathy didn’t have to ask who he meant.
‘I got her this too…’ Cathy opened one of her bags and showed him a glossy hardback book.
He offered a silent question.
‘A present,’ she said. ‘A recipe book of her own. I thought she might prefer something put together by a real cook so she could bake w
hen she feels like, here. When I’m not here, I mean.’
‘You are a real cook!’ he said with a chuckle.
‘Oh, you know what I mean.’
‘So that’s not yours then?’
‘God no!’ she said, laughing. ‘Mine looks nothing like this!’
He kissed her lightly. ‘That’s such a kind thing to do; I’ll bet it cost a fortune. It’s just the sort of thing I’m learning to expect from you – I think she’ll love it.’
‘I hope so,’ Cathy said.
‘Come on through,’ he said, pots clanking in the bag he was carrying as he continued down the hallway. ‘She’s upstairs; I’ll call her down.’
As Cathy unpacked her bags Tansy came in. She was wearing leggings and a slouchy sweatshirt, and her usual harsh make-up and tight ponytail were missing. With her hair tied in a loose plait over one shoulder and her face bare she looked a lot younger. Pretty, actually, Cathy thought; if she’d only drop the permanent look of confrontation she’d be prettier still.
‘Hi,’ Cathy said.
‘Hi.’ Tansy took a seat at the table and watched for a moment as Cathy got things out of her bags. ‘What’s all that?’ she asked finally.
‘Stuff I thought we might need. There are a few things I have twice at home and don’t need. You could keep them here… In case you decide to do a lot more baking. I don’t think your uncle has much of this.’
‘I have none of it,’ Matthias said, turning round from where he was filling the kettle. ‘You’re lucky to find a spoon and bowl for your breakfast around here.’
‘Oh,’ Tansy said, and although she didn’t offer any thanks, Cathy thought she detected just the tiniest softening of her expression.
‘I got you this, too,’ Cathy continued, pulling the professional cookery book from her bag now. She pushed it across the table to Tansy, catching a smile from Matthias as she glanced up.
‘What is it?’ Tansy asked, making no move to pick it up.
‘What does it look like?’ Matthias said.
He leaned back against the worktop and folded his arms, regarding them both with a pleased look. Cathy wondered if he thought this was progress. He’d know better than her, of course, but if this was progress, it was going to be slow and painful because Tansy hardly looked thrilled with her gift.
‘Thanks,’ she said in a toneless voice. She twisted round to look at Matthias and caught a slip in his smile, and, perhaps for him more than anyone else, she eventually took up the book and thumbed through its pages.
‘Do you like it?’ Matthias asked.
‘Yeah.’ Tansy put the book down again. ‘It’s good.’
‘I brought mine with me too,’ Cathy said. ‘It’s obviously rubbish compared to that but we can look through it if you decide you’d rather do something you’ve tried at cookery club before. Or we can go through the new one and have a go at something in there.’
‘I don’t mind,’ Tansy said. ‘Whatever.’
‘Right…’ Cathy threw an uncertain look at Matthias as he stood behind Tansy. He shrugged. ‘Maybe you want to look through the new one for a bit? There’s no rush to start anything. I could chat to your uncle for a while.’
‘What do you think we should make, Matt?’ Tansy said, twisting to look at him again. ‘You choose and you can eat it.’
‘All of it?’ he asked with a grin. ‘How greedy do you think I am?’
‘Well,’ she said, the ghost of a genuine smile now, ‘you ate all that carrot cake.’
‘I did not!’ he said, laughing.
‘Almost all of it,’ Tansy said.
‘Did you like it?’ Cathy asked.
‘It was amazing,’ he said warmly. ‘Best carrot cake I’ve ever had.’
‘Shall we make that again then?’ Tansy asked with the vaguest hint of enthusiasm – nothing crazy but certainly more than Cathy had ever witnessed.
‘That sounds good to me,’ Cathy said.
‘Shall we use your recipe?’ Tansy asked.
Cathy got her own exercise book out and looked for the page. ‘Will you have all these ingredients in?’
‘I might have some left over from when I brought the stuff to cookery club,’ Tansy said, getting up to look in the cupboards. One by one she brought the ingredients to the table as Cathy read them out.
‘Maybe there’s not quite enough brown sugar there,’ Cathy said, looking them over when they’d finished. ‘We might want a bit more dried fruit too.’
‘I could go foraging,’ Matthias said. ‘Make a list for me – make it very clear because I don’t know the first thing about cake ingredients and anything could come back with me. You two can make a start while I’m gone.’
The prospect of time alone with Tansy hardly filled Cathy with glee, but she realised that this was probably the best solution. Matthias had his car and he could be at the shops and back far quicker than she could walk it. Besides, the point of this visit (apart from the fact that any excuse to see Matthias was one she’d grab willingly) was for Cathy to get to know Tansy better and to get her to open up a bit. Being left alone with her could go one of two ways, but she hoped that if she handled it right, it would go the good way and not the bad.
‘Tansy… would you like to check the recipe and write down what your uncle needs to get? I think your handwriting might be a lot better than mine.’
‘Here… you’ll need a writing pad,’ Matthias put in, pulling one from the drawer and dropping it onto the table with a pen.
Cathy handed her recipe book over and Tansy began to check what they had, making notes of where there wasn’t enough. Cathy smiled up at Matthias and he smiled back. The fact that Tansy hadn’t complained or pulled a face was good, surely? That was progress?
When she’d finished she tore off the page and gave it to Matthias.
Cathy followed him out to the hallway and stood at the front door as he got his coat on.
‘Just as if you live here,’ he said, smiling down at her as she saw him out.
‘Not quite,’ she said, but she liked the image anyway.
He leaned down to kiss her lightly. ‘I won’t be long. Try not to get into a punch-up while I’m gone.’
‘I’ve never been in a punch-up in my life and I’m not about to start now.’
‘Glad to hear it – see you shortly.’
He closed the door behind him, throwing the hallway into gloom again. Cathy made her way back to the kitchen to find Tansy already weighing out the things they did have. She glanced up as Cathy came in but said nothing, turning her attention back to her task.
‘So…’ Cathy began, scrabbling for a conversation opener, ‘how’s it going staying with your uncle?’
‘Alright,’ Tansy said.
Cathy reached for the tea Matthias had just made for her and waited, but there was nothing more.
‘Do you think you’ll stay long term?’
‘Don’t you want me here?’
‘It’s none of my business,’ Cathy said. ‘I can’t tell Matthias who to have here.’
‘No, you can’t. He’s always got my back and I’ve got his.’
‘I’ll bet you have,’ Cathy said. ‘It’s lucky you’re so close and you have good family around you.’
Tansy glanced up with the sneer that Cathy was far more used to seeing.
‘But they are,’ Cathy insisted. ‘I’ve got nobody.’
‘You’ve got a house – Matthias told me.’
‘Yes, but there’s just me living in it.’
‘At least that’s somewhere to live. If I didn’t have Matt I’d be living on the street.’
‘I’m sure your mum would never allow that to happen… she’s your mum, after all.’
‘Have you met my mum?’
‘No, but—’
‘Then you don’t know what she’d allow.’
Cathy was silent for a moment. She sipped at her tea while Tansy poured the flour she’d just weighed out into a bowl.
‘Have you spoken to he
r since you left?’ she asked finally. She suspected her question would be met with the usual sullen rebuff but she asked it anyway. She had to make some kind of conversation and she didn’t know anything about Tansy except that she quite liked to bake and that she had just left home and moved in with Matthias. They’d pretty much covered the baking topic – at least they would throughout the afternoon. The second one seemed like a conversation more worth having.
‘No,’ Tansy said. ‘I’m not going to either. If she can’t be bothered to phone me then I’m not going to bother phoning her.’
‘She hasn’t even phoned you? But you’ve been gone for days!’
Tansy straightened up and regarded Cathy coldly. ‘Look, you don’t have to pretend you care. I’m not going to get in the way of you seeing my uncle so you don’t have to be my friend. I don’t need to get in the way…’ she added, putting her head down to the recipe book again. ‘It never works out.’
‘One day it will,’ Cathy said firmly.
‘Yeah, you keep thinking that,’ Tansy said. ‘You’ll see.’
Cathy put down her mug and folded her arms. If they were going down this road then come on, she thought, bring it on. Let me know what’s in store. ‘OK. Why don’t they work out?’
‘Well,’ she said, in a tone that implied Cathy must be a bit slow if she needed Tansy to enlighten her, ‘he loves Sidonie, doesn’t he?’
‘They’re divorced.’
‘So?’
‘He can’t go back to her.’
‘Doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to.’
‘He seems happy enough now.’
‘Yeah, well, he’s not going to cry to you about it, is he?’
‘I can tell.’
‘How?’
‘I just can.’
‘Whatever…’
Cathy's Christmas Kitchen: A heart-warming feel-good romantic comedy Page 23