A Change for the Better? (27 page)

“Excellent” Mo grinned and held Bert’s hand, “you could organise it with the hen night if you like – I don’t know what Katie’s got planned.” She added, without expression except a sly wink in Ben’s direction.

“Whaaaaat?”
Katie demanded, juggling her mug which she was threatening to drop. Once she had settled it safely back on the counter she demanded again, “What hen night? And why am I organising it?”

“Well, it is the chief bridesmaid’s job isn’t it?” Mo asked

“Yes it is but ….” Katie stopped as the penny dropped, “Chief bridesmaid!” she squealed, “I’ve never been a bridesmaid before” she added clapping her hands together excitedly.

“So I can take that as a yes then?” Mo asked unsteadily. “Oh absolutely Mo – it will be an honour” Katie engulfed Mo in an enormous bear hug with tears running freely down both their faces.

“But there’s one thing I must insist on” Katie added, “we are not having the hen night with the stag do, I’m a stickler for tradition.”

April in Laxley Heath was a busy time, preparations for both the fayre and the wedding carried on apace and it seemed that everyone in the
village
had some job or other that they were responsible for. Whenever Katie was out and about in the village she would see Ted Taylor stringing bunting across the main street or Andy the Landlord stocking up on beer for the tent and she always stopped for a chat and a joke with them all. Katie had never felt such a part of somewhere, it was like every idyllic village as seen on numerous TV shows all rolled into one. Mary Allen waved across from her shop, “Good Morning Katherine” she said, Mary was not one for shortening names, “I’m glad I saw you, how’s Ken doing, I haven’t seen Mary Clackett for a while and I was hoping he was doing well.” Katie was able to confirm that Ken was indeed doing well and that Mary and Ken had actually gone to Southport for a couple of week’s holiday before Ken came home for good.

Before Katie knew it, it was the Friday morning of the fayre weekend. It dawned bright and sunny, if a little chilly but no one was going to mind that Katie thought as she sat on her little patio in front of Tolpuddle House, sipping a coffee and watching the first of the day’s coach parties march past. “I hope there’s somewhere to get a decent
cuppa” she heard one of the group saying; “it was like dishwater at the hotel this morning” she moaned to murmurs of agreement from those around her.

Katie knew that, unfortunately, they were doomed to disappointment, The Rose & Crown did do tea and coffee but it was pretty basic and even so it wouldn’t be open for another couple of hours when the party would probably be on the way to Burton Manor. Maybe there would be some demand for a coffee shop here Katie pondered as she watched the next coach arrive at the coach park. She had been thinking about the possibility of opening the café more and more over the last few weeks. Helping Mo with the wedding arrangements had made her realise how much she’d missed Mo when she had been cut off in London and her friendships with Cliona, Poppy, Ben and even Hermione had made her realise how important it was to have real friends in your life. A little voice suggested she might want more than friendship with one of them but Katie ruthlessly pushed it aside. Men had been off the menu for four months now and life had been much less complicated, it was probably best kept that way for now, at least until she had decided where her future lay. She wasn’t going to plan her future around a man again. She had so learned that lesson now!

Standing up Katie stretched and held her face towards the sun, it could easily warm up through the day and that would bring even more people
out that evening for the opening party of the fayre weekend. It looked like she would have a very busy day ahead!

By 11 o’clock that morning she was certainly being proved right. She had collected the day’s food from Declan’s restaurant and transferred it into the fridges and cabinets in her makeshift kitchen at the back of the main marquee. She had set out the serving counters as she wanted them, making sure the start was where everyone came into the tent and the end was at the seating area. This had been more complicated to achieve than she had thought it would be as Hermione had been insistent about running it the other way round as she was worried about people blocking the entrance as they queued. But with a bit of persuasion and some barrier ropes Katie had created a queuing line that wouldn’t block the entrance to the rest of the tent. Katie didn’t think queuing of that scale was really likely to be a problem anyway. People were much more likely to come in dribs and drabs she reasoned to
herself
.

By six thirty in the evening Katie started to realise just how wrong she had been, the queue was starting to snake around the green as the entire village, it seemed, had decided to save themselves the hassle of cooking tea and to get their evening meal at the fayre instead. Katie was filling jacket potatoes, slicing quiches, spooning crumbles into dishes and slicing pizza almost simultaneously. Fortunately she had
Jess, Andy the Landlord’s daughter to help her, and she was a godsend. Jess was serving all the people queuing with a pleasant smile and an efficiently quick turnaround in the seating area without anyone feeling they were being hurried along. And when some of the older villagers arrived Jess simply picked up their plates for them and walked along to the table with them, cutting down on the ‘chat’ time without appearing at all rude. It was clear Jess had done this many times before. At seven fifteen there appeared to be a bit of a lull so Katie sent Jess for a well-earned break and started to clear some of the chaos that surrounded her, though, if truth be told, she wasn’t entirely sure where to start!

“Need a hand?” a familiar voice said behind her, “I’m a dab hand at the clearing up” Ben was leaning against the counter with a tea towel in hand.

“God, yes please” Katie grabbed him quickly before he could change his mind.
“If you could clear the tables?
Most of it can be thrown away, the plates are paper but the mugs and cutlery need to go in these crates and across to the pub. Andy’s putting them through his dishwasher – but make sure it’s on hot, I don’t want them coming back with bits on” she added sternly.

“Aye, aye Cap’n” Ben teased and set about the tables as Katie cleared the kitchen debris, setting the supper items up and serving the odd
customer as she went along. She had kept Friday’s supper simple so she wouldn’t have too much to clear up before Saturday which was going to be the busiest day. She had jacket potatoes in the potato oven with cheese, tuna and coleslaw to go on them, all to be served in boxes so there would no washing up. She also had many cheesecakes, ready sliced and waiting to be plated for those who wanted something sweeter. Katie was just checking the urns were full of water and getting the takeaway cups she was going to use in the evening ready when she heard a strangled cry behind her. She spun round just in time to see Jess sail across the kitchen area and land in a crumpled heap on her right ankle, at which point she let out another scream. Katie dashed over to her and she could see the tears in Jess’s eyes as she tried to get up and put some weight on the damaged ankle.

“Here, lean on me” Katie instructed and then led Jess to one of the seats in the café. Jess’s ankle was throbbing now and she was distraught.

“I’m so sorry Katie; I don’t think I can walk on it at all. Maybe we can put a chair behind the counter and I can serve from there” she offered. Katie smiled and shook her head. “No Jess, I think you need to go and get that ankle checked out properly. Don’t worry about me _ I’ll be alright, I’m sure I can get someone else to pitch in.” she said with more certainty than she felt. Dispatching Lucy to find Jess’s dad, Katie soon
had Jess patched up and on her way to Accident and Emergency at Rawlinston Hospital. She now had to tackle her second problem of who she could get to help. Lucy had offered but she was already helping Poppy on her stall, and judging by the amount of things she had dropped clearing just three tables it looked like she might be more of a liability than a help!

Just as he was wondering where to turn Ben appeared round the corner of the marquee with two crates of now clean crockery and cutlery.

“What’s up, Katie Crabsticks?” he asked as soon as he saw her worried face. Katie explained her current dilemma. “No worries” Ben smiled, “I can help,
I
was always on
standby
anyway. So if you’re okay with it I’ll give you a hand.” Katie didn’t hesitate, Ben had shown himself to be surprisingly useful at the job so she accepted his offer before he had chance to change his mind.

The evening was soon in full swing, the committee had booked a country and western band for the evening with a caller for the dances. The marquee had been decorated appropriately with bales of hay dotted around to sit on, and flagons of ale on the tables. There was an array of checked shirts and denim from those who were dressing for the occasion. The lively ripples of music were proving infectious. Katie looked across the dance floor and she could see Cliona and Declan throwing
themselves
around with gay abandon. Cliona’s hair was flying
out and up and down, Declan seemed remarkably light on his feet for such a bear of a man. Then there was
Poppy
dancing with Guy if she wasn’t mistaken, they weren’t quite so wild as Cliona and Declan but, none the less, seemed to be enjoying themselves. Katie thought it was probably the first time she had ever seen Guy smile – it improved his appearance no end, as did being with Poppy if Katie was any judge. Even Lucy had left her teenage street coolness at the door of the marquee and was now launching herself into a swirling polka with a good looking boy Katie recognised as Jess’s older brother, Dominic. Katie laughed as Lucy’s ponytail was flung up and down as if it had a life of its own.

“Wishing you
were
out there?” Ben whispered over her shoulder, making her jump.

“Oh no” Katie shook her head, “I’d be hopeless at it” she added, looking wistfully at the dance floor.

“Ah but you don’t need to be any good – after all they tell you what to do” Ben reasoned, with that he grabbed her hand and ran her to the dance floor before she could protest. They found a gap in the dancing hordes just as the caller announced everyone to take their partner for the Gay Gordon. Soon Ben and Katie were twisting and turning and polka-ing around the floor and, if they were a little inept, they made up for it with their enthusiasm. They made quite a striking sight as they
flashed across the dance floor, Katie’s auburn hair flying out and her amber eyes shining as she laughed as they missed yet another step and then Ben’s tall figure, a head above most others on the dance floor. Cliona thought she had never seen either of them happier and she said as much to Declan.

“Don’t go getting any ideas, Clio” Declan cautioned, “don’t start meddling – if they’re right for each other they’ll find it out for themselves.”

Cliona pouted, but acquiesced, a little too easily for Declan’s comfort but he decided, on this occasion, to ignore his instinct and whisked Cliona back onto the dance floor.

After half an hour of the exertions, Katie and Ben retired back to the kitchen gasping for a drink. It was already nine thirty and the band would be having a break soon, so business was likely to take an upturn. After quenching their own thirst, Katie and Ben soon had the jackets ready to go and copious amounts of cups ready for those in need of a tea or coffee. In no time they had a queue formed but they had become a well-oiled team and they soon had everybody fed and watered, as Mo called it. Katie was just around the back of the kitchen taking the last few potatoes out of the oven as Cliona came up to the counter to grab a slice of cheesecake and a large mug of tea, seeing
her opportunity she decided to stop and have a quick chat with Ben. Fortunately for her Declan was chatting to some business acquaintances at the far side of the marquee or there was every chance he would have dragged her away, recognising the look on her face as the one she had exactly before she was about to extract her extremely large wooden spoon and start stirring!

“So you two made a striking pair on the dance floor” was her opening gambit.

“Striking being the operative word” Ben joked, “I think we took out most of the dance floor at some point or another, and ourselves if these are anything to go by” he added, looking at newly forming bruises on his forearms.

“Well you were both well into the dancing anyway – or was it into each other?” Cliona suggested archly and was pleased to see a slight flush in Ben’s cheeks not entirely due to his recent dancing so she decided to press on. “You looked lovely
together;
I’m so glad you’re both getting on, Katie needs someone good in her life now – after that idiot in London.”

“It’s a bit soon for that isn’t it” Ben asked intrigued, despite himself, “she’s probably sworn off men at the moment hasn’t she?
That’s what women
do when they’ve been disappointed isn’t it?”

“Disappointed!”
Cliona roared with laughter, “Have you just dropped out of a Jane Austen novel? Let me tell you, we’re not disappointed, we’re usually bloody furious or totally broken hearted but not disappointed Mr Wilson!” Ben laughed, “Okay, okay, I get it but still I don’t think Katie’s looking for anyone else just yet.”