Tuesdays at the Teacup Club (3 page)

‘What a keeper.’

‘Yes, I think so. You know what, I’ve been thinking more about that suggestion you made, about the screenings.’

‘Oh yes?’

‘Jamie really liked it, and it turns out we probably do need something to keep us ahead of the competition.’ Alison nodded
across the road.

‘Love Latte?’

‘Yes. Although we don’t love them that much at the moment. Look – they’re packed. Business definitely slowed over the weekend,
and I saw a couple of our regulars in the queue there this morning.’

‘It’s just curiosity. It’s the first coffee chain we’ve had in Charlesworth, after all. People will soon come back,’ Maggie
said.

‘Fingers crossed they will – but no harm in offering them a little something extra, a weekly event where they can catch up
with friends and have a unique experience to boot. We can project the films on the wall over there’– she pointed – ‘then dress
the café to fit the film. Teacup cocktails, treats, the works.’

‘Excellent,’ Maggie said.

‘I’ve already been publicising the launch online, and on the night Chloe’s promised to do a feature for
Sussex Living
. Hopefully it’ll draw in a few out-of-towners.’

‘It sounds perfect,’ Maggie said. ‘Let me know if there’s anything at all I can do to help.’ Just then Stan started to grizzle,
and she reached into his buggy and undid the straps to lift him out. He clutched at her banoffee pie with his chubby hand.
‘Hey, hands off, Stan. That’s mine.’ She moved it out of his reach, and replaced it with a rusk from her bag.

‘Shame Jen won’t be able to make it,’ Maggie said. ‘I haven’t heard from her, but I think she must be off on her book tour
already. She sounded on top of the world, didn’t she?’

‘Yes, the lucky thing. Let’s hope she still remembers us when she’s rich and famous.’

Jenny

Tuesday, 10th September

The hospital waiting room smelled of bleach, and orderlies hurried down the corridors wheeling trolleys and holding clipboards.

Chloe had called me twice this morning. I felt awful not picking up, but I couldn’t face lying to her again. The other day,
after I left Chris’s flat, I’d told her he was fine, just caught up with his work and in need of a bit of space.

‘Christopher Davis?’ the receptionist called out. Chris caught her eye and nodded. ‘The doctor will see you now.’

I took hold of his hand and squeezed it. It was the same hospital that Dad and I had taken him to for appointments when he
was little. I hadn’t expected to be back again now.

‘You still want me to come in with you?’ I asked.

‘Yes,’ he said, managing a faint smile.

We went together into the small, minimally furnished room.

‘Good morning,’ the consultant greeted us. Chris wheeled up to her desk and I took a seat next to him. The doctor’s hands
were steepled in front of her as she leaned forward. Her face was familiar to me, but I noticed she was older now, with grey
strands in her hair.

‘So how are you doing, Chris?’

‘Not that great actually, Dr Kilbride,’ he said, shuffling a little. ‘The pain in my back has got a lot worse, and my legs
are weaker. I’ve been in my chair the whole time, whereas normally I’m OK some of the time on crutches. I’ve managed fine
for years, but this is different – much worse. I know you said to try resting, and the anti-inflammatories, but I don’t think
any of that is helping.’

‘I’m sorry to hear that,’ the consultant said.

I tried to gauge from the doctor’s face how serious this was, but her expression didn’t give anything away.

‘A tethered spinal cord isn’t an uncommon complication in adults with spina bifida, and it seems likely to be what’s causing
your symptoms. As you know, we like to explore non-surgical options first, but there are times when, in order to prevent symptoms
worsening, we may choose to operate.’

Chris looked nervous, and I covered his hand with mine again. It was rare that I thought of him as my little brother, given
how often he was the one looking out for me, but right now I felt it acutely. He was the vulnerable toddler Dad and I had
taken to appointments, and who I’d shared sweets with on the way home.

‘What are the risks of that?’ I asked.

‘Any operation carries risks,’ Dr Kilbride said. ‘If all goes well, we could see some improvement in your brother’s condition
after the spinal cord is detethered. But, among other things, there could be some nerve damage, and if so, it can be permanent.’

‘You mean operating on his spine could actually make things worse?’ I asked. In my anxiety the words just slipped out, and
Chris glanced over at me, a trace of fear in his eyes.

‘There is a chance of that,’ Dr Kilbride said. ‘Which is why it’s something Chris needs to think about carefully. But if we
don’t operate, it may be that his condition continues to deteriorate all the same.’

I tuned out slightly as she talked Chris through the operation, the length of hospital stay and the time he’d need to rest
afterwards. My mind was crowded with worries about what could go wrong. After about fifteen minutes we said goodbye to the
consultant, and went back out into the fresh air. The day was overcast and it had started to rain.

I helped him back into my car, and got into the driver’s side. ‘You will tell Chloe about this, won’t you?’

‘I don’t know,’ Chris said, shaking his head. ‘I don’t really want her to see me like this. Weak. Sick. I hate it. I want
her to see me how I was. I want things to be the way they were before.’

I thought of the concern in Chloe’s voice, the way she was worrying about him right now.

‘Chris, Chloe loves you. She’ll want to be here for you. She’s your girlfriend.’

‘I need some time. If I have the operation, I’ll tell her afterwards, when I’m better. But right now, I don’t want her to
have to deal with this.’

He turned to me, his brown eyes determined. ‘Don’t say anything to her, Jen.’

Alison

Friday, 13th September

‘Macaroni cheese OK for tonight?’ Pete asked, as Alison hung up her coat in the hallway.

‘Anything that I’m not cooking sounds absolutely delicious,’ she said, taking off her boots. She was chilled to the bone.
It was only September, but the air had cooled and it was raining heavily.

Pete smoothed her dark hair, wet in places from the rain. ‘You’re drenched. Didn’t you have an umbrella?’

‘It didn’t look that bad this morning,’ she said. He took her into the warmth of his arms, and her cheek brushed against the
soft cotton of his lumberjack shirt. She felt the familiar bristle of his stubble against her ear.

‘Come and sit down while I get the dinner ready,’ Pete said. ‘Sophie’s upstairs helping Holly rehearse her lines, so we might
even get time for a chat.’

‘Excellent,’ Alison said, walking through into the kitchen with Pete and taking a seat at their large wooden dinner table.
‘Does this place serve wine?’

‘The very best you can get for a fiver,’ he said, pulling a bottle out of the wine rack.

He poured them both glasses of red, and put a pan of water on to boil. ‘How’s everything been going at the café?’

‘Good. Apart from the Love Latte effect.’

‘Oh dear, really? Can’t believe they opened up right opposite you like that.’

‘All’s fair in the coffee and cake business,’ Alison said, with a shrug. ‘It’s going to be tough competing with them on price,
but we’ve got some tricks up our sleeve.’

‘On that note, thinking of your film night next week – I checked the projector and it’s working fine.’

‘Great, that is good news. Do you remember when we used to have it set up in our bedsit? It’s been on a journey with us, that
thing.’

‘Certainly has. It’s good to see it’ll be getting some use again, and giving Blitz Spirit a helping hand.’

‘I think we’re going to make a real impact with this new night,’ Alison said, taking a sip of wine. ‘We just need to remind
people who we are and that we’re not going anywhere. We won’t write their name on disposable cups, but we’ll serve up a perfect
vintage tea to remember.’

‘I’m sure it’ll make a splash. You’ve always risen to a challenge.’

‘Good thing, given this family.’ She laughed warmly.

The kitchen door opened and Sophie and Holly burst in. ‘Hi, Mum,’ Sophie said. She was wearing a tight black T-shirt and jeans,
and Alison noticed how her daughter’s body was becoming curvier, like her own.

‘Is dinner ready?’ asked Sophie.

‘We’re absolutely staaaaaaaaaarrrving,’ Holly joined in, dashing over to see what her dad was putting into the pot. ‘It’s
hard work rehearsing.’ She dumped her play script on the kitchen table.

‘And it’s hard work listening to her rehearse,’ Sophie said. ‘We’re hungry. We have rights, you know – and I’m pretty sure
eating is one of them.’

Alison caught Pete’s eye, smiled and shook her head. ‘Sometimes I wonder if it wasn’t better when the two of them were at
war, don’t you?’

Maggie

Tuesday, 17th September

‘I’m really,
really
glad you’re back,’ Maggie said, curling up on the sofa next to Owen with a large glass of wine, her hair pulled up into a
loose top knot. The wine was a week-old budget Merlot, the stuff she’d put aside to use for cooking, and a little vinegary.
It was the kind that a year ago she would never have considered wasting her weekly units on. But tonight, with Stan finally
asleep in his cot, it would do just fine. He’d nodded off after just a couple of lullabies this evening, the rain battering
against the nursery window seeming to have a calming effect on him.

‘So glad to see me that you’re heading out the door any minute?’ Owen said with a smile, stroking a strand of hair out of
Maggie’s eyes.

‘I can’t miss tonight,’ she said, smiling. ‘This launch is a big deal for Alison, and I owe her one for cheering me up last
week. Plus I really fancy an evening out – it’s been weeks.’

‘I know, I know, I’m only joking,’ Owen said, laughing. ‘I’ll be fine here with Stan, I didn’t like being so far away from
you both in Devon. I enjoyed the project, but the hours were a killer – I needed longer than a week, really, to get the garden
just right. I didn’t want to extend the trip. Facetime with Stan at bedtime really doesn’t match up to the real thing.’

‘Well, we certainly missed you. I think Stan was starting to think his dad lived in my iPhone. Are you likely to have more
work in that part of the world?’

‘Funny you should ask, actually. Mrs Everett’s neighbour offered me a bigger job, at a stately home not far from her in Devon.
Acres of land, and they want to spruce it up for some anniversary celebrations. It would be a block of at least a month’s
work.’

Maggie’s heart sank, but she hoped it didn’t show. She wanted Owen’s business to go well, and for him to get the most out
of his work. She just wished it didn’t mean him going so far. ‘Are you planning to take it?’

‘I don’t know,’ he said. ‘I need to think about it – and we need to talk about it. But look, I’m here now, so take advantage
of it. You’re free to head out whenever you want. Go and get spruced up, or whatever it is you do to make yourself look even
hotter,’ he said, squeezing her leg. ‘Your night off has officially started.’

Alison

Tuesday, 17th September

Sheets of rain lashed against the windows of Blitz Spirit, and the sky outside was dark grey, heavy with stormclouds. Alison
had never seen a thunderstorm this intense hit Charlesworth before.

She had everything ready for the event. The projector was set up to play
Casablanca
, the room was decorated with black and white film posters, and she’d spent all day baking cupcakes and muffins. The glass
counter was laden with teacups ready to be filled, next to them a jug of Mojito cocktail with fresh mint, and popcorn spilled
out of bowls on each of the coffee tables. But it was seven p.m., the start time she’d put on all the publicity, and there
was no sign of any customers.

Chewing on a nail, Alison tuned into the local radio station to check if there was any news.

‘…
access roads to Charlesworth have been closed due to significant flooding from the River Eyre, and a dozen cars have been
stranded on the outskirts. Local people are being advised not to travel unless absolutely necessary
.’

That didn’t sound good. She looked out towards the high street. There was nothing to suggest that the nearby river had flooded
its banks, but the road was quiet, and the rainwater was almost over the kerb. She looked around the room for something she
could use to stop any water seeping in, if the level got higher. She grabbed some tea towels from the kitchen area and blocked
the gap at the bottom of the door.

With a heavy heart, she drew up a sign in black marker announcing the cancellation of the night’s event, and picked up her
phone to ring around her friends and the other people she had numbers for. Not that anyone would be venturing out in these
conditions.

Jamie’s phone was switched off. She tried Jenny next.

‘Hi, Jen, it’s me, Alison.’

‘Hi, Ali. How are you doing?’ She sounded a little surprised, and Alison wondered if she was interrupting something.

‘Good thanks – listen, I’ve lost track. Are you still in town or are you on your tour?’

‘I’m still here in Charlesworth, for the time being. Something came up and I’ve had to postpone some of the Scotland dates.
Is everything OK?’

‘Yes. Well, no. Sort of. I was just calling to say that I’ve had to cancel tonight’s event at Blitz Spirit. I can’t go ahead
with this weather. I wanted to make sure you didn’t have a wasted trip.’

‘Oh, thanks. I’m really sorry to hear that, Ali. Good luck with everything, and stay dry over there.’

‘Thanks, love. Speak again soon.’

She dialled Maggie’s number next.

‘Hey, Maggie, it’s me.’ Alison bent to check the tea towels at the door and saw that they were soaked through, with more water
seeping past them. She picked them up and dumped them in the sink.