Chapter 17
CHAPTER 17
CATH
‘ G ather around, everyone!’ yelled Cath. ‘Gather around!’
Cath paused, but she didn’t need to wait too long for the crowd to turn and face her. She was standing on a bit of makeshift staging Fergus had set up in front of the marquee. Beaming back at her were hundreds of Crumbleton residents. Some were wearing tennis whites, and all of them seemed to have a treat of some kind in their hands—whether it was one of the last few remaining portions of strawberries or an expertly mixed mocktail.
Every single face was smiling and happy—pink from a day of sunshine and laughter. Cath smiled back… a little nervously. Sure, she might have been dashing around all day, making sure everything was running smoothly, but she hadn’t been at the centre of attention. Until now.
Cath took a deep breath, doing her best to steady her racing heart. She didn’t really know why she was feeling so unsure all of a sudden… after all, the event had been a resounding success. The joyful faces in front of her were all the proof she needed. Still, there were things that needed to be said, news that needed to be shared… and a champion that needed to be celebrated.
Cath’s eyes raked the crowd, searching for the one face she knew would give her the confidence she needed to address this crowd of strangers who already felt like they were well on their way to being friends.
There he was. Cath broke into a broad smile of her own as her eyes locked with Andy’s. He was standing off to one side, his hands in his pockets and his lopsided grin making her want to run over to him and…
Cath cleared her throat.
‘Thank you,’ she said loudly and clearly, not taking her eyes off Andy for several long seconds. ‘Thank you all for such a wonderful day,’ she continued, tearing her eyes away from his, and letting them sweep over the rest of the crowd.
‘Before we celebrate our new champion, I just wanted to say this…’ she took a deep breath. ‘After a very quick count of all the money raised today—I’m so excited to say that your museum is safe for the coming year.’
The roar of applause that greeted the news was enough to bring tears to Cath’s eyes. She blinked hard and cleared her throat, waiting for the noise to die down again.
‘That’s not all.’ She continued. ‘Not only has Fergus graciously hosted our event today, but he’s also donated half the bar’s takings to the Museum fund. He’s just let me know the total so far… and this generous donation means that crucial repairs to the building will be able to start… straight away!’
The crowd started to roar again, and Cath grinned as she watched Fergus disappear under a good-natured scrum of hugs and back-pats.
‘There’s no way I’m going to be able to stand here and thank everyone who’s made today possible—because we’d still be going at midnight,’ said Cath, earning herself a wave of laughter.
She took a breath and hunted for Andy again, her eyes locking with his. ‘Just know this… Crumbleton is amazing. I’ve not been here long, but you’ve all been behind me on this hair-brained plan from the start. Every single one of you here has made this event an absolute joy. Thank you for making it happen.’
‘Three cheers for Cath!’ boomed Geraldine from the front of the crowd.
Cath felt her cheeks flame hot and bright as the Hip Hip Hoorays made the staging underneath her feet vibrate.
‘Thanks,’ she laughed when the cheering calmed down a bit. ‘Okay, we’ve got a champion to celebrate… and to award the cup, we have our very own celebrity.’
A murmur of excitement ran around the grass court.
‘Please put your hands together for the 1988 Cheswell Cup champion… Evelyn Barker!’
Cath clapped and cheered along with the rest of the town as Evelyn made her way onto the platform, beaming from ear to ear and waving regally at everyone.
Geraldine stepped forward holding the huge, silver cup—which had been beautifully polished for the occasion. She passed it up to Cath, who then carefully handed it over to Evelyn before stepping down off the platform to make a bit of room.
‘Ladies and gentlemen,’ said Evelyn, her voice quavering with excitement. ‘A round of applause for today’s wonderful champion. I give you Kendra Lenglen – winner of the Sir Anthony Cheswell Cup, 2024!’
Cath watched as Kendra bounced onto the platform and accepted the cup from a beaming Evelyn, before taking the old lady’s hand and raising it in the air.
‘And the crowd went wild!’ Andy’s voice whispered in her ear, as everyone around them erupted into yet another round of cheering and applause.
‘Can I kiss you now?’ said Cath.
‘Here?’ said Andy, his eyebrows raised as she turned to face him.
‘Here,’ said Cath, resting her hands against his chest.
Andy broke into a smile and nodded, before wrapping his arms around her waist and drawing her towards him.
He tasted of strawberries.
‘About bloomin’ time!’ Annie Pottinger’s voice shouted from somewhere in the crowd as a round of clapping and giggling rippled around them in the late afternoon sunshine.