Eden’s Comfort Kitchen

Chapter Fourteen

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Eden fully expected a no-show from Cam. If it had been the other way round, she didn’t think she would have turned up either, so it was a jolt to be peeling potatoes and staring out of the window of the scout hut kitchen to see a car pull up in one of the parking spaces at the back and him get out. But then she gave the matter a second thought and decided that she ought to have seen it coming. He’d have come just to prove a point, to prove her wrong, to win the bet, or simply to be as contradictory as he could – perhaps all of those things. He’d have come because he’d have known she’d suspected he wouldn’t, just to irritate her.

Her eyes followed him across the car park. He was wearing well-fitted jeans and a soft sweatshirt. She’d never seen him in what she assumed were his scruffs. Some of her colleagues at the property company had fancied him like mad, but though she’d appreciated his chiselled good looks, she’d made a point of taking no notice. He wasn’t someone who made himself easy to like. Today, though, away from that environment, now that he was no longer her boss…If these were his scruffs he ought to dress that way more often because he wore them well. In fact, very well. He looked…

Annoyed at the train of thought, she scowled, and then he looked up at the window and caught it. Good. He wasn’t here to make friends, and she couldn’t allow him to see any weakness.

Livia appeared at her side. ‘Hmm…’ she said, following Eden’s gaze. ‘There’s a turn-up for the books. Didn’t think he’d actually come.’

‘Me neither.’

‘So that’s a win for us straight off.’

Eden turned to her. ‘Is it?’

‘Of course. He’s intrigued enough to be here and, let’s face it, we couldn’t very well win him over if he hadn’t even been here to win over, could we?’

‘Well, there’s a logic in there somewhere,’ Eden said with a smile. ‘I certainly can’t fault it.’

‘Shall I go and meet him at the door? He’s going to have his defences up as soon as he sees you, but I might be able to disarm him – he’ll have to be on his best behaviour for me, after all, because I’m a stranger.’

‘You’re not, because he met you at the pub, and I don’t think he does best behaviour for anyone. He doesn’t think he owes people the basic courtesies the rest of us do.’

‘That sounds a bit harsh,’ Livia said, and Eden could see the doubt in her expression.

‘Trust me, I know it does, but I also know him. The world owes him a living, and he owes it nothing. He takes what he wants and doesn’t care who goes without so he can have it, and the only people worth his time are those he wants to sweet-talk because they can do something for him.’

‘Must be why he’s come then,’ Livia said, laughing lightly. ‘Because he knows we have something he wants. Don’t forget, that’s another advantage we have.’

‘It’s not much of one,’ Eden said ruefully. ‘I’m under no illusions that this is a long shot and it’ll be a miracle if we actually manage to change his mind. It’s just the only shot we’ve got as far as I can tell. But if he wanted to, he could have this place off us tomorrow. He’s probably only here because he finds it funny that I’d even challenge him at all.’

‘Well then,’ Livia said, turning to leave the kitchen, ‘like a giant-killing FA Cup upset, we’ll just have to give him the shock of his life, won’t we?’

A couple of minutes later, Livia returned with Cam in tow. Nobody else in the kitchen had taken much notice of Livia and Eden discussing him at the window, but now that he was here, every eye turned to see. If he felt their scrutiny, he didn’t show it. He was as cool and nonchalant as always, a fact that riled Eden before they’d even spoken a word of greeting. She was going to have to get a hold of this dislike otherwise she was going to lose this battle in no time at all.

‘Afternoon,’ he said, sweeping his gaze over the assembled volunteers. ‘I’m Cameron – though my friends call me Cam.’

‘Hello, Cam!’ everyone else said.

Julia wiped her hands on a dishcloth and went over to shake his. ‘I’m Livia’s mum, Julia.’

He smiled as he took her hand. ‘Livia’s mum? No way! You couldn’t be old enough!’

Julia laughed, but she gave him a look that said she knew how this game was played too. ‘I think you might be telling me a little white lie, but I’ll take the compliment.’

Cam’s hand went to his chest in a dramatic gesture of innocence. ‘I would never!’

‘Right…’ Julia nodded to Eden. ‘I believe you two are well acquainted.’

‘Hi,’ Eden said. ‘It’s good to see you.’

He raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

‘Yes,’ Eden said, ‘despite what you think, it really is. We’re always grateful for extra hands, and tonight is going to be a busy one.’

Everyone introduced themselves and greeted him in turn while Eden shared a significant look with Livia. Battle had already commenced.

‘Right,’ Julia said, turning back to Eden once the formalities were over. ‘Where do you want Cam?’

‘Um…what do you think?’ Eden asked her. ‘Something straightforward?’ She looked at Cam. ‘What are your culinary skills like?’

‘Well, I know the right way to open an oyster, and I can sear a tuna steak to perfection. What level of skill does that suggest to you?’

‘There won’t be much call for searing tuna steaks,’ Eden said, wryly acknowledging his sarcasm. ‘But we do need some tins opening and seasoning and some peppers and onions dicing for the tuna pasta bake. In fact, we need some cheese grating for that too. Think I can leave you with those tasks?’

‘I’m sure I can manage.’

Eden looked at Julia.

‘I’ll show him where everything is,’ Julia said.

Liam and Bilbo, who’d messaged ahead to say they were running late, arrived at that moment. As they did, the room was suddenly alive with far warmer greetings than they’d had for Cam. Nancy and Levi, who’d been colouring on a table at the far end of the kitchen to keep them out of the way until there were tasks they could do, looked up at the old man’s arrival and broke into broad grins.

‘Bilbo!’ Nancy cried, running to throw her arms around his legs.

‘Steady!’ Bilbo chuckled. ‘You’ll have me over – it doesn’t take much these days!’

‘Can you do a trick?’ she asked breathlessly.

‘Yes!’ Levi agreed. ‘Do a trick, Bilbo! Do the coin one!’

‘You mean this one?’

Bilbo produced a shiny fifty-pence piece from behind Levi’s ear and held it out to him. Levi’s mouth opened into a delighted circle of surprise.

‘That’s yours,’ Bilbo said. ‘After all, I found it behind your ear. Don’t spend it all at once.’

‘Me now!’ Nancy almost yelled with the force of her impatient enthusiasm.

Bilbo did the same and handed her the coin.

‘You two will have poor Bilbo in the workhouse,’ Livia said with a fond smile at all three of them.

‘Mustn’t leave you out,’ Bilbo said, going over to Livia and taking another coin from behind her ear too. She burst out laughing.

‘You keep it,’ she said, handing it back.

‘No,’ Bilbo said firmly. ‘This is yours – I found it behind your ear, not mine.’

‘I’ll have it!’ Levi said, and Livia frowned at him.

‘I’ll have it if nobody else wants it,’ Cam cut in with such wry amusement that the entire kitchen went as silent as the bar room of a western film as the gunslinger walks in.

‘Bilbo,’ Eden said, sensing the tension. ‘This is Cam, our new volunteer.’

‘Only for two weeks,’ Cam said, extending his hand for Bilbo to shake. ‘Pleased to meet you. Unusual name. My great-uncle knew a man called Bilbo. Served with him in the navy, I believe.’

‘I was in the navy,’ Bilbo said, puffing out his chest. ‘What ship was he on?’

‘I know he was on more than one…hang on a minute…’ He pulled out his phone and sent a quick text. ‘Just asking my dad,’ he said.

Less than thirty seconds later, it bleeped a reply.

‘Wow, he’s quicker than usual,’ Cam said, opening up the message. ‘He says there was HMS Victorious and HMS Vanguard .’

‘That was mine!’ Bilbo said. ‘The Vanguard ! What’s your uncle’s name?’

‘It was William Faulkner, though everyone called him Razor because he was so sharp – apparently. That’s the way he always told it anyway. He died when I was quite young, so I might have that wrong.’

Bilbo’s eyes were like the dinner plates Liam was fetching from the cupboards. ‘Never! Old Razor! I knew him! Good lad he was. Older than me; looked out for me when I first joined the ship. What a small world!’

‘It would seem so,’ Cam said, and Eden could tell that the smile on his face this time was genuine.

As far as she was concerned, this was brilliant. Of all the goals she could have scored, she never imagined it would be such a blinder. And so early in the game too. She thought quickly and perhaps a little ruthlessly. She needed to make sure Bilbo had lots of contact with Cam. Some might have said she was exploiting the connection, but it was only what Cam would have been doing, and if it got her closer to keeping the scout hut, then she’d do whatever it took. There was no way she could look such a handsome gift horse in the mouth.

‘Bilbo,’ she began sweetly, ‘could you give Cam a hand with the ingredients for the pasta bake? He’ll need help finding things in the kitchen, so if you team up with him, it will speed all that up a bit.’

Bilbo gave a smart salute. ‘Ma’am!’

‘Eden…’ Liam called over, and she nodded.

‘That’s fine – I know you’re already way ahead of me. You start setting up in the dining room, and I’ll be in to help you shortly.’

When she looked back, Bilbo was questioning Cam about his great-uncle, and Cam was being about as pleasant in his replies as Eden had ever seen him. She glanced away to catch Livia flashing her a grin. Eden returned it. So Livia had worked it out just as she’d done. It was going to take more than a chance family connection, of course, but perhaps winning Cam over wasn’t going to be such an impossible task after all.

As everyone went back to their work, Eden tried to keep tabs on how Bilbo was getting on with Cam without making it too obvious. She realised Cam might not be so easy to hoodwink, but as Bilbo was entirely innocent of any ulterior motives, she trusted that his good humour and easy-going nature, coupled with the instant connection, would go a long way to softening Cam without it being contrived.

She listened as Bilbo launched into anecdotes involving Cam’s uncle, and she could hear Cam laughing easily from time to time. He even asked questions, so he was clearly engaged. Eden couldn’t believe her luck and wondered when Cam was going to turn back into the man she knew and loathed. She didn’t dare look for fear that Cam would catch her and read her expression. If he did that, the jig would most definitely be up. And she had to admit that it seemed as if Cam was getting stuck in. She’d expected him to be reluctant to get his hands dirty, perhaps mess around in a corner of the kitchen and stay out of proceedings as far as he could, but she was pleasantly surprised to see that wasn’t the case. Perhaps it was because he’d clearly warmed to Bilbo, but whatever the reason, Eden wasn’t going to complain about that either.

She’d worried that him being there might be disruptive for everyone else, especially if he made his disdain for what they were doing known, so it was a relief to see that nothing of the sort was happening. In fact, Eden heard one or two occasions where he’d taken a job from Bilbo and told him to take it easy. Bilbo only laughed and said he would do nothing of the sort, but it was a kindness that Eden struggled to equate with the Cam she knew.

‘Would you like a cup of tea, Cam?’ Julia called over from the giant teapot that she was filling with freshly boiled water. Julia filling the kettle had become the unofficial signal for a quick break over the past few weeks. Everyone would down tools for ten minutes or so, and catch up on how the work was progressing and what still needed to be done, as well as catch up on the odd bit of gossip or news.

‘Thanks, Julia,’ he said gallantly. ‘I’d love one.’

Julia smiled and nodded. She didn’t need to ask anyone else because none of the regular volunteers ever refused her tea. Eden looked around the room at her team – as she’d come to think of them – and wondered how much longer this would last. It seemed she’d only just got used to them all and started to think of them as not only essential help but as friends too, and already that was in danger. Julia and Livia weren’t going to be doing this forever, for a start. They couldn’t spare the time long term – they’d begun with that understanding, and Eden respected it. But what about the others? Would her kitchen even survive past the next two weeks and Cam’s influence? She supposed they could keep going for a while until the land was sold and the hut demolished, but having that fate hanging over them would change the way people viewed the project and perhaps make them decide it wasn’t worth investing their time. She hoped not, but she wouldn’t blame them.

As Julia handed out the drinks, Eden edged closer to Cam with hers, wondering if he’d say anything about how he was getting on.

‘This is a good cup of tea, Julia,’ was all he said, though he threw Eden a sideways look that said he was fully aware of what she was hoping for and he wasn’t going to oblige. As far as he was concerned, she could carry on guessing.

‘We’ve got some biscuits in the tin over there if you want one,’ Julia said, angling her head at a shelf. ‘Technically they’re the scouts’ biscuits, but I know they won’t mind too much if we have the odd one.’

Cam went to look inside the tin and pulled out a chocolate digestive. ‘I can’t remember the last time I had an old-school biscuit.’

‘I’m surprised you’ve ever eaten one,’ Eden said. ‘Did they eat pov food at Eton?’

Cam grinned, seemingly unfazed by Eden’s taunt. ‘I didn’t go to Eton. It was a good old state school for me.’

‘Really?’ Eden frowned. Not that she’d ever known much about his past, but to her mind, he’d always had the air of someone privately educated: he was well spoken and eloquent, had immense confidence and assurance of his place in the world. He’d always seemed like a man brought up in the belief that he was superior. She supposed it just went to show how wrong someone could be. But if his self-belief didn’t come from school, she quickly decided his parents must have done a real number on him.

‘Really,’ he said. ‘My parents are working class, just like…’ He paused. ‘Well, I don’t know. I don’t suppose any of us knows all that much about each other’s past, do we?’

‘People do make assumptions,’ Julia cut in. ‘It’s when we make an effort to set them aside that we learn about each other. What did your parents do for a living, Cam?’

‘Dad is a painter and decorator, and Mum was a teaching assistant – she took early retirement when Dad started his own business and was bringing enough money in.’

‘So actually, they’re not so working class now,’ Eden said.

He turned to her as he bit into his digestive. ‘How do you come to that conclusion?’

‘Well, your dad owns his own business. That must make him middle class, right?’

Cam shrugged in a way that Eden found instantly irritating, like he was mocking her. ‘Can’t say I’m all that interested in class wars like you are.’

‘I’m not! I’m not interested in anything of the sort! I’m just saying?—’

‘And I’m just saying I don’t think it matters what class you’re from. It’s what you do. You make your own fortune – at least, that’s what I took from my dad’s example. You do what you have to do. The only person who can lift your status or sink it is you, nobody else.’

‘That’s rubbish!’ Eden said. ‘That’s assuming we’re all on a level playing field to start! Some people are born into such poverty that they don’t stand?—’

‘Like you?’ Cam said in such a wry tone that Eden was all at once incensed and ashamed. ‘Do you think you speak for all those people? Do you think you know what it’s like? I thought your family had always been well off.’

‘I think…’ Julia cut in then glanced around the room. Eden followed her gaze and saw some awkward looks. She realised instantly that Cam was doing his best to wind her up, and it was working like a charm. ‘That this might not be a conversation for this evening. I think it might need more attention than we have time to give it.’

This was Julia’s tactful way of defusing an almighty argument, and Eden had to admit that her assessment of where the discussion with Cam had been going was bang on the nose. Eden had been losing her temper, fired by his sardonic tone and, perhaps, a little bit of shame because he’d made a valid point about her own upbringing. If what he said about his own family was true, then she’d had the more privileged upbringing.

Considering what she was asking people to do here, she felt an odd kind of imposter syndrome. Not the sort that people usually got when they felt unqualified to be in a position of authority but exactly the opposite, where she felt unworthy to speak for people who were struggling because she’d never struggled. Perhaps everyone saw her as a rich girl playing at social warrior. She hated the thought so much she could almost have burst into tears. Did they feel insulted by her efforts? Did it look like a game to them? That wasn’t her intention at all. She had to somehow make everyone see that.

‘Eden…’ Julia waved her over. ‘Could you just…?’

Eden went over, and Julia leaned in close, dropping her voice to almost a whisper. ‘Are you all right?’

‘Of course,’ Eden whispered back.

‘Don’t let him get to you. He said it himself: it doesn’t matter where you come from; it’s what you do that counts. You’ve started something amazing here, and none of us cares what the motivation was. We only care that you want to make it work as much as we do. Hold on to that, my love.’

Eden gave her a grateful smile. ‘Thank you; I needed to hear that.’

‘I thought as much. Now…’ she added in her normal tone, ‘would you mind taking a cup out to Liam? I don’t think he heard me shout up.’

Eden picked up a mug and headed for the doorway to the main room, conscious of Cam’s eyes following her. She could just imagine the smug look on his face. She was angry, but more with herself than with him because she’d let him get to her just as Julia had said. So much for this being an easy battle.

Cam had turned out to be a surprisingly hard-working team player. Not that Eden was under any illusions about his intentions, but help was help, and at least he did that well. And once the combative nature of their interactions had calmed down, she was also surprised to find that they got along well – certainly better than they’d ever done during their time working together. Admittedly they had never worked closely on anything back in London, and it was perhaps because of that she’d never really taken the time to get to know him as a person at all. He’d always just been Cam Faulkner, the best and brightest of the partners, the man who’d do anything to close the deal.

‘He’s either a brilliant actor, or I think he might have had a good time here tonight,’ Livia said quietly to Eden as they finished wiping down the kitchen, having sent Cam on his way.

‘I wouldn’t like to put much money on either right now,’ Eden said. ‘I must admit I can’t read him. I thought it would be easy, but…’

‘You don’t know him quite as well as you thought you did?’

‘Something like that. How do you think it went? Do you think we made any headway?’

‘Tonight?’ Livia paused, a damp rag in her hand resting on the worktop. ‘I suppose it’s only the first night. He’s here for two weeks, right?’

‘So what you’re saying is we’ve got two weeks to really turn the screws?’

‘If that’s the way you want to put it, yes.’

‘Suddenly it doesn’t seem like long enough. Two weeks is six dinners and we’ve already done one. So that leaves five evenings to persuade someone who’s doing his best not to be persuaded. I mean, I know he got on with everyone, but I don’t think for a minute that he’d even give any of us a second thought once he leaves here. He certainly won’t be worrying about whether this place can keep going or not. He might do his two weeks and even have a good time, but once he’s gone and the land is sold, I’m sure he won’t ever think of it again.’

‘Then why are you even doing any of this? I thought you believed it would work? If you don’t think?—’

Eden took up a sweeping brush that had been leaning against the wall. ‘I thought at first…but now I’m not so sure.’

‘Give yourself more credit. I still think it could work, but even if it doesn’t, we’ve tried. At least we’re doing something, and we can’t do much more than that.’

Eden began to sweep. ‘You’re right – ignore me. Livia…’ It was her turn to pause, a question on her lips and fear in her heart for what the answer might be. ‘When Cam said I was well off…that my family were well off –not rich, you understand, but OK for money – you don’t think…well, you don’t think people feel insulted by me wanting to help?’

Livia smiled. ‘Why would they? Anyway, nobody really knows what your family background is. It’s certainly not the first question anyone asks me: “Hello, can I have the shepherd’s pie? And by the way, is Eden loaded? Because if she is, I don’t want the shepherd’s pie after all.’

‘I’m not loaded?—’

‘You know what I’m saying. Stop stressing. Everyone understands what you’re trying to do and that your intentions are good, wherever they began. Cam’s playing mind games with you – you must see that.’

‘No more than I’ve been doing with him, trying to guilt him into leaving us be.’

‘Exactly!’ Livia said brightly. ‘You’re a good person; your background doesn’t change that.’

‘That’s just it…’ Eden was suddenly nervous as she stopped sweeping and looked around. Julia was outside putting the recycling into the correct bins. The children were with her, ostensibly helping but in reality making the job twice as complicated. Everyone else had left. There was only her and Livia here, and Eden wondered whether this was the moment. She wanted so desperately to tell Livia everything, to explain why she was in Sea Glass Bay and why she was doing this, and she hoped she knew her friend well enough to know that she’d get an understanding response. But Eden couldn’t be sure, and she was terrified of losing the woman who’d done so much to help her turn her life around, even if that woman wasn’t aware of just how important a part she’d played. Livia was her best friend – perhaps her only friend right now.

She pulled in a long breath. ‘I don’t think I’m all that good. I let Cam get to me because he knows me from a time when I was far from good. I suppose I’m scared that he’ll tell you all the truth and you won’t want to know me anymore. I’ve made mistakes, Livia. I want to put those right, and I want to be better.’

Livia smiled. ‘Eden…you don’t need to tell me any of this. I don’t care what you might have been like before – and for what it’s worth, I can’t believe for a minute you were a bad person, even though you keep trying to tell me you were. I know who you are now, and I like you. You’re doing a thing that nobody else in the bay wanted to do, and you’re helping a lot of people. I see how hard it is for you and how much it means to you. No matter how this all ends, even if we lose the hut, that’s good enough for me. You’ve given it your all, and you should be proud.’

‘But I still feel as if I ought to tell you the truth.’

‘About what?’ Livia’s smile slipped, and the sight unnerved Eden. Would what she was about to say change things, despite what Livia had just told her?

‘About what happened before I left London. Why I…I suppose I ought to be more honest about that too. I didn’t just leave London; I ran away. From something I did.’

‘Something you did?’ Livia was frowning. ‘Not something…illegal?’

‘God, no! Not that, but…well, it was…’

Why had she started this conversation? Why couldn’t she have kept her mouth shut? This wasn’t going to end well. Just as Eden had feared, Livia would see her in a whole new light, and any friendship they’d had would be over.

‘Listen, Eden, I don’t know if I want to hear?—’

At that moment, Julia came in, wiping her hands down her apron.

‘The bloomin’ bin bag just burst all over the place! Stupid cheap muck! Eden, I think we’re going to have to get better quality ones next time.Is there something I can use to clean the back yard? A spare brush or something?’

‘Oh…’ Eden glanced at Livia. While part of her was thankful for Julia’s interruption, she was also tired of keeping her past away from everyone. But it would have to wait. She wanted to share it with Livia but not with Julia, and, besides, it felt as if the perfect moment had gone.

Livia went to the supply cupboard. ‘I think I’ve seen a yard brush here somewhere…ah!’ She pulled out a wooden broom and handed it to her mum. ‘That do?’

‘Perfect,’ Julia said.

Livia turned to Eden, and before anything else could be said, she shook her head with a smile. ‘I know you feel like you have some big reveal and that it might make everyone hate you, but I don’t see how that could possibly happen. If you want to tell me, then you can tell me, but let’s wait until we’ve got the proper time, eh?’

Eden nodded. ‘Thanks, Livia.’

‘No problem. Let’s get finished here. I don’t know about you, but I’m gagging for a drink!’