Chapter 28
The welcoming jingle of the store bell rang out.
‘Good morning,’ Cath called out cheerily. Almost two weeks had now passed by since the Tilldale Tea planning session and she was back at the stores in a different role, behind the counter.
‘Oh, hello, Cath. I was expecting to see one of the boys.’
‘Morning, Kenneth. They’re taking a well-deserved break and having the day off, so you have the pleasure of my company, today. Would you like a cup of tea before you do your shopping?’
‘Oh, yes, please. That’d be grand, lass. Two sugars.’
‘And shall we push the boat out with a custard cream or two?’ Cath gave a warm smile.
‘Why not indeed.’ The gentleman’s eyes lit up.
Cath knew his routine well by now. Elderly Kenneth came in primarily for the chat and company, which he needed far more than the few supplies which he’d finally take home with him. He even had his own special chair to sit and ‘bide a wee while’ by the counter.
Cath had agreed to step in at the shop, as the lads were planning a day trip to Edinburgh with a lunch out.
A rare treat, and one which Cath was happy to accommodate.
They’d done so much to help her and Will lately, after all.
And after their own difficult trip out last week, she thought Will might be glad of a little space.
She’d been left feeling bruised by the whole thing, to be honest.
She liked to keep her hand in at the shop from time and time, anyhow.
It was a great way of keeping up with village life, and she enjoyed chatting with the locals, the occasional tourist and workmen, who called in.
Tilldale Village Stores was the unofficial community hub, and was generally open seven days a week, with Andreas and Dan only closing for a half day on Wednesdays and Sundays.
It was a big commitment from them. But they loved their rural life and running the shop here, despite the long hours, after changing track and moving up from the hustle and bustle of London eleven years ago.
Under their care and commitment, the shop had indeed become the beating heart of the village, but sometimes like everyone else, they needed to recharge their batteries, and today was the day.
Cath enjoyed helping there. As well as giving her a chance to interact with the locals, the money was handy, supplementing her online tuition.
Her deputy head pension didn’t kick in yet for a few years, and her early retirement dreams of leisure and travel had been kicked out of the park by her ex-husband’s affair and their subsequent divorce.
But hey, she’d travelled in a whole new direction since then.
Moved to Northumberland, found her gorgeous Cheviot Cottage and made it home, changed her life, and made some lovely new friends here, so she wasn’t complaining.
Sometimes the curveballs were the things that gave you the courage to begin again, to reevaluate your life and learn to really live.
‘I’ll just go pop the kettle on then, Kenneth.’ Cath pulled herself back to the here and now, and headed through the door to the back of the stores. ‘Won’t be a mo.’
An abundance of freshly baked goods sat lined up on the kitchen’s side, looking deliciously tempting.
Andreas and Dan had evidently been up and baking early, despite having a train to catch.
There was a handwritten note from Andreas reminding her to warm some of the croissants, ready for the morning drop-ins, so she popped the oven on.
Then, kettle on, mugs at the ready, and finding the biscuit tin which was always filled with traditional favourites, she popped some custard creams and a couple of chocolate Bourbons onto a tea plate.
Tea made, Kenneth was in situ with a large mug to hand and a gentle smile on his face.
She’d warmed a half-dozen croissants through, which smelt deliciously buttery, ready to lure her morning customers in.
And, sure enough, as soon she was back at the counter, in came a couple of builders who were on their way to work.
She’d mastered the coffee machine, after a tricky start a few months’ back, and two freshly ground cups of rich frothy roast were soon made ready to take away.
‘Busy day ahead, lads?’ she asked, as she popped two of the warm croissants, which of course they hadn’t been able to resist, and a couple of steak pies into brown paper bags.
‘More’n likely. We’re up at Middleton Barns doing the conversions there.’
‘Oh, we used to live up that way, back in the day.’ Kenneth joined the conversation. ‘Me and Dot, my wife. We had one of the little cottages by the farm there. Pretty place. Bloody cold and damp in the winter, mind. No central heating back in those days.’
‘Aye, well, these’ll be all insulated and cosy once we’re all done.’
‘Sounds just the job,’ said Kenneth.
‘Here you go, and have a good day,’ said Cath, handing over their items.
‘Cheers.’ The lads paid, and were off.
The early morning newspapers, coffee, Danish pastries and croissant run had begun, with a flurry of customers dropping by.
Cath enjoyed the buzz, warming another batch of pastries, as well as some pies and quiches, when supplies began to get low.
Between times, she managed to chat with dear old Kenneth, too, of course.
Sitting there on his chair by the till, he was like the shop’s mascot.
There was a lull, and Cath’s eye was drawn to the raffle prize that the lads had kindly now organised for the Tilldale Afternoon Tea.
It looked wonderful; a huge wicker basket filled with a treasure trove of local produce, all cellophaned up and tied with curls of golden ribbon.
Nikki had given a fancy bottle of Prosecco, and Lily was going to make up a couple of bags of millionaires shortbread and chocolate truffles, ready to add to the hamper at the last-minute, so they’d still be lovely and fresh.
Andreas and Dan had generously raided their shelves to provide local shortbread, savoury biscuits, jams and chutneys, heather honey, plus Northumberland Tea and Rington’s coffee, making the whole basket a tea-time extravaganza.
There were more items, too, stored beneath the counter, for the raffle: with donations of a meal for two from Bill, the landlord at the village pub, and Rachel, from The Pudding Pantry near to Kirkton, who had links with the care home, had gifted a voucher for Afternoon Tea for Two, plus Will who’d given a brand-new cycling top and a free bike service.
With raffle tickets already selling well, apparently, funds for the event were picking up.
‘So, are you looking forward to the afternoon tea, Kenneth?’ she asked.
‘I am indeed, lassie. Ah, it was such a lovely do, your Christmas luncheon that day. You really brought the village hall back to life. Marvellous it was.’
‘Ah, that’s so good to hear.’
And a full two hours after he arrived, and two large mugs of tea later, Kenneth finally left, taking a can of tomato soup, some wholemeal rolls and two strawberry yoghurts with him. ‘Lovely to see you, lassie. Thanks for the tea.’
‘You’re very welcome, Kenneth. Enjoy the rest of your day.’
*
In a flurry of activity, Veronica, ‘mistress’ of the village hall, was the next to call in to the shop, with some very welcome news.
‘We’ve rallied the troops!’ she called out.
She had been on a mission, she explained.
‘So, I’ve asked every group that hires the hall to come up with a fundraising or sponsorship scheme over the next two weeks.
They all agree that your community afternoon tea sounds a splendid idea.
So, the Brownies are doing a sponsored bounce and assembling a small trampoline in the hall for their next session.
The indoor bowls club are holding a bowl-a-thon.
The Autistic Society are donating prizes for the tombola, which I’m more than happy to organise by the way, and the pilates class are doing a sponsored ‘500’ – that’s instead of the ‘100’ apparently. No idea what that means.’
Oh my, Cath tried to look delighted with that fantastic support, but that was her pilates class – and she knew exactly what the 100 was, and that was painful enough.
But 500 – really?! But hey, it was all for a good cause, she reminded herself.
Cath was sure she’d find out more about it at her Tuesday pilates session, next week.
Her core, and no doubt her purse, was going to be pounded, for certain. Abs of steel, Cath, abs of steel.
‘That all sounds amazing. Thank you so much. And it’s great that all the clubs are getting involved. That’s such a lovely idea. And it’ll boost our finances for the event. We’ll be sure to make the most delicious spread for everyone, a real treat.’
‘Oh, and the Brownies are more than happy to help out on the day too, Brown Owl asked me to pass that message on,’ Veronica added.
‘And there was something about them baking scones for it, too.’ Naturally, scones with strawberry jam and thick cream were an essential part of any afternoon tea.
And offers of help with making some extra ones – especially with the numbers attending rising daily, so she’d heard – would be more than gratefully received.
‘That’s brilliant, thanks. I’ll give her a call. And thank you, Veronica, you’re a one-woman wonder.’ She really was a force to be reckoned with, and it was fabulous when her talents were put to good use.
‘No need for any fuss. It’s the least I can do. And well, I think it’s a big thanks to you and your group that we’ve got the hall back up and running in the first place. Oh, and the hall hire that day will be free. That’s all sorted. The committee is in full agreement.’
Cath had to smile. She had a good idea that no one on that committee would dare to challenge that particular proposal by Veronica, anyhow.