A Change for the Better? (20 page)

“How am I supposed to do all that? I thought I was throwing a few sandwiches together and slopping tea and coffee in cups. I didn’t know I was expected to be a one woman catering business” Katie replied indignantly, “I can’t do all that.”

“Of course you can” Cliona responded bracingly “it’s all in the planning – just make things as simple as possible. You know, like quiche and salads for lunch, you can plate up, keep some frozen and cut smaller slices and put more lettuce on if you start running out. Come on Katie, I’ve seen you in action, you can do this – with a little help from your friends.”

Katie looked at Cliona, somewhat sceptically but somehow her optimistic view was starting to rub off and she found she was actually starting to find the idea quite exciting. She grabbed the pad and pencil in front of her and soon she and Cliona were throwing ideas around. After an hour, and a bottle and a half of Chardonnay, they had agreed the menus for each day and had a list of all the equipment they would have to get into the marquee on the green. Katie looked at the list and groaned dramatically,

“How am I going to do all this?” she asked “if this is a disaster I’m blaming you entirely” she added, wagging a finger at Cliona.

“You’ll be fine” Cliona responded, pushing her increasingly wild hair out of her face, “you can make most of that before the fayre anyway. Dec will let you use his kitchen and there’s a spare freezer there for
you to put it all in. That’ll be fine won’t it darling?” she asked as Declan came into the dining room and placed a pile of sandwiches and crisps in front of Cliona and Katie, who pounced on them as if she hadn’t eaten for days.

“What’ll be fine?” he asked as he grabbed a prawn sandwich for himself before they all disappeared.

“Katie can use our spare freezer to keep the fayre food in after she’s cooked it in your kitchen – at the restaurant.” Cliona said, through a mouthful of York ham and mustard, smiling winningly at him.

“Absolutely fine, my tipsy love” he said, ruffling her hair as he spoke in a fond gesture. Katie sighed loudly as she watched.

“I wish someone wanted to ruffle my hair” she said with longing, “the men that I like want to ruffle their wives hair – not mine” she added forlornly, biting into her third sandwich, “I think men don’t want girls like me!” Cliona and Declan looked at Katie with her mane of wavy auburn hair, her expressive amber flecked eyes and pouting mouth, and then looked at each other and burst out laughing.

“Oh yes, go on, laugh at me. Not only am I unattractive to men. I’m a source of amusement to my friends.” Katie moaned.

“Friends are exactly what you need at the moment.” Cliona announced, “What does a girl need a man for when she has her friends” she added whilst giving Declan a reassuring pat on the knee in case he felt threatened by this statement. Generally he merely seemed amused by his partner’s and friend’s rambling.

“Who needs a man” Cliona shouted again, “not you” she added quickly when Katie looked like she might well answer in the positive, “I know how to cheer you up – we’re having a dinner party next Friday with some of our friends, you should come. It’ll be good fun!”

“Will they all be couples?” Katie asked ominously

“No, no, they’ll be a mixture, some of my friends, some of Declan’s” Cliona answered

“Yes” Declan interjected “you’ll know some of them and of course B……”

“Bob and Marge will be there too” Cliona cut in, shrugging her shoulders as Declan mouthed ‘Bob and Marge’ questioningly at her. Katie seemed satisfied with this and accepted the invitation but as her eyelids were starting to droop she decided it might be time to start making a move home and unsteadily got to her feet and set off in search of her coat.

“I hope you know what you’re doing” Declan said to Cliona “you know Ben’s coming and if they’re still not speaking to each other I don’t think it’ll add to the evening.”

“Oh no, it’ll be fine. They just need their heads banging together ever so slightly.” Cliona said breezily.

“And I’m guessing you’re the woman to do it.” Declan answered with amusement “well, don’t blame me if more of the dinner lands on the walls than on the plates.”

“Don’t I always know best?” Cliona whispered and dropped a kiss on Declan’s head, “now” she added more loudly “Dec, be a love and walk Katie home as I think she may end up in the gutter without assistance.” Declan turned to see Katie sprawled head first over the arm of the
chair she had just walked into, giggling gently to herself. Declan decided Cliona might be right, Katie was just the sort of friend Ben needed to drag him out of himself but he still had some reservations about effecting a peace accord in their dining
room. Rising to his feet he headed towards the front door hoisting Katie up on the way, it was certainly true, he reflected, life with Cliona had never been boring!

The following Friday as Katie was getting ready for Cliona’s dinner party, she was beginning to wonder why she had agreed to attend such an evening. She had always had a phobia about such events; it came of not being part of an (acknowledged) couple. Katie found she spent most of these evenings avoiding a wet looking eager bloke that her hosts had somehow (possibly out of desperation or a sick sense of humour) picked out as an ideal partner for her. A fact they had usually shared with the rest of the group; which meant that Katie was, for the rest of the evening, feeling like the main participant in some social experiment as the others kept notes behind raised palms. Or if no suitable ‘sad and lonely’ could be found, then Katie spent the evening as the object of everyone’s pity, being given pithy but inspirational words of wisdom from around the table.  Like a condemned woman Katie trudged up the road at eight fifteen as instructed, clutching her bottle of Pinot Grigio like a drowning man to a rope. Only two hours to survive before she could make her escape, and there would be some wonderful food to eat in that time. Declan was a masterful cook without a shadow of a doubt. With this thought cheering her up slightly Katie knocked on Cliona’s door with more bravura than she would have thought possible half an hour ago.

Cliona swung open the door, in a rainbow of materials that on anyone else would have looked ridiculous but on Cliona simply looked wild and interesting,

“Hello Katie, come in, we were wondering if you were going to show.” She said in an overly loud voice to the adjoining room.

“You told me to come at eight fifteen” Katie said indignantly. Cliona smiled conspiratorially, “I know I did” she whispered, “I wanted you to make an entrance.” Cliona grabbed Katie’s arm as she tried to make a bolt for the front door.

“Everybody, Katie’s here” she announced in a theatrical voice, dragging Katie into the living room, so that all the conversation stopped as everybody turned to examine the new guest, “ Katie has been looking after Tolpuddle House for Mo, whilst she’s been in hospital, she’s single and between jobs at the moment” Cliona added. Katie looked for the hole that was due to open up now so she could jump in before she died of embarrassment. No such luck arrived for her, and as Katie looked around there was still at least eight pairs of eyes turned her way. Katie smiled, pinching Cliona’s arm making her jump, “Hello, it’s so nice to be here and …..” Katie tailed off as her eyes rested on
Ben in the corner and then snapped back to Cliona, whom she grabbed by the sleeve and dragged back to the doorway.

“Cliona” Katie hissed “you never told me Ben was coming – I wouldn’t have come if I’d known” Katie felt the colour rise from her neck and
flood
her face. Ben had turned away and was whispering something to
Declan
– probably along similar lines to what she had just said to Cliona, which at least made Katie feel marginally better to think that Ben was as uncomfortable as she was.

“I did – I’m sure I did” Cliona answered breezily, “Declan asked him weeks ago” she added for good measure.

“You most certainly did not or I wouldn’t have agreed to come” Katie answered out of the side of her mouth, “and I may not be staying now!”

“Oh come on, don’t be so dramatic” said Cliona, with a touch of the kettle calling the pot very dark indeed, “There are loads of people here – you won’t even have to speak to him if you don’t want to.” Katie accepted defeat gracefully, after all she was not going to make a show of herself by turning round and walking out – nor would she give Ben Wilson the satisfaction of thinking he’d won. Although judging by the way Declan was covering the back exit it was entirely possible Ben was having exactly the same idea as her.

Putting on her brightest PA smile, Katie moved to the first group of people and was soon introduced to Jenny & Mike and Lulu & Simon and spent the half hour before dinner chatting politely about Mike’s farm and Lulu’s handmade card business, all the time conscious of Ben talking animatedly to the other couple she later found out were called John & Sue, Sue was Declan’s front of house manager who was currently on maternity leave.

When Cliona called them all to the table Katie soon realised Cliona’s earlier declaration that she wouldn’t have to speak to Ben was not strictly true as Cliona had seated them next to each other, and, as she had cleverly manoeuvred everyone else to their seats first there was no alternative but to sit down next to each other with an attempt at good grace. Katie glowered at Cliona as she placed the bread baskets on the table and Cliona smiled sweetly back, safe in the knowledge that Katie wouldn’t really hurl the bowl of butternut squash soup at her – despite the huge appeal of the idea!

Katie studiously broke up her seeded wholemeal bread roll and proceeded to spread butter on it with military precision, consciously avoiding any glances to her left where Ben was involved in a similar process.

“So, Katie” a voice boomed next to her, causing her to drop the piece of bread she had so meticulously buttered, “Not married yet, and how
old are you?
Over 30?”
Simon’s voice carried right round the table. Katie jumped as she hadn’t really heard him speak until now.

“Oh, no, not married at the moment” she confirmed. Simon waited expectantly; he had asked another question after all! Katie ate a spoonful of soup and a crust of the roll but Simon was still eyeing her and now Lulu joined in.

“I’m 29” Katie mumbled, waiting for the conversation to move on, but she wasn’t to be that lucky.

“So not quite 30 yet, but the clock’s ticking eh? Got your sights set on anyone? After all you don’t want to get left on the shelf do you?” Simon laughed heartily at his own joke. Katie smiled politely wondering what time machine Simon had found to enable him to make his appearance from the 1950’s.

“Well obviously it would be lovely to get married to the right man, but better single than with the wrong one” Katie managed to reply.

“Hmmm, yes I see” Simon pondered this information, “So no-one’s asked you yet then – Nevermind, someone’s bound to eventually!” With this he returned to slurping his soup as Katie felt the colour rise through her cheeks, forgetting who she was sat next to, she quickly turned away from Simon so that she didn’t have to talk about children and her ticking
clock too
. She found herself looking directly into the clear blue eyes of Ben, who was doing a poor job at repressing a smile.

“You had better not be laughing at me” she informed him in the haughtiest voice she could muster. Ben shook his head, not trusting himself to reply at first.

“No, no” he finally said “I’m sure you’ve been asked to get married lots of times” he added with a dead pan face. Katie took a deep breath intending to be very offended but the absurdity of the whole conversation struck her and she burst out laughing instead.

“Well actually for your information, no, I’ve never been asked, unless you count Jeremy Pitman when I was seven” she giggled, Ben laughed with her

“If he was serious I don’t see why you shouldn’t count it?” Ben’s cleared his
throat and
he became more serious “Katie, I’m so sorry about before – behaving like a total prat.
I know it wasn’t your fault that Lucy was at Tolpuddle and I didn’t know she was. I was just terrified by the time I got to you.
I had no idea where she was. I wanted to ball her out but I was convinced she’d disappear again so I balled you out instead. I’m so sorry.”

Katie thought for a moment, “Lucy was fine with me you know. I’d never let her do anything stupid.”

“I know, I know, I’m an idiot. I knew it the next day but I’m not great at apologising” he added ruefully.

“Show me a bloke who is” Katie said, “But to be fair, you did ok there. Let’s forget about it, if for no other reason than to stop me having to have another conversation with Victorian Simon here on my right.” She added in a whisper. Ben was only too happy to agree and soon they were chatting and laughing as they always had. Cliona allowed herself a triumphant wink and dig in the ribs to Declan who grinned back. The evening passed without further event, even Victorian Simon relaxed a little enough to loosen the top of his tie. Katie giggled as she stage whispered the news to Ben. They had demolished about 3 bottles of Declan’s superb Merlot between the two of
them and
despite a couple of espresso’s Katie knew she was certainly two sheets to the wind if not quite three and decided that as the other guests were starting to drift off that it was time for her to take her leave too. As she wobbled towards the door Ben jumped up and offered to walk her back home, Katie made a half-hearted attempt to decline but she actually welcomed the company on the way home, she was going to need someone to lean on and Ben fitted the bill perfectly.