Tuesdays at the Teacup Club (4 page)

‘Hi, Ali – I’m on my way.’

‘You are?’ she said, distracted, searching for dry tea towels in the kitchen drawers. She located a few and put them by the
door.

‘Will take more than a little downpour to keep me away. I’ve even got lipstick on, so I look very close to human. I’ll see
you in about twenty minutes.’

‘Listen, I’m really sorry about this, Maggie – I don’t know if you’ve heard on the news, but this storm is quite serious,
the river’s burst its banks. I’m not going to be able to run the screening.’

‘Are you sure there’s no way?’ Maggie asked, sounding disappointed.

‘I’m afraid not,’ she said. She noticed water where she was standing, a slick surface around her T-bar heels. She had to make
sure it didn’t reach the antique furniture and sofas. ‘Sorry, Maggie, I think floodwater’s coming into the shop. I have to
go.’

Mobile in hand, she dashed towards the back room. There had to be something in there she could use. She opened the door and
pressed the light switch and the light flickered on – enough for her to see water on the floor at the back of the room. Then
a spark came from the switch and the whole café fell into darkness.

‘Oh no,’ she said, panic tightening her chest.

Alison stood in the darkness for a minute or so, trying to work out what to do next.

Keep calm
, she told herself. By the light of her phone she found a torch and some candles in a drawer in the kitchen. She lit the candles
and dotted them around the café. Rain continued to pour down outside, battering against the windows. She sacrificed a handmade
rug from stock to block the front door more fully and mopped up the water that was pooling around the chair and furniture
legs.

Through the noise of raindrops and thunder, she heard a rapping at the glass door. She turned to see a figure half-hidden
under a huge green umbrella standing just outside. In high heels and a red dress. Alison quickly realised it was Maggie.

‘Ali! Are you in there?’ she shouted, peering through the glass.

Alison pulled the rug out of the way and let Maggie in, glad to see a familiar face. ‘Come in. God, you must be soaked.’

Maggie shook out her umbrella, came inside and took in the scene. ‘You didn’t sound like yourself on the phone, so I thought
I’d better come down. What a nightmare this rain is.’

‘Thanks,’ Alison said. ‘You didn’t have to. But I’m quite glad you did, actually.’

‘Are these candles for atmosphere, or is your power out?’ Maggie said, taking off her heels and slipping on pumps from her
bag. ‘Always prepared,’ she said, with a smile.

‘The latter, I’m afraid.’

Maggie looked up at the ceiling lamps. ‘What can I help with? Getting an electrician?’

‘I’m not sure we’re going to get anyone to come out tonight.’

‘It can wait till tomorrow, I guess. How’s the furniture in here?’ Maggie said, peering down to inspect the chair legs.

‘I think we’ve escaped the worst so far. There’s plenty of clearing up to do out the back, but I don’t think we should do
it until the wiring’s been checked and the power’s back on. I told Jamie he shouldn’t do the wiring himself, but you know
what he’s like …’

‘Right, yes, I think we’re best staying out of that,’ Maggie said. ‘But we should get something else to block the doorway,
this thing is sodden.’ She took a throw from the sofa and rolled it up tightly.

‘I suppose I should just lock up and head home,’ Alison said, looking around at the popcorn and treats she’d laid out for
an event that now wasn’t going to take place.

‘Well, it seems a shame not to take advantage of a rare night off,’ Maggie said, eyeing the cupcakes and the jug of cocktail.

‘Are you thinking what I’m thinking?’

‘Let’s have a drink and wait until the rain’s eased off. Our families will cope without us.’

‘It’s a plan,’ Alison said, lifting the jug of Mojito and pouring them both a teacup cocktail. ‘Not often I get a night off,
and with one of my favourite ladies, to boot.’

‘Only a shame Jenny’s not here to complete the club,’ Maggie said.

‘Isn’t it? I called her but she’s sensibly staying at home tonight.’

They took their drinks over to one of the sofas, a dry island, and Maggie brought some candles with her.

‘Here’s to surviving,’ Alison said, raising her teacup.

‘And thriving,’ Maggie added, chinking her cup with Alison’s.

Jenny

Tuesday, 17th September /Wednesday 18th September

‘Ali’s had to cancel tonight,’ I said to Dan as he came out of the shower, scrubbing his hair dry with a towel.

‘That’s a shame,’ he said, sitting down next to me in his dressing gown. Elmo, our puppy, leaped up on the sofa between us
and nuzzled my leg. Dan ran his hand over the dog’s wiry grey hair, stroking him, and Elmo rolled over to show his belly.
‘Although I guess she had no choice with this weather. Were you planning on going?’

‘I hadn’t really decided, but probably not – there’s been so much to think about this week I don’t think I would have been
great company.’

‘How are you feeling about tomorrow?’

‘OK, I suppose. Hope it’s going to be all right driving Chris to the hospital,’ I said, glancing outside, where the rain was
still hammering down. ‘They said on the radio not to go out unless you absolutely have to.’

‘I’m sure it’ll have stopped by then,’ Dan said. ‘You’ll get Chris to hospital, and he’ll be getting better before you know
it.’

I squeezed his arm, grateful for his reassuring words.

‘I hope so. I can’t stop thinking about what could go wrong. I think I’m probably more nervous about it than he is. But it
brings it all back, the hospital appointments when we were kids, the worries about how much he’d be able to do independently,
the waiting game. I know I was only young, but I remember every moment of it.’

‘It must have been a stressful time, and whatever age you are, you pick up on that. How’s your dad holding up?’ Dan asked,
looking at me and toying with one of Elmo’s ears.

‘The same as me, worried sick. He really wants to come tomorrow, to be there for Chris. But Chris says he doesn’t want to
stress Dad out – he’s only letting me go with him because I nagged him and reminded him he’d need a lift. He thinks he’s protecting
people, but he’s not, he’s just shutting everyone out.’

‘Have you heard from Chloe?’

‘She’s called a couple of times, and I can tell she suspects something’s up. I hate lying to her, she’s one of my best friends,
and we’ve always been honest with each other. I feel really stuck in the middle.’

‘Poor Chloe. Of course she’d want to know. I’m really surprised Chris is acting like this.’

‘I haven’t seen this stubborn streak in him for years,’ I said. ‘You know how laid back he normally is. Chloe was under no
illusions about his health – and she’s never been happier than she is with him. I think he’s really scared, Dan, and I wish
I could make it better.’

‘Right, here we are,’ I said to Chris, as we drew into the hospital car park. The rain had finally eased overnight, and the
sun was breaking through the clouds and reflecting off puddles on the tarmac. I’d struggled to sleep, imagining Chris, the
brother who had always been so important to me, lying in the operating theatre.

‘Yes,’ he said, subdued, undoing his seatbelt. He picked up his hospital bag from the footwell.

‘You’re absolutely sure you want to do this?’

‘Yes,’ he nodded.

‘Sure, sure?’

‘If there’s a chance it will help, I need to try it.’

‘I’ll come in with you,’ I said, unbuckling my own belt.

‘Jen,’ he said, his brown eyes meeting mine. ‘No offence, but I think I need to do this on my own.’

‘OK,’ I said, a lump building in my throat. ‘Of course. If that’s what you want.’

I went around to the passenger side and helped him into his wheelchair.

‘Call me as soon as you’re out,’ I said, bending to hug him, his smell so familiar, laundry powder and shampoo. He held me
close.

‘I will. I’ll be fine, sis. Don’t worry.’

I watched as he wheeled himself to the entrance of the hospital, tears in my eyes.

I drove back towards my house, trying to block out thoughts of what would be happening to Chris. As I passed Maggie’s cottage,
I caught sight of her in the window of her front room. She tapped the window and waved.

I hesitated, then slowed the car down and turned around. She answered the door with Stan in a sling.

‘Hello, stranger,’ she said, her green eyes lighting up.

‘Hi, Maggie,’ I said, giving her a hug.

‘You OK, Jen? You look upset.’

‘No … not really,’ I said, my voice breaking. The tears I’d been struggling to keep in all morning started to flow.

Maggie and I were sitting together in her living room, on her white sofa. Stan was playing on his activity mat, lifting bright
Velcro flaps and tapping buzzers.

‘So Chris went into East Sussex General this morning?’ she asked, concerned.

‘Yes,’ I said. ‘The operation is a long one, it’ll be a few hours.’

‘He’s in good hands, Jen. It’s an excellent hospital.’

‘But it’s just thinking of him, in there on his own, and the risks.’

‘He’ll be OK. He’s a strong one. But I wish I’d known – why didn’t you say something earlier? You know I’m always on the end
of a phone, and Ali too. There we were thinking you were off sipping champagne with the literati.’

‘Hardly,’ I said, letting out a wry laugh. ‘Thankfully JoJo’s been really understanding about postponing the tour.’

‘That’s good. Probably the last thing you’d be able to think about right now. How’s Chloe doing?’

‘That’s the toughest part,’ I said. ‘Chris doesn’t want her to know.’

‘You’re kidding,’ Maggie said, sitting forward. ‘But didn’t you say he was planning to propose to her?’

‘I know – and yes, he’s even got the ring. He was going to do it on their anniversary, which is next week, but I don’t expect
that’ll be happening now. He’s cut off contact, and she’s really confused.’

‘She must be.’

‘She’s a bit of a mess. She’s convinced herself that he’s changed his mind about her. You know what Chloe’s like with men,
after getting burned before, she’s jumping to all the wrong conclusions.’

‘And you’re sure, about not telling her? How would you feel if it was Dan?’

I imagined if that was Dan going in for an operation that could change his life for the better, or the worse. The thought
of not being there with him made my chest tighten.

‘I would want to know,’ I said. ‘I should tell her, shouldn’t I?’

‘Only you know the right thing to do.’

Alison

Wednesday, 18th September

‘Well, last night fell a little flat,’ Alison said, standing in the back room of Blitz Spirit and surveying the mess around
her and Jamie. ‘Less cocktails and coat tails, more puddles and ruined stock.’ It was really starting to sink in: all that
hard work for nothing.

‘Bad luck, that’s all,’ he said, putting an arm around her. ‘Good old English weather never fails to trip us up. But don’t
worry, Ali. The main thing is the electrician managed to get the power up again, even if he did give me a hard time about
the wiring.’

‘Yes, he was pretty stern about that, wasn’t he?’

‘He was right. I shouldn’t have tried to do it on the cheap, I’ve been meaning to get it checked out. Thank God nothing more
serious happened, and you weren’t hurt.’

‘Oh, I’m made of pretty tough stuff,’ Alison said. ‘Actually me and Maggie had a lock-in last night, getting tipsy and eating
the cupcakes and muffins I’d made. We were here till nearly midnight. I haven’t laughed so much in ages.’

‘Glad you had some company, and you two enjoyed yourselves. I’m so sorry my phone was out of battery, you know I would have
been here in a flash if I’d known.’

‘It’s fine. Safe to say the party is now officially over, though. Let’s get this place cleaned up.’ She passed Jamie a broom
and took out a dustpan and brush for herself. Together they started sweeping up the debris in the back room.

‘Just a bump in the road,’ he said. ‘Don’t get disheartened.’

‘I won’t,’ Alison said, determined. ‘But damn, I really thought the night would give Blitz Spirit a boost.’

At the sound of the front door opening, they both looked up from their sweeping.

‘Hi, Maggie,’ Jamie called out, as they saw her willowy silhouette in the doorway, a bump in the middle where Stan was strapped
to her. ‘We’re back here.’ Maggie walked through to join them in the back room.

‘Hello, you two,’ she said warmly. ‘I’ve just been checking Bluebelle for damage, but it seems we’ve got away lightly. Anna
and I saw the lights come back on in here, so I hoped that was a good sign?’

‘Yes, it is,’ Alison said. ‘The electrician didn’t take long to fix the power. Still some cleaning up to do but it’s only
rainwater, nothing nasty, so we should be able to open in an hour or so.’

‘That’s great,’ Maggie said. ‘I had a little walk about to see how everyone is doing. Love Latte escaped totally unscathed.’

‘Of course, they would do,’ Jamie said, giving a wry smile.

‘The other shops weren’t so lucky – Jules’s art gallery lost some stock last night, and Brand New Retro have had some damage
to a few of their vintage clothes.’

‘So, we’re not the only ones,’ Alison said. ‘Not sure that makes me feel any better.’

‘We’ll all bounce back,’ Maggie said. ‘We can have your event another night.’

‘I don’t know,’ Alison said, shrugging her shoulders. ‘Everything was set, Chloe was going to do the
Sussex Living
piece to promote …’

‘Oh, we can get Chloe along again any time, she’s always supportive of local businesses – she helped when we had that late
opening at Bluebelle, do you remember? When we gave out free Peach Bellinis?’

‘I do,’ Alison said. ‘You sold loads of flowers that night, didn’t you? Amazing how readily people will get out their wallets
after a drink or two.’

‘Absolutely,’ Maggie said, looking up for a moment as if pondering something. ‘And on that note, I think I’ve just had a brilliant
idea.’