all looks very professional,’ gasped Melody, upon reaching the kitchen and spotting all the measured-out ingredients in glass bowls, and the basket of veg waiting to be chopped. ‘It’s like something off the telly. And it’s doing nothing for my poor nerves. I’m really worried I’m going to be the dunce of the class.’
Connie laughed, gesturing to her guest to sit down on a stool at the island. ‘Don’t worry. It’s not a competition. It’s all about enjoying good food with like-minded people. To be honest, I’m a bit nervous myself. I’ve never done anything like this before.’
‘Really? You must be a pretty good cook, though.’
‘I don’t know about that.’ Connie set down the flowers and wine on the granite bench and began rooting around in the cupboards for a vase. ‘I’m a complete amateur but I love it. It’s been a passion of mine since I was a child.’
‘You’re lucky,’ puffed Melody. ‘I’m twenty-seven and I still haven’t found my passion.’
Mid rummage, Connie cocked an enquiring eyebrow at the obvious regret in her guest’s tone. By the time she turned back to her, though, Eric had made his presence known, peeping out from behind the sofa where he’d taken refuge immediately after the trauma of the chiming doorbell.
‘Hello, gorgeous,’ gushed Melody, sliding off her stool and scurrying over to him. ‘What’s your name?’
She was deprived of the chance to find out as the bell rang again, and Eric once again took refuge.
‘Evening, Melody,’ exclaimed Eleanor, marching into the room behind Connie a few seconds later. ‘Good to see you.’
‘And you,’ said Melody, returning to her stool. ‘Have you had a busy day in the shop?’
‘Busy doesn’t cover it,’ puffed Eleanor, placing the bottle of wine she’d been carrying onto the island top before tugging off her cardigan. ‘Up until ten minutes ago, it was looking increasingly likely that I wouldn’t be able to make it tonight. Problem with the ice-cream supplier. I’ve only just finished a fifty-minute call to them. Honestly, it’s times like this when I wonder if I’m not too old for this newsagent malarkey. If I shouldn’t just sell up and retire to Benidorm.’
‘Don’t you dare,’ protested Melody. ‘Yours is one of the few friendly faces I’ve seen in almost a year of living here. In fact, when Malcolm’s away on business, yours is sometimes the only friendly face I see all day.’
‘Don’t tell me that. How can I go and collapse on a sunlounger and sip pina coladas all day now, knowing no one is talking to you here?’
‘You can’t,’ giggled Melody. ‘Which is why you have to stay.’
‘Ah. Not necessarily. Connie’s here now. And she has a very friendly face.’
‘But she’s not staying. The lucky thing is only here temporarily.’
Connie laughed as, having located a vase and filled it from the tap, she began arranging the flowers. ‘Surely it’s not that bad here.’
Melody gave a contemptuous snort. ‘Obviously you haven’t encountered the Residents’ Committee yet.’
‘No. I haven’t.’ Pleased with the arrangement of blooms, Connie placed the vase on the windowsill before moving back to the island and cracking open the bottle of merlot Melody had brought.
‘You’d know if you had,’ said Eleanor. ‘They’re like Rottweilers, ready to pounce on anyone who disobeys the screeds of rules they conjure up from nowhere. Wait until you read next month’s newsletter, then you’ll see what we mean.’
‘After that build-up, I can’t wait to read it,’ chuckled Connie, filling two wine glasses and sliding them across the island to her guests. She’d just filled another for herself when the doorbell struck again – heralding the arrival of Kate.
‘I might have known I’d be the last to arrive,’ the vet chuntered, bustling into the room. ‘Milo threw a tantrum, then threw up. Which made Mia cry and Jemima wail. Thank God for the au pair. If she hadn’t been there to help calm things down, I’d never have made it.’
‘I don’t know how you do it,’ remarked Eleanor. ‘Especially as Andrew never seems to be around.’
Kate furrowed her brow as she slipped onto the stool next to Melody. ‘Andrew? Who’s he again? The name is ringing a very distant bell.’ She slapped a hand to her forehead. ‘Oh! You mean the man I occasionally wake up to find in my bed. Actually, he arrived home just as I was leaving, so I saw him for thirty seconds. Which is thirty seconds longer than most days. In fact, he was away all last week on a course and the ever so slightly terrifying thing was, we hardly even noticed.’
‘I know what you mean,’ said Melody. ‘My husband, Malcolm, works really long hours too. But he never works weekends. In fact, I’ve banned all work talk between five o’clock on a Friday and eight o’clock Monday morning.’
‘Impressive,’ said Kate, accepting the glass of wine Connie handed her. ‘You obviously know what you’re doing. But to ban all work talk would imply that you two do actually engage in conversation. Something Andrew and I do very little of these days.’
‘It can only get better,’ chipped in Eleanor. ‘At least he’s there occasionally. My Frank was nowhere near perfect but I still miss him every day. Even though it’s four years now since he passed.’
‘I know.’ Kate reached across and briefly touched Eleanor’s hand. ‘I shouldn’t grumble. Especially when I see how lonely Dad is since Mum died.’
She broke off as Eleanor sputtered on her wine.
‘Sorry. Went down the wrong way.’
Kate flashed her a sympathetic smile before going on. ‘We lost Mum two years ago,’ she explained to Connie. ‘Dad used to be a GP in the village. They’d had such plans for their retirement, but then she died. Completely unexpectedly. And since then he just rattles around without purpose. I’m trying to persuade him to take up a new hobby, but I’m not hopeful. He’s lost all interest in life. But anyway, that’s enough of my woes. What about you, Connie? Anyone special in your life?’
Connie shook her head. ‘No. I was with someone for five years, but a few months ago I came home to find him in bed with one of his work colleagues.’
‘Bloody hell,’ gasped Eleanor, blue-rimmed eyes wide as she gazed at their host over the top of her wine glass. ‘I hope you gave them what for.’
‘I suppose I did. I had one of those “seeing red” moments, where I completely lost it and threw lots of things around – including the chicken biryani I’d taken home as a surprise.’
‘Ha! Good for you,’ sniggered Melody. ‘I bet that added a bit of spice to the proceedings. And ruined the sheets.’
‘I don’t know about the sheets, but it certainly mucked up his partner in crime’s hair. As mad as it was, I couldn’t believe it still looked immaculate after what they’d obviously been doing.’
‘In that case, whatever they’d been doing can’t have been up to much,’ tittered Eleanor.
Connie giggled. ‘I hadn’t thought of that.’
‘There you go then,’ piped up Melody. ‘You’re not missing much.’
‘Definitely not,’ agreed Kate. ‘I had a similar thing once at university. I’d paid a surprise visit to my boyfriend at the time, only to discover him in bed with one of the lecturers. A male one.’
‘No!’ gasped Melody.
Kate nodded. ‘And I won’t tell you what the lecturer was wearing. Suffice to say it was red and frilly.’
‘Well, I never,’ chuckled Eleanor. ‘And I thought stuff like that only happened on the telly.’