Page 75 of Teacakes & Tangos
I smiled as we scooped our cheesecake into the boxes. It was amazing what talking about your worries could achieve.
BecauseIfelt a little lighter of spirit, too.
Before I went back to my office, I told Anika about a project I was putting together and asked her if she’d like to contribute some photographs of her mum and dad in their dancing days.
‘I’m envisaging an entire wall in here devoted to blown-up images of local dancers through the years. Your mum and dad won so many amateur dancing competitions and it would be wonderful to include them. But only if you’d like me to.’
‘It’s a fabulous idea,’ she agreed. ‘I’d have to speak to Dad about it, though...’
I nodded. ‘Of course.’
‘I’m just not sure what Dad would think. We have a big box of family photos in the spare room, which includes pictures from their dancing days, but ever since Mum died, as far as I know Dad hasn’t looked in that box even once.’
Anika frowned. ‘And to be fair, neither have I.’
Clara
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
I’d taken Anika’s advice and I’d bought a new dress and booked a table for two at a very expensive restaurant for the following night.
Anika’s words had echoed in my head as I was deciding where we should go.
Rory’s worth the effort, isn’t he?
We needed to talk about our relationship and whether Lois had managed to beguile him all over again. And whether or not we had a future together. This was important. So in the end, I’d decided to just go for it and to hell with the expense...
When I called Rory to tell him I was taking him out to eat at The Buttery so we could talk, he sounded a bit nervous, as if he thought I might be gearing up to end things between us. So I was quick to reassure him that I just meant we hadn’t had time to talk much recently, because we’d both been so busy.
He’d seemed relieved. ‘Right. Great! Looking forward to it.’
There was still that slight polite awkwardness between us, but I was hopeful that a night out together with some delicious food and wine, just Rory and me, would smooth out the wrinkles in our relationship and get us back on track.
But then later that day, my friend Roz called me, sounding really upset. Things hadn’t been going well for her and Tommy ever since she’d moved up to Lancashire to live with him. And now he’d packed a bag and left the flat they were sharing to move in with an old flame, leaving Roz up there knowing no one and feeling completely alone.
Not being able to drive, she was now stranded there with no way of getting back to her mum’s in Surrey with all her stuff.
Hearing the pain in her voice, I didn’t think twice.
‘I’ll come and get you,’ I said at once.
‘Will you? Oh, Clara, that would be great.’
‘Of course. You poor love!’
‘Can you... can you come tomorrow? It’s just I don’t think I can bear to spend much more time in this horrible flat, feeling the way I do.’
‘Tomorrow?’ I’d been thinking I’d go up to Lancashire in a few days. But of course I said yes, I could. ‘I’ll set off early and I should be with you by noon at the latest.’
Roz sounded so grateful, although when we ended the call, I realised I’d have to cancel the restaurant reservation.
Later, when I was telling Irene about Roz and having to cancel, Lois whisked into the kitchen and said cheerily, ‘Did I hear you say you’re cancelling that table at The Buttery?’
‘Yes. Why?’
‘Well, how aboutIgo with Rory instead?’ She shrugged. ‘It makes sense. You’ll lose your deposit otherwise.’
‘Don’t be ridiculous, Lois,’ snapped Irene. ‘Rory doesn’t want to go out for a romantic meal with you!’
