Читать книгу The Naughty Girls Book Club - Sophie Hart - Страница 8

‘Come on, Joe! That’s it – run! Come on, come on … hit it … Yeah! Goal!’

Estelle jumped up and down on the freezing touchline, whooping loudly as she threw her arms in the air. She was barely recognisable, buried beneath layers of clothes to combat the crisp, early morning air, as she watched her son tear around the football pitch. His teammates jumped on him triumphantly, wrestling him to the ground, and as Joe eventually climbed out from underneath the pile of bodies, his long, skinny legs coated with mud, his mop of dark hair mussed untidily, he smiled shyly, and Estelle could tell he was thrilled.

‘Yay, go Joe!’ she shouted again, cupping her hands around her mouth like a megaphone.

Turning to her side, she high-fived her ex-husband, Ted. She was proud to say that the two of them had remained friends after their marriage had broken up, and often turned out together to support Joe. They liked to present a united front for the sake of their only child, and knew how important his football was to him.

Joe played with a local team every Sunday morning and, without fail, Estelle would go and watch him. Cafe Crumb was closed on Sundays and, whether it was just a regular practice or a home match against another team from the youth league, Estelle would trek along to the local park. The weather this morning was particularly bitter, as the first days of March brought a final blast of winter. The bare trees were stark against the slate-grey sky, and the ground was frozen in parts, muddy where the grass had been rubbed away.

The referee blew his whistle, and the teams ran back to their places.

‘Isn’t he great?’ Estelle said proudly.

Ted nodded, putting his hands back in his pockets to keep warm. ‘Ah, he’s grand. One good thing we did together, eh?’

Estelle nodded, surreptitiously looking over at her ex. They’d known each other for almost twenty years, and time had taken its toll on him – as it had done on her. Ted’s hair was thinner, and almost fully grey now. His face was lined, with deep creases that formed when he smiled, and his jowls had started to sag. But he was still a handsome man, and the roguish charm she’d originally fallen for was very much in evidence. Ted possessed a natural Irish charisma, twinkling blue eyes, and a melodious accent that brought to mind the green hills of Connemara where he’d been raised. His new wife, Leila, was fifteen years younger than he was, but Estelle could understand why she found this craggy, older man attractive.

‘So how’s everything with you?’ Ted asked, as the match kicked off again.

‘Alright, I suppose,’ Estelle shrugged. ‘Nothing new to report.’

‘And how’s it going with the cafe?’

‘Not so well,’ she admitted ruefully. ‘Things are a little quiet at the moment, but they’ll pick up. You know how it is at this time of year.’ Her sense of pride kicked in, and she found herself reluctant to tell him the extent of her troubles.

‘Y’know, I was really proud of you when you set up that little business. Never thought you’d do it.’

‘Thanks …’ Estelle replied uncertainly, wondering how to take Ted’s comment. ‘Oh, that reminds me – are you still alright to have Joe this Thursday?’

‘I’ll check with Leila, but I don’t see why not.’

‘Great. I’ll remind him to go straight to yours after school. Just give him his tea and send him back later.’

‘Sure. Why, what are you up to? Off on a date or something, are you?’ Ted asked slyly.

‘Don’t be daft,’ Estelle chided, waving her hand dismissively. ‘I’ve started a book group actually, at the cafe. Didn’t Joe tell you?’

Ted shook his head. ‘You know what teenagers are like. Not interested in anything unless it’s about them. So, a book group, you say? Tell me more.’

‘There’s not much to tell really. Just something to bring a bit more custom into the cafe. You know Bainbridge’s across the road finally closed down? It was terribly sad. I felt so sorry for them.’

‘A real shame,’ Ted agreed.

‘And I thought it might be a nice idea to start a reading group. Give me a chance to meet some new people, and have a good old natter about books.’

‘Ah, you always did love to have your head in a book,’ Ted reminisced. ‘So what sort of things will you be reading at this club?’

‘Well …’ Estelle cleared her throat, playing for time. ‘At the last meeting, we discussed Tess of the D’Urbervilles.’

‘Did you now?’ Ted’s eyebrows shot up. ‘Very impressive. You must have got more high-brow in your reading choices since we were together. I remember how you used to love all those trashy thrillers, and the cheesy romance novels too.’

‘Mmm-hmm,’ Estelle replied vaguely, keeping her eyes firmly fixed on where Joe was sprinting up and down the pitch.

‘So what are you reading next?’ Ted pressed. ‘It’ll be your Charles Dickens, or your William Shakespeare or something, I bet.’

‘Not quite,’ Estelle confessed. ‘Have you heard of Ten Sweet Lessons?’

Ted threw back his head and roared with laughter. ‘Have I heard of it? You’d have to have been living under a rock not to have heard of that book, so you would. And there was me thinking you were running a serious book club.’

‘It is serious,’ Estelle protested indignantly. ‘We don’t confine ourselves to merely the classics,’ she retorted haughtily. ‘As Ten Sweet Lessons is so popular, it’s the perfect novel to discuss, and I’m sure it will provoke a wide range of opinions.’

Ted nodded knowingly, his blue eyes dancing. ‘And the fact that it’s a wicked dirty read has nothing to do with it.’

Estelle started laughing, breaking down under Ted’s teasing. ‘Oh, stop it you,’ she giggled, whacking him in the chest with her handbag. ‘It’s the perfect book for you – older man leading a younger woman astray. Don’t let Leila read it or else she’ll start getting ideas.’

‘Oh, she’s already read it.’

Estelle raised her eyebrows. ‘Has she?’

Ted nodded. ‘Leila’s not much of a reader, but all her friends were talking about it, and she’d seen it in the magazines so she decided to give it a whirl. She barely spoke to me for three days straight.’

‘Oh, bad luck,’ Estelle shouted, as the opposing team scored, and a dejected Joe slunk back to the centre line. She was grateful for the distraction – it felt odd to be discussing Ten Sweet Lessons with Ted, knowing that it had given his new wife so much pleasure. Estelle knew it was ridiculous, but she had thought of it as her secret, her little discovery. The idea of Leila fantasising about Alexander Black too was somehow disconcerting – as was the image of Leila and Ted trying out some of the raunchier scenes in the book …

‘Actually, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about Leila,’ Ted began.

‘Have you?’ Estelle replied warily, wondering what Ted could possibly want to tell her. She certainly didn’t want all the grisly details of how Ten Sweet Lessons had spiced up their sex life.

‘Yes, well, both of us actually. We’ve got a bit of news, and I wanted to ask your advice about how to tell Joe.’

‘Mmm?’ Estelle said distractedly, as an opposing player tackled Joe and he fell to the ground with a heavy thump. She stepped forwards instinctively, but Joe bounced right back up and kept on running.

‘Leila’s pregnant,’ Ted announced. ‘We’re going to have a baby.’

‘Oh!’ Estelle cried out, her hands flying to her face. ‘I mean, that’s wonderful news, Ted. Congratulations,’ she finished sincerely, turning to him with a smile, and trying to suppress the flurry of emotions racing through her. Of course she was pleased for the pair of them, but there was another part of her that felt as though she’d just been punched in the stomach. All of Estelle’s worries about loneliness and growing old were brought into sharp focus; it was impossible not to question the way her own life was going when confronted so starkly with someone else’s happiness.

‘Thanks, Estelle. That means a lot to me, and I know it will to Leila.’

‘Ten Sweet Lessons must have really done the trick.’ The words popped out of her mouth before Estelle even realised what she was saying.

‘Yes, well, we’ve certainly been a lot more experimental since she read it. I didn’t even know half of the things that were out there – floggers and gags and all kinds of paraphernalia, if you know where to look. It’s certainly very different to when you and I—’

Ted stopped talking suddenly, aware that his comments weren’t entirely appropriate. A red flush stole over his face, and Estelle had the unusual experience of seeing Ted lost for words. There was very little that embarrassed her ex-husband.

‘So when’s she due?’ Estelle asked finally, breaking the awkward silence that had sprung up between them.

‘Mid-September. She’s about ten weeks gone at the moment, and once she’s had her twelve-week scan we’ll officially start telling people, but I wanted you to know before that. You – and Joe,’ he explained.

Estelle nodded, wondering what was coming next.

‘I did wonder if it might be better coming from yourself first. Just to forewarn him, so to speak. Obviously, we’ll talk to him about it afterwards, but it’s a sensitive subject, and he can be a wee bit quiet when Leila’s around. I thought if you paved the way first …’ Ted looked at her pleadingly.

‘Okay, I’ll talk to him,’ Estelle capitulated, as the final whistle blew and she began cheering once again, while Ted whooped and fist-pumped the air. Joe’s team had won four-two, with Joe scoring the final goal for his team.

‘We’re probably embarrassing him no end,’ Estelle laughed, glad that the conversation was on safer territory.

‘What are parents for?’ Ted smiled back at her.

Joe came striding across the pitch towards them, receiving hearty claps on the back from his teammates.

‘Nice one, Joe! Well played, mate,’ they called, as they ran past him.

‘You star!’ Estelle exclaimed as he reached her, pulling him into a hug. ‘Now put a jumper on before you freeze.’

‘Mum …’ Joe rolled his eyes, as he reached into his kit bag and dutifully grabbed a sweater. Then he bent down and unlaced his boots, swapping them for a pair of battered old trainers.

‘Well done, son,’ Ted grinned, ruffling his hair. ‘Are you ready to go?’

Joe nodded, and the three of them set off walking towards the car park. They were loading Joe’s bag into the boot of Estelle’s Ford Fiesta, when Tony, Joe’s coach, jogged over towards them. A dark-haired man in his mid-forties, he had a well-built, athletic body and dark brown eyes.

‘Great match today, Joe,’ he grinned.

‘Thanks, Tony.’

Tony nodded in acknowledgement at Estelle and Ted. ‘You’ve got a good kid here. Proper little David Beckham, this one.’

‘I hope so,’ Ted chuckled. ‘I wouldn’t mind his salary.’

‘And you’re definitely alright for the upcoming away match?’ Tony asked, addressing Joe. ‘You’re not on holiday or anything?’

‘I don’t think so. We’re not going away anywhere, are we Mum?’ Joe asked.

‘No, I’m afraid not. No luxury vacation for us anytime soon,’ she smiled.

‘We’ve got an away match in a couple of weeks, against Bath Under-fifteens,’ Tony explained. ‘It’s during the Easter holidays, so we’re holding it on a Tuesday afternoon. Is that okay? The bus will pick up from the car park here, and we’ll be back by early evening.’

‘I don’t see a problem,’ Estelle agreed. ‘I’ll be working though, so Joe, you’ll have to make your own way down here. Will that be okay? Unless – Ted, will you be around?’

‘Afraid not. I’ll be at work too, nose to the grindstone as usual.’

‘Where do you live?’ Tony asked, turning to Estelle.

‘I own Cafe Crumb, so we live above there. Do you know it?’

‘I most certainly do! I didn’t realise that was your place. You do the best Chelsea buns in all of Bristol!’

‘That sounds like us,’ Estelle beamed. ‘And all home-made too. Do you come in very often? I don’t recall seeing you,’ she admitted.

‘Well, my colleagues usually do the pastry run,’ Tony confessed, as Estelle smiled.

‘Ah, that explains it. I’m usually very good at remembering my regulars, and I’m sure I’d have remembered you.’

Ted was listening to their conversation, a frown on his face. ‘So what’s happening with Joe?’ he cut in gruffly.

‘I can pick him up and drop him back too, if you’d like,’ Tony offered. ‘I live just off Hotwell Road, so it’s on my way. Chris, my son over there, is Joe’s age, and he’ll be playing as well.’

‘Well that sounds perfect, thank you, Tony. Is that good for you, Joe?’

‘Yeah, sure,’ Joe agreed easily.

‘That’s settled then,’ Tony nodded, looking pleased. ‘I’ll let Joe fill you in on all the details.’

‘Great. Have a good week.’

‘You too.’ Tony smiled at them all and strode off.

‘Well, I’ll see you on Thursday, son,’ Ted said, as he reached over to give Joe a goodbye hug. ‘Your mother says you’re coming to mine, while she hosts her little book group. Is that alright?’

‘No problem. See you then, Dad.’

‘Come on, Joe. Let’s get you back,’ Estelle told him, bristling at Ted’s rather patronising dismissal of the book club.

She suddenly felt very tired, not relishing the long day of baking and nagging Joe to finish his homework that loomed ahead of her. The news of Ted and Leila’s baby had hit her harder than she expected, and it seemed to bring home the fact that she’d never really moved on after her divorce; the responsibility of running the cafe and caring for Joe hadn’t allowed for much else. It wasn’t fashionable to admit it, but sometimes she wished she had someone to take care of her, to talk through her problems with … and to take her to bed at night, she thought, feeling her cheeks grow warm.

Her sex life had been non-existent since she’d separated from Ted, and she hadn’t relished hearing about him and Leila swinging from the chandeliers. For Estelle, it had been so long since she’d been with a man that she wasn’t even sure she could still remember how! They said it was like riding a bike, but that was something else she hadn’t done for years. Her old pushbike was sitting in the back yard, covered in rust and in need of a good oiling – much like herself.

‘Mum?’ Joe asked, looking at her curiously.

Estelle glanced up, flustered, her face burning. She realised she was sitting in the driver’s seat, staring into space, a host of inappropriate thoughts running through her mind.

‘Sorry, love, I was miles away,’ she apologised hastily, turning the key in the ignition and reversing out of her parking space at speed. There was no point daydreaming about meeting her own Alexander Black, she told herself sharply. Joe and Cafe Crumb were the priorities in her life now, and as long as she had those, nothing else mattered.