Free The Vintage Teacup Club by Vanessa Greene Page B

Alison.
    ‘Look,’ Alison said, picking up a photo of Maggie with Kesha and Sarah for a closer look. ‘Let me live vicariously a little. With two kids and an elderly mum to think about, I need all the kicks I can get.’
    ‘I don’t mind,’ Maggie said, smiling. ‘I only wish I could provide a bit more in the way of entertainment for you. But it’s a romantic desert round here I’m afraid.’
    Alison narrowed her eyes as if she didn’t entirely believe what she was hearing.
    ‘Seriously!’ Maggie confirmed. ‘Haven’t you spotted all the scented candles andcushions I’ve got in this place? Single woman’s prerogative.’
    ‘OK, we believe you – it’s true there are a lot of candles. But still, I’m amazed. Well, enjoy it while it lasts, I say. Family life can really take it out of you.’
    ‘Does your mum live nearby, Ali?’ Jenny asked, lifting her glass to her lips.
    ‘Close-ish, yes,’ Alison replied. ‘I’m popping round to see her with my brother tomorrow actually. She’s OK most of the time, but she’s stubborn as you like and she isn’t ready to accept that she’s not as strong as she once was.’ Alison’s eyes drifted, then her gaze came back with a smile. ‘It’s a good reminder to enjoy being young and healthy while we can, isn’t it?’
    Jenny raised a glass of lemonade in one hand, the pizza box in the other. ‘Ahem?’ she said, glancing from one to the other. ‘We’d better get busy then. I’m not sure how much longer wehave.’



Chapter 9
Alison
    It was Saturday evening, and when Alison got back from her mother’s house Pete and Holly were curled up together on the Chesterfield sofa watching
Doctor Who
. Alison’s heart lifted at the scene: Pete had one arm around his youngest daughter, the other lazily draped over the dog. Pete was wearing an old checked shirt, one that Alison really liked for its softness. His hazel eyes lit up when he saw Alison come through the door, and Holly acknowledged her with a smile, before her eyes flicked quickly back to the screen.
    ‘Hello family,’ Alison said, standing in the living room doorway. ‘I’ll be with you in a second, I’m just going to grab a drink.’
    Alison poured herself a glass of red wine and restedagainst the kitchen counter for a moment. It had been a long day. She’d been riding high since her conversation with Jamie the other day, and Pete had been equally excited about the café idea, but seeing her mum again had brought her back down to earth. Her mother was still the fun and feisty character she’d always been, but physically she was getting extremely frail and Alison could see that living on her own was now a challenge for her. A carer came in a few mornings a week, and Alison and her brother Clive dropped in when they could, but they both knew she needed more help.
    Alison’s eyes drifted to the kitchen table and she noticed that the forget-me-not teaset was out of its box; Holly must have wanted to take a look. She put her wine down and wrapped the cups and saucers back up in their newspaper. The text at the top of one of the yellowed sheets caught her eye:
The Charlesworth Chronicle
, 14 June 1964. She remembered that her dad used to read that paper. It had closed a few years ago, was replaced by glossy magazines like the one Jenny worked for, with features rather than local news. As Alison put the cups back into the box and closed the flaps, she saw the biro scribble on the top ‘Mrs Derek Spencer’. Probably a house clearance, she thought to herself with a pang of sadness.
    Alison walked back into the livingroom and over to the sofa, settling herself beside Pete and Holly and taking off her boots.
    ‘So,’ she said, giving Pete a kiss and squeezing Holly’s arm. ‘How has today been?’
    ‘It’s been fun, hasn’t it Holly?’ Pete replied, looking for a response from his daughter, who was still caught up in the programme. Maggie noted that Pete’s stubble was even longer than usual, and