Delicious smells filled the Crow’s Nest as Chloe added plates and cutlery wrapped in paper napkins to the dining table she’d set up in the sitting area. After getting back from a two-day trip to Surrey for business and to celebrate with old friends and colleagues, she’d taken yesterday off to get ready for her Saturday night party. Everyone in Surrey knew her real age, of course, and for a couple of days she’d been able to relax and enjoy the celebrations.
Two weeks today the festival would be in full swing, but for now it was time to celebrate her birthday. To say she had mixed emotions about the event was putting it mildly. She should have confessed the first time her age came up, or at Drew’s, or at the previous meeting, but the longer she put off her revelation, the harder it had become. Excuses came easily: she hadn’t wanted to embarrass herself in front of Drew; then she hadn’t wanted to make her revelation distract the committee from an important meeting.
Well, she was going to have to come clean tonight. Chloe pulled a bottle from the fridge and poured herself a generous glass while she got on with something she did feel happy with: playing hostess came naturally to her, even without it being her ‘day job’. She’d always loved feeding her family and friends. Her mother and father had been brought up in the Chinese and Welsh traditions of making guests feel welcome with food, so any occasion at home had been marked by cooking frenzies.
She’d already prepared Welsh cakes as a nod to her Welsh heritage, and was now putting the finishing touches to the table and room. The open-plan living room and kitchen area was a light and airy space, but with eight people in there, it would soon feel very cosy so it was a good thing that the evening was fine so that people could spill out onto the terrace. Clouds scudded past, causing the temperature to drop sharply every time a shadow came over. She added cushions to the patio armchair for Evie, and draped a couple of fleece blankets over the arm. Everyone else would probably want to stand outside with their drinks.
Glasses were waiting on the table and a couple of bottles of Cornish ‘champagne’ were chilling in the ice buckets. There was plenty of beer in the fridge for Troy and anyone else, alongside some very nice New Zealand Pinot Gris. She had more champagne ready for midnight to ease the pain of the moment when she would actually hit the big five-oh.
Chloe let out a squeak, realising that everyone was going to think she’d been hoodwinking them. ‘Oh God, what have I done?’
She swept up a couple of cards she’d opened and left on the coffee table and shoved them in a drawer. The big metal badges saying ‘Oh No, Five-Oh’ and ‘Nifty Fifty’ were a bit of a giveaway. Fraser had sent one, she recognised his handwriting, but there didn’t appear to be anything from Hannah.
Telling herself to brace up, she put on some music – Kylie Minogue and why the hell not – and the intercom buzzed. Her stomach did a somersault. It was D day. Arghh.
‘Hello! It’s us!’ Evie’s voice was cheery as ever.
Chloe’s guilt ramped up another notch at the thought of lying to this lovely woman. ‘Coming down now!’ she said and went downstairs to open the door.
Evie stood at the door holding a shimmery balloon with a huge smiley face and ‘You’re 40!’ on it.
‘Happy birthday!’ Evie declared.
Chloe’s jaw hurt from forcing herself to grin. She took the balloon and kissed Evie, feeling a bit like Judas. ‘Thank you. You shouldn’t have.’
Troy held up a coolbag with his good hand. ‘Grub’s in here,’ he said.
Evie had brought all the ingredients for a dish she said was a surprise, and that she had to cook from fresh so Chloe wedged the various components into her already overloaded fridge.
‘Are you going to celebrate with Hannah?’ asked Evie. ‘Will we get to meet her?’
‘Oh, she’s so busy. I expect we’ll get together sometime.’
‘I’m sure she’d want to celebrate with her mum. You wait, I bet she surprises you with some flowers.’
Chloe smiled. ‘Maybe she will. Can I top up your drink?’
Chloe moved into the kitchen, busying herself with pouring fizz into Evie’s glass when the door buzzed again.
She opened it to find Drew smiling at her and holding a white polystyrene box. Inside there were two dozen scallops nestling on a bed of ice, garnished with lemon chunks.
‘I thought it was a special occasion. You do like scallops?’ he said.
‘Yes, I do. Wow. Thank you.’
‘I bought them from Helford not more than an hour ago. I’ll open them if you like.’
‘Definitely,’ Chloe said, taken aback by the sight of him in a white shirt and trendy waistcoat that brought out the deep blue of his eyes. She had butterflies in her stomach like a teenager as he removed the shellfish from the box, accidentally brushing against her in the small kitchen area.
‘I just need a tea towel and a board, and when we’re ready, I’ll give them a quick pan fry with some lemon and wine. They don’t take long.’
‘Thanks.’ Chloe’s heart sank further. No matter how gorgeous he was, and even if he didn’t have a girlfriend, she’d have no chance with him once he found out her real age.
‘Hello! We’re here!’ Zennor called cheerily from the door.
‘We’ve made vegan pizzas,’ said Ben, following Zennor into the flat. ‘They just need warming up in the oven.’
‘Wow. What a feast,’ Chloe said, pleased to have a distraction from Drew and her deception.
‘Is Gabe here yet?’ Zennor asked.
‘No,’ said Chloe, sensing that the question was loaded.
Zennor gave a small hmmph and Chloe suddenly realised that her party might be the first time Zennor had seen him. If there had been tension between the Lovells and Gabe, it could make for an awkward ‘reunion’. It was going to be an interesting night all round, she thought, steeling herself.
‘Shall I put the pizzas in the fridge for now?’ she asked cheerfully. ‘They smell delicious.’
Sam arrived not long after, with a tin of miniature Cornish berry tarts and two pots of clotted cream. ‘I made these. Hope everyone likes berries.’
Evie squealed in delight. ‘We’ll none of us get out of the door.’
Not only were her friends laden with food, but they’d also brought cards – oh God – and gifts, which Chloe put on the sideboard, laughing off hints to open them immediately. She needed more than one glass of wine before she faced that moment. Come to think of it, when was the right moment?
The balloon danced in the gentle breeze from the French windows, taunting her. Chloe felt like stabbing it with a fork …
Soon the Crow’s Nest was filled with laughter, the pop of corks, chink of glasses and continual ‘sorrys’ and ‘whoops’ as everyone started to unload their food on the table, put it in the fridge or give instructions as to how it had to be heated up or served. The expression ‘too many cooks’ had never been more appropriate so Chloe put Troy in charge of serving drinks just to keep him out of the way. Ben was on his motorbike so he was on soft drinks.
Gabe was last to arrive. When he walked into the room with a large plastic tub of food, Chloe spotted Zennor exchange a look with Sam. Sam greeted Gabe pleasantly enough but Zennor didn’t join in with the chorus of hellos, but Gabe probably hadn’t noticed because everyone else was making so much noise.
Troy steepled his hands together. ‘Oh, here’s the professional. This had better be good – or is it cod and chips?’
Everyone laughed and Gabe rolled his eyes good humouredly. ‘I’ve kept it simple and brought mezze so hopefully everyone can find something they like.’ He opened the coolbag and brought out some plastic tubs. Homemade hummus and tsatziki. ‘The taramasalata was made to my grandma’s own recipe. It’s just roe, onion, bread and parsley. None of that pink gloop.’ Gabe grinned. ‘There are some giant beans from my mum and olives too. Ben – the hummus, beans and olives are vegan-friendly, as you probably know.’
Ben smiled. ‘I love giant beans. So does Zen, don’t you?’
Zennor shrugged. ‘They’re OK.’
Troy pulled a face. ‘They make me windy too.’
Evie poked him with her stick. ‘Troy! Don’t put people off their dinner!’
‘No chance of that,’ said Drew, pointing to the array of tubs, tins and Tupperware on the table. ‘Look at this lot. It’s a feast.’
‘It’s fantastic. Thanks, everyone, you’ve spoiled me. Now, shall we start with some champagne and Drew’s scallops?’
Zennor went pale. ‘They’re not compulsory, especially not for veggies,’ said Chloe, laughing at her horrified expression.
Gabe and Sam decanted the mezze into bowls while Drew brought plates of scallops in from the kitchen, served in their shells with a splash of wine and lemon. Gabe, Troy and Evie proved the biggest fans, downing the shellfish with gusto. Chloe found she enjoyed them a lot more than she’d expected.
Sam had several. ‘They’re so much nicer than oysters. I can’t stand them, slimy things,’ she said.
‘You might prefer them cooked,’ said Gabe. ‘They’re delicious served with a herby butter sauce. Then you top them with breadcrumbs and pop them under the grill.’
‘I’ll admit that does sound good,’ said Sam, sipping her wine again.
‘Maybe I can cook them for you sometime …’
‘If Drew can get hold of some.’
Drew winked. ‘Definitely. Just say the word though it will be September before they’re in season again.’
‘There you go,’ said Gabe.
‘Maybe …’ She downed the rest of her fizz. ‘This is delicious too. Any chance of some more, Chloe?’
‘Of course. I’ll bring it out with the mezze if you all want to move onto the balcony.’
‘I’ll get rid of the shells and clean up the mess,’ said Drew.
As Chloe went to the fridge, she exchanged a glance with Drew who was disposing of the shells in the bin. She followed his gaze to Sam and Gabe who were standing in the doors to the balcony chatting to Troy and Evie. They were angled towards each other, as close as they could be. Sam’s laughter was rich and relaxed and she kept touching Gabe very briefly on the arm, very naturally, almost as if she wasn’t even conscious of it. He whispered something in her ear and she stifled a giggle. Zennor didn’t seem so impressed but after the first half an hour when she’d given Gabe some pretty scathing looks, she seemed to have decided to relax and enjoy the party.
Even so, Chloe was convinced that Sam and Gabe had no idea of the signals they were giving off. She’d done a course on body language as part of her training as an events planner. She was no expert, but she was sure that while there was tension between Sam and Gabe, it was the romantic kind. There was no mistaking the electric attraction between them, no matter how much Sam insisted otherwise.
During the conversation, Gabe had effectively invited Sam over to his house for a meal and Sam hadn’t said no. They certainly seemed to be getting on better than at the pub a few weeks ago. Sam had mentioned that Gabe had stayed with her when she’d found out about her trashed van, so perhaps that awful experience had had a small silver lining. Then again, they might have simply been putting on a show of civility for Chloe’s big night.
Oh God. That thought snapped Chloe back to the reality of the situation and her deception.
Drew removed the full bag from the bin. ‘I ought to put the shells straight out in the bin, if you don’t want the house to smell like a fishmonger’s.’
Chloe threw him a smile that hid the turmoil inside her. ‘Good thinking. The dustbins are in the store behind the building. Thanks for helping out with such a dirty job.’
‘I’ve done a lot worse than this.’ He grinned and held up the bag, showing off his muscular, tanned arms without even realising it. Drew did so many things that showed what a lovely, sexy guy he was without him ever having a clue. He was so different to Fraser who was handsome, yes, but carried his attractiveness around like a Rolex, keen for everyone to notice.
Chloe delved into the pot on the counter top. ‘Hold on. You’ll need the keys to the bin store,’ she said.
She handed him a key on a wooden penguin fob. Hannah had given it to her. Drew let the bag rest on the floor and pushed the key in his jeans pocket.
‘I’ll be back in a minute,’ he said.
His blue eyes twinkled. Chloe felt a twinge of lust, which was most inconvenient when a man was holding up a bin bag and you’d resolved not to fancy him anymore. She also reminded herself that he probably had a girlfriend and that, in a way, she would be two decades older than him in a few hours’ time, but even this unhappy thought didn’t dampen down the fire.
‘I’ll take the mezze onto the balcony,’ she said.
After Gabe’s dishes had been hoovered up, it was time to re-heat and serve the hot food. The smells were divine, with an array of aromas competing with each other.
Chloe had pre made the jiaozi. The horn-shaped dumplings were filled with pork and chopped leek, spring onion and celery. They were a little misshapen, and not consistent, as always, but then Chloe didn’t get much practice these days. Hannah had loved making them when she’d been younger and had been surprisingly good, calling them ‘mini stegosaurus’. Her daughter had been proud of her Chinese and Welsh heritage, still was … Perhaps, one day, Ruby would be too.
She put the dumplings on to boil. The flat would get a little steamy, but she couldn’t help that. They needed to be served hot. She lifted them out of the pan with Sam’s help and fried them before serving them up on a large platter to ‘ohs’ and ‘ahs’ and squeals of delight.
Evie’s dish was a shrimp creole recipe that had been handed down from her father. It had to be made from fresh, so Gabe offered to help, with Evie standing over him. He fried off onions, peppers and celery before adding tomatoes, bay leaves, spicy sauces and creole seasoning to the mix, under Evie’s watchful eye. ‘I can’t believe I’m here cracking the whip over a TV chef,’ she said as Gabe added juicy local prawns to the pan. ‘But I remember when he was only the cheeky little monkey from the chip shop.’
The aroma of sizzling onions and spicy tomato sauce now filled the flat. Chloe’s own mouth watered. The dish was poured into a large bowl and added to the table with some rice and the other dishes.
Troy hung over the table, with his fork poised. He pointed it at Gabe, who stood back with his arm around Evie. ‘My Evie makes the best shrimp creole in the world so you’ve a lot to live up to, lad.’
‘No pressure, Troy,’ said Gabe, handing him a plate of steaming rice and sauce.
Troy tucked in, tasting a forkful of prawn dripping with tomato sauce. He chewed then dipped in again while Gabe served everyone else.
Troy smacked his lips. ‘Not bad. Not bad at all for an apprentice, I suppose.’
‘Not bad? Get on with you, Troy Carman,’ Evie said. ‘It’s bloody fantastic, even if I do say so myself. You can help out in my kitchen any time, Gabe. You’d be more use than Troy.’
‘I got the prawns!’ Troy protested.
Everyone laughed and crowded round the table, helping themselves to the different dishes, many going back for seconds. There was a lot of talk about the foods and promises to exchange recipes. Evie related some stories about her father, who’d been born in South Louisiana and spoke French as well as English.
‘My dad didn’t go home to America after the war like most black GIs. He didn’t leave my mum, he married her. You can imagine how that went down with my gran and grandad. In the forties and fifties, there were hardly any mixed-race or black kids so I was different.’
‘Wow,’ said Zennor, her eyes wide. Even Ben was transfixed.
‘He used to call my mum and me cher but he pronounced it “char”,’ Evie said, her fork poised over the plate. ‘I wish you could all have known him. He was a lovely man, very brave to have fought in the war and then stayed here. So was my mum, marrying a man of colour back then. That’s what they called my dad in his hometown, a gens de couleur.’
Troy beamed proudly and gave his wife a squeeze. Chloe felt a little misty-eyed. Some partnerships did last a lifetime.
The pizzas were also brought from the oven and polished off, with even Troy having two slices and declaring how much he’d enjoyed them. There wasn’t much left on the table so Chloe asked:
‘Anyone for seconds?’
Zennor shook her head. ‘I’m so full.’
‘It was all delicious,’ Gabe chipped in.
‘So, no one has room for pudding?’ asked Sam. ‘As well as the tarts, I made a vegan choc cherry fudge cake for anyone who doesn’t do dairy.’
Ben’s eyes lit up. ‘Choc cherry fudge? I’ll take it home if no one else wants it!’
Zennor stared at him and even Chloe did a quiet double take. It was possibly the most emphatic statement she’d ever heard from him.
Gabe rubbed his hands together. ‘No chance of that, mate.’
Evie patted her stomach and groaned. ‘Can we have a bit of a break first?’
‘Good idea,’ said Chloe. ‘I need to make room.’
‘Of course,’ said Sam. ‘And anyway, I wanted to say a few words. Now seems the perfect time.’
Six pairs of eyes lasered in on Chloe. Everyone had a butter-wouldn’t-melt expression on their faces, which meant they were all up to something. She braced herself for a cake – a cake with forty on it – oh God, they might have clubbed together to get one and spent their hard-earned cash on a lie. She was going to have to come clean.
Ben had sidled off while Sam had been talking, but he now emerged back into the room with a large rectangular parcel covered in giftwrap and a frothy bow. It wasn’t cake-shaped but even so, Chloe wanted to sink through the floor with guilt. She gulped down the remaining fizz in her glass.
‘I know you said no presents, but we couldn’t let the occasion go by without getting you something to mark it.’
‘What have you done? You shouldn’t have.’
‘Ah but we have!’ Everyone laughed and Sam grinned. ‘Wait until you open it.’
‘Oh, I hope she loves it,’ Evie murmured and Chloe died a tiny bit more.
‘I’m sure I will.’ She rested her hands on the paper. It had been so carefully and lovingly wrapped …
‘Don’t keep us in suspenders, maid,’ Troy grumbled.
Unable to delay any longer, Chloe pulled off the paper with trembling fingers. Underneath, she found a bubble-wrapped package.
‘Oh! Thank goodness. It’s a picture!’ Her relief that it was clearly not something with ‘Chloe is 40’ splashed all over it was intoxicating. She sounded like Hannah used to on Christmas morning.
Troy let out a cackle. ‘Did you think it was a voucher for Botox in a great big box?’
Evie batted him on the arm. ‘Shut up, Troy! You don’t need it, Chloe my love. You’re only a spring chicken.’
The bubble wrap was heavily taped so Sam handed over some scissors so Chloe could slit it open. Everyone stared at her like puppies around a food bowl at feeding time. Now the initial tension was over, Chloe was desperate to make her delight seem genuine, even if it turned out she hated the picture. Which she was sure she wouldn’t … She picked off the final piece of tape, opened the layers of bubble wrap and – her gasp was audible.
‘Oh my God, that’s just incredible.’
She lifted the print up, speechless.
It was a canvas photograph showing the harbour in the grip of a tremendous winter storm. It had been taken from the opposite side of the cove to the Crow’s Nest, and a wave of monstrous proportions was breaking over the clock tower and the far sea wall. It was a horrifying scene in one way, but also it summed up what made Porthmellow such a unique and exhilarating place.
‘Do you like it?’ Zennor’s voice was high and hopeful. ‘Ben’s cousin Carla took the photograph. It’s been on the telly.’
‘It’s amazing. I’ve seen small images like this but blown up to this size, it’s breathtaking.’
Everyone moved in to get a better look at the picture. Ben started to explain where his photographer relative had taken the shot from during a famous winter storm a few years before.
‘Oh! There’s the Crow’s Nest,’ said Chloe, spotting her rooftop flat in the middle of the picture. The angle of the shot made it seem as if the crest of the wave would surely thunder down and flood the flat.
‘The water wouldn’t have reached up here, would it?’ she asked.
‘No. That’s only an illusion created by the angle it’s taken from. Clifftop House took a battering from some of the other waves that night. They had to close the coastal path and shore up the sea defences beneath the house. Even Wavecrest had a few stones against the windows.’
‘Bryony Cronk had her front window broken by debris,’ said Evie.
Chloe let out a breath. ‘Wow. I missed that, but I saw it on TV,’ she said
Gabe nodded. ‘I came to see how Mum and Dad were and they told me all about it. I was glad they’d moved out of the harbour. I hear half the businesses were flooded out and the Smuggler’s had to board up the windows.’
‘You missed a treat,’ said Troy, as if the storm had been a gigantic party.
‘I’ve missed a lot,’ said Gabe. ‘I remember the storm of 2003 – but Mum and Dad told me 2014 was a lot worse that that.’
‘Worst I’ve ever known,’ Troy declared. ‘Mind you there was that blow the winter our Aaron was born. Boats tossed up on the football pitch.’
Chloe stared at the picture in horror. ‘On the football pitch?’
‘You’ll know it’s bad when the fishing fleet ends up berthed in front of the post office,’ said Drew.
‘Or the bin lorry gets washed out to sea,’ added Sam.
‘Now you’re having me on!’ said Chloe.
‘Nope,’ said Drew, Sam and Gabe altogether.
Gabe nodded. ‘The bin lorry thing happened when I was at school. There’s some footage on YouTube. Take a look if you don’t believe us.’
‘Yes,’ said Drew. ‘And worse.’
Chloe burst out laughing. ‘You’re all so funny,’ she said, pointing a finger at Drew.
She looked up to find everyone looking at her. No, they really weren’t joking. ‘Well, even if the Crow’s Nest is one day swept away by a giant wave, I still absolutely love the picture. It’s magnificent. And … I wasn’t going to make a speech …’ she began. She took another breath, knowing that, finally, this was the moment.