The Naughty Girls Book Club. Sophie Hart
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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