Chapter 6
‘I suppose it took me by surprise, that was all. We were having a lovely day, the sun was shining and we were sitting outside in the pub garden, laughing and chatting, with the whole of the rest of the day ahead of us. He’d been checking his phone the whole morning, which is unlike him.
Normally, he’s very good in that he gives me his full and undivided attention, but I realised something must have been going on in the background.
When he checked his phone again, the whole mood changed.
I guessed something was wrong, but I never thought he was going to tell me he needed to leave to go and see his wife. ’
They were gathered at Suzy Matthews’s house who lived at Brook End, in a small close of five properties, that were relatively modern, having been built thirty years ago, but were constructed from the same honey-coloured Cotswold stone that was so prevalent in the village, and which could have you believing that the houses had stood for hundreds of years instead.
‘Honestly, I would have been mightily pissed off too,’ said Gina.
Gina and Suzy were Tess’s old friends who she’d first met at the mother and toddler group in the village, when their children were small, and they’d formed a close bond that remained until this day.
They’d always met up over the years on an ad-hoc basis, but over recent months, since Tess’s separation, they’d made more of an effort to get together at least once a month, over dinner, taking it in turns to host at their respective homes in Lower Leaping.
The Three Musketeers, Gina had called them, upgrading them to The Four Musketeers when the latest recruit, Dilly joined the group.
She’d been an unlikely but constant support to Tess over recent months, who had the ability to take Tess out of her own head by regaling her with her gloriously indiscreet tales of her hairdressing clients, making her laugh until her sides hurt.
Her honesty and outspoken humour had meant she slotted in easily with the women’s friendship group as though she had always been there.
‘It made me realise how vulnerable I still am. Charles has already broken my heart this year; I don’t need to go through that upset again. Maybe I am guilty of giving too much of myself to Rob too soon.’
They were sitting around Suzy’s dining room table having enjoyed a supper of pan-fried salmon with wild rice and asparagus.
Tess pushed her plate to one side, then took a sip from her glass of wine, mulling over her relationship with Rob.
At least with her friends, she could fully relax and let her guard down.
‘Yes, but that’s all part of being in a relationship, isn’t it?
’ said Suzy, the voice of reason. ‘If you grow close to someone, as you have with Rob, then you open yourself up to being hurt and rejected. Obviously, you hope that’s not going to happen, but it’s all part of opening your heart to love. ’
‘I suppose,’ said Tess. ‘Although honestly, if Charles called me to say he’d split up from Melody, and how upset he was, I’m not sure I would have been quite so understanding.
I certainly wouldn’t have rushed round there to console him.
’ She stuck out her bottom lip before chuckling.
‘Although that probably shows what a nice person Rob is compared to me.’
‘Have you heard from Rob since? Do you know what happened?’ Gina asked, picking up the bottle of the wine from the cooler and topping up everyone’s glasses.
‘Oh yes, he texted me that same evening and apologised again for rushing off, but he didn’t give any details as to what had happened with his wife, and I wasn’t going to ask.’
Was she being hypocritical? It wasn’t as if Charles didn’t still play a prominent role in the goings-on around Hollyhocks. The difference was she was very open and upfront about her ex, finding it helpful to talk it through with Rob, whereas he was more guarded when talking about his family.
‘I’m sure Rob would tell you if you asked him. He’s always struck me as being totally on the level.’ Dilly was Rob’s biggest fan, having got to know him well while he was living at the annexe, especially as he came to her rescue on several occasions when she had some pressing DIY issues.
‘Yes, I wasn’t sure that I wanted to hear the answer,’ she said with a sigh.
‘We’ve spoken a couple of times and everything seems okay, as it ever was, but I suppose it’s unnerved me a bit.
I don’t really know what’s going on with him and his wife.
I’ve put off seeing him this weekend because I’ve said I want to be around for Hannah, now that she’s talking to Billy again, in case that should blow up, which is true, but it will give me a chance to get my head and heart together,’ she admitted.
‘The best thing you can do is have a proper conversation with him,’ Suzy said.
‘Don’t make any assumptions. If you’re honest with each other, then you’ll know exactly where you stand.
’ Suzy laughed. ‘Listen to me, giving advice as though I know the first thing about love. I’ve not been in a relationship for years, so take my advice with a pinch of salt. ’
‘No, it makes perfect sense,’ said Tess, although it didn’t stop her feeling hopelessly out of her depth, navigating the murky waters of a new relationship, experiencing the highs and lows as if she were a na?ve teenager. Did she need those complications in her life now?
‘You see, this is why I gave up on men after my last relationship,’ said Dilly wearily.
‘I can’t be doing with all the drama. I like a simple life these days.
I don’t have to worry about anyone else’s needs; I can do as I please, have what I like for dinner and wield full control over the remote control.
’ Her distinctive laughter rang out. ‘Honestly, it’s a dream! ’
‘I get that,’ said Gina. ‘When Ryan and I split up, my overriding emotion was one of relief. I just needed some space away from him. He was very needy and of course he wanted to get married which made him even more clingy. I’m enjoying being single again, but I suppose I do miss having a man in my life.
Someone to snuggle up to on the sofa of an evening or to bring me a cup of tea in bed in the morning. ’
‘Oh, don’t get me wrong, I do sometimes look at a handsome man, someone like Rob,’ said Dilly with a devilish grin, flashing a glance at Tess, ‘and admire their sheer physicality and masculinity. I was always rather taken by Rob’s tanned forearms and his muscle definition.’
‘Dilly!’ chided Gina, but Tess took it in good part. She nodded her wholehearted agreement, having been swayed herself by Rob’s strong physique on several occasions.
‘I mean, I haven’t completely closed up shop.
I still have desires,’ Dilly said, flapping her hand against her chest like a Victorian spinster.
‘Those feelings don’t change just because you grow older, but I’m not interested in one-night stands.
It would have to be someone pretty special for me to let them into my life right now, and do you know, I’m really not that fussed.
Besides, I’m far too busy to make time for a man. ’
‘It’s true the longer you’re on your own then the harder it is to imagine meeting someone new again.
Look at me, I’ve been on my own now for about twenty years and I can’t even imagine being with someone who isn’t Martin.
I mean, I’m sure I’ve forgotten how to even talk to a man, let alone take my clothes off in front of one.
’ Suzy’s exaggerated shudder made her friends holler with laughter.
‘Oh, you don’t need to worry about that,’ Gina reassured her.
‘It’s true what they say. It’s like riding a bike.
You don’t forget how to do it. You just need to be brave enough to get back on the bike and start pedalling.
Before long, you’ll be flying down the hill, legs akimbo, having the time of your life! ’
‘Oh good grief, I’m not sure I’m ready for that,’ said Suzy, laughing, as she stood up and started to clear away the plates. ‘I knew there was a reason why I hadn’t put myself out there.’
With the laughter still ringing out, Suzy returned a few minutes later with a plate of lemon squares and a bowl of raspberries, which her guests greeted with exclamations of oohs and ahhs.
‘Talking of men,’ said Dilly, ‘we have a rather interesting new resident living in the village.’
Tess gave Dilly a sideways glance, her mouth twisting in amusement, suspecting that Dilly had been itching to move the conversation on to this particular subject.
‘His name’s Michael and he’s moved into The Old Post Office.
I popped round there the other day with a batch of buns as a welcome gift.
He seems very lovely, but I think he was a bit busy.
He mentioned he was about to jump on a call so he couldn’t stop and chat, but I’m sure we’ll find out more about him in due course.
I need the perfect excuse to bump into him so that I can tell him everything he needs to know about Lower Leaping. ’
‘Poor man,’ said Gina. ‘He’s probably more than happy in his ignorant bliss. He really doesn’t know what’s coming to him, does he?’
‘Well, perhaps I’ll invite him to the Christmas party at Hollyhocks so you’ll be able to get to know him better then.’ Tess offered with a smile.
‘I was wondering what you might decide to do about that,’ said Suzy. ‘It’s always such a highlight on the village social calendar, Charles and Tess’s Christmas party. I’m so glad that you’re still going ahead with it.’
‘Yes, I did think about scrapping it, but then I thought, why should I? Charles has wielded far too much control over my life this year. Why should he spoil what has always been such a fun occasion? Obviously, there will be no Charles this year. So there’s a bonus.
And I will probably do it at the beginning of the month to kick off the festive season rather than on Christmas Eve.
I’ll definitely be striking a few people off the invitation list too, like Charles’s colleagues from work and his friends from the tennis club.
It will be a very select group of my friends and all the better for it. ’
‘Does that mean I’ll receive an invitation this year?’ asked Dilly guilelessly.
‘Of course you will! You’re at the top of my list. It wouldn’t be the same without you!’ Tess reached a hand across the table and grabbed Dilly’s wrist, tapping it affectionately.
Would Tess ever get over the guilt of having basically ignored her neighbour for years, glibly going about her business without a second thought to Dilly? Now, Tess didn’t recognise herself as the woman who would act so unkindly to someone who hadn’t deserved that treatment.
‘Good!’ Dilly clapped her hands together excitedly. ‘I’ll look forward to that and if you need any help, then you only have to ask. I can always whip up some mince pies or some Christmassy rocky roads.’
Tess would look forward to it as well, she mused, as she gave a passing thought to how her life might look in three months’ time.
After all, it had changed considerably over the previous few months.
Would Rob still be playing an important role in her life or would recent events have taken him in another direction entirely?
She knew what she hoped might happen, but then she was becoming accustomed to the world throwing her a few curve balls, just to keep her on her toes.
One thing was for sure: she would be glad to see the back of this year.
She’d had more than her fair share of lows, punctuated with a few highs too, but next year would represent a completely fresh start.
Looking around the table at her friends chatting and laughing, she knew that, whatever else the universe might have in store for her, she could count on the backing of her close friends, and when everything else in her life was so uncertain, that reassurance and familiarity offered a warm hug of hope.