Chapter 1 #2
‘How can I have no reception?’ she muttered. ‘I am only an hour out of London!’
She shook it, turned it upside down, hit it, lifted up onto her tiptoes and waved it high, but still nothing, not even 3G.
Looking up, she noticed a dense canopy of newly leafed trees, which although beautiful, were no doubt stopping any kind of signal getting within a mile of her.
Tears welled up again and the sinking feeling of doubt crept in.
Suddenly, she wished she had taken Agatha up on her offer of company, or even Nancy who’d suggested they road trip it together.
Why had she insisted on being such an independent woman? God!
Hot tears ran down her face and she climbed back into the car, burying her head in her arms. There was nothing for it. She was stuck and, well, she needed help and she was not even two hours into her new no-man life, which just ruined everything. Fuck Henry for being right.
Suddenly, there was a knock on her window, and she jumped.
Oh great, now I’m going to be mugged, or have my car stolen, or something equally awful to top off this awesome day.
Thankfully, she had been taking box fit classes alongside her Pilates and was as ready as she’d ever be to kick some nutter into the ditch, so she peered through the window and said an assertive but frosty ‘hello’.
‘Hi,’ came the slightly muffled response. ‘I wondered if you needed any help? Your back tyre’s looking a bit flat.’
Well, he looked nice enough, smartly dressed, and once she blinked the tears from her eyes, really rather handsome.
But it could be a trick, she thought. This is the kind of thing that happens in those American TV shows.
Or perhaps, she thought, as she took another look at him, he could also be her future husband.
What should she do, treat him like a criminal, or flirt with him?
‘Hello,’ he tried again, ‘perhaps you could wind down the window, might be easier to chat.’ He smiled at her sweetly with shiny, even teeth, which made her think he must be a good person. She wasn’t sure why, but healthy teeth seemed like a positive sign.
Wiping her cheeks as subtly as she could, and checking that she wasn’t panda-eyed in the rearview mirror, she rolled the window down a crack.
‘Hi! I was just passing on my way home and wondered if I could lend a hand. I didn’t recognise the car so thought you might be a bit stranded.’
Oh, he is rather charming!
Winding her window down all the way, Eliza leaned out and took in the full package.
He cleared his throat and beamed at her again. ‘Sorry, I should’ve introduced myself first – Phil.’ He proffered his hand and Eliza took it, feeling the warmth and smoothness of his palm.
‘Eliza,’ she replied, returning the smile and hoping her lip gloss hadn’t worn off.
You really did have to be prepared for every eventuality these days.
‘I have to admit, I wasn’t quite expecting to find myself in this position.
I’m on my way to Willow Tree Cottage in Farmington. I’ve just rented it.’
Phil laughed, seeming more potential husband by the second.
‘Well, I know exactly where that is. I live in Farmington myself, and we’ve all been longing to meet the new tenants – nothing to get the villagers going like some fresh blood in town!’
‘Nice to meet a neighbour,’ she quipped, only slightly wishing he hadn’t referred to her as ‘fresh blood’. ‘Thank you so much for stopping to help me.’
‘Not a problem, I have to admit I can be very nosy, and anyone who drives a yellow Citroen gets my vote.’ He ran his hand through his foppish brown hair. ‘Right, now let’s get you sorted. Where’s your spare tyre?’
‘Well, as you can see, I’ve got rather a lot in my car, so I’m not sure how accessible the tyre is . . . It’s all rather embarrassing!’
‘Nonsense, it can’t be that bad. Come on, let’s make it a team effort and I’m sure we’ll find your tyre in minutes.’ He strode off to the boot as she watched helplessly from the front seat.
It was starting to get dark, she was famished, and really didn’t have the energy to argue.
Shaking out her hair, she reminded herself that she had to get to the cottage, and right now, Phil seemed the best and only bet.
There was something oddly comforting about the way he had just taken control.
And no wedding ring – although why a man like that would be living on his own in the country she had no idea.
Suddenly wishing she had washed her hair, she checked he wasn’t watching and popped on some of the emergency bright red lip gloss she kept in the glove compartment and then jumped out of the car.
He was waiting for her, which she couldn’t help thinking was quite ‘gentlemanly’.
Flashing her ‘young ingénue film star’ smile, it was time for a great second impression.
She released the lock on the boot, and it was like a wild beast had been unleashed.
Bags started to fly out, tumbling to the ground, followed by ten pairs of very sexy knickers she remembered shoving in at the last minute, which undoubtedly made her look a lot racier than she was.
She couldn’t look away as they landed in a pile by Phil’s feet, and was torn between throwing herself on them to protect her modesty, or letting them stay there so he could see she wasn’t one of those middle-aged women who always wore grey cotton pants.
Though in reality she actually was, and these were the ‘sexy’ knickers she had practically never worn.
Feeling a little ‘look at me’ thrill, she slowly raised her eyes to his, only to see he hadn’t even noticed.
‘Right, I haven’t done this for a few years, so I’m glad to be working on an old model,’ joked Phil, now standing on a pair of La Perlas squelching into a muddy puddle. ‘At least we won’t be on our own for long. I assume your husband is following on close behind?’
‘No, no husband,’ said Eliza cautiously, wondering if he was scoping her out as a potential new lover. ‘I’m on my own actually. I’ve just come down for a new adventure!’
‘Wow, well congratulations to you – that is brave. Not many singletons head to the countryside in my experience. As soon as you’re settled, I’ll introduce you to my wife Bella. She’ll be delighted to have someone new to chat to – she’s always moaning that she misses her London friends.’
Off the potential list, then, thought Eliza, she needn’t have bothered with the red lippy.
But rather than allow herself to be disappointed, she wondered what his wife was like.
Was she some ex-London hottie bored of procreating in the countryside?
I mean, that could be a pretty good option for a new friend, though perhaps not quite the social life she was hoping for.
Picking up a rogue tote bag and shoving the muddy underwear into it, she cleared her throat. ‘That would be lovely, thanks, Phil – I know no one down here, so I’m looking forward to meeting people.’
‘So, if you don’t mind me asking, why Farmington? What brings you down here?’ he questioned, as he unbolted the rusty tyre.
‘To be honest, I was meant to be moving here with my boyfriend, but that hasn’t quite worked out.
So here I am, on my own, stranded on the side of the road with a flat tyre, wondering if I’m totally crazy.
’ Eliza looked away for a minute to control the tickle of sadness that had crept into her voice.
‘But I love an adventure, so I’m hoping Farmington might be just the tonic I need right now. ’
‘An adventure? In Farmington? Why not a beach in Brazil?’ scoffed Phil. ‘If I had no kids and no wife, I know that’s where I’d be!’
‘Well, you’re right,’ she began hesitantly, ‘but I had committed to the cottage, so I thought I might as well try it for three months and see what happens. If people in Farmington are too awful to bear, Brazil might be my next stop!’
‘They’re a nice enough bunch of people, but I’m not sure adventurous is the word I’d use. There’s certainly a lot of gossip and scandal always going on – according to Bella anyway! I just hope you didn’t come here looking for a new boyfriend.’
As Phil secured the spare in place, his neat suit now filthy, Eliza realised she hadn’t really thought about what moving out of London would do for her romantic prospects long term.
What if moving to Farmington meant she was inadvertently taking herself off the market?
She could end up a spinster with five cats, and that was not in her life plan.
Stop it! This was only three months out of her life; if there was no hot sex, she’d survive.
While she couldn’t quite remember ever being single for that long, it didn’t mean she couldn’t do it . . .
Clapping his hands together, Phil stood up. ‘Right, you should be good to go! Do you know where you’re off to?’
Leaping to the back of the car to help him squeeze everything into the boot, she hurriedly said, ‘I think so – I just follow the lane all the way to the end, then take a left at the blue tractor!’
‘Ah yes, Ronnie’s blue tractor – it’s somehow become an accidental landmark.
Who knows what’ll happen if it ever gets moved!
Well, good luck with it all. If you need a pint of milk, or more importantly the lowdown on all the local gossip, we live at Dewberry House in the centre of the village – I’m usually travelling but I’m sure my wife will be happy to oblige.
’ Then with a grin he made his way back to his car.
‘Thanks, Phil, I owe you one!’ she called out to his retreating car.
Then, double-checking her boot was really shut, Eliza headed off to find Willow Tree Cottage, only feeling slightly disconcerted that Phil had already put a damper on the hot revenge sex she had planned to make Henry inordinately jealous. She’d just have to come up with something else . . .