Chapter 8
‘You’re looking good, Tess. Isn’t she, Suzy?’
‘Really well! Positively glowing, I’d say.’
‘Well, I thought I should make the effort.’ Tess wriggled on the high stool and took a sip from what was for her an uncharacteristic choice of drink, a Cosmopolitan, which was helping to ease her anxiety.
‘I’ve spent the last couple of weeks in paint-splattered dungarees so it makes a nice change to get dressed up and come out. ’
In truth, it had been way out of Tess’s comfort zone, going out as a single woman again, actually leaving the village, with the sad prospect of returning to a lonely house, when in reality, she would much have preferred to stay home in her pyjamas, curled up on the sofa with Barney and a good book.
Like she did every other evening. She’d thought about calling off, feigning a migraine, but she knew Gina would see right through any excuses and would have been straight round to check.
So she’d showered, spent time taming her wayward curls with a conditioning treatment and the straighteners so she looked respectable at least, and put on her best black trousers with a silky, pink blouse.
They’d taken a taxi from Lower Leaping to the nearest main town of Bramlingham, ending up in a cocktail bar that was in the basement of a Regency townhouse.
The refined setting and mellow lighting created a warm atmosphere that went some way to allay Tess’s awkwardness.
At least the fruity, refreshing cocktail was hitting exactly the right spot.
‘So, how are you doing?’ Suzy asked, laying a hand on Tess’s.
‘You know, up and down. There’s part of me that still can’t believe that it’s happened. I’ll be pottering around the cottage thinking, Oh, I must talk to Charles about so-and-so, and then it hits me all over again and it brings all those feelings to the fore. I’m so angry with him.’
Gina and Suzy nodded their agreement and support.
She wasn’t sure what she would have done without her friends these last few weeks; they’d kept in touch with daily texts and calls, dropping in to the cottage on a regular basis with flowers and wine and cakes.
Making her laugh with their ever-increasingly derogative comments about Charles.
‘Some days are better than others, but I’m keeping busy, sorting out the house and seeing to Mum.
’ Along with her weekly Pilates classes and her sessions working at the small village library.
‘In a way, it’s good that Hannah is away.
I would hate for her to have got caught up in all of this.
Every time I speak to Charles, we end up having a massive row, which is a novelty; we never really argued when we were together. ’
‘Well, if I were you, I definitely wouldn’t hold back. He deserves everything you throw at him. You know the best thing you could do?’
Tess shook her head, always grateful for Gina’s advice.
‘Get yourself another man. You know, a light flirtation to see you through this difficult period. Someone who will treat you properly. Who will make you feel like a sexy and vibrant woman again.’
‘Oh good grief!’ Tess grimaced and took another mouthful of her cocktail, emptying her glass.
Gina immediately called over the bartender and ordered another round of drinks and Tess suspected her head would soon be swimming if she carried on at the same rate.
‘That’s the last thing I need,’ she said emphatically.
‘No, not the drink,’ she said, laughing, clocking Gina’s amazed expression.
‘I definitely need another one of those. I meant another man. Funnily enough, I’m right off men at the moment.
I can’t see myself ever getting involved with anyone else ever again.
The only man I need in my life right now is Barney. ’
Gina gave an undignified snort. ‘You say that now, but that’s because you’re hurting. You can’t live in the past, Tess. You’re a brilliant, attractive, vibrant woman and you need to get out there and embrace everything life has to offer.’
‘Well, I intend to do exactly that,’ she said, banging her clenched fist on the bar. ‘One of these days, but I don’t need a man for that. Suzy is perfectly happy being on her own, aren’t you, Suzy?’
Suzy gave a nonchalant shrug, her response not as emphatic as Tess would have liked.
‘I guess, but I don’t know any different, do I?
After Martin died, I didn’t have the emotional capacity to even think about meeting someone new.
My whole focus was on the boys, getting through the days as best we could.
I didn’t have the time or the energy for anything else and then by the time we’d got over the initial shock and readjusted to a new way of life without Martin, well, there was never a right time.
’ She picked up her coupe and pressed it to her lips, taking a sip from the fruity concoction.
‘Now the boys have left and settled, it’s the first time I’ve actually thought that it might be nice to have someone to share my life with.
Although I think I’m hugely out of practice of how to be in a relationship. ’
‘About bloody time, Suzy.’ Gina’s mouth fell open, her eyes wide in astonishment. ‘How long have I been telling you the same thing?’
‘Yes, but people think they know what’s best for you and tell you what you should do, but it really doesn’t mean anything until you’re in the right mindset to want to make those changes for yourself.
Don’t get me wrong. I’ve been on my own for almost twenty years now.
I’ve rebuilt my life and I’m happy with the way things are so I’m not actively looking for anyone, but if it happens, it happens. ’
‘You and Tess should get on the dating apps. It’s how people get together now,’ said Gina earnestly.
‘Absolutely not,’ said Suzy and Tess in unison, before breaking into laughter.
‘I’ve been totally reliant on Charles for years.
There were some days when I wouldn’t even know what to do for dinner without consulting him first so I’m under no misapprehension that it’s going to be a huge learning curve going it alone.
But I’ve decided that I’m blooming well going to make the most of it.
What other choice do I have? My days of washing a man’s dirty socks are behind me and there’s a great freedom in that.
Although I admit, men do have their uses. Sometimes.’
Tess pursed her lips, eliciting a gasp from her friends.
‘Ah! You mean sex, right?’ said Gina.
‘Trust you to immediately think of that.’ Tess chastised her with a glance. ‘No, I was talking about their sheer physicality. Changing lightbulbs, putting up pictures, shifting heavy objects.’
Gina laughed and Suzy nodded her agreement.
‘I was clearing out Charles’s office, as you know, happily chucking everything into the skip, it was really quite cathartic, but then I was left with this huge bookcase that was refusing to budge.
I was getting so frustrated at not being able to dismantle it and was thinking that my only option was to take a hammer to it.
Luckily, one of Charles’s old work colleagues, Nico turned up at the door.
He’d heard the news and wanted to see if I was doing okay.
I think he got more than he bargained for when I asked if he could roll his sleeves up and help me with a bit of furniture moving. I couldn’t have done it without him!’
Gina leaned forward on her bar stool, fixing Tess with a look of intent.
‘Now the most interesting part of that story is the mention of Nico. Who the heck is Nico and why have you never told us about him before?’
‘He’s a colleague of Charles’s, although he left the practice a year or so ago.
I’d met him at a couple of the company dos, but I never knew him terribly well.
It was very nice of him to call in to see me and check how I was doing.
I got the impression he was never very keen on Charles so I appreciated his moral support. ’
‘What’s he like? Good-looking? Single?’
Tess gave an indiscernible shake of her head as she considered Gina’s question.
‘Nice,’ she said, after giving it some thought. Good-looking and single too , although she wasn’t about to admit that to her friends. ‘He left me his card and told me to contact him if there was anything I needed.’
‘Well, you should,’ said Gina enthusiastically and more persistently. ‘So, what’s his situation? Is he married?’
‘Separated,’ Tess confirmed.
‘Well, there you go. I think he was probably just testing the water, establishing that connection.’
‘No, he really wasn’t. He was just being friendly. Anyway.’ She was eager to pull the conversation away from Nico before Gina got any more wrong ideas. ‘Enough about me and Charles. What’s going on with you? How’s Ryan? What have you guys been up to recently?’
Gina had been in a relationship with Ryan, twelve years her junior, for several years and the pair of them seemed to share a busy and exciting life together.
There was barely a weekend when they stayed at home.
Instead, they gallivanted around the country, visiting friends and family, enjoying theatre trips and overnight stays in boutique hotels.
A few times a year, they would visit European capitals for short breaks with one big, exotic holiday a year when they would visit the Maldives where they would spend their time scuba-diving and drinking cocktails.
Tess always lived vicariously through Gina’s trips, listening in awe as Gina recounted her tales of long, sunny days and sultry nights, the sights they’d seen and the people they’d met.
Not that Tess was ever remotely interested in following in Gina’s footsteps.
She was more than happy staying at home in Lower Leaping with Barney, her books and her garden.
A simple life but one that she wasn’t apologetic for, even if that came with the risk of appearing dull sometimes.
‘Actually, things are a bit rocky between us at the moment,’ Gina admitted quietly.
‘Really?’ Tess and Suzy exchanged a glance, taken aback by Gina’s comment. There’d been no indication that there had been any problems in their relationship.
‘Yes. You know that surprise trip to London Ryan organised last weekend? Well, it was lovely. We went to a fabulous bar and then a Michelin-starred restaurant and stayed in an amazing hotel overlooking the river with an amazing view of Tower Bridge. It was wonderful until Ryan went and spoiled it all by proposing. Honestly, I don’t know what he was thinking. ’
‘He proposed!’ Suzy exclaimed. ‘Well isn’t that good news?’
‘No!’ Gina waved a hand in front of her face. ‘Why on earth would I want to get married at this stage in my life, when we’re happy as we are? Although for Ryan, I think it could be a make-or-break deal. He wants us to move in together and make that big commitment to one another.’
‘So what did you say?’ asked Tess, all agog.
‘Well what could I possibly tell him?’ Gina said, opening her palms up to the sky. ‘Other than no?’