Chapter 25 #2
So Tess might not have the old reminders of home around her any longer, but she could appreciate the new people that had come into her life, even Dilly, who at one time she might never have imagined being friends with, but whose company she appreciated more each day.
Rob also had brought a new dimension to her life and she certainly valued his masculine presence around the place.
As she plonked ice cubes into tumblers and cut slices of lemon, a frisson of excitable anticipation ran around her body.
She was still feeling the full effects of the holiday vibes.
‘So how are things with you?’ Tess asked Rob, when she rejoined him in the garden. She handed him his glass and sat down beside him.
‘Great. I’ve seen the kids this week which has made me feel pretty positive about the future.
They’re full of plans for going off to university and travelling, and just hanging out with them felt good.
I think we’re in a decent place now and I’m looking forward to spending more time with them once I’ve found somewhere more permanent to live. ’
‘You know you could have invited them round here.’
Rob latched eyes onto hers and gave a nod of his head.
‘That’s kind of you, but I don’t want to intrude any further than I already have.
’ He took a sip from the chilled glass, closing his eyes briefly in a moment of satisfaction.
‘That hits the spot perfectly,’ he said with a seductive smile.
‘In other news, we had the inaugural walk of the men’s mental health group, which went well.
There were only three of us, but they both said they enjoyed it and will come along next time.
I’m expecting the numbers to grow when word gets around. ’
‘That’s really good and something that I’m sure would be of interest to a lot of guys. If you have any leaflets or posters, I can distribute them around the village if you’d like me to, in the village hall and in the doctor’s surgery.’
‘That would be great. Thanks. We’re going to put some posts up online too, so anything will help.’
Tess didn’t like to push Rob on his plans or how his job hunt was going, because she didn’t want him to feel that she was exerting pressure on him to move out.
It didn’t matter to her if he stayed another month or six months.
She had her plans to let out the annexe but there was no urgency on that.
If Rob wanted to tell her what was going on in his life, as he had confided in her about his children, then she would be there with a listening ear, but she had no intention of prying into his private life, however much she might be interested to know.
‘Ooh, I’ve just remembered, I’ve got something for you!
’ Tess jumped up from the bench and went dashing off to the house, looking over her shoulder with a grin on her face as she deliberately ignored Rob’s questioning expression.
Moments later, she was back and handed him a small gold box tied with an elaborate gold ribbon.
‘Just a little something to say thank you for keeping an eye on the place and looking after Barney.’
‘What? You didn’t need to do that, but thank you, anyway.’
Rob, eyes wide, pulled apart the ribbon to open up the box to reveal some delicious-looking chocolates. He held the box up to his nose and inhaled the mouth-watering aromas.
‘Mmmm, my favourites,’ he said with a look of glee. ‘How did you know?’
‘Well, doesn’t everyone love chocolates?’ She grinned. ‘There was this most amazing shop we found which had tray after tray of tempting flavours so I picked some classic combinations which I hope you’ll enjoy.’
Rob offered her the box and she shook her head, even though she was sorely tempted.
‘No, these are for you to enjoy at your leisure.’
‘The best bit about a box of chocolates, a fancy box of chocolates at that, is sharing them with someone, so I absolutely insist,’ he said, nudging the box in her direction again.
‘Well, in that case,’ she said, pressing her lips together in anticipation, her fingers hovering over the chocolates before she picked one with an elaborate, swirly decoration on top.
‘Who am I to refuse?’ She bit into the hard shell, a smooth, unctuous caramel filling her mouth, making all her taste buds sing while Rob bit into his selection and simply nodded, clearly satisfied.
‘That is good. So, so good. Cherry,’ he added for her benefit, savouring the flavour sensations in his mouth. They sat in companionable silence, enjoying the moment, until Rob said, ‘We should have just one more and then I’ll put them away. What do you think?’
‘Well, it would be rude not to,’ said Tess, needing no persuading and helping herself to another chocolate.
‘Actually, I have got something for you as well,’ Rob said casually, which immediately grabbed Tess’s attention.
‘Really? What is it?’ she asked, intrigued.
‘Come across to my room and I’ll show you.’
She followed Rob the short distance across to the annexe and stepped inside at his invitation.
It had been several weeks since she’d last been here and she was reminded of what a lovely space it was.
With the double doors open, it was a bright and airy space, with a calming atmosphere, which was just as she’d envisaged it when she designed her craft room.
Now there were a few additional masculine touches from Rob’s presence: his shoes and bags tidied away neatly in one corner, a musky, earthy scent that lingered in the air, some of his personal belongings on the side.
It made her smile to see the room being put to such good use.
By the doors, to one side, was an easel, which she’d put there to encourage her to start painting again.
She’d taken a course locally many years ago, which she’d found stimulating.
Not that she’d had any talent in painting, but she’d enjoyed the process and had wanted to explore her creativity further.
When she knew Rob would be moving in, she’d left the easel there as a decorator’s piece, somewhere to hang a cardigan over, or a hat, or to rest a pen or magazine on, but now she noticed that there was something else resting there entirely.
She wandered over to look closer and Rob, realising that she’d seen it, went to join her, standing alongside her.
‘Do you like it?’ he asked.
She gasped, unable to find any words. She turned to look at him, shaking her head, before returning to view the picture on the easel. Finally, she managed to utter, ‘Did you paint this?’
Rob nodded, trying to gauge her expression to see whether she liked it or not.
‘Oh my goodness!’ The image of Hollyhocks Cottage with its steep roof and honey-coloured bricks, the French doors opened onto the garden on a summer’s day, took Tess’s breath away.
‘This is amazing, Rob.’ She couldn’t take her eyes away from the image, which captured the idiosyncratic charm of her home perfectly.
The detail in the picture, the muted pastel colours and the creative artistry came together to capture a likeness that was evocative and brought goosebumps to Tess’s skin.
A beautiful English country cottage: her cottage. ‘I didn’t know you were so talented.’
‘Well, I trained in graphic design, but I’ve always been arty, and loved to paint and draw when I was younger.
Once I started working, I didn’t really get the opportunity for recreational art and then when we started the business, there was always other stuff to do.
So it’s been something of a revelation to get the paintbrush out again. ’
‘Do I get to keep this?’
‘Of course you do!’
‘It’s amazing. I can’t thank you enough.
Oh look.’ She pointed to the canvas, only just noticing a small detail in the bottom left-hand corner.
‘That’s you, Barney!’ She peered closer, smiling at the instantly recognisable back end of the dog, his brown-tipped tail held high, his snout and front paws nowhere to be seen within the depths of the bush.
She turned to Rob. ‘I intend to get it framed and will cherish it forever.’ She felt incredibly touched by such a thoughtful gift and couldn’t help herself from throwing her arms around him in a hug.
She squeezed him tight, feeling unexpectedly emotional.
She quickly pulled away from him, still shaking her head, not wanting Rob to see her raw feelings prickly beneath the surface.
‘You know this is so professional, you could take commissions.’
‘Well, I don’t know about that, but what it has done is reignite my love for drawing and painting and it’s made me realise I want to devote more time to that in the future.
Something I’ve learned these last few months is that I need to concentrate my energies on things that bring me happiness, like my kids, being outdoors and revisiting some of my old interests like drawing.
It’s almost like I’m getting to know myself again, the person I really am, when everything else has been stripped away from me. Does that make any sense?’
‘Absolutely, it does. In a way, it’s a similar thing for me.
I feel as though I’m stepping out and challenging myself to do new things all the time now.
When you’ve been part of a couple for so many years, you do everything together, make decisions together, so to suddenly realise that you’re on your own and it’s all down to you…
well, it takes some adjusting to. Not that I would want to go back to my old life.
I’ve got lots of happy memories, but it’s as though they belong to someone else.
I’m ready to move on. I really think we have to look on this next stage in our lives as one which is exciting and open to all sorts of possibilities and opportunities. ’
‘Well, you’ve been a big part of helping me to take those next steps of my own.
If it hadn’t been for your kindness, then who knows where I might be now.
I certainly wouldn’t have got involved with the walking group and I wouldn’t have had the time to get my thoughts in order and to work out what it is I want from my life. ’
‘And you know what that is now?’ she asked him.
‘Yes,’ he said, his intense blue eyes snagging on hers. ‘I think I do.’