As we leave the office, I feel incredibly happy that Grace and Marek will finally be reunited. Not even in my wildest dreams could I have predicted how a clause in a will could bring so much love together.
Chapter Thirty-Two
It has been over two years since I have woken up beside someone, and as each day passes, it is becoming more familiar. I might not be able to stretch my legs out to the other side of the bed when I wake up any longer, or even go back to bed with a piece of toast and not worry about the crumbs, but I wouldn’t swap anything for the feeling of waking up with Tomas beside me.
Once we have had our morning coffees and porridge to warm us up, I decide to show Tomas some of my favourite parts of the countryside that I love so much, which is so opposite to the hustle and bustle of Prague. Thanks to the blizzard and the essential visit to Dewi, I haven’t been able to show Tomas the beguiling area I live in yet. So, the first thing I want to do today is to take him on my favourite river walk.
I could walk along the river for miles when I am alone, but with Tomas holding my hand, I could lose track of time. As we head down towards the direction of the stream, the ground is crisp with ice and scrunches beneath our feet. Snow still lies scattered in parts where the sun hasn’t quite reached, and delicate snowdrops somehow manage to break through. It won’t be long before this patch will metamorphose into a bluebell wood, the magical blue flowers bringing with them the hopeful signs of warmer weather.
‘Snowdrops are my favourite,’ I say.
‘They’re beautiful. Just like you,’ says Tomas.
I blush, and Tomas strokes my cheek, making me blush even further.
I shrug my shoulders. ‘I don’t know. I’m just ordinary me.’
‘You’re not ordinary. You’re beautiful from the inside, and it shines through. When you smile and laugh, you light up a room.’
‘I wouldn’t go that far, but thank you.’
‘You really don’t see yourself like I see you, do you?’
‘Can we change the subject? I’m getting embarrassed now.’ I smile at Tomas as he looks at me. ‘But, may I say, you’re pretty fantastic too. I mean, look at you!’ I pinch at the side of his waist, even though it is mostly padding from his jacket that I get hold of. ‘Not at all bad for a fifty-one-year-old,’ I tease. I finally found out his age when we were talking over the Baileys.
‘Well, age isn’t an obstacle to keeping in shape.’
‘No, not at all. I suppose I’m lucky I have all these long walks to go on, which keep me fit. Although, I do have a weakness for a hearty meal after them. Which makes me think of food. Are you hungry again?’
‘I wouldn’t say no to lunch. That porridge has gone down quickly. Must be the cold air.’
‘Perfect, I know just the place.’
We walk another half an hour through the woods and across streams where branches crunch and snap as we balance on top of them. Tomas politely holds back the bough of a large tree for me to pass through a narrow opening in the woods. As I squeeze by, I finally get a view of the nearby road.
‘There’s a pub not far now. Almost there.’
The pub I want Tomas to visit serves amazing steak pies with masses of puff pastry, and they do a gorgeous fresh local salmon, so I am confident that Tomas will find something he likes on the menu.
I haven’t seen the landlord, Emrys, for a long time. I would have last been in here with Craig a few years ago, but he still recognises me when he sees me.
‘Well, well, Olivia! Haven’t seen you around here for some time.’
The heat of the pub hits me in the face, and I feel myself flush as I try to answer Emrys. I find it awkward that I am walking in with a man who is not my well-known husband.
‘No, I’ve been… Busy.’ I don’t want to get into a conversation about Craig, although I would imagine he has been here with Josephine by now, so hopefully, Emrys knows what has happened and that I am not walking in with someone I am having an affair with. Thankfully, he seems more interested in what we want to drink, and I realise that maybe people aren’t all gossiping about me. They actually have better things to do. All this time, I thought there was only room for one of us in the community, and that was Craig. I am starting to believe that there is room for both of us.
‘What can I get you, then?’
We order two local ciders, and I notice that my favourite table by the fire is free.
‘Let’s sit here. Is there anything better than a country pub with a log fire?’ I say.
‘Not much. Snuggling up with you comes close though,’ grins Tomas.
‘Cheers to that,’ I smile.
After a sip of the apple cider, Tomas inspects the horse brass medallions with dragons and fleur-de-lys that decorate the fireplace.
