“Well,” began Abby before they both jumped and squealed when Bobby arrived behind them.
“I do hope that’s still water, honey,” he said, pointing at Abby’s glass. “We don’t want a repeat of the other night, do we?” The glint in Bobby’s eyes lit up his whole face.
“I guess not,” replied Abby, tenderly stroking her husband’s face, the love they shared for each other radiating from them both.
“I should go and find Jim,” said Tasha, feeling slightly uncomfortable, as if she was somehow intruding on a private moment.
“Yeah, Jimbo did wonder where you’d got to. I left him with Martin discussing your choice of gynaecologist,” laughed Bobby.
“That man is obsessed with my vagina.” Tasha laughed when she heard how funny her words had sounded.
“Which man?” asked Abby dryly.
“Take your pick.” Tasha laughed again, but stopped dead when she head Jim’s voice behind her.
“Natasha, did you really just discuss your vagina in the same sentence as more than one man, again?”
Tasha turned to face him and smiled at his expression of mock annoyance.
“I can’t deny it.” She stretched up as high as she could, wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his chest.
As they descended the steps towards the cars, Tasha headed for her own car and was surprised when Jim kissed Lizzie, Philip and Pippa before giving Juan his keys and followed Tasha to her car.
“Give me your keys, honey.”
“Why?” Tasha asked but was already handing over her keys.
“Because I’m driving, baby.” He opened the passenger door for her then got into the driver’s seat adjusting it to allow for his long, lean legs and headed down the drive.
“Why aren’t you driving your own car home?” she asked curiously.
“Because I have missed being with you and I wanted to take you home with a little detour.” He grinned and threw in a wiggle of his eyebrows.
“Detour where?” she asked suspiciously.
“A detour down here.”
They took a turn onto an almost hidden track that seemed to wrap around what she thought would be the perimeter of the vineyard. He pulled over under some trees and then went round to the other side of the car where he helped her out and began to lead her between the trees.
“Where are we going?”
“Up here,” was his vague answer.
When they came out on the other side of the trees they stood at the top of a small hill overlooking the vineyard.
“Do you remember me bringing you here the first time you met my parents?”
“Of course. We talked, I talked and I remember lying down there with you.” She pointed down at the grass nearby. “Oh, and I wore inaccessible jeans.” She giggled at the memory.
“Yes, but no jeans tonight.” He grinned, more than grateful for that fact.
“Is that what you’ve brought me here for?”
“Maybe, but that wasn’t the main reason,” he told her. “I thought we should talk some more.”
Tasha looked up and frowned in confusion.
“I know we’ve had a houseful and we’ve both been busy and apart, but we need to talk. Always. We should never stop, Tasha.” There was a slightly nervous hint to his tone, something that sounded unnatural and not a trait she’d heard before and it worried her.
