‘Hey, I was going to bring your coffee up.’ She turned around to find Rob wandering into the kitchen wearing only baggy grey joggers and messy bed hair, still managing to look entirely put together, and incredibly handsome in the process.
‘I thought I’d come and make a start on breakfast. I didn’t want you dashing off before I had time to feed you properly.’
‘No, I wouldn’t do that,’ she said, even though she’d mentioned last night that she would need to leave at a reasonable time because she intended to visit Marjorie later in the day.
He slipped a hand around her waist and pulled her into his embrace, kissing her on the mouth, emitting a sigh of pleasure at the sensation of her being in his arms.
‘Mm, you smell gorgeous. Right…’ Reluctantly, he loosened his hold, before spinning round to pull frying pans out of the cupboards, giving a touch of theatricality to the move. She’d sampled Rob’s fry-ups on a couple of previous occasions and already her mouth was watering at the thought as he gathered sausages, bacon, mushrooms and tomatoes from the fridge and got to work.
After a long and leisurely breakfast that hit the spot perfectly and where they took their time, chatting and laughing, Tess said her goodbyes to Rob, hugging him tightly until they reluctantly broke free from their embrace. She hated goodbyes, but it showed her how much Rob had come to mean to her and she was beginning to believe that he felt the same way too. Still smiling, Tess took the short drive home, feeling refreshed and rejuvenated as she always did after spending time in his company. Maybe they hadn’t entirely cleared the matter of his ex and what part she might be playing in Rob’s life going forward, but then Tess suspected she may have been overthinking that whole episode. After all, wasn’t that par for the course when they were both starting over? They both had ties to their old lives, which were never going to go away; they just had to find a way of blending the old with the new. She only had to think about Charles, who still believed that he could turn up whenever he wanted at Hollyhocks, to realise that letting go of the past wasn’t as easy as she might have hoped it would be.
At least she’d re-established that close connection with Rob and was looking forward to seeing him again later in the week when he would be popping round for a drink and a light supper.
As Tess steered the car into the gravel driveway of Hollyhocks, she noticed the ridiculous sports car parked by the front door and groaned inwardly. It was almost as if she had conjured up Charles by merely thinking about him. What on earth was he doing here? She wasn’t certain she had the emotional resilience to deal with him today. As she climbed out of the car, she heard raised voices and immediately thought of Dilly, wondering if she had visitors, and who they might be, to be found shouting like that. It was only as she approached the back door to Hollyhocks that she realised the voices weren’t coming from over the fence at all, but from inside her own house. She pushed her way through the door to find Charles, Hannah and Billy looking flustered and heated in the kitchen.
‘What on earth is going on? I could hear you lot arguing outside. What are you doing here, Charles?’
The only one providing her with a warm welcome was Barney, who was wagging his tail furiously as he ran around her legs.
‘Do I need a reason to visit my wife and daughter?’ he spluttered, before erupting into a full-blown coughing fit. He turned away, putting a hand to his chest, before gathering himself. ‘I thought Hannah might want to spend some time with her father at the weekend, but clearly not.’
Hannah rolled her eyes exaggeratedly at Tess while poor Billy looked increasingly uncomfortable as he studied the toes of his trainers. ‘Did you know about this, Tess? What on earth are you thinking, encouraging this liaison under our own roof? Have you forgotten what this… this boy did? The hurt he caused to Hannah and to the rest of the family?’
‘Actually, Mr Alexander, I can understand I’m not your favourite person right now, but really I care very much for your daughter and I’m trying to make amends and…’ Billy’s brow creased. ‘Would you like a glass of water?’ he asked, looking concerned. This was in response to a further coughing fit from Charles.
‘No,’ he wheezed, ‘and I don’t want to hear anything you might have to say.’ Charles held up his palm to Billy and he turned towards Tess. ‘It seems to me that you’re not bothered about the welfare of our daughter; you’re too busy gallivanting around the countryside with your fancy man.’
Now, it was Tess’s turn to splutter, unable to contain her snort of laughter.
‘Oh, for goodness’ sake, Charles, you’re sounding like a Victorian preacher, but thank you for your interest; I’ve had a lovely time, if you must know.’
Charles shook his head, his jowls wobbling, his skin ruddy, and Tess noticed in that moment, with a jolt, how old he looked. Despite the new trendy wardrobe, which she suspected came from Melody’s influence, the looser-fitting trousers and the colourful geometric-printed shirts, Charles looked uncomfortable in his own skin, as if he didn’t quite fit into the new mould. His hacking cough didn’t help either.
‘Dad, what is your problem? Billy is my friend. Besides, I hardly think you’re in a position to comment on other people’s behaviour, are you? We all make mistakes. Some of us more than others.’
‘Now listen here young lady, show some respect to your father! Just because you don’t like some of the decisions I’ve made doesn’t mean that I can’t offer you the benefit of my advice and experience. You might not believe it, but I do have your best interests at heart even if you think I exist only to make your life difficult.’
‘Stop. Please!’ said Tess, shaking her head.
Hannah sighed heavily and glanced at Tess, hopeful of some moral support, but Tess was finding it difficult to muster up any sympathy for either of them. All she wanted was for peace and sanctuary to be restored to Hollyhocks Cottage and she was thinking she might be better off leaving them all to it and returning to the quiet of Rob’s cosy cottage.
‘What you forget is that I’m an adult now, Dad. I’m more than capable of making my own decisions and choosing my own friends.’
‘Are you? It doesn’t appear that way to me. This whole place has gone to pot since I left,’ he said pointedly at Tess. ‘I don’t recognise you any more.’ His gaze ran the length of her body and she folded her arms crossly in response. What on earth did he mean? Rob had mentioned how lovely she looked this morning, in her long, flowing paisley dress and ankle boots, and she felt good too, but then in the same way Charles had changed his style, she had changed too, in every conceivable manner. ‘At one time, we were on the same page; we both wanted the same thing: only the best for our daughter. Now you seem more interested in pursuing a new, carefree, hedonistic way of life with that chancer you’ve been hanging out with. What’s happened, Tess?’ Charles said, looking bereft.
‘You happened, Charles. Remember? You left.’ Tess headed towards the sink, turned on the tap and stuck a glass under the running water, noting that poor Billy looked as though he would rather be anywhere other than in the kitchen at Hollyhocks right now. She gave a passing thought to where Billy might have slept last night, but really, that was the least of her concerns right now. With her previously good mood already evaporated, she turned to Charles and said sharply, ‘Do not come around here, passing judgement on my life, the way I look or the company I keep; it’s nothing to do with you any more. I suggest you leave, Charles, as I really don’t think we have anything further to talk about.’
She needed her own space, some time alone and some decent company.
‘Come on, Barney,’ she said, scooping up the Sunday papers from the kitchen island and sweeping out of the room. ‘We’ll be in the annexe, but please do not disturb, unless it’s an absolute emergency!’
12
‘Hannah!’
Her quest for peace was short-lived because no sooner had she opened the doors to the annexe, than her blood pressure spiked even higher when she contemplated the sight in front of her. A guttural cry of displeasure left her throat.
‘Hannah,’ she screamed this time, not actually believing what she was seeing. She was relieved, at least, to hear the sound of Charles’s car pulling out of the drive.
