‘No, not at all,’ Tess and Suzy, said in unison. ‘Suzy lives in the village as well, at Brook End,’ Tess added. ‘We’ve been friends since our children were small.’
As Tess saw to the coffees and found some shortbread biscuits in the pantry which she put on a plate in front of her guests, she was gratified to hear Suzy and Michael chatting away easily. It turned out that they had much in common, not only with their grown-up children living in London, but exchanging details about their working lives, how they had both recently cut back on their hours, and how they were adjusting to their new routines.
‘Goodness me, it’s busy around here this morning.’ Tess laughed, hearing the doorbell ring again, and getting up to answer it.
‘It’s only me,’ said Dilly with a big smile. ‘Is this a bad time?’ she asked, trying to peer her head around Tess to see who the voices she could hear might belong to.
‘Not at all. I’ve just made some coffee. Suzy and Michael are here. Come along in. The more, the merrier.’
‘Ah hello,’ Dilly said in her exuberant, friendly manner, her face lighting up to see Tess’s other guests. Dilly always loved to be at the centre of anything that might be going on and hated to feel that she might be missing out.
‘Dilly! Lovely to see you. I was going to call round to yours to return the cake tin,’ he said, gesturing towards where it sat now on Tess’s dresser. ‘I wasn’t sure which side of Tess’s you were.’
‘Just next door to the right. Lavender Cottage. You’re always welcome to drop by whenever you’d like. Usually, I’ll have something delicious baked fresh that morning.’
‘Well, if those buns were anything to go by, then I’m sure I’ll be taking you up on that offer very soon,’ said Michael graciously.
While Tess saw to another coffee, this time for Dilly, she glanced at her friends, feeling a sense of warmth and pride that they had brought such goodwill and cheer to her lovely kitchen, enjoying the sound of their chatter and laughter.
She was able to observe Michael from a distance. Along with his sophisticated good looks, he had a quiet confidence and self-assurance about him that was attractive, and she noticed Dilly hanging onto his every word. Her heart squeezed recognising her friend’s vulnerability, the way she laughed a little too loudly, how she spoke too quickly, stumbling over her words, how she was far too eager to please. Part of her wanted to take Dilly to one side and caution her not to try so hard, to relax a little, to show her true self. It was those same traits that had once alienated Charles and herself, but now she could see that it was they who had been in the wrong, by shunning Dilly’s overtures of friendship. Still, Michael was obviously a much nicer person as he was the epitome of good manners, giving Dilly his full attention, and Tess could see her blossom and grow under his consideration.
If she didn’t know better, then she might have believed that Suzy was similarly enamoured by Michael. From the way she had pulled back her shoulders, lifted her chin, and run a hand through her hair, it was evident that Suzy was intrigued by Michael and was enjoying chatting to him. It was good to see that her earlier low mood had lifted from just being in company.
A little later, when Tess had sat down to join her guests and savoured her coffee and biscuits, enjoying hearing everyone’s news, she heard a noise from outside and raised her head to look out of the window. It was obviously turning out to be one of those days. Sometimes, she might not see a soul from the moment Hannah left for work in the morning to when she returned in the evening. Not that she ever minded; Barney was always the best of company and she relished their alone time, knowing that it gave her the opportunity to get on with any jobs she might have, or else she would crochet or read, listen to a podcast and make herself something delicious to eat, without even a hint of guilt. Now, all she had to do was convince Suzy to adopt a similar lifestyle, something less harried, and more relaxed, which she knew could offer her a great deal of joy and contentment if only she was brave enough to trust in following her instincts.
‘You’re obviously a woman in demand today,’ said Suzy, spotting the van pulling up outside.
‘I think that might be Rob.’ Tess glanced at her watch. ‘I wonder what he’s doing here.’ She saw him climb out of the van, alongside another guy, who got out the passenger side, both wearing their navy company-branded sweatshirts.
‘Look, I am definitely going to make a move now and leave you in peace,’ said Suzy, who was looking much brighter than when she’d arrived. ‘I didn’t realise Hollyhocks Cottage was the social hub of Lower Leaping on a weekday morning,’ she said, laughing, ‘but it has certainly lifted my spirits and I will return another day. Lovely seeing you Dilly, Michael.’
‘I ought to be making tracks too,’ said Michael, jumping up from his stool to join her. ‘Are you going back towards the village? I’ll walk with you,’ he added, when Suzy nodded her agreement. Dilly’s face dropped in disappointment, but Tess was quick to reassure her.
‘You don’t need to leave yet, Dilly. You could always stay for a bit of lunch. I’m sure Rob won’t be staying for long.’
On the way out, Suzy and Michael briefly exchanged pleasantries with Rob, who was walking towards the cottage, while his younger colleague mooched around the front grounds, hands in pockets, admiring the flower beds.
‘To what do I owe this pleasure?’ Tess said, her face lighting up to see him. ‘I wasn’t expecting to see you today.’
‘Well, we were just driving into town for some lunch so I thought I couldn’t pass by without dropping in to say hello and to check if we could change our date from tomorrow to Friday?’
‘Yes, sure,’ said Tess, hesitating only briefly. He must have noticed her questioning expression.
‘Something’s come up, which means I might be pushed for time tomorrow.’
Tess wondered only briefly what or who that might be. She didn’t feel at a point in their relationship where she could question him too closely on what he might be doing, so she shook those insecurities away. Instead, she simply concentrated on him being here unexpectedly. It always swelled her heart to see him, and today in his work gear, with the remnants of wood shavings littered on his shoulders and the whiff of the outdoors about him, it only served to highlight his practical masculinity that she so admired.
He stepped forward and placed his hands on her waist, leaning in to kiss her, the lightness of his touch and the scent of his familiar aftershave igniting every cell in her body. She returned his kiss, laughing as she pulled away reluctantly, conscious of his colleague mooching about in the distance.
‘I was just going to make some lunch for Dilly and me so you’re very welcome to join us, if you’d like.’
‘That’s kind, but I said I’d take Danny into town. He’s going on a first date tonight and I suggested he could do with a haircut.’ Rob raised his eyes to gesture behind him and gave a wry smile. Tess peered round him to see that Danny did indeed have a fine head of curly black hair that fell onto his shoulders.
‘Hello, Rob, lovely to see you!’ Dilly appeared from the kitchen. ‘Now you know me, I’m not one for eavesdropping,’ she said, her mouth twitching mischievously, ‘but did I hear you were in need of a hairdresser? You need to look no further.’ She held her hands out wide to the sky.
‘That’s very kind of you to offer,’ Rob laughed, ‘but I couldn’t ask that of you?’
‘Nonsense.’ Dilly came to join them at the back door of the cottage to take a look at Danny. ‘I’ll have him sorted out in less than fifteen minutes.’
