Tess and Rob exchanged a look, both of them knowing that once Dilly had made her mind up about something, then there was no swaying her, especially as she was now marching over to where Danny was standing, and could be seen to be introducing herself. After a moment’s conversation, Danny turned, gave an indication that he was going with Dilly, followed by an enthusiastic thumbs up.
‘Well, that looks as though that problem might be sorted,’ said Tess, with a big grin. ‘You’d better come in. I’ll make you a coffee and prepare some lunch. You can either stay or take it with you.’ She took him by the hand and led him into the kitchen, while Barney danced around at his feet.
14
After Tess had made Rob a coffee, giving a silent prayer of thanks to the stalwart coffee machine which had been kept very busy this morning, she started making some sandwiches, while Rob looked on, perched on one of the kitchen stools.
‘Oh, I must tell you, Michael was here this morning: the guy who was leaving when you arrived.’
‘Ahh… Mr Silver Fox?’
‘That’s right. He was looking at The Garden Retreat and has booked his friends in for a couple of nights after Christmas. Honestly, I tried to play it super cool as though I’d booked in hundreds of guests before, but I’m not sure I pulled it off. I wonder if it will always be this exciting when I take bookings; it felt so empowering.’
‘I’m sure it will be. Your passion and enthusiasm are infectious and that’s going to be picked up by your guests. You deserve to make it a success.’
‘Well, I really hope so. By the way, Michael spotted your painting and asked if you did commissions. Can you believe it? He’s interested in getting a painting done of The Old Post Office. Can I pass your telephone number onto him?’
‘Please do. As you know, I’ve been meaning to make more time for my art, but life has kind of got in the way in recent weeks. Something like this would give me the incentive to get the brushes out again.’
‘You must, Rob.’ She went over and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him on the lips. His background was in graphic design and he had a natural artistic flair that was put to good use when he had his own company. Now, working for a property company, on the maintenance side, he didn’t really have an outlet for his creative skills. ‘You should share your talent with the world,’ she said, returning to the job in hand. ‘I’ve always said you could easily sell your paintings. You need to get your work out there and your name known.’
‘That’s the dream,’ he said with a beguiling smile. ‘And when I make it big, I’m going to employ you as my agent.’
‘I’d do a great job, but I should warn you, my commission rates will be high. Although we can probably find a way to negotiate on that front,’ she said, laughing, as she turned from the worktop, knife in hand, where she was buttering slices of bread, before adding a selection of cheese, ham, tuna and salad. ‘Anyway, I’ve not heard you mention Danny before. Have you just started working with him?’
‘Yeah, he’s new. He’s great, a quick learner and easy to get along with. He makes me laugh with his stories of his personal life, though. He’s had a chequered relationship history, by the sounds of things, and he’s recently started dating again, although it doesn’t seem to be going that well. Who knows, maybe tonight will be the night. Honestly, though, it sounds grim out there. It makes me thankful that I’m not on the dating scene.’
‘Oh, me too! Everything seems to have changed so much since we were young.’ She laughed. ‘I know we’re not that old, but there’s a whole set of rules you have to follow now. Are you dating? Are you exclusive? Are you a proper thing? It all seems incredibly complicated.’
Although she supposed the process of meeting someone, discovering if you had feelings for them, and wondering if those feelings were reciprocated, was still the same as it had ever been. Falling in love was never straightforward, especially when you were more mature and doing it for the second time around.
As Dilly had accurately predicted, she was back within twenty minutes, letting herself in through the front door of Hollyhocks which had been left on the latch, with Danny following behind, a bemused look on his face, sporting a much neater and tidier hairstyle.
‘Hey, that looks great,’ said Rob, spotting his colleague.
‘Yes, Dilly’s done me proud and she wouldn’t accept any payment either, so I’m doubly grateful. I just hope it does the trick,’ he said, putting a hand up to the back of his neck to feel his new cut.
‘Well, remember what I told you. Be interested in what she might have to say, don’t drink too much and avoid talking about your exes. Then, just try and relax, and enjoy yourself.’
‘You see, now I know where I’ve been going wrong,’ he said, casting an amused glance in Rob’s direction. ‘I’ll do my best, but I can’t make any promises.’
It was the first time Tess had met Danny, but she immediately warmed to his open and self-deprecating manner. He was a couple of inches smaller than Rob, and stocky, with a twinkle in his eye and a disarming smile. She put him in his late thirties.
‘Now, I’ve made some sandwiches. You’re welcome to stay, but would you prefer to take some with you?’
‘Don’t tempt us,’ said Rob. ‘If we stay, then we’ll never want to get back to work and we have got a busy afternoon ahead of us.’
Tess quickly wrapped the sandwiches in some greaseproof paper and made a separate parcel of flapjacks that she’d made earlier in the week, handing them over to the boys.
‘Well, I shall definitely come again,’ said Danny with that endearing smile, ‘if this is the kind of welcome I receive. Thanks for the lunch, and for the haircut,’ he said, turning to Dilly.
‘Nice meeting you,’ Tess called after him.
‘Good luck with the date!’ Dilly added.
After they had left, Tess suggested they move into the peace and calm of the orangery to eat their lunch. The temperature outside had dropped in recent weeks so it was too cold to have the French doors open, but the light flooding in through the tall windows created a semblance of summer.
‘That was so kind of you to do that for Danny, but you should have charged him.’
