Now, with Rob at her side, she was seeing it through a fresh set of eyes. They ordered their drinks _ a half-pint of lager for Rob and a glass of red wine for Tess – and found a small table in the snug bar.
‘So did you find out from Danny how his date went? You know Dilly will be itching to find out.’
‘Hmmm, I’m not sure that it was a great success, to be honest with you. Danny said that she was a nice enough girl, but they didn’t have much in common. I think it was a mutual decision not to see each other again.’
‘That’s a shame, but I guess there’s no point if it’s not going to lead anywhere. So, it’s back to the drawing board for Danny?’
‘Yep, I think he takes it all in his stride. He has another date this evening,’ said Rob, shaking his head bemusedly. ‘I don’t know where he finds the energy. He’s a great guy and I’m certain there must be someone out there for him; it’s just a case of finding her.’
‘How old is he?’ Tess asked curiously.
‘About thirty-eight. Apparently, his mum says it’s time for him to settle down.’
‘Oh no, does he still live at home then?’
‘It isn’t quite as bad as that. He shares a house with a couple of friends, but I think he wants to find somewhere of his own, preferably with the person he wants to share the rest of his life with.’
‘Well, I wish him all the luck in the world with that.’
It was understandable. Wasn’t that what most people aspired to at some point in their lives? And Danny seemed like a nice guy; she really hoped he would find that special person to share his life with. She didn’t envy him, though, trawling the dating apps, even if that was the way people met each other nowadays. To Tess, it seemed fraught with difficulties. She certainly wouldn’t have ventured back onto the dating scene if she’d been left to her own devices. When Charles walked away from their marriage, the last thing on her mind was meeting someone new. Her main focus had been getting her life back on track as a single woman, so she could never have anticipated Rob turning up in her life and making such an impression.
Now, as she watched him from across the table, she felt hugely grateful that fate had brought them together.
‘What are you smiling at?’ he said, his brow creasing.
‘Oh, I’m just thinking what a lovely evening it’s been, that’s all.’
‘Hello, Tess.’ Carol Bateman, long-standing landlady at the pub, collected some empty glasses from the neighbouring table. She had a distinctive style, with her strawberry-blonde hair piled high on her head, and her trademark red lipstick shining glossily on her lips.
‘Hi, Carol.’ They weren’t close friends, but living in the same village meant that their paths had crossed often over the years, especially when their respective children had attended the same school.
‘We don’t see you in here very often, so this is a lovely surprise. I was sorry to hear about you and Charles.’
‘Thanks, these things happen, don’t they? It was a bit of a shock at the time, but I’m in a much better place these days.’
She picked up her glass of wine and took a sip.
Tess always felt on the back foot when people mentioned her break-up unexpectedly. For some reason, feelings of embarrassment and shame washed over her, when she knew she had no cause to feel that way. It was the idea that people had been gossiping about her personal life and that she was the subject of people’s sympathy that made her feel uncomfortable. Still if there was one thing the last few months had taught her, it was that she didn’t need anyone else’s affirmation; as long as she was following her own heart, and was happy, then wasn’t that all that mattered?
‘Yes, well, I’m pleased to hear things are looking up,’ said Carol, her gaze betraying her as it flittered over to Rob, who had a benign smile on his face.
‘Well, if you want my advice, I think you’re better off without that husband of yours,’ said Keith from the rocking chair that was positioned in a quiet corner beside the open fireplace. Again, Tess knew Keith from old; he’d lived in the village even longer than she had, and he was a stalwart regular of The Royal Oak, even more so these days since the loss of his wife a few years ago. Tess turned to look at him. ‘He was always one for the ladies; didn’t he have something going on with that?—’
‘Keith!’ Carol jumped in, her tone bright, but cautionary too. ‘What are you going on about now? You’re getting confused with that other guy, the one who moved out of the village last year. Honestly, you could start gossip about a paper bag, you could,’ she said, giving him a warning glance, which was masked beneath a friendly smile.
‘You might be right,’ he said, with a throaty chuckle as he contemplated his beer. ‘My memory’s not what it was. I’ve probably not had enough of these,’ he said, grinning.
‘If you want my opinion, you’ve probably had one too many,’ Carol said good-naturedly. ‘But, you know me; I’m not in the business of turning away trade. The same again?’ she asked, which prompted Keith to hand over his empty glass.
Tess smiled and picked up the conversation with Rob, but Keith’s off-the-cuff comment had unsettled her. Carol had done a good job at covering over his blunder, but was it simply the ramblings of a drunk man or was there truth in what he was saying? And how exactly had he intended to finish that sentence?
A few minutes later, Carol was back with a full, brimming pint of ale that she served to Keith. Tess and Rob had finished their drinks and were thinking about heading back to Hollyhocks.
‘Now, as I’ve got you here, guys, I wonder if you might be interested in coming along to our open-mic night which we’re holding on the last Friday of the month, the twenty-seventh. We’ve held a couple already and they’ve been really fun evenings which have proved to be quite popular. You’ve enjoyed them, haven’t you, Keith?’
‘Oh, yes, I like a bit of music, something I can sing along to. You should come along, if you fancy it. It’s a good night.’
‘I don’t know if you’re aware, but things have been a bit dicey around here in recent months,’ Carol explained. ‘We’ve seen a drastic downturn in business. I know times are difficult for a lot of people at the moment, but we even thought that we might have to throw the towel in.’
