‘I’ve told you,’ butted in Keith, spluttering over his beer, ‘you can’t do that. This pub has been standing here since the early eighteenth century. My father used to drink in here along with all his friends. The photos in the snug tell a story of all those villagers who have gone before us. It’s our duty to keep this place going for them.’
Tess had never seen or heard Keith being so passionate about anything, but then she supposed he spent more time in the pub than he did at home.
‘You see,’ said Carol, with a resigned shrug of her shoulders. ‘We couldn’t walk away from this place even if we wanted to. It means so much to our regulars so we’ve decided that we need to have a big push to revitalise The Royal Oak. We’ve probably been guilty of resting on our laurels for too long. We’re going to be holding more events in the hope that we can attract people from the village and beyond, but we’re going to need all the help we can get. We have a whole line-up of socials planned for the coming months: music evenings, quiz nights and board-game sessions. You can find details on the posters on the beams. If you’re unable to come along, then hopefully, you might want to spread the word amongst your friends.’
‘Definitely,’ said Tess, sympathising with Carol over the status of the pub, not realising it had been in such a precarious position. She would be incredibly sad if the village were to lose their only inn, but she could hardly complain about its closure if she never used the place herself. Besides, it suddenly occurred to her that Carol could be a beneficial contact for spreading the word about The Garden Retreat. She must have had some passing customers asking about local accommodation and as Tess believed she was the only facility in the village now, then it could be an ideal opportunity to leave some of her new beautiful business cards with Carol the next time she was in.
‘I like the sound of the open-mic night,’ she added enthusiastically. ‘I’ll put it on the calendar and we’ll see if we can come along. I think Hannah would enjoy it too.’
‘Sounds great,’ agreed Rob. ‘We might be able to get a group of us together.’
On the way home, they chatted about what they could do to support Carol and her husband, George and who they could invite along to the open-mic evening. Dilly, Suzy and Gina would definitely be up for the event, and they decided they would invite Michael too, as it might be a good opportunity for him to meet some other local people. Rob even suggested that Danny might like to come along.
After a moment’s pause, where Tess was lost deep in her own thoughts, she turned to Rob.
‘Did you think it was strange what Keith had to say?’
‘How do you mean?’
‘When he was talking about Charles and saying what a womaniser he was. I think he was about to drop a bombshell before Carol jumped in to stop him. I mean, Keith would probably know. Charles spent a lot of time in that pub over the years.’
‘Or else, as Carol said, he was just talking out of the back of his head. I wouldn’t waste any time on brooding over it.’ Rob squeezed her hand tight, stopping to turn her round to face him, there in the quiet country lane that led from the high street up to Hollyhocks Cottage. He placed his other hand on her forearm. ‘He didn’t upset you, did he?’
‘I don’t know,’ said Tess, taking a breath. ‘It just makes me realise that I probably didn’t know my husband as well as I thought I did.’
Sometimes, she thought she’d done so well in getting over the breakdown of her marriage and moving on, but a chance remark from someone she barely knew, and cared even less about, could bring all her vulnerabilities and insecurities to the fore.
‘Look, you’ve done so well in rebuilding your life and as you said to Carol, you’re in a much better place now. My advice would be not to look back and pick at those scabs that have dried over. It will only make you feel worse. You need to keep your head held high and look to the future.’
‘Yeah, you’re right,’ she said, smiling, determined to put those niggling, taunting thoughts to one side. Emotionally, she had moved on from Charles, but those negative emotions surrounding her breakdown served as a reminder that she needed to keep a part of her heart to herself so that she would never have to experience the same sense of loss and betrayal again.
16
‘Will you not stay for a coffee and some breakfast?’ asked Tess, turning around at the sensation of Rob’s hands on her forearms, his chin resting on her shoulder. She’d woken early, just after six, and tiptoed out of the bedroom, leaving him gently snoring. Now, his soft kiss on the back of her neck sent a delightful shiver down her spine.
‘No, I need to get on. I’m seeing the kids later. We’re probably going to grab an early lunch and then head for the cinema. Besides, I don’t want to get under your feet. I know you have an important day ahead.’
‘Yes, it’s exciting. I can’t believe it’s actually here.’
What had been a distant dream for Tess had now become a reality with the upcoming arrival of her first guests at The Garden Retreat later this morning. Already, she’d been out there to check that there had been no last-minute disasters in the annexe, and her relief at finding everything just so and as she had left it was real. She’d plumped up the cushions on the daybed and placed a pretty glass vase of fresh dahlias and asters on the small side table.
‘Sorry, Barney,’ she’d told the dog, who had been desperate to get inside and up on the bed. ‘Like your sister, you’re banned from here now. Come on,’ she’d said, closing the door. ‘Let’s get inside and you can have some breakfast.’
She loved the early mornings at Hollyhocks when the house was quiet and she could potter around getting so much done. Already, she had made a batch of scones and some lemon-drop biscuits.
‘Well, best of luck, not that you’ll need it. Your visitors are going to love it here.’
‘Ooh, I hope so.’ She noticed Rob surreptitiously eyeing up her baking endeavours. ‘Would you like to take some scones with you?’
‘No, I couldn’t,’ he said, not sounding entirely convincing. ‘They’re for your guests.’
‘Don’t worry.’ She grinned. ‘There’s plenty. I’ll put together a little parcel for you,’ she said with a smile. She wrapped three scones in some greaseproof paper, tying the package up with some string, retrieved the clotted cream from the fridge and decanted a couple of spoonfuls into a small pot, and found a jar of unopened jam from the cupboard that she’d made a couple of months ago from the damsons off the tree in the garden. Lining a small bread basket with a couple of colourful printed napkins, she carefully arranged all the components inside for a delicious cream tea.
‘Wow, look at that,’ Rob’s face lit up with delight as she handed over the basket and he peered inside. ‘That’s what I love about you. You do everything with such creativity and flair. I’m going to enjoy these and I might not even share them with kids,’ he said, laughing.
‘You’re very welcome,’ she said, only slightly taken aback by his casual use of the word love. She knew he’d only said it as a throwaway comment, but she had caught it deep in her chest, causing a quiver inside.
Still, she didn’t have time to indulge in wild flights of fancy. Waving Rob goodbye from her driveway, she turned her focus onto the day’s events. Her guests would be checking in early as they were attending a wedding later in the day so she wanted to make sure that Barney had been walked and she was changed into something a bit smarter than her usual casual gear to greet them. She gave a sigh, before walking across to the tap to pour a glass of water in an attempt to steady her nerves. She hadn’t been this apprehensive when she’d gone on her first date with Rob, but she needn’t have worried because as soon as Ray and Rosemary arrived at her front door, and she saw their smiling faces; it was like welcoming old friends.
