‘And that’s the absolute truth?’
‘I promise you. On Adam’s life.’ Her grown-up son, who she didn’t see very much of these days as he was in the army, but who she loved and adored above everyone else. ‘If you were to ask Charles, he would tell you the same. I am so, so sorry, Tess. You have to believe me.’
‘You’re a bloody idiot!’
‘I know. Totally, but I was making some very bad decisions at the time. I’ve dreaded you finding out one day, but I never thought it would come out now, all these years later.’
‘I don’t know why you simply didn’t tell me back then?’
‘Because Charles asked me not to. And I honestly think it would have made matters worse. It doesn’t sound great in the telling, but it was inconsequential, I promise you.’ She took hold of Tess’s hand and threaded her fingers through hers. ‘Please tell me it won’t affect our friendship in any way. I couldn’t bear it, not over something so stupid.’
Tess dropped Gina’s hand and diverted her gaze around the room, mulling over Gina’s explanation, the silence growing ever more intense between them. Gina tracked her every movement, anticipating her response.
‘Tess!?’ she cried when she could bear it no longer. She shook Tess’s arm, trying to get her attention, her relief evident when she saw a glimmer of forgiveness in Tess’s eyes.
‘Don’t be daft. It’s not going to change anything. It all happened such a long time ago and much worse things have happened since. To be honest, it sounds exactly like the idiotic sort of thing you might do and you’ve obviously been beating yourself up over it ever since. You promise though that there’s nothing else you need to tell me? Because I will find out.’
‘Absolutely nothing else,’ she said, putting her hand to her chest.
‘And you promise never to keep secrets from me again?’
‘Pinkie promise,’ said Gina sincerely, offering up her little finger.
‘Fine,’ said Tess airily. ‘I suppose I might get round to forgiving you one day then.’
‘Oh, thank God, darling.’ Gina pressed a hand to her heart dramatically. ‘I’m so relived to get it off my chest after all these years and clear the air. You know I love you, don’t you? And all I can say is sorry again, and I’ll keep saying it for as long as you want me to.’
‘Please don’t. That would be really annoying. I’m just glad I’ve discovered the truth, even at this late stage.’
Gina exhaled a huge sigh of relief, picked up her wine glass and finished it off in one fell swoop.
‘You know, I still think Charles is a pompous arse, though.’
Tess burst out laughing. ‘You might have a point there, but then he still probably thinks you’re flaky and a bad influence, and do you know, he’s probably got a point there too.’
24
‘Look at this place, it’s beautiful,’ Gina announced as she waltzed through the front door of the beach lodge, dropping her handbag on the table. The view through the bi-fold doors at the back of the building was breathtaking, its hold magnetic as it immediately captured her attention, drawing her in. Tess, Suzy and Dilly followed until they were all standing in a line to admire the sight before them, the vigorous swell of the sea mesmerising as it ebbed and flowed against the long, sandy beach.
There was a collective wow from all four women. Gina turned the key to open the door and they walked out onto the wooden decking that protruded like a jetty, inviting you to walk towards the sea, offering a panoramic vista of the area. A table and chairs were under wraps and Tess could imagine that on a fine, clear day, it would be the perfect spot to sit with a glass of wine to simply soak up the surroundings. Today, in November, with the light fading, the wind buffeted them sideways, making their hair fly in all directions, and the spindrift sprayed their faces, as they relished the bracing sensations.
They’d driven down that afternoon, Suzy at the wheel, making the journey to St Ives in less than four hours. Gina had organised the trip, coinciding it with her birthday weekend, and booked the holiday lodge, making sure that everyone, Tess, in particular, was happy with the arrangements.
‘This is amazing!’ Dilly held up her arms wide to the sky and the rest of them followed suit, laughing, as they struck ever more elaborate poses. ‘It makes you glad to be alive.’
‘And there’s a hot tub,’ said Gina. ‘I can’t wait to try that out.’
‘Yes, but maybe not tonight,’ said Tess, grimacing, flapping her arms around her chest to ward off the cold. ‘It’s absolutely freezing out here and I’m in need of sustenance. Let’s crack open the wine.’
They battled against the elements to get back inside the lodge, tumbling over the threshold and shutting the squally weather behind them. After agreeing that Tess would share a bedroom with Dilly, and Gina and Suzy would take the other room, they quickly unpacked their bags and reconvened in the open-plan living area, where Suzy had already opened a bottle of fruity Italian wine, and had poured some glasses.
‘Well, here’s to us and a great few days away.’ Dilly raised her glass to her friends. ‘I want to thank you for inviting me along. I know you’re a long-established friendship group so there was absolutely no reason for you to include me in your plans, but it means so much to me that you have. I think I’ve told you before that I know so many people in our local area, but none of them are what I would call close friends. So to have found you girls at this stage in my life means the world to me.’
‘Oh, come on, Dilly,’ said Gina, ‘it’s far too early in the evening to be getting soppy on us. We’ve not had nearly enough to drink for that.’
‘Fair enough,’ said Dilly, laughing. ‘Well, we probably need to put that right, in that case. Drink up, girls!’
‘I know exactly what you mean, though,’ said Suzy. They moved across to the L-shaped squashy sofa and sat down. ‘I notice it now that I’ve given up on full-time work. I suppose my social needs were met through my colleagues at work, and some of those I will keep in touch with and meet up with for drinks, no doubt, but it’s not the same as having close friends, like you guys, who I know I can rely on, and can call on at any time of day, if I need to.’
