Before she knew it, the last song was played, and the bride and groom were bidding farewell to their guests. There were hugs and goodbyes all round as Tom kissed Lucy on the cheek and shook Martin’s hand and squeezed Evie in his arms and told her he’d see her soon.
Outside in the cool summer twilight, Tom checked his phone and told Carole the taxi he’d ordered was on its way.
“That was one of the best wedding days I’ve ever been to,” Carole told him. “Lucy and Martin must be thrilled it all went so well.”
“They looked happy with everything. They did a great job.”
“Evie seemed to have a brilliant time.”
Tom laughed. “She got to play princess all day. She had the time of her life.”
“I hope you enjoyed yourself, too, Tom.”
“I did, thanks to you.”
He smiled and held her gaze the way he’d done earlier. Was he sending some sort of message, or was that just wishful thinking on her part?
The heat in his eyes was unmistakable. Unless that was just the wine talking.
The taxi arrived just then, and they climbed into the back seat. The brightly lit hotel vanished into the distance as the driver sped off and they joined the dark country road that led back to Hamblehurst.
After all the talk and chatter and noise of the wedding day, the quiet rumble of the car engine as they travelled the empty road was soothing.
Unlike the brush of Tom’s hand against hers on the back seat of the taxi, which seared her skin and made Carole want to lean closer against him, to risk his hand settling on hers, his leg pressing against her, his eyes holding hers as the dark night sped past the car windows.
And that wasdefinitelyjust the wine talking, she warned herself.
She would’ve believed it too if it wasn’t for the way Tom was looking at her, his eyes dark as his gaze dropped to her mouth and lingered there. Every cell in her body urged her to tip her head up and let her lips meet his and damn the consequences.
The moment was shattered by a loud bang followed by a yelp from the driver as the taxi suddenly veered across the road.
“What’s happened?” Carole gasped. “Did we hit something?”
“It was a pothole, a bad one, too,” the driver replied as he brought the vehicle to a stop at the side of the road. “These backroads are riddled with them, and with no streetlights, I didn’t see it there on the road until it was too late to swerve.”
The driver climbed out of the car and walked to the back of the vehicle. Tom opened the rear door and got out. Carole followed him.
The driver gestured to the damaged tyre. “That damned pothole was so deep, the tyre’s blown out. Sorry, folks.”
“These things happen,” Tom said. “Do you have a spare? I’ll help you put it on.”
The driver shook his head. “I’ve got a spare, but I can’t let you help me, much though I appreciate the offer. The insurance wouldn’t cover it if anything happened while you were lending a hand.”
Tom opened his mouth to reply, clearly determined to help, but the taxi driver raised his palms. “I’m serious. I can’t let you help. And I’m sorry I have to ask you both to wait outside the vehicle while I jack it up and switch the tyres.”
“Of course we’ll wait outside. But if you need a hand, you’ll tell me?”
The taxi driver just waved them off. “You two wait over there on the grass verge and I’ll be as quick as I can. Obviously, there’ll be no fare charged for your journey, because of this inconvenience.”
“Take your time, mate.”
Carole followed Tom towards the grassy verge while the driver got to work on the tyre change. There was a dip in the land further along from where the taxi had come to a stop, where the verge widened towards a low stone wall that separated the open fields from the road. They made their way towards it, where the widened verge kept them back from the dark road and they could lean against the stone wall while they waited for the driver to complete his work.
“Sorry about this,” Tom said.
“It’s hardly your fault. Just bad luck.”
“Are you cold? I can give you my suit jacket.”
