Page 24 of Sunny Sundays at Primrose Hall

Sophie could see through the self-deprecating humour and could tell how important it was to Tom that Jackson respected him and valued his presence in his life.

‘I think it’s such a great thing that you’ve all found each other, and can provide that support that you want and need from your family.’

‘It’s definitely a two-way thing. I feel very fortunate to have Dad and Jackson in my life now.’

Sophie served the dinner up onto plates, handing one to Tom.

‘Shall we go and sit down? I’m afraid I haven’t got a dining table so we’ll have to eat it off our laps.’

‘Just how I like it,’ said Tom with a smile. ‘This looks delicious, by the way.’

They wandered through to the living room and sat beside each other on the sofa. Sophie loved coming back to the cottage after work, especially now it felt more like home after she’d added some personal touches, like the fresh flowers in the fireplace and her fairy lights across the mantelpiece. She had bought some new cosy throws that she’d draped over the chairs and sofa, and added some cushions in a bright orange colour which gave the room a contemporary feel. On the shelves either side of the fireplace were photos of her mum, and her brother and his young family, in pretty frames. Having guests, and she really didn’t have many of them, well, apart from an unexpected visit from Kyle last night, made her see and appreciate her home in a new light. Tom held the honour, though, of being her first supper guest and she couldn’t think of anyone else she would rather have sitting beside her right now.

‘I’m guessing your dad must have been upset when he heard the news about the accident.’

‘Ah, well, there’s a thing.’ Tom rolled his eyes. ‘We’re all under strict instructions not to tell Rex or Ronnie what’s happened, which I think is ridiculous, but one thing I have learnt in the short space of time that I’ve come to know Jackson is that he can be really bloody minded when he wants to be.’

‘Oh!’ Sophie stopped, knife and fork in mid-air. ‘Why doesn’t he want to tell them? They’re going to find out eventually.’

‘Exactly. He doesn’t want them worrying and cutting short their holiday and returning home, but I think they’ve got a right to know. And so does Pia. It’s put her in a very awkward position. I think she’s in almost daily contact with Ronnie and it will be difficult for her to keep it a secret. She wants to tell his parents, to reassure them that he’s okay.’ Tom shrugged as though unable to make sense of Jackson’s motivation. ‘We’re both working on Jackson to persuade him otherwise. I probably won’t speak to Dad again until next weekend, but I’m not sure if I’ll be able to deliberately keep it from him.’

‘Let’s hope Jackson may have had a change of heart by then,’ said Sophie.

‘That,’ said Tom, putting his knife and fork down on his empty plate, ‘was just what I needed and hit the spot perfectly. Thanks, Sophie. I really appreciate you inviting me round. I wasn’t looking forward to going home and this was a much more enjoyable proposition.’ She caught his glance, the light in his eyes and the warmth of his smile. A smile shared between two friends. Nothing more, surely? ‘In fact, let me do the washing up as a thank you for dinner.’

Despite her protestations, Tom insisted and she followed him out to the galley kitchen where he started to fill the sink, squirted some washing-up liquid into the water and found the dishcloth as though he’d done the task here several times before. Sophie picked up the tea towel and started drying as Tom washed.

‘You know, I keep thinking about last night in the pub when I abandoned you to your ex. I feel really bad about that. I didn’t work out what was going on until I was sitting in my car.’ He scrunched up his face, looking sidewards at her in apology.

‘Honestly, don’t worry. I’d have done exactly the same thing if I’d received a call like that.’

She thought it was lovely that he had remembered, even if it had been at the last minute, and had come back to rescue her. It showed what a thoughtful person he was.

‘You’ve not heard from him again, I hope?’

‘Actually, he turned up here shortly after I got home. I thought it was you knocking at the door!’ Sophie noticed Tom’s stricken expression. ‘No, it was fine, actually. We had a chance to talk and in a way it was good to clear the air. I suppose I was guilty of completely ghosting Kyle when we split up. I stopped taking his calls, then I changed my number and I blocked him on all social media channels. It was my way of coping. I’d finally got round to making that huge decision to leave him and I didn’t want to be open to him trying to persuade me to stay, which I knew he would. It felt mean having to take such drastic action, but at the time I could see no other way.’ She took a breath, glancing across at Tom as she felt his attentive gaze upon her.

‘It sounds as though that took a lot of bravery on your part.’

She nodded.

‘I have no regrets, but I was pleased to explain to Kyle my feelings. Hopefully he can now move on in the same way as I have.’

She’d reached a point, after far too many false starts, where she’d needed to think about herself and the only way of doing that had been to draw a final line, move forward and not look back. And that had been absolutely the right decision. Now, she was very happy where she was in her lovely cosy cottage, having made some charming new friends. She turned to smile at Tom. Somehow, she knew this was only the beginning of a new and exciting chapter in her life.

17

‘Are you okay? You’ll rub a hole in that plate if you carry on at that rate.’

Thinking about her conversation with Kyle had sent Sophie into a daydream and she’d been drying the same dinner plate for several moments now. She looked up into Tom’s face, his questioning expression, with one eyebrow quirked, making her smile.

‘Ooh, sorry, I was miles away there, wasn’t I?’

‘Well, I’ll help you put these last few pieces away in the cupboard and then I’ll be on my way. I’ve taken up far too much of your time as it is.’

‘You don’t have to go,’ she said, before she’d had the thought to temper her plea so that she didn’t sound quite as desperate as she might now seem. ‘I mean, obviously, I understand that you need to get home, but…’ She giggled, not really knowing what she was trying to say. ‘I’ve so enjoyed tonight. You are my first ever dinner guest here and it’s been really special. Thank you. It’s another step in making this place feel like my proper home.’

‘Well, I am indeed very honoured then.’

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