Page 11 of The Forever Cottage

They sat in an easy silence as they ate their breakfasts, clearly lost in their own thoughts, until Tess placed her empty plate to one side. She looked down at the man’s huge backpack, which was currently spilling out onto the main walkway.

‘Are you just passing through?’ she asked.

‘No, I’ve been away for a while. Just got back, in fact. Well, a couple of days ago.’

‘Ah, right, so you live round here then?’

‘Well, I used to.’

Tess was trying to make sense of what the man was telling her but she supposed she was distracted still, thoughts of Charles nudging into her mind. She needed to focus more.

‘I’m just taking some time to work out what comes next.’

‘Well, that sounds like a good idea. Have you been somewhere nice?’

He lifted his gaze to observe her, those startling blue eyes stirring something within that made her shift in her seat and look around her. He wavered a moment, as if considering whether to go on.

‘Not exactly. I’ve been on the road. Taking some time out. Getting my head together.’

‘Oh, I see,’ said Tess, not really seeing at all, but appreciating from the man’s tone that it didn’t sound an entirely positive experience.

Her gaze swept over him, taking in his unshaven appearance and down to his bags on the floor. The café was abuzz with customers, the front door constantly opening and closing, the sounds from the kitchen clinking around them, but at their small table by the window, they were still able to speak privately.

‘What’s your name?’ she asked.

‘Rob. And you?’

‘Tess.’

He nodded as though he approved.

‘Do you have somewhere to stay now?’ Tess was concerned for the man’s welfare. She wondered if she was overstepping the mark with her personal questions, but there was a vulnerability beneath his good-looking, macho persona, and she wanted to know more.

‘I’m living off-grid at the moment, just until I get myself sorted. I used to live on the estate on the main road out of town, with my wife and kids, but that was before everything went tits up.’

‘Off-grid? What does that mean?’ she asked, even though she thought she probably knew the answer.

‘Have tent, can settle,’ he said, gesturing to his belongings beneath the table. He gave a low chuckle. ‘Don’t look so horrified. It’s fine. I’m not actually homeless if that’s what you’re worried about. This is by choice. Something I needed to do. And it won’t be for much longer. I need to stay local because of the kids. So once I get on my feet again, find a place to live, then everything will be sorted.’

‘What happened then? If you don’t mind me asking?’ She couldn’t stop herself. There was something that made Tess want to know more.

‘Ha, do you really want to know?’

Tess nodded keenly, totally invested now in Rob’s story.

‘Well, long story short, I’ve had a bit of a bad time these last few months.’

‘I’m sorry to hear that.’

‘Yeah, I ran a successful design agency with my partner, Jack. We employed fifteen people and the business was thriving, with several corporate clients. We were looking to expand, take on more staff and move into to new premises. It was hard work, all-encompassing I suppose, but then that’s to be expected. About eighteen months ago, something changed. I suppose I wasn’t in the best place mentally, but I knew something was wrong. I noticed it at home and at work, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on what had altered. I put it down to stress, that I was being oversensitive to my working colleagues and my family, but I found out, one day at work, that my business partner Jack was having an affair with Jennifer, my wife.’

‘Oh God!’ Tess’s hand flew to her mouth. ‘I’m so sorry.’

‘It was a bit of a bombshell. To say the least. It had been going on for over a year.’ He paused, his gaze appraising her. ‘You’ll know.’ She nodded in understanding before he went on. ‘It impacted on the business. How could it not? Ended up with me and Jack having a screaming match in the boardroom. I wanted to kill him, they had to hold me back off him, and he had the gall to tell me I was overreacting. In front of all our staff.’ He shook his head in despair at the memory. ‘In that moment, I lost everything that was important to me. My wife, my kids, the business, my self-worth. What was I supposed to do? I flipped. I couldn’t stop myself.’

Tess shook her head, her heart aching for a stranger’s pain. Without thinking, she reached out a hand and laid it on top of his.

‘So what did you do exactly?’ Her lip curled involuntarily as she wondered if she really wanted to know.

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