Page 15 of The Forever Cottage

‘Hey!’

She spun around, thinking she must have dropped something when she’d been lost in her thoughts and was entirely shocked to see Rob sauntering over towards her, a big smile on his face.

‘I thought it was you. It was the hair that gave it away. How are you?’

‘Great, thanks. And you?’

Self-consciously, she ran a hand through her hair, which was piled messily into a bun on the top of her head, wishing she’d done something else with it, but any concerns were immediately forgotten as she felt a wave of relief at seeing Rob standing in front of her. She shook her head as if she didn’t quite believe it was him.

‘I was looking for you.’ She gestured over her shoulder as if that might explain everything.

‘What?’ said Rob, looking suitably confused.

‘I came into town, hoping I would see you.’

Tess noticed the imperceptible widening of his eyes and the way his head tilted to one side.

‘Yes,’ she said to his unasked question. ‘I was worried about you. Thinking of you sleeping out. How have you been? Where have you been staying?’

‘In the tent,’ he said matter-of-factly. ‘Down on the banks of the river. It’s not ideal, but at least the weather’s been pretty decent. I appreciate your concern, though.’ A smile hovered at his lips.

She looked away, her gaze scanning the car park, feeling vulnerable now under the intensity of his deep-blue eyes. This conversation had been so easy when she had imagined it in her head, but now it seemed awkward. Wouldn’t she be better off just climbing into her car and heading home?

‘Look, I know this might seem a bit mad, but I’ve had plenty of time to think about it. The thing is, I have a spare room – well, it’s an outdoor space actually. We used it as an office for several years, but I’ve recently turned it into a self-contained annexe. There’s a daybed, a shower and loo, and a place to boil a kettle. It’s small, but really cosy and I thought it might be more comfortable than your tent. There’s a completely separate entrance through the gates to my garden so you could come and go as you please.’

‘Right…’ Rob nodded, chewing on his lip. ‘Thanks for the offer. It’s really kind of you. How much is the room?’

‘No, no.’ She was quick to reassure him. ‘I don’t need you to pay me. I just wanted to help out if I could. It’s standing unused as it is so if you can make use of it for a few weeks, however long it takes, then you’re most welcome to.’

‘Ahh… that’s kind of you.’ His brow furrowed and he looked at her through narrowed eyes. ‘Why would you do that though? You don’t know me. I could be a serial killer, for all you know. I’m not, I hasten to add, but you should be careful about who you invite into your home.’

‘I’m not stupid,’ she said defensively, realising in that moment what a ridiculous idea it had been. This man who was effectively a stranger was looking at her as though she wasn’t of sound mind. ‘And actually I did my due diligence. I looked you up on the internet and found the newspaper articles. Your business, the incident with the car, the…’ Her words trailed away as she realised that she sounded like a crazed stalker. ‘You know, I only looked to check up on what you’d told me. Well, not check up exactly…’ With every word that she spoke, she sounded more and more unhinged. ‘But, well, your story resonated with me. Maybe because I’ve recently been through a similar thing, with the break-up of my marriage. I didn’t like the idea of you camping out, that was all.’ She took a breath. The sooner she got out of there the better. ‘Anyway, it’s been nice to see you again.’ Now she was wittering. ‘Best of luck.’

She pulled open the car door, eager to get away, when he put a hand on the top of the door frame to stop her.

‘Do you actually mean it? The offer of putting me up?’

‘Yes,’ she said, unsure whether she was relieved or exasperated by his change in tone.

‘Well, that’s kind of you. And sorry if I was rude, calling you stupid, but it took me by surprise that was all.’ He lifted a hand to his short dark hair and scratched his head. ‘Don’t get me wrong. It’s not that I have absolutely nowhere to go. I could have stayed with my folks, but I didn’t relish the idea of returning to my childhood bedroom and then a friend of mine offered me his spare room, but it doubles up as his work-from-home office, plus he has three children under the age of ten, and he’s friends with my ex, so it would have been a bad idea all round.’ His gaze dropped down the length of his body. ‘It might be a good idea to have a base for a couple of weeks while I look for something more permanent though.’

‘Well, the offer still stands if you would like to make use of the annexe at Hollyhocks Cottage?’

‘Hollyhocks Cottage? That sounds delightful. Are you absolutely sure? It wouldn’t be for long anyway, a few weeks at the most.’ Tess saw a light come on in Rob’s eyes. ‘Just until I get something sorted workwise and I’m able to find some long-term accommodation.’

‘That sounds good to me and I wouldn’t have offered if I hadn’t been certain,’ she said, chastising him with a twist of her mouth.

‘In that case, great. Thanks. I really appreciate it. You’ll barely know I’m there,’ he said with a beguiling grin.

Tess nodded as she typed out a text of her address details, sending it over to Rob, swallowing back only the slightest doubt. She really hoped she wouldn’t come to regret her decision.

13

‘Hello, Tess! How are you? I’ve been meaning to catch you!’

As soon as Tess stepped outside her back door, she spotted Dilly walking towards her along the gravel driveway. Her heart sank; she didn’t have any time to waste today.

‘Hi, Dilly. I’m sorry, but I really can’t stop. I’ve just had a call from the care home. Mum isn’t very well. They think she’s got some kind of infection. She’s been taken into hospital so I’m just on my way to see her.’

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