Page 29 of The Forever Cottage

‘Stop it now! Or I definitely won’t come. Did I not tell you about Rob? He’s staying in the annexe for a few weeks.’ Tess ran her tongue round the inside of her cheek, knowing full well, as Gina did, that this was the first time she’d ever mentioned him. ‘Rob is a friend, I’ve been doing him a favour, and now he’s doing one for me. That’s all there is to it.’

And if Tess could only keep telling herself that too then everything would be absolutely fine.

22

As soon as the three friends arrived at Heathrow airport, checked in and were settled in the departure lounge sipping on their first gin and tonic of the holiday, then all thoughts of home were left behind for Tess. Or else they would have been if Gina hadn’t got a bee in her bonnet about a certain man. First Nico and now Rob, Gina was obviously convinced that Tess needed a new love interest in her life when nothing could have been further from the truth.

‘What I can’t understand is why you never told us. We’re supposed to be your best friends. Moving a mystery man, a particularly good-looking one, into your home is quite a major life development. We need to know these things, don’t we, Suzy?’

‘Definitely. How did you meet him?’

‘Well, he’s a friend of a friend,’ she said, hoping they wouldn’t see through the white lie, ‘and he’s recently split from his wife, so he needed somewhere to stay. As it’s only for a couple of months, I suggested he use the annexe now it’s fully kitted out as a self-contained space. It’s a bit of a trial run if I ever decide to rent it out as an Airbnb. It’s been ideal, and to be honest, we barely see each other.’

‘Well, that’s a shame, because if Rob was living next door to me, I’d make sure I was bumping into him every day.’

Thankfully, at that moment, the call for their flight was made over the loudspeaker system and Tess, Gina and Suzy made their way to the departure gate where, with the promise of another gin and tonic aboard, the holiday properly got underway, and the conversation shifted to making plans for the days ahead.

Several hours later, when they arrived in Annecy, Tess climbed out of the taxi and took a moment to look all around her and soak up the scenery. It was every bit as picturesque as Gina’s photos had promised. They had to walk a short distance along a narrow pathway to reach the pastel-painted, eighteenth-century hotel. With its white shutters and balconies bedecked with flowers and being situated on the banks of the canal, it was a charming sight. Bicycles rested against the metal railings of the waterway and the three friends took a moment to wander across and look down at the still water below. In the distance, they could see the wide lake and the green mountains beyond.

‘It’s stunning,’ sighed Tess. ‘Like something from a fairy tale.’

‘So this wasn’t such a bad idea, after all, was it?’ said Gina, linking arms with Tess on one side and Suzy the other.

‘Best idea you’ve had in a long while,’ agreed Tess, wondering why she’d ever had any doubts about coming in the first place.

‘Come on,’ said Gina, escorting them inside the hotel. ‘Let’s drop off our bags and then we can go and explore.’

The interior of the hotel was equally charming and welcoming, with an olde-worlde ambience in the public areas with low lighting and dark furniture, while the bedrooms provided a pleasing contrast in a modern, fresh style, with crisp, white bedlinen. Their room was cosy and full of character, with wooden beams overhead, and a pair of double French doors dressed in cream voile drapes that led onto a small balcony that gave views of the rooftops, with the lake and mountains providing a picturesque backdrop.

‘It’s breathtaking,’ Tess gasped.

‘It really is, and I’m so pleased that you and Suzy are here to share this with me.’

She turned to look at her friend as she gazed out over the view. ‘So you’re not wishing Ryan was here then?’

Gina paused for a moment. ‘No! I mean, obviously I miss him. Well, sometimes. You don’t spend three years with a person and easily forget them. There are times when I think,Oh, I must tell Ryan this, or I wonder what he might say about such and such, but then I suppose there’s a tendency to look back through rose-tinted glasses. Right now, in this moment, I’m not missing him at all,’ she said gleefully, reaching her arms wide to the sky.

After unpacking their bags and having a quick refresh, they headed out again, collecting Suzy on the way. Walking along the winding streets of the old town on a summer’s evening was stimulating and revitalising, the sun still warm on their bare arms. There was so much to see and appreciate with an array of specialist shops, the profusion of colourful, alpine flower displays alongside the canals, and the outdoor tables of the cafés and restaurants busy with holidaymakers creating a vibrant atmosphere.

‘Come on, let’s have a photo together. I promised Hannah I would send her a picture.’

They gathered together on a bridge over the canal, leaning against the railings as Tess took a selfie of them all before a young man stopped and offered to take the picture instead.

After a long and leisurely mooch around the atmospheric streets of the old town, they found the restaurant Suzy had earlier booked and they were seated at a table on the terrace. Tess showed the others the photo of them all laughing into the camera with the waterway behind them.

‘Hey, I think we look pretty good, don’t you?’ asked Tess.

‘That’s a great shot,’ said Suzy. ‘Look at us: three friends in their absolute prime! We might have a few laughter lines, a few grey hairs…’

‘Talk for yourself, darling,’ quipped Gina.

‘Not that anyone would ever know, of course,’ added Suzy, ‘and our bodies might be softer, more womanly these days, but we’re still bloody gorgeous.’

‘Absolutely,’ agreed Gina. ‘And we should have a toast to that!’ They picked up their small tumblers of wine and chinked glasses. ‘To old friendships and new beginnings. Who would have thought, when we first met at the school gates, that we would still be good friends twenty years later?’

‘I know. It was all about the kids back then. I can remember being run ragged and I only had Hannah to look after. It must have been worse for you two!’

‘Ah, yes, but you had Charles and I’m sure he counts as three naughty triplets!’

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