Page 40 of The Forever Cottage

‘Not that I’ve got anything against bald men, you understand, but it’s not unreasonable to have your expectations fulfilled to a certain degree. It’s like ordering fish and chips from the takeaway and getting home to find you’ve got a kebab. You’re bound to be disappointed.’

‘Well, it sounds as though you had a lucky escape there with the bald man,’ said Tess, still laughing.

‘Definitely. And then there were the others who blatantly lied about their jobs, the ones who forgot to mention they were still living with their wives and those who were looking for a mother rather than a life partner. No wonder I gave up. I never did meet any men like Nico… or Rob.’ Dilly pressed her lips together and raised her eyes to the heavens.

Tess smiled. It wasn’t the first time she’d got the impression that Dilly was rather enamoured with Rob, although it was hardly surprising. Rob was a kind, gentle soul behind that strong, masculine exterior and a great help in an emergency, by all accounts. Now, Tess glanced at her watch, before her gaze drifted out of the window. It reminded her that she hadn’t seen Rob this morning; she must have missed him when he’d headed out for his walk. Some days, he would take Barney with him, but not today, although she never took it for granted. Barney, as usual, was glued to her leg as she pottered about the kitchen, and she wondered which of them might be more disappointed by Rob’s absence this morning. She sighed. She would definitely try to catch up with him later.

Tess was grateful for Dilly’s company. She enjoyed her bubbly personality, her incessant chatter and the way she made Tess forget about everything else. And they laughed. All the time.

Tess was just topping up the glasses of orange juice when she spotted a movement in her front drive and peered closer to get a better view.

‘Oh, it looks like I might have another visitor,’ she said, not recognising the tall, male figure who was just resting his bike against the gatepost.

Dilly got up from her stool to look over Tess’s shoulder. ‘Who is it?’

‘I have no idea,’ said Tess, wandering to the front door to find out, with Dilly standing at the end of the hallway, never one to knowingly miss out on the action.

Curiously, Tess opened the door just as the visitor rang the doorbell.

‘Oh…!’ Tess was taken by surprise. ‘I didn’t recognise you in all your gear.’ She gave an embarrassed laugh to find Nico standing there. He was dressed in tight, black cycling shorts, a short-sleeved top, helmet and goggles, which he now held in one hand. In his other hand, he held a large water bottle. Her gaze ran the length of his body and she couldn’t help noticing he had very hairy legs and muscular calves, which were glistening with exertion.

‘I hope you don’t mind me calling but I wanted to drop this off to you.’ He handed over one of her earrings that she’d been wearing last night. ‘I found it in the car this morning.’

‘Oh, thank you. I didn’t even realise it was missing, but I would have done. I appreciate you doing that.’ She hesitated for a moment. ‘Erm, would you like to come in?’ she asked. Really, in the circumstances, she thought it would be rude not to, but thankfully, Dilly took that moment to wander into view.

‘No, I don’t want to disturb you. I can see you’ve got company.’ He raised a hand to acknowledge Dilly’s presence, and she waved back. ‘I wouldn’t mind a refill of this, though,’ he said, waving his bottle in the air. ‘I’ve only done twenty miles so far this morning. I want to get in at least another ten.’

‘Goodness me,’ said Tess, impressed. ‘That sounds absolutely exhausting. Let me go and fill this up for you.’ Moments later, she was back to return him his bottle from which he immediately took a noisy and prolonged glug.

‘Thanks, that’s much better,’ he said, fixing her with a wide smile. ‘Look, Tess, I really enjoyed last night. I wondered if you might like to get something organised for next weekend. We could go for a meal again, or perhaps go up to London and visit a gallery?’

Tess heard Dilly shuffle behind her and knew she’d be craning her head to listen in to her conversation with Nico.

‘That’s a lovely idea,’ she said honestly. ‘But I’m not sure yet what my plans are for the weekend. Can I get back to you a little bit nearer the time?’

‘Sure thing. You know, if there’s something else you’d prefer to do then just let me know and we can get it organised. Right.’ Nico turned to walk back to his bike and Tess followed his Lycra-clad figure outside. ‘Great to see you again and I’ll catch up with you later in the week.’ He leaned in to put an arm around her waist and pulled her in for an embrace, much as they’d done last night, when they’d said goodbye. Only then, with a full stomach and the effects of too many glasses of dry white wine running around her veins, she’d found it tempting and exciting, but in the cold light of day, with Nico looking so very different in his figure-hugging gear, all hot and sweaty, she felt herself pulling back from his touch.

‘Yes, great,’ she said enthusiastically, releasing herself from his embrace. As they walked to the gate, Rob came through from the other direction and acknowledged them both with a nod of his head, but he didn’t stop to talk; he headed straight back to the annexe. ‘See you soon,’ she called to Nico as she watched him disappear off on his bike, casting a backwards glance to Rob, who had already disappeared out of sight.

‘Someone’s keen,’ said Dilly with a knowing look when Tess returned to the kitchen.

‘I know. Last night, in his smart trousers and shirt, I thought how handsome he looked, but today, in all that cycling gear… well, I’m not sure how I feel about that,’ she said with a quirk of her mouth.

‘It certainly left very little to the imagination, I have to say,’ said Dilly in her inimitable manner, sticking her tongue into her cheek.

‘I know! I really didn’t know where to look,’ said Tess, shaking her head, not wanting to bring those images to mind.

‘Didn’t you? I couldn’t drag my eyes away,’ said Dilly, giggling.

‘Stop it! He’s really lovely, and we have plenty in common. Although not the cycling, obviously.’

Tess wriggled her shoulders to rid herself of the unsettling sensation rippling along her limbs before bursting into laughter again, seeing Dilly’s mischievous expression.

‘I think, as Hannah might say, that really has given me the ick!’

29

In the following days, Tess kept an eye out for Rob, hoping to catch up with him, but unusually, their paths didn’t cross and she only caught fleeting glances of him as he came and went from the annexe, looking as though he had plenty of other things on his mind. She didn’t want to intrude on his personal life or make Rob feel as though he had to make time for her, so she kept her distance, trusting that he would come and find her when he wanted to talk.

---