Page 41 of The Forever Cottage

It was funny though how in the space of a few weeks, she’d come to appreciate and look forward to their daily interactions. Sometimes, they might only wave and exchange pleasantries and other days, they would stop and have a proper natter, discussing the weather and their plans for the day, and anything else that might crop up between them. Now, after a couple of days of not seeing him, she was surprised at how that made her feel. Every time she went to the fridge and spotted the bottle of champagne resting on its side, she was reminded that there had been something he’d wanted to talk to her about. She missed him.

Not that she had too long to dwell on it because she was preoccupied with other things this week. Along with her regular visits to Marjorie and her daily walks with Barney, she had meetings with her solicitor, and a date in the diary with the Lower Leaping Summer Fete committee in preparation for the event on the village green next month. Tess always looked forward to the annual fixture, an opportunity to meet up with her friends and neighbours while raising money for a good cause at the same time. It would be different this year without Charles at her side. Still, she’d already volunteered to man the cake stall for a couple of hours and pledged a coffee and walnut cake and some flapjacks for the always popular table. She would mention it to Dilly, to see if she was going and, if so, perhaps they could go along together.

Today though, after having lunch with her mum, she’d popped into town to collect Rob’s painting from the picture-framing shop. She was undecided where she might hang it, in the main cottage or perhaps in the annexe itself. She would leave that decision until it was back in her hands and she could try it in different positions to see where suited it best. It had only been a few days since she’d dropped it off, but it had seemed much longer and she couldn’t wait to be reunited with the painting. Even so, she could never have anticipated being struck with the same sense of awe as she had when she’d first clapped eyes on the picture.

‘Is everything all right?’ asked the man who had presented the framed picture to her on the counter between them. He quickly referred to his handwritten notes giving the details of the order. ‘It was a light oak frame, with the cream surround?’ He looked at her questioningly.

‘Yes, that’s right,’ she said, gathering herself. ‘It’s fine. Perfect, in fact.’

‘Good. It’s certainly a beautiful picture.’

‘It’s my garden,’ she told him proudly. ‘A friend of mine did it for me.’ The soft colours of the frame and the surround complemented the muted pastel shades of the hollyhocks and foxgloves in the picture. Her gaze sought out the image of Barney, making her smile all over again, amazed by Rob’s talent and his keen eye for detail. She couldn’t wait to show him the finished product.

She watched as the man carefully wrapped up the picture in padding and brown paper.

‘How fortunate to have such a talented friend,’ he said, admiration evident in his voice.

‘Yes,’ she said, ‘I really am.’

Back at Hollyhocks Cottage on the kitchen table, she unwrapped the painting, running a hand lightly over the glass. She couldn’t stop admiring it, finding something new in it every time she looked: a butterfly nestled on the buddleia, a bumble bee in mid-flight, a fallen petal on the ground. She carried it around the cottage, trying it in various positions on the walls in the hallway, in the sitting room, in the kitchen and even in her bedroom, and while it could have quite happily found a home in all of the places, it simply confirmed to her that the right spot would be on one of the walls in the garden annexe. After she’d had a mug of coffee, sitting at the island in the kitchen, she peered outside the back window to see if she could spot Rob in the annexe or the garden, but like in previous days, there was no sign of him. She quashed down a feeling of impatience and disappointment. She supposed it didn’t matter – she was bound to catch up with him at some point – but even so, her relief when he finally turned up at her door the following evening was huge.

‘Hello!’ she breezed as casually as she could muster, determined not to give away her delight at seeing him and her inclination to ask where on earth he’d been. ‘How are you? It seems like ages since I’ve seen you.’ Perhaps that was an over-exaggeration on her part, because it had only been a matter of days, but it had seemed much longer, from her standpoint at least.

‘Good, I’m good. And you?’

‘Yes, great. Look, why don’t you come in? I’ve got something to show you.’

‘Well I wasn’t going to stop; I just wanted a quick chat, if that’s okay.’

‘Sure, but do come in; I won’t keep you long, I promise!’ she said with a smile, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him inside. ‘I picked up the framed picture today. You have to see it.’ She led him into the kitchen and presented his framed handiwork with a flourish. ‘Ta da! What do you think?’

A smile spread across Rob’s face as he leaned forward to take a closer look.

‘It looks pretty good,’ he said, nodding wisely. ‘Are you pleased with it?’

‘I’m thrilled with it. I think I’m going to hang it in the annexe. Whenever I look at it, it will remind me of this time in my life. After a difficult and unhappy few months, I’m going through a period of transition, and I think the picture captures perfectly that sense of hope and renewal.’

‘I’m pleased,’ he said, turning his attention to Barney, who was padding about at Rob’s feet, desperate for attention. It occurred to her that Barney made much more fuss of Rob than he ever did of Charles when he visited. She smiled, appreciating the dog’s allegiance.

‘Are you sure everything’s okay with you?’ she asked, looking at Rob properly for the first time since he’d come inside. He looked just as she remembered, his broad, physical frame bringing his distinctive brand of masculinity to the kitchen, his distinctive blue eyes appraising her gently, but she sensed something was amiss. Despite the smile on his mouth, there was a coolness in his manner that she was certain hadn’t been there before.

‘Absolutely. In fact, that’s what I wanted to see you about. I’ve had some good news.’

‘Really?’ she asked, searching his expression for clues.

‘Yes. I’ve found myself a job.’

‘Really!’ she repeated, unable to contain her excitement. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek. ‘That’s brilliant. Congratulations! Oh, I get it. That’s what the bottle of champagne was for! You should have told me. Let’s open it now, shall we? This is news that needs celebrating.’

‘No. You save that for another occasion. I can’t stay, unfortunately. I have stuff I need to sort out and I should get packed too.’

‘Oh…’ she said, his words only slowly registering with her. ‘You’re moving out?’

‘Yes, the job comes with a cottage, would you believe? I’m pretty chuffed. It’s all worked out really well.’

‘That’s amazing,’ she said, genuinely pleased for him, but with a dozen questions swarming her mind. ‘So when do you start?’

‘On Monday. I can get moved in this weekend so it will give me a flying start to the week.’

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