Page 42 of The Forever Cottage

‘Monday.’Just three days away.‘That’s great. Are you staying locally?’

‘Yes, it’s only down the road. At Rosefarm cottages.’

She didn’t know where that was, she was only relieved that he was staying in the local area. She felt blindsided by Rob’s news. Of course, she’d always known he would move out at some point, but she’d expected to have plenty of notice, that she would be able to plan for that eventuality.

‘Well, if you can’t stay now, then you must come for supper tomorrow.’

‘Um…’ He hesitated. ‘That’s kind of you, but you’ve done enough for me as it is. I’ll get packed up and out of your way, and then you’ll have your beautiful annexe back to yourself. You can get it up on those Airbnb sites now like you were planning.’

‘Maybe.’ It had seemed like a good idea all the time it was in the planning, but there was no hurry; it was something for the future. ‘Next year, perhaps,’ she said aloud. ‘Listen, you can’t leave without us having a proper catch-up.’ She was getting the distinct impression that Rob couldn’t get away fast enough, but weren’t they good enough friends by now to at least have a final get-together? Who knew when they might have the opportunity to do so again. ‘I need to know everything about this new job,’ she told him now, ‘and I really don’t want to drink all that champagne by myself. Do you have any plans tomorrow night?’

‘No, but?—’

‘That’s perfect then. Come here. I’ll cook us a nice meal. It’s the end of an era and the start of a brand new one. For both of us. And doesn’t that need celebrating?’

30

Tess might not have given Rob the opportunity to actually refuse her invitation, but surely he wouldn’t have wanted to. They’d always got on well together and she really wanted to mark his leaving with some sense of occasion, rather than letting him go without a proper goodbye. Besides, Tess had always enjoyed hosting dinner and supper parties at the cottage, and it had been ages since she’d done any entertaining, so she was looking forward to spending the day pottering about in the kitchen. She’d decided on a simple prawn and smoked salmon starter, followed by a fillet steak with a blue cheese sauce, thick-cut chips and French beans, and then individual Eton messes for pudding. She wandered into the garden, down to the pots of herbs, picking some fresh chives, parsley and rosemary, smelling each of them in turn, the scents bringing a smile of satisfaction to her face, before popping them into her wicker basket. Returning to the kitchen, she washed her hands and then delved into the larder, pulling out the eggbox to make a start on the meringue, wondering why she hadn’t cooked for Rob before. Not that she hadn’t considered it, but the right time had never presented itself and now it looked as though it could be the first and last time tonight.

She sighed, cracking the eggs one by one into a saucer, separating the whites from the yolks, which she would save to make some lemon curd later in the week. She poured the whites carefully into the mixer and switched it on, her gaze drifting out of the window as she held onto the bowl. She would miss Rob, that was for sure, but she was hopeful that they would stay in touch, although that would have to be up to him. Perhaps he saw his time at Hollyhocks Cottage as a transition from his old life into his new and he might not want the reminders that came from a time when he had to rely on the kindness of a stranger. Tess turned the mixer off to check its progress before slowly adding caster sugar to the frothy concoction and mixing again. She hoped Rob viewed her as a friend now though, and not just a good Samaritan.

With sticky fingers, she went across to the tap and washed her hands again, hearing her phone vibrate on the worktop. She hoped, as always, it might be a message from Hannah, but her heart sank seeing Nico’s name appear. She cursed beneath her breath, remembering that she’d forgotten, or rather overlooked, texting him back after he’d reached out to her again, inviting her to dinner tonight. Not that she hadn’t been thinking about Nico, because she had. He’d gone out of his way to help her and she was grateful for that, and she’d come to really value his friendship and advice. Perhaps she simply needed to have a conversation with him so that they could both be clear about what they wanted from their relationship.

Hey, just wondering if we were on for tonight? I hadn’t heard from you so I’m assuming not, but thought I would check just in case my previous message got lost in the ether… N.

Tess flushed with embarrassment. She felt terrible that she’d left him waiting for a reply. She shook her head, chastising herself, quickly firing off a message to Nico.

I’m so sorry. I completely overlooked this, it’s been a hectic week, but I know that’s no excuse. I can’t make tonight, but maybe we can grab a coffee some time next week. Best wishes.

She shuddered, turning her phone over so she wouldn’t need to think about Nico any more. Instead, she turned on the radio and allowed the melodic tones to wash over her. With the meringue in the oven, she started peeling some potatoes, cutting them into thick sticks which she placed on a baking tray. She drizzled the chips with olive oil, seasoned with plenty of salt and pepper, and covered with some of the sprigs of rosemary that she’d collected from the garden, before covering with foil ready for baking later. It made her realise just how much she missed cooking for others. She was looking forward to Hannah returning home so she could bring out all those old family favourites for her and her mum.

Cooking for a man, someone other than Charles, would be an intimate experience and filled her with an excitable anticipation at the thought of sitting opposite Rob at the dining table. Not in a romantic sense, but just from being able to spend some one-on-one quality time in what was still a new friendship, learning more about Rob and looking forward to hearing about his new job and his future plans.

She laid the table with a simple cream linen cloth, filled a small glass vase with some pretty purple and white flowers, cut from the garden, and placed tea-light holders along the windowsills which she would light just before he arrived.

After a quick stroll around the village with Barney, Tess returned home and made herself a mug of tea and sat in the wicker chair in the orangery, her gaze taking in the beautiful scene, enjoying the peace and solitude of the garden. Sometimes, when she took a moment of quiet reflection to herself, she felt a sense of appreciation for everything she had in her life. A few months ago, when Charles first left, everything seemed bleak, but that was only because she had never been able to imagine a life without her husband at her side. She’d had no option but to adapt to her new reality and now she was beginning to appreciate the benefits that came from being on her own: the fact that she wasn’t constantly clock-watching, anticipating Charles’s return home; that she could please herself when she wanted to and realising how absolutely freeing that was. This year, she’d had so many changes enforced upon her, making her feel that she had lost control of her own life, but slowly, Tess was finding a new way of being and already had so many plans for next year. Most of all, she was grateful for everything she did have: her beautiful home, her spirited daughter, her dear mother, her supportive friends, old and new, and the life she had created for herself. She always had been, but perhaps she had been guilty of taking them for granted over recent years. She wouldn’t make the same mistake again.

Later, as she got ready upstairs, pulling out some wide cream linen trousers and a matching waistcoat from the wardrobe, easy and comfortable wear for a warm summer’s evening, she recognised the sense of anticipation within her. As she checked her reflection in the mirror, she realised the changes she felt inside were evident too in her appearance. She’d lost weight, not intentionally, but from her now twice-weekly Pilates sessions, her increasingly longer daily walks with Barney and the lighter, more impromptu meals she was eating these days. She ran a hand through her hair. The new, shorter style accentuated her features, bringing out her bone structure, and she saw a resolve within her hazel eyes that perhaps hadn’t been there previously. In some ways, it was like looking at someone she used to know, who had made an unexpected reappearance in her life, someone she was really looking forward to getting better acquainted with again.

A knocking at the door brought her out of her musing and she glanced at her watch, realising her visitor must have arrived, and Barney barked to alert her to that fact. She skipped down the stairs and opened the door to find Rob standing on the threshold, and even though she’d spent the entire day planning for his arrival, it still came as a wonderful surprise to see him. In dark-washed jeans and a buttoned-down airforce-blue short-sleeved shirt, she thought how handsome he looked and she appreciated the effort he’d made.

‘Hello, come in,’ she breezed, noticing the bunch of flowers he held in his hands.

‘Thanks. These are for you,’ he said, presenting the small bouquet of purple, pink and cream freesias, which she lifted to her nose, catching a scent of their deliciously sweet and fruity fragrance.

‘They’re gorgeous, thank you!’

‘You’re very welcome.’

She kissed him on the cheek, the scent of his aftershave every bit as enticing as that of the flowers had been, and showed him through to the kitchen, placing the bouquet on the draining board before she went off in search of a vase. On her way, she pulled out the bottle of champagne from the fridge and collected a couple of flutes, placing them on the island where Rob was standing.

‘Would you like to do the honours?’ she asked with a smile. ‘I’ve been looking forward to this.’

By the time Tess had attended to the blooms, putting them in a small, glass vase which she placed on the window ledge, nestled between the tea lights, Rob had poured the champagne and handed her a glass.

‘Well, cheers,’ he said with a smile. ‘I wanted to thank you for putting me up these last couple of months. Not everyone would have taken in a down-on-his-luck ex-con, but you did and for that, I’m very grateful.’

She chinked her glass against his, taking a sip of the bubbles that alighted her senses at the back of her throat and in her nose.

---