Page 9 of The Forever Cottage

‘You know, up and down. There’s part of me that still can’t believe that it’s happened. I’ll be pottering around the cottage thinking, Oh, I must talk to Charles about so-and-so, and then it hits me all over again and it brings all those feelings to the fore. I’m so angry with him.’

Gina and Suzy nodded their agreement and support. She wasn’t sure what she would have done without her friends these last few weeks; they’d kept in touch with daily texts and calls, dropping in to the cottage on a regular basis with flowers and wine and cakes. Making her laugh with their ever-increasingly derogative comments about Charles.

‘Some days are better than others, but I’m keeping busy, sorting out the house and seeing to Mum.’ Along with her weekly Pilates classes and her sessions working at the small village library. ‘In a way, it’s good that Hannah is away. I would hate for her to have got caught up in all of this. Every time I speak to Charles, we end up having a massive row, which is a novelty; we never really argued when we were together.’

‘Well, if I were you, I definitely wouldn’t hold back. He deserves everything you throw at him. You know the best thing you could do?’

Tess shook her head, always grateful for Gina’s advice.

‘Get yourself another man. You know, a light flirtation to see you through this difficult period. Someone who will treat you properly. Who will make you feel like a sexy and vibrant woman again.’

‘Oh good grief!’ Tess grimaced and took another mouthful of her cocktail, emptying her glass. Gina immediately called over the bartender and ordered another round of drinks and Tess suspected her head would soon be swimming if she carried on at the same rate. ‘That’s the last thing I need,’ she said emphatically. ‘No, not the drink,’ she said, laughing, clocking Gina’s amazed expression. ‘I definitely need another one of those. I meant another man. Funnily enough, I’m right off men at the moment. I can’t see myself ever getting involved with anyone else ever again. The only man I need in my life right now is Barney.’

Gina gave an undignified snort. ‘You say that now, but that’s because you’re hurting. You can’t live in the past, Tess. You’re a brilliant, attractive, vibrant woman and you need to get out there and embrace everything life has to offer.’

‘Well, I intend to do exactly that,’ she said, banging her clenched fist on the bar. ‘One of these days, but I don’t need a man for that. Suzy is perfectly happy being on her own, aren’t you, Suzy?’

Suzy gave a nonchalant shrug, her response not as emphatic as Tess would have liked.

‘I guess, but I don’t know any different, do I? After Martin died, I didn’t have the emotional capacity to even think about meeting someone new. My whole focus was on the boys, getting through the days as best we could. I didn’t have the time or the energy for anything else and then by the time we’d got over the initial shock and readjusted to a new way of life without Martin, well, there was never a right time.’ She picked up her coupe and pressed it to her lips, taking a sip from the fruity concoction. ‘Now the boys have left and settled, it’s the first time I’ve actually thought that it might be nice to have someone to share my life with. Although I think I’m hugely out of practice of how to be in a relationship.’

‘About bloody time, Suzy.’ Gina’s mouth fell open, her eyes wide in astonishment. ‘How long have I been telling you the same thing?’

‘Yes, but people think they know what’s best for you and tell you what you should do, but it really doesn’t mean anything until you’re in the right mindset to want to make those changes for yourself. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve been on my own for almost twenty years now. I’ve rebuilt my life and I’m happy with the way things are so I’m not actively looking for anyone, but if it happens, it happens.’

‘You and Tess should get on the dating apps. It’s how people get together now,’ said Gina earnestly.

‘Absolutely not,’ said Suzy and Tess in unison, before breaking into laughter.

‘I’ve been totally reliant on Charles for years. There were some days when I wouldn’t even know what to do for dinner without consulting him first so I’m under no misapprehension that it’s going to be a huge learning curve going it alone. But I’ve decided that I’m blooming well going to make the most of it. What other choice do I have? My days of washing a man’s dirty socks are behind me and there’s a great freedom in that. Although I admit, men do have their uses. Sometimes.’

Tess pursed her lips, eliciting a gasp from her friends.

‘Ah! You mean sex, right?’ said Gina.

‘Trust you to immediately think of that.’ Tess chastised her with a glance. ‘No, I was talking about their sheer physicality. Changing lightbulbs, putting up pictures, shifting heavy objects.’

Gina laughed and Suzy nodded her agreement.

‘I was clearing out Charles’s office, as you know, happily chucking everything into the skip, it was really quite cathartic, but then I was left with this huge bookcase that was refusing to budge. I was getting so frustrated at not being able to dismantle it and was thinking that my only option was to take a hammer to it. Luckily, one of Charles’s old work colleagues, Nico turned up at the door. He’d heard the news and wanted to see if I was doing okay. I think he got more than he bargained for when I asked if he could roll his sleeves up and help me with a bit of furniture moving. I couldn’t have done it without him!’

Gina leaned forward on her bar stool, fixing Tess with a look of intent.

‘Now the most interesting part of that story is the mention of Nico. Who the heck is Nico and why have you never told us about him before?’

‘He’s a colleague of Charles’s, although he left the practice a year or so ago. I’d met him at a couple of the company dos, but I never knew him terribly well. It was very nice of him to call in to see me and check how I was doing. I got the impression he was never very keen on Charles so I appreciated his moral support.’

‘What’s he like? Good-looking? Single?’

Tess gave an indiscernible shake of her head as she considered Gina’s question.

‘Nice,’ she said, after giving it some thought.Good-looking and single too, although she wasn’t about to admit that to her friends. ‘He left me his card and told me to contact him if there was anything I needed.’

‘Well, you should,’ said Gina enthusiastically and more persistently. ‘So, what’s his situation? Is he married?’

‘Separated,’ Tess confirmed.

‘Well, there you go. I think he was probably just testing the water, establishing that connection.’

---