Page 10 of Starting Over at Halesmere House
‘So things have moved on since you and I last spoke. The weekend away before that went brilliantly and the dates have been nothing short of spectacular. I’m still trying to get my head around it, to be honest. Damon’s amazing and he feels the same way. In fact…’ Kelly put her half empty mug of chocolate down. ‘We’re planning to move in together next month, after I get back from Munich.’
Alice was about to offer concern and some words of caution and swiftly changed her mind. She and Gareth had dated for five steady years before sliding into marriage. She’d thought she’d known him and could read him better than any book, but she’d got that totally wrong and didn’t think she was in any position to counsel someone else about relationships. Like her, Kelly was approaching forty, so instead she got up to hug her friend tightly through their layers.
‘I’m thrilled, for both of you. I can’t wait to meet him. You’ll have to bring him over when you’re ready.’
‘We’d love that.’ Kelly settled back in her seat, reaching for her mug of chocolate before it went cold. ‘He can’t wait to meet you too. And you know me, always pragmatic with a plan B. There’ll still be dating apps if we crash and burn.’
‘Doesn’t sound like you’ll need a plan B. It’s wonderful.’ Alice glanced towards the sitting room. ‘It’s probably time to get changed and head out for dinner.’
She’d booked a table at the White Hart, the pub close to the barn. They strolled down in time for a drink before their meal, settling at the bar to wait with glasses of wine. Each of the pub’s three rooms was a warming shade of red, with paintings by local artists on the walls, and Kelly was busy taking images to share on Instagram and with Damon.
‘Great place, Al, totally different vibe to city bars. It’s so cute and you couldn’t have picked a more picture-perfect pub for my first visit to Cumbria.’
‘As long as it’s not your last. The food’s amazing too, and I haven’t stopped eating since I arrived.’ Alice was checking out the pub too, and spotted Zac sitting at a table, laughing with a young blonde woman. Her pulse spiked when his gaze landed on hers and he tipped his head in acknowledgement. She smiled stiffly back, ignoring the flare of disappointment that he and the woman seemed as though they were on a date.
Chapter Four
‘Who’s that, Alice?’ It hadn’t taken Kelly more than a moment to pick up on the exchange. ‘Is there something you’re not telling me? I saw the way he was looking at you. And more to the point, how you were looking at him. What’s the story?’
‘There is no story,’ Alice protested, still thinking about that swift, loaded glance he’d given her and trying to avoid Kelly’s sharp scrutiny. ‘Zac’s a tree surgeon based at Halesmere and that’s all I know.’
It wasn’t quite everything, though. She also knew he had the most expressive eyes of any man she’d ever met, and they were as dangerous as the rest of him, from the tall frame to the intriguing leaf tattoo on his right arm. He liked to laugh, understood flirting much better than she did and confidence came naturally to him. Alice wanted to reassure herself that he wasn’t as striking as she remembered, and another glimpse confirmed she’d got that all wrong as well.
‘A tree surgeon?’ Kelly nudged her with a foot tucked into a knee-length black boot. ‘How very earthy; that’s right up your street. Maybe he could be your perfect next date, if he’s single, of course. I bet he’d be up for it.’
‘And how can you tell that from a five-second appraisal?’ Alice knocked back a hasty mouthful of Sauvignon Blanc. She probably would be better off on some singles app, with all the potential for complications and confusion, than dating Zac. Not that he would want to date her even if he was single and she wasn’t about to let Kelly think the thought had even crossed her mind. Because it hadn’t. It was a crazy idea.
‘Experience,’ Kelly said airily, giving him a grin, which Alice saw he quickly returned. ‘When you’ve been dating as long as I have, you just know.’
‘So you don’t think that’s a girlfriend he’s with?’ Alice was working hard to keep a casual note in her voice.
‘Why?’ Kelly raised a brow. ‘Are you interested?’
‘Of course not.’ Alice was busy swirling the wine in her glass as though she was meant to be taking notes for a tasting. Kelly was like a bloodhound with her nose to the ground when it came to dating. She’d be on to Zac in a flash and Alice needed to knock that notion firmly on its head. ‘I’ve literally met him twice so can you please stop making something out of nothing? Plus he’s obviously younger than me.’
‘So? He’s early thirties at least. Are you saying you’re not going to ask him to have a drink with you?’ Kelly produced her phone with a flourish. ‘Because if so, we should decide on your final profile and get it out there. You said after you’d moved, remember.’
Alice realised too late she’d walked right into that one and there was a tremor of panic in her voice. ‘Kelly, can we please slow down; I’ve never done this before! I met Gareth through work and other than those two rubbish dates in the summer, he’s the only person I’ve been out with in fifteen years. I don’t know how to be around someone else who I might be attracted to. I’ve literally no idea how all this stuff works now.’
She wondered if that was why those two dates had been so drab. Always quieter when she was nervous, her date had roared his way through one average joke after another, trying to plug the awkward gaps in conversation. Online matches or even mutual friends’ recommendations did not equate to chemistry or connection in person for Alice, and those evenings had been irrefutable proof.
‘And that’s precisely why you need to do this. You’ll catch up quickly, I promise.’ Kelly turned her phone to Alice. ‘What do you think of that? Your hair’s gorgeous and you look all natural, like you’ve just come in from a walk.’
‘It’ll do, I suppose.’ Alice stared at the photo, reminded of Zac and his amusement over her waterproofs the other day. She’d been laughing at something Kelly had said as she’d turned in the door of the pub, her red hair spilling to her shoulders beneath a green bobble hat. It wasn’t the worst image of herself she’d ever seen and if it put some potential dates off and kept Kelly happy at the same time, then all to the good.
‘So you’re up for it?’
‘Maybe.’ Alice pressed a hand to her temple. ‘I know you’re trying to encourage me to move on and have some fun, but so much of the past year has been about the divorce, selling the company and relocating, and I need to focus on the business. Give me a month and let’s talk again, okay? Then I might be ready for Mr Right Now.’
‘Fair enough. But maybe he’s already sitting across from you. Even if you don’t see it, you are luscious, and he keeps looking over. I love how you embrace your curves. I was born with angles, and they’ve never gone away.’
‘That’s very sweet of you, especially as my skincare routine now consists of getting it wet outdoors and then slathering on moisturiser after a shower.’ Alice’s gaze darted across the pub to check the truth of her friend’s comment, but Zac was laughing again with the woman as she leaned towards him. ‘And never forget that no one can rock killer heels like you. I’d fall over.’
‘You wouldn’t, not with a bit of practice. But whatever you’re doing, it suits you. It’s the happiest I’ve seen you in ages and the shadows under your eyes are gone.’ Kelly leaned forward to grip Alice’s hand. ‘Starting the new business is obviously helping bring back your self-confidence and you’ve come such a long way since Gareth left the way he did, Al. A first relationship after divorce probably won’t last but you can spend time with someone you like without having to make room for them in every part of your life. It’s just dating, not signing up to a permanent commitment. Try not to overthink it; you’re not going to fall in love with the first man you meet.’
Alice nodded; statistically, she knew Kelly was right. Gareth had been only her second serious boyfriend and they’d both made mistakes. Alice had been oblivious to them at times, pushing ahead with her dream of a family and assuming he was right there beside her. But when the end of their marriage came, it had shocked her to the core and she still sometimes felt blindsided by the betrayal.
‘And what about you?’ Alice took in their linked hands. It had always been this way between her and Kelly; they’d been on different paths for years. Alice coming home to Gareth every night and planning a family while Kelly rose in her chosen profession and refused to settle for second best in her personal life. For Alice, this move and the new career had been the final changes in a life that had become almost unrecognisable as her own. ‘Does it really make you happy, all that dating?’
