Page 23 of Starting Over at Halesmere House
When had she last –ever– felt like this from contact so unintended and yet already significant? She’d lived with the sameness of her marriage for years, the familiar touch that had been good but nothing close to this. Zac represented everything new and daring. His hold on her was light and Alice could separate them at least a little if she chose, and so could he.
Although she was treading very unfamiliar territory, she felt completely secure. There was no danger that they might want more than the other could give. This was a game for both of them, and she no longer needed or wanted tomorrow. He was her first serious attraction, her practice lap, a chance to up her skills and learn the new rules.
The person responsible for bumping into Zac was holding up a hand in apology and Alice nodded a vague, distracted acceptance. Zac couldn’t have seen or heard; he’d pinned her in place with just a look and she knew the decision over their next move was all hers. With this one accidental, exhilarating touch it seemed she had dumped her L plates and roared right into the fast lane alongside him.
‘I wondered if you’d be wearing a coat. I’ve never seen anyone rock a waterproof hood like you.’ He let go of her elbow, but it made little difference to the desire spinning in her stomach.
‘Of course I’m wearing a coat.’ Heat from his body was transferring to hers and she didn’t know if it was that responsible for the tingle on her skin, or having him so close, and she laughed. ‘Just not right now.’
‘I noticed.’ He dipped his mouth to her ear, skimming it with a light breath, and she held in a gasp.
‘I noticed you too.’ She really wasn’t sure where this other Alice had come from. Had she been hiding in plain sight all these years, waiting for someone who made her feel this way to be unleashed? Tonight she was bold, unafraid, even playful. She wouldn’t let herself regret anything; he would be gone in a couple of months, and she would steady herself again, better prepared for next time.
‘You have the most gorgeous laugh, Harvey. It’s kind of happy and sexy all at once.’ Murmured words Zac dropped into her ear. ‘I’d like you hear you laugh a lot more.’
‘What can I get you?’
Startled, Alice’s head whipped around to see a harassed-looking barman waiting impatiently. She rushed out the first drink in her mind – the bottle of beer Zac wanted – and leaned against the bar. It took a few minutes to gather everything for her table and she was shocked how quickly she’d forgotten why she was even queueing. She ordered two rounds as well, paying for the second and reminding herself to thank Lizzie and Cal later.
The band paused for a break while the buffet was served, and the sudden lack of sound was a shock after those intimate moments with Zac. Alice needed both hands just for one tray while he picked up the second, following her to the table. Everyone greeted him merrily, and Stan was soon wanting to know when it was actually Zac’s turn to buy a round. Another chair was dragged into their circle, and she was seated apart from him. Still, she was able to catch his gaze drifting across, feel that quiver of anticipation whenever he was near.
A little later, she joined Sandy in the buffet queue, but she wasn’t very hungry, adding some salad and a slice of quiche to her plate. Neil was behind them, and Alice moved away so he and Sandy could chat. Zac had left the table by the time she returned, and she ignored the disappointment when she saw him laughing with the blonde woman from last weekend. Alice took a deep breath. It seemed he played the same game with everyone, and she couldn’t take it too seriously or let herself get burned.
Her neighbour Marta brought over a local WI member interested in the Flower Shed and Alice was delighted as she promised to email details and a link to her brand-new website, due to go live next week. She thanked Marta when the woman left, grateful for the new opportunity. Community connections would be vital for spreading the word about what she was planning, and Alice was thinking of an introductory evening in the Flower Shed, with some drinks and nibbles to welcome people.
The band, mostly made up of a group of old mates of Lizzie and Cal’s, who’d got back together again for tonight, were ready to restart after the buffet. Rachael had joined them to sing lead vocals and she blew Ana a kiss as the first track began, an old party classic that got lots of people up, including, Alice noted with a grin, Sandy and Neil. Her aunt’s enthusiasm forStrictlydidn’t quite match her skills on the floor but she was all about enjoying herself and encouraging those around her to do the same.
The reality TV star had brought an entourage and they were still with Lizzie and Cal at the bar. Alice noticed Zac and the blonde woman with them too, clustering together for a social media shot, everyone’s phones except Zac’s out to get their own take on the moment.
Sandy wasn’t going to let Alice away with not dancing and the band shifted to Strip the Willow, which Alice knew only vaguely. Everyone formed a line, including Lizzie and Cal in his kilt hauled from the bar, and they were off. It was fairly steady, and Alice realised she’d remembered more than she’d thought as the dance progressed, laughing through the dizziness all the spins produced.
The band carried on with more ceilidh dances and she was loving it, especially when Pearl and Stan joined in to show off a few neat moves. Lizzie had brought two women and their partners into the line, and Sandy, opposite Neil, shouted over that they were Lizzie’s bridesmaids and that she’d married one of them, Gemma, back in the summer.
When the Scottish dances were over, Alice was desperate for a drink and she excused herself to pour a glass of water at the table. All those happy chemicals she’d released couldn’t stop her being breathless so she sat down, content to watch the others for a few minutes. The reality TV star was making an exit, for once not recording himself as he said goodbye to Lizzie and Cal, who both hugged him. Ella and Max offered a good night as well and left the party.
Rachael was a fantastic singer and Ana was dancing with Marta, who’d had no success in persuading Luke to join them. He was at the bar, propping it up with Will, who led Max’s landscaping team, as Zac made his way over to the band. The track finished and the opening guitar chords of the next had Alice’s gaze catching his in astonishment as she recognised ‘Living Next Door to Alice’. He was walking towards her, lips pursed in a lazy smile, and he slowly crooked an index finger, letting her know he wanted her to join him.
‘You’re not serious!’
‘I thought you were going to ask me to dance but you didn’t, so…’ He held out an arm. ‘Coming?’
She could stay right where she was and pretend he hadn’t requested this song for her. She could ignore their messages and the flirting, and she’d be just as she was when she’d arrived at Halesmere. Still sad sometimes, trying to view her future through a different lens as she fought her way back to happiness. She desperately didn’t want her marriage to be the relationship that defined her whole life; it was enough that the end of it had altered the course of the rest of her days. So she should stand up, accept the invitation Zac was offering and just go with it. It was only a dance.
She held out her hand and his curled around it, thumb lightly brushing her palm and sending more sparks leaping in her stomach. He led her to the dance floor and gently he brought her closer, his free hand going to her back.
‘Okay?’
‘Yes.’ More than okay – it felt amazing to be held and she was melting in his arms. Even though it was a tricky song and she’d wouldn’t have chosen it for a first time, if she’d ever danced like this before she couldn’t remember when. Zac’s palm was flat on her back, warm through the fabric of her dress. Her own hand was on his shoulder, the cord of muscles moving beneath her fingers. The chorus was a little easier and their feet were moving in time, their bodies following, not quite touching.
‘So are you going to compliment me?’ His jaw, roughened from the short beard, was against her temple and a quiver darted through her.
‘What?’
‘Before, when I told you how much I like your laugh. Surely you can find something you like about me?’
‘You’re greedy,’ she whispered, reaching up to place the words against his ear. She was flying down the fast lane and she hadn’t hit the brakes yet.
‘You have no idea,’ he murmured, his lips brushing her skin in a smile. ‘So what’s it going to be? My dancing or my skills as a tree surgeon? Or something else?’
