He needed a plan.
And quickly.
Several days later, Tess closed her eyes and faced the warm slice of sunlight that cut across hers and Blake’s table in a local coffee house. She concentrated on the kaleidoscope of colours behind her eyelids, caused by the hot June sun flickering through a canopy of leaves on the high street. They’d timed it perfectly, pouncing on the still warm tan leather armchairs just as the previous occupants had vacated them. Blake had been talking into his mobile for the past five minutes, so with her elbows on the table, Tess rested her cheeks on her clenched fists that stretched her mouth into an imitation smile.
Turning away from the comforting beam of sunlight, she distractedly pulled apart the remnants of her mozzarella and tomato panini. The nutty smell of coffee and sweet aroma of melted cheese hung in the air amidst the general hubbub of conversation and clattering of crockery. She didn’t know why she’d agreed to meet Blake during her precious lunch hour, especially now that she’d admitted to herself and Holly that things had changed between the two of them. It wasn’t just that they were monotonously coasting through their relationship, it felt like their viewpoints and horizons had shifted over time, each diverging in different directions like tectonic plates.
Tess scrutinised her boyfriend over the rim of her coffee cup. Admittedly he was still attractive despite the extra weight his desk job and excessive drinking had added. She watched him lean backwards in his chair, one hand clutching his mobile to his ear and his other hand supporting the back of his neck. His generous stomach revealed a button ready to burst free from his shirt. Tess smiled to herself, amused that she had a lot in common with that button; they were both at a loose end and letting the pressure get to them.
Despite the fact that she was sitting with her boyfriend, Tess saw Blake’s eyes linger on the tight black skirt that looked vacuum-packed onto the pert buttocks of their waitress. The girl’s hips banged against an adjacent table as she moved backwards and forwards, cleaning the surface in circular movements. He seemed mesmerised and unblinking as he stammered into his phone.
‘Yes, yes I’m still here. I was distracted by—’
Tess noted that at least he had the manners to shift uncomfortably when they exchanged glances. She didn’t feel jealous. Perhaps, disappointed.
‘Great,’ said Blake into his mobile. ‘If you can navigate your way around that obstacle, I’ll shout you a bottle to celebrate. Affirmative.’
Affirmative? Tess nearly spluttered her coffee on the table. Wasn’t that what Mr Spock said instead of a simple, yes? She lowered her latte and tried to sound interested. ‘Big business deal?’
Blake laid his mobile on the table. ‘Halcott Manor’s coming on to the market at long last. It’s a huge pile in the Vale of Belvoir and I’ve been sweet-talking the owners for months. Have you any idea how much commission I’d make if I sold that place? I could say goodbye to my overdraft for starters and then I’d book a ticket to Amsterdam for Kent’s stag weekend in November. Now Henderson’s Agency has got wind of it. Parasites. I’d better ring Kent at the office to see if he can head them off somehow.’
Tess’s shoulders sank as Blake picked up his mobile again and called the office. She watched him lick a finger and stab at the remaining crumbs on his plate, before nibbling them off his crusted fingertip. He crunched them between his front teeth. She was sick of hearing about Kent’s stag weekend. It wasn’t that she minded him going away; it was more the fact that for the past two years he’d made excuses whenever she’d suggested that they should go on holiday. Nor did she think for one minute that Blake was looking forward to perusing the clog collections in the markets of Amsterdam or choosing the latest hue in tulip bulbs. She knew his idea of heaven would be smoking dodgy cigarettes and looking at even dodgier women sitting in red-fringed window parlours wearing next to nothing.
She sipped her coffee and watched Blake probe his teeth with his tongue. She noticed that the loose shirt button was now missing and a hairy white mound of flesh was protruding through the gap. She thought the escaping bulge of skin resembled a forgotten marshmallow that had become lost under a bed and was now covered in carpet fibres. She shuddered involuntarily.
Blake snapped his mobile shut. ‘He’s not picking up. You cold, Tezza? The air con is a bit much, isn’t it?’
‘I’m fine.’
‘You shivered.’
‘Did I?’
‘Want another coffee?’
Tess shook her head, wondering why a small golden crumb nestling in the corner of his mouth irritated her so much. Perhaps it was her fault, she thought. Maybe she was just too critical. Wasn’t he working hard at the estate agency? Didn’t he call her this morning and invite her to lunch? Nevertheless. She’d had enough for the moment.
‘No, thanks,’ she said. ‘I think I’ll make a move.’ Reaching under her chair, she grabbed her handbag. ‘I’m heading back to work.’
‘Already? What about lunch?’
‘Lunch? It’s been more like a telephone meeting. Why did you invite me here if you don’t have time to talk?’
‘I’m sorry.’ He held up his hands as if surrendering. ‘I know you’re fed up and things aren’t very exciting at the moment, but I promise things will get better soon. I wish you could be pleased that I’ve got this promotion. I’m trying to show you that I can work hard. For us.’
‘I know. And I am proud of you. You’ve done well.’
‘By chasing commissions, I’m laying the foundations for our future. Isn’t that what you want?’
Tess sighed and leaned back against her chair. ‘I don’t know.’
‘What do you mean, you don’t know?’
‘Nothing. I don’t know. I need to get back to work.’
‘Tezza wait.’ He reached across the table and looked into her eyes. ‘Tell me we’re going to be okay.’
She shrugged her shoulders and opened her mouth to speak, but no words came. Where could she start? Their relationship had faded in the same way a vibrant painting would lose its colour if left in sunlight. Gradually and unnoticed. Diminished through lack of care and attention. And now he was asking her to explain this in the short time they had left of her lunch hour.
‘Now’s not the time, Blake. I’ll be late.’
‘Well, don’t say that I didn’t ask. I’m not a mind reader, you know?’
‘I’m just saying that we don’t have time for a where’s our relationship going conversation.’
‘I’m not asking for a deep and meaningful speech. Just that we’re okay.’
‘Would you settle for, just okay?’
‘I can’t talk to you when you’re like this.’ He leaned back and folded his arms.
‘Like what?’
‘Like you’re determined to see the worst in everything I say.’
She sat forwards and whispered. ‘You may not have noticed, but the reason it’s gone quiet in here is because everyone’s listening to us. I’m not sharing my private life with strangers any longer.’
Blake made a point of looking around the room. Exasperated, Tess stood up and grabbed her cardigan from the back of her chair. ‘I’m going back to work. That way neither of us will say anything we might regret. Bye.’
‘Tess?’
‘What?’
He shrugged, sheepishly. ‘I don’t have any cash. It’s the end of the month. I’m a bit short.’
‘You and me both, Blake. You and me both.’
Tess didn’t give him chance to answer. She hurried out of the air-conditioned coffee shop and into the sticky heat of the day. She didn’t look up or wave as she passed him sitting in the window seat. Her lips were pursed into a straight thin line and tears stung her eyes. Thanks to his loud self-important voice and obvious appreciation for their waitress’s tight skirt, they’d been the comic entertainment for lunchtime diners.
Marching back to work, her stride slowed as realisation dawned. She’d fallen out of love with him. It was as simple as that. I
t wasn’t his increased BMI. It was him. His being. The part of him that made him who he was, and, more importantly, who he would become. Suddenly everything became clear. She didn’t want to meet him in her lunch hour or have his photograph looking back at her every time she opened her purse. She’d had enough. She resolved to finish with him before the end of the month.
That gave her six days!
Chapter Three
The front façade of The Blue Olive was mock Tudor in design and a large bay window reflected the street scene in the afternoon sunshine. A triangular roof gable flaunted exposed beams that were sunk into white rendering. A rainbow of pastas in an assortment of shapes sat alongside olives, ciabatta loaves and freshly made pizzas. It all made a mouth-watering window display that lured many customers in through its doorway.
Tess and Holly had worked at the Italian delicatessen for several years and had been best friends for more than twenty. They never ceased to find it amusing that their friendship had begun by the offering of a cheesy Wotsit!
Tess pushed the shop door open and held up a starfish of fingers to her colleague, Margaret, who was serving at the till. ‘Five minutes.’
Once inside the staff room she saw Holly rinsing her cup at the sink.
‘Hi. How was Captain Kirk?’ asked Holly.
‘On another planet. Loud, embarrassing and still calling me Tezza no matter how many times I say I hate it. It makes me sound like a football coach.’
‘You haven’t changed your mind, then?’
‘No. It’s just made me more determined to take control of my life. Will you come back for some dinner after work? I’d already invited him and I don’t think I could bear another evening with just the two of us. I promise you’ll get double portions of dessert!’
After work, Tess locked the door of The Blue Olive and linked arms with Holly. They walked away from the hustle and bustle of Maddox Square, towards Tess’s old Mini Mayfair. The afternoon had been slow and boring, but the realisation that her relationship was nearing its end had punctuated Tess’s thoughts like a newsflash interrupting mundane programmes.
Although it was early evening, the lack of breeze and the high buildings swathed in reflective glass, seemed to make the heat more oppressive than earlier in the day. They reached her little cream car that was as old as she was, but not wearing quite so well. Its edges were tinged with rust and a few dents on the bodywork lay testimony to the occasional scrapes it had been involved in over the years.
‘Phew! It’s like a sauna in here,’ said Holly, winding down the window and gasping out of it for added drama.
Tess pulled out of her parking space, clicked on the radio and within seconds, the breeze cooled their flushed faces. In between singing along to the music, they discussed Doug the deliveryman, whom Holly had a serious crush on, and her flatmate who was addicted to cleaning.
‘Honestly, she polishes tins before recycling them and sponges the vacuum cleaner before putting it back in the cupboard.’
Tess laughed as she negotiated a roundabout. ‘I’ve no sympathy with you. I’ve asked you to come and live with me and help out with the rent. The only thing we’ll be polishing off this evening is a bottle of cold Sauvignon blanc and a box of Quality Street.’
‘Now that’s my kind of housework. I just wished you didn’t live so far away from town.’
An easy silence followed as Tess drove and Holly gazed out of the window. As they left the city outskirts behind, the scenery became greener. Shops and offices gave way to villages and countryside. Children ran along the pavement clutching melting ice-lollies and families struck up barbeques, making the most of the long hot summer’s evening. The sweet smell of melting tarmac filled the car as Holly leaned out of the window to watch a hot air balloon pass silently over a golf course.
Thirty minutes later, Tess’s car rattled to a standstill outside Rose Cottage, in the village of Halston. The rent was comfortably affordable because most people didn’t want a morning commute in rush hour into the city of Nottingham. But Tess didn’t mind. For her, living in Halston was like living in a painting. A narrow winding road curled around the village green, where grasses and wild flowers were given free rein to do as they pleased. By day, cows lolled and grazed on the common land, hemmed in by a small electric fence that crackled its warning at passers-by.
The grass of the cricket pitch had been manicured to a smooth velvet finish, where birds dotted its lawn looking like bored fielders. The embattled clock tower of St Mary’s Church rose above Halston’s homes, protecting the eternally sleeping villagers beneath their headstones. At the heart of the green stood The Royal Oak, a village pub that swelled with the laughter of friends and family as they shared news and embellished stories.
Tess had only moved out of her flat in town three months earlier, but she thought that renting this tiny cottage was the best decision she had made in a long while. Around the gooseberry coloured front door grew a sinewy lemon rose bush that exuded a heavenly aroma. The cottage was small, but Tess loved it.
It had just gone six and having unpegged and folded towels from the washing line, they both agreed that this next hour was to be a Blake-free zone. Tess had talked all afternoon about their relationship and was now sick of the subject.
Soon they were criss-crossing the village green, dodging drying cowpats.
‘This is disgusting,’ Holly shrieked, as she sidestepped another pile of dung and disturbed a flurry of bluebottles.
‘You’re in the country now. Smell the flowers, listen to the birds and look at the beautiful scenery.’
‘Thank you, David Attenborough. I’ll remind you of that when we’re cleaning our shoes later.’
They were still laughing when they reached the benches in the front garden of The Royal Oak. Holly went inside to order their drinks, while Tess sat down at a bench in the shade of a tree’s canopy. A gentle breeze was blowing and shadows were growing longer. She raised her chin and breathed in the perfume of the blossoming trees.
Something caught Tess’s attention as she gazed across the green towards the cricket pitch. A shaft of sunlight momentarily penetrated the leaves and blinded her for a second, making her squint. Meanwhile, Holly walked slowly towards the bench, balancing two glasses of Pimm’s, crammed with fruit and chinking with ice.
Holly carefully placed the drinks on the table and pushed one towards Tess. ‘What’re you looking at?’ She sat down and followed the direction of Tess’s gaze.
A man was walking across the cricket pitch with two dogs running close by. Dressed in a white T-shirt and dark jeans, the man repeatedly bent to pick up a stick for one of his dogs. Each time he threw the stick, he’d push his dark hair away from his face and occasionally his T-shirt would lift to reveal a taut stomach. Pimm’s momentarily forgotten, they stared transfixed.
‘I wish I had a dog,’ said Tess.
‘Dogs?’
‘Just one.’
‘Are you serious? Adonis is striding across Halston cricket pitch and you’re looking at his dogs?’ Holly shook her head. ‘Tell me he’s your neighbour and he’s single.’
Tess took a sip of her drink then fished out a slice of cucumber from her glass. ‘I’ve seen him once before coming out of Jackson’s Store.’ She slowly turned the slice between her fingers, biting the dark green ring of peel while leaving a fleshy star-shaped slice.
‘And?’
‘And nothing. I don’t know who he is. I suppose he must be local if he shops at Jackson’s and walks his dogs here.’
Every now and then Holly would swivel in her seat to look at the man and his dogs. They watched him laugh when one of his dogs lay panting on the grass, refusing to fetch the stick. He crouched, sitting on his heels and patted his exhausted spaniel.
Tess laughed. ‘You’re incorrigible.’ She watched her friend who was leaning on her elbows and resting her chin on her cupped palms. Holly had a pretty face with delicate features and blue eyes. Her blonde highlighted hair wasn’t the yellowy-
blonde hair that looked disastrous after a cheap lean-over-the-bath session at home. Holly spent a fortune every six weeks on professional highlights and a trim off her shoulder length bob. Her style was only let down by the fact that she rarely left herself enough time to blow-dry her hair. So there she sat, looking dreamily at the man and his dogs, with sections of her hair sticking out while others curled under.
‘Don’t look. Sit still. Oh my God, he’s coming this way.’ Holly smoothed her hair and sat upright.
Twenty seconds passed. They sat, heads bowed, pretending to drink.
‘Where is he?’ whispered Holly.
‘By the boundary line.’
‘Where is he now?’
‘Shhh!’
They both sucked on their straws, eyes lowered. Two spaniels ran past their bench followed shortly by their owner. As he strode past them, they both looked up.
‘Lovely evening.’ He smiled, looking directly at Tess.
She felt a rush of blood to her face. ‘Yes.’
He walked on.
‘Yes?’ squeaked Holly, mimicking her friend when he was out of earshot. ‘All you can say is, “yes”?’
Tess didn’t answer. She turned and watched the man’s back view stride away. She noticed the valley of the line of his spine under his T-shirt, made by the muscles on his back rising up on either side. She watched his hair move in the breeze. Something inexplicable had happened in that split second they’d met each other’s glance. She couldn’t think of a single witty thing to say to Holly. She just sat gazing in his direction, watching as he walked away across the village green.
Chapter Four
It was the last day of June and Tess hadn’t seen Blake for several days. She’d invited him for dinner that evening in order to explain why she wanted to end their relationship. She knew it was a strange way to end things but she also thought that after two years together, Blake deserved more than a text to say goodbye. For goodness’ sake, weren’t there parties for celebrating divorce and greeting cards from the dog or the cat these days? Surely she could cook Blake a you’re dumped meal and add a little explanation into the pot.
You've Got My Number: Warm your heart this winter with this uplifting and deliciously romantic story! Page 2