A Swing at Love Read online

  Diane was, again, at a loss for words. She felt flattered in a way by Tamsin’s declaration, but it did nothing to diminish her confusion. As much as she wanted to stay and repeat the kiss they had exchanged in the dining room, she felt she needed to gather herself more, and she would not be able to do so in Tamsin’s company.

  “I think I should leave.” Diane stood.

  Tamsin rose as well. “Don’t you think we should talk some more?”

  Diane took Tamsin’s hands in hers. “We do, I agree. Please don’t feel I’m ignoring what you just said.” She took another deep breath. “I need some time to get my head around this. Will you give it to me?”

  Tamsin nodded, but Diane couldn’t help but notice a hint of sadness in her eyes.

  Diane leaned forward and gave Tamsin a gentle kiss on the lips. “We’ll talk soon, I promise.”

  She bent to pick up her bag and walked to the hallway door. There she turned around and looked at Tamsin, who was still standing in the same spot. The sight filled her with the same warmth she’d felt before.

  “Good night,” Diane said, and walked out into the hallway. She quickly made her way to her car.

  Before starting the engine, she took a moment and closed her eyes, recalling the sensation of Tamsin’s tongue in her mouth. She had so many questions for Tamsin and herself, but there was one thing she couldn’t deny.

  She hadn’t felt this alive in years.

  Diane tapped her fingers on her desk nervously as she waited for Isabelle to pick up the phone. She had barely slept after the dinner at Tamsin’s and what had happened. She had already downed three cups of coffee since arriving at the office an hour ago.

  “Hello, Isabelle speaking,” the voice on the other end of the line announced.

  “It’s me,” Diane said. “Are you busy today? I need to speak with you.”

  “Well hello to you too.” Isabelle gave a chuckle.

  “Sorry. Hello. Are you free?”

  “As a matter of fact I am,” Isabelle said. “I was just on my way into the village to do some shopping. Should I pop into your office first?”

  “Yes, please do. See you soon.” Diane disconnected the call, not even waiting for Isabelle’s reply.

  Fifteen minutes later Isabelle knocked on the open door of Diane’s office and walked right in.

  “What on earth is the matter with you?” Isabelle asked before she’d even sat down. “You sounded like you were on speed or something when you called.”

  Diane got up and closed the door. She took a seat on the other side of her desk, next to Isabelle.

  “Something happened last night,” Diane started. “Something I can’t quite wrap my head around.” She fell silent then, unsure of how to tell her friend what she had done. What if she turned out to be disgusted or horrified and didn’t want anything more to do with Diane?

  “Well,” Isabelle said expectantly. “What is it? You look like you’re about to confess to a murder.” She paused, frowning. “You haven’t killed anyone, have you?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” Diane said, waving off her comment. “I, er… Lately I’ve been feeling things I haven’t felt before. Or things I haven’t felt in a long time. Romantic things.”

  “Diane,” Isabelle exclaimed. “That’s great. Why are you looking so grim, then?”

  Diane swallowed hard and steeled herself for what she was about to say. She was looking down at her hands which were clutched together tightly. “Here’s the thing. The person I’ve been having these feelings for, well, they’re not who you’d expect.” She paused and looked up to meet Isabelle’s stare. “This person is a woman.”

  “A woman,” Isabelle said flatly. She seemed to ponder this for a moment then said, “Who?” She brought her hand to her mouth in mock drama. “It’s not me, is it?”

  Diane burst out laughing. “I love you dearly, but not in that way.” She became serious again. “It’s Tamsin. And it seems she has been experiencing the same kind of feelings for me.”

  “I see,” Isabelle said.

  “You don’t seem surprised.” Diane had expected a stronger reaction from her friend.

  “I saw you two interact at the festival,” Isabelle said pensively. “There was something about it. I had a suspicion—I even told you. Now it all makes sense.”

  “Last night I went over to hers for dinner and, well… she kissed me.” Diane looked down at her hands again. “And I kissed her back,” she said quietly.

  Isabelle leaned forward in her chair. “How did it feel?”

  Diane sighed and looked up at Isabelle, her lips forming into a smile. “It was mind-blowing. Like nothing I’ve ever experienced before.”

  “This is great news.” Isabelle took Diane’s hands in hers. “Isn’t it?” She looked at Diane questioningly.

  “I don’t know,” Diane said. “What can come of it? We can hardly date, can we? I mean, I’m Diane Thompson, fifty-four year old accountant, heterosexual as far as I know. What would people think?”

  “Who cares about that?” Isabelle looked at her intently. “Anyway, I think you’re getting ahead of yourself a little there. In my view, the only question is: do you want to kiss her again? And, you know…” Isabelle waggled her eyebrows at this.

  Diane scoffed. “Stop it. I haven’t even thought about that.”

  Isabelle gave her a sceptic look. “I sincerely doubt that. How long has it been since the divorce? And how long had it been since you and Lawrence had done the deed before that? I know you’re a woman of a certain age, but surely your body’s still capable of feeling the flames of passion.”

  Diane laughed at this. “Okay, I admit, the thought has crossed my mind. And my body is very much capable of feeling passion, thank you very much.” She paused. “What should I do, Isabelle? I’m completely confused right now, I need some advice from my oldest friend. I invited Tamsin for dinner at mine on Saturday—this was before the kissing—and now I’m not sure if I should go through with it.”

  Isabelle sat up straight in her chair and took on a serious expression. “As your oldest friend, my advice is this”—she held up one finger—“you should definitely have Tamsin over for dinner on Saturday. You invited her and it would be rude to cancel. One thing you’re decidedly not is rude.” A second finger joined the first one. “You should kiss her again. If only to make sure the first time wasn’t a fluke.”

  “But—”

  “—I’m not finished.” Isabelle held up a third finger. “Lastly, if she’s agreeable to it, you should let her shag you senseless.”

  Diane’s mouth fell open.

  “You asked for my advice,” Isabelle said. “That’s it.” She stood up and leaned forward to peck Diane on the cheek. “Now I have to go shopping. Ted’s home for lunch and I have nothing in the fridge.” She walked to the door and opened it. Before leaving she turned towards Diane. “Close your mouth dear, it’s not becoming for a lady of your class.”

  Diane sat in the same position for a while after Isabelle had left, as if glued to the chair. Isabelle’s words kept reverberating in her head. Shag you senseless. When had anyone ever said something so crass to her? More importantly, why did the words fill Diane with such a sense of excitement and anticipation that she wished she could instantly transport herself to Saturday?

  Chapter Twenty

  Tamsin still hadn’t heard from Diane. As on most Thursdays, there was a Ladies’ Day competition at the club, and she couldn’t help but wonder if Diane would show up. Maybe it would all depend on the progress she was making with the end of the fiscal year—or, perhaps even more so, on her desire to run into Tamsin.

  Tamsin was teaching Debbie that afternoon and afterwards she had a meeting with the club’s secretary. The odds of bumping into Diane were greater than on any other day that week and she was hoping that she would—if only to break the tension that had been building in her gut, cramping up her muscles. Tamsin could hardly teach Debbie how to relax into her swing when she herself was
as stiff as a plank. This business with Diane was affecting her work life, that’s what it came down to. It had to be dealt with swiftly.

  She walked around the grounds with her ears perked up and her eyes scanning her surroundings. She sat on the bench overlooking the practice area, waiting for Debbie. It would take a whole bunch of lessons before the poor woman could hit a ball somewhat decently. She just didn’t have the instinct for hitting the ball the right way. But she was eager, and that made up for a lot. And her husband had deep pockets and, it would appear, was determined for his second wife to master golf as well as his first.

  She heard footsteps approach and got ready to push any thought of Diane from her head, at least for the duration of this lesson. She owed all of her pupils her full attention.

  Tamsin turned around and, instead of Debbie heading towards the driving range, Diane was walking in her direction.

  “I ran into Debbie in the car park. She’s only just arrived,” Diane said matter-of-factly. “I figured she had a lesson planned with you, so…” She left the last word hanging, as though it held some deeper meaning. “I wanted to have a quick word.” Diane glanced around. “About the other night.” She put her hands in her trouser pockets, then pulled them back out. “I’m sorry I rushed off like that. I was just so terribly confused. I didn’t really know what to do. Running seemed like the best option at the time.” She smiled sheepishly.

  Tamsin rose from the bench but kept her distance from Diane. “It’s okay. I understand. It’s a somewhat confusing situation.” The urge to press her lips to Diane’s again rose quickly to the surface.

  “Will you still come to dinner on Saturday?” Diane smiled wider—all sheepishness gone. The sight of it relaxed some of Tamsin’s tensed-up muscles.

  “Of course,” Tamsin said. “I’m looking forward to it already.” Tamsin glanced at the path stretched out behind Diane and saw Debbie rounding the corner. “Debbie’s on her way.” She witnessed how Diane’s demeanour shifted, how her glance transformed from warm to guarded again.

  “I’ll leave you to it.” Diane’s tone was clipped and the obvious change in her twisted something in Tamsin’s stomach. But they’d had this moment together, and it had taken away some of Tamsin’s anguish.

  Before she turned around, Diane said, “I’ll text you my address.”

  Tamsin nodded and watched her scoot off, giving Debbie the most imperceptible of nods. The contrast between them couldn’t be bigger. Diane looked like the women Tamsin had encountered in golf clubs all her life. Elegantly dressed, head held high, shoulders back, that gait that spelled gravitas. Debbie, with her long faux-blonde ponytail tucked through the back of her garish designer cap and too-bright attire, stuck out like a sore thumb in an old-fashioned club like this.

  “Hi, Tamsin.” She greeted Tamsin with a kiss on the cheek as though they were friends. “Did Diane want an update on my progress?” Tamsin couldn’t fault her sense of humour, however. And she knew all about feeling like an outsider.

  “I told her you’re making swift strides,” Tamsin said. “And that you’ll be beating her in no time.”

  “As if.” Debbie slipped her hand into her golfing glove. “But I’ll keep on trying.”

  “It would be lovely if you could come up as well,” Eve said. “An entire week in the Derbyshire countryside might be a bit much for little old me.”

  They were having dinner at Lomax, their father’s favourite restaurant in London, which was nothing more than a glorified pub. But Tamsin had to admit that the lamb was delicious.

  “I can only come on the weekend,” Tamsin said. “And even that might be tricky.”

  Eve curled up her upper lip, the way she’d done as long as Tamsin could remember.

  “Unlike yours, my job is very much location-dependent, you know that.” Tamsin glanced at her sister, who probably knew very well that Tamsin couldn’t just take a week off to keep her company while she experimented with transferring illustrations onto their father’s furniture. “Even though what you want to do excites me no end.”

  Eve cocked her head.

  “I’m serious,” Tamsin said.

  “Are you working on anything yourself, Tazzie?” their father asked, having only just extricated himself from a conversation with James about his life insurance. Their mother had always taken care of all things financial and James had gallantly stepped in after she’d passed away—neither Tamsin, nor Eve had felt equipped to do so.

  “I managed to get my hands on a chest of drawers from the fifties,” Tamsin said. “I’m thinking of doing it up with wallpaper. I have just the print in mind.”

  “Email me before and after pictures,” their dad said. He wasn’t the type to make Tamsin feel bad for not dropping by as often as before, now that she had her own workspace at home—and she’d been busy with moving house. But they’d strengthened their bond over their joint love for old furniture and Tamsin made a mental note to drive up to Derbyshire on her next two consecutive days off. Maybe next weekend. This made her think of the upcoming weekend and her date with Diane. Dinner with her family was no time to consider what might happen, even though a bevy of butterflies ignited storm after storm in her belly.

  “I was doodling the other day,” Eve said, “just after you told me about doing up that chest of drawers with wallpaper, and I came up with a great design.” Eve reached for her purse. “Let me show you.”

  The next half hour was spent discussing Eve’s design, their dad having the loudest opinion of all, and discussing ways of getting it printed. James even got out his phone and started doing research on the spot. It ended with Tamsin promising to use some of Eve’s not-yet-existing wallpaper on the next piece of furniture she worked on.

  “Wouldn’t it be fun if we could all work together,” Eve said. “You and dad could build the furniture. I could make it look funky. And James, well…” She glanced at her husband. “You can make sure we make enough money.”

  “How about I remain gainfully employed instead?” He shot Eve a wide smile.

  “Ever since last weekend in Tynebury, I’ve been dreaming of a life in the country,” Eve said.

  “We can get a weekend home. Somewhere in between Derbyshire and Tynebury. The best of both worlds,” James, ever the peacemaker, said.

  “That sounds like music to my ears,” Eve said.

  “Wonderful, then I can stay at your place in London while you’re away,” Tamsin said.

  Her sister slapped her on the knee. “No way. If I’m escaping to the country of a weekend, I want you there.”

  “I’m just glad Tynebury has inspired you,” Tamsin said. “Who would have thought?”

  “She’ll be wanting a dog next,” James said.

  “Bramble adores me,” Eve said.

  Tamsin leaned back and watched them bicker playfully. These three people were her closest family and having them together in one spot brought her great joy. For a brief moment, she allowed herself to wonder how Diane would fit into this foursome. What would her dad make of her? And vice versa? Then she pushed the thought of Diane from her mind—again—and rejoined the conversation.

  When Tamsin excused herself to use the ladies’ room, Eve rose and followed her.

  “Are you ready for your hot date tomorrow?” she asked.

  Tamsin was glad that, at least, she hadn’t asked that particular question in front of their father. There was no need to get his hopes up of Tamsin meeting someone ‘suitable’, as he put it. Not that he ever asked her many questions about her love life—that had been firmly her mother’s department.

  “Ready as I can be.” Tamsin had told Eve on the phone about the kiss. After all, her sister had been the one to encourage her to go for it.

  “Hey.” Eve put a hand on her shoulder. “You deserve some happiness.”

  “Doesn’t everyone?” A thought popped into Tamsin’s head—another one inspired by Diane. “Do you ever think dad will find someone else?” From the way Diane had described it, her
father must be considered a most eligible bachelor.

  “He’s not exactly looking for it, I think,” Eve said. “And it would be weird.”

  “Try to find out what you can when you’re staying with him.” It dawned on Tamsin that the age difference between her and Diane was almost the same as between Diane and her father. In fact, for a man like her father to start something with a woman of Diane’s age would be considered perfectly normal—the other way around, probably not so much.

  “Way to change the subject, Taz,” Eve said. “You’d best call me on Sunday. Unless, of course, your lips are too busy kissing Diane’s.”

  Tamsin elbowed her sister in the side. “Don’t you have to pee?” she asked. “Because that’s the real reason I came in here.” As she entered the stall, Tamsin considered that, when she had been dating Ellen, her sister had never shown the same enthusiasm for finding out all the details about their tryst.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Diane had been standing in front of her open wardrobe for about five minutes. For the third time she slid the hangers with blouses and tops from one side of the bar to the other, one at a time.

  Nothing she owned seemed appropriate for a dinner date with a woman she had kissed and was considering seeing more of. It seemed pretty unbelievable, considering the number of clothes in her wardrobe.

  She took out a dark blue blouse, with a stiff collar and long sleeves. This isn’t a work dinner, you don’t want to look like an accountant. Next was a white top with a frilly edge on the sleeves and collar. Diane considered it for a second, but then hung it back on the bar. Too grandmother-ish. Which, she reminded herself, was what she was going to become quite soon. A grandmother.