A Swing at Love Read online

  “I didn’t feel quite right with how we left things last night. I was rude and I would like to apologise.”

  “It’s fine,” Tamsin said. “No need for that. Things get blurted out sometimes. I understand.”

  “No, no, no. It’s far from fine. I would like to formally apologise, which is the purpose of this phone call.”

  Tamsin tried hard to suppress a smile from spreading on her face. It would be hopeless to try and consciously ignore this crush. She was hardly an expert when it came to behavioural psychology, but she knew that much. Everybody knew. Try not to think of someone and all you’ll end up doing is obsessing over them. “Apology formally accepted,” Tamsin said. “Actually, now that I’ve got you on the phone, Diane.” She sighed. “I’m in very, very dire need of an accountant.”

  “Well then, you’re very much in luck. I was hoping to add the new RTGC pro to my client list. I’ll be in the office in one hour. Would you like to come by?”

  “That would most likely save me quite a bit of bother from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs.”

  “I’ll be expecting you then.” Diane’s voice had changed from matter-of-fact to smooth and almost melodic.

  “See you in an hour then.” They hung up and Tamsin took a deep breath. So much for trying to get Diane Thompson out of her head.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Tamsin Foxley is here for you,” Diane’s receptionist informed her on the phone.

  “Show her to my office please, Stacey.”

  A minute later a knock sounded on the door. Stacey ushered Tamsin in and asked, “Can I bring you anything to drink?”

  Diane sent Tamsin a questioning look. “Tea?”

  “That would be great,” Tamsin said.

  Stacey hurried off, closing the door behind her.

  Tamsin stood in the middle of Diane’s office, holding two bulky binders in her arms. “I come bearing gifts,” she said, a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

  “Let me help you with those.” Diane took hold of the binders and placed them on the conference table. She turned back towards Tamsin, who was still standing in the same spot.

  Tamsin offered Diane a warm smile. “Thank you for seeing me at such short notice.”

  Diane waved her hand dismissively. “That’s quite all right. Happy to help. Shall we sit?” She pointed at the conference table and took the chair at the head, pulling out the one to her left for Tamsin.

  “This is quite the office you have here,” Tamsin said. “I feel like I’m in the City rather than a small village in Sussex.”

  “I suppose,” Diane replied. “It wasn’t always like this. I started out on my own. But business took off over the years and I had to grow and hire people.” Diane couldn’t help a hint of pride from slipping into her words. “And now I think we’re one of the largest accountancy firms this side of London.”

  “Colour me impressed,” Tamsin said. “I appreciate even more the time you’re giving me then.” The look she gave Diane was grateful, but there was something else in there as well. An intensity that wasn’t there before—or maybe Diane hadn’t noticed it.

  “So,” Diane said, grabbing one of the binders, “what have you brought me?”

  Tamsin showed Diane the documents she had amassed during the past year. They spent the next half hour going over them and preparing Tamsin’s filing.

  “It seems quite straightforward,” Diane said when they’d finished. “You can leave these with me and we’ll have a proposal for you soon.”

  “Thank you so much,” Tamsin said. “You have no idea how much I hate all of this. I’ll take a day on the driving range in pouring rain over even an hour of paperwork any time.”

  “It’s what we’re here for.” Diane smiled at Tamsin, a wave of joy washing over her at Tamsin’s obvious gratitude. She also felt a compelling need to please Tamsin, more than she’d ever experienced with any other client.

  “What can I do to thank you?” Tamsin seemed to think for a moment. “How about I cook you dinner tonight? If you’re not busy, of course.”

  Diane’s heart did a little dance of joy at the invitation. “I’m free as a bird tonight, so I would love that.”

  “Splendid,” Tamsin exclaimed. “If the weather stays like this we can even have a drink in the garden before. Say, around seven?”

  “I’ll be there,” Diane said, already wanting the day to go by quickly so she could be in Tamsin’s company again.

  Diane pulled her car up in front of the little gate that sported an ornate sign for Heather Cottage. She had passed by many times before, but she’d never seen the inside of the small flint and brick cottage that was owned by the Andersons and now rented by Tamsin.

  She opened the gate and stepped into the small front garden. She’d barely had time to close the gate before a chocolate Labrador bounded towards her from the side of the house. She held out her hand for the dog to sniff, before crouching down and giving it a rub behind the ears.

  “Hello,” Tamsin greeted her as she herself rounded the corner of the house. “I see you’ve met Bramble.”

  Diane stood back up. “She’s gorgeous.” She held out the bottle of red wine she had picked up at the shop on her way over. “Here you go. Thank you for inviting me.”

  Tamsin took the bottle and peered at the label. “Portuguese,” she exclaimed. “How perfectly appropriate.” She turned towards the cottage. “Come in. Let me give you a tour of my humble abode.”

  They walked into a small hallway and then through a door to the right. The room beyond was a sizeable open plan lounge, dining area and kitchen, with large French windows that looked out over the back garden. The furniture and appliances all looked brand new, but the house itself still had some period features: dark ceiling beams and an old fireplace set into the wall.

  “Goodness,” Diane said. “This is beautiful. I knew the Andersons had done some work on this place, but I had no idea it had turned out this lovely.”

  “Yes,” Tamsin said, looking around the room as if she was still discovering it herself. “I can’t believe how lucky I was that this place was available just when I was looking. It was exactly what I had in mind when I decided to move to the countryside.”

  Tamsin led Diane through the French windows and into the garden, where Bramble now sat on the patio chewing a huge bone.

  “Please, sit while I get us some drinks. White wine all right with you to start off, or would you like something stronger? I think I have some gin.”

  “White wine would be great,” Diane said. She sat in one of the two patio chairs that were set up on either side of a small teak table. The garden was showing the first signs of spring. She turned her face towards the low-hanging sun and closed her eyes, enjoying the subtle warmth on her skin.

  She opened her eyes again at the sound of glasses being placed on the table. Tamsin hovered over it, the sun shielded behind her. It gave her a glowing orange halo, almost like an angel in a Renaissance painting. The vision sent a jolt of electricity through Diane that reached all the way to her core. Diane did not believe in the concept of the coup de foudre, but this… This almost felt like one. Dizziness overcame her and the blood seemed to drain from her face.

  “Are you all right?” Tamsin asked, concern in her tone. “You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.”

  Diane tried to collect herself by holding her hand up to her face. “Just blinded by the sun in my eyes.” She attempted to produce a convincing laugh. “I’m not used to it here in England.”

  Tamsin sat and handed Diane a glass. She held up her own and said, “To the brave accountants who wade through piles of paperwork to make other people’s lives easier.”

  “How very eloquently put,” Diane said. She took a sip of the wine. “How was the rest of your day?”

  “I taught a couple of classes. Not a full day’s work yet, but that should change once Darren’s gone. It did leave me with some time for a few holes by myself.” Tamsin’s face lit up. “Tynebury is
such a lovely course. I still can’t quite believe I’m lucky enough to spend so much time there.”

  “That it most definitely is. But we’re the ones who are lucky that you decided to come and work there.”

  Tamsin giggled. “If you’re hoping flattery will get you a free lesson, you’re on the right track.”

  “I try my best,” Diane said. Before she could say anything else, a loud bark came from beside her and Bramble shot off to the back of the garden to chase a bird.

  “Bramble,” Tamsin shouted, getting up and running after her. “Get back here.”

  She grabbed hold of the dog’s collar and led her back towards the patio. “Sit,” she ordered and Bramble meekly settled down again beside Diane’s chair. “Sorry about that,” Tamsin addressed Diane now. “There’s a gap in the garden fence so I’m always scared she’ll run off through it.” She sat in her chair again. “Now, where were we? I think you were trying to flatter me into a free lesson.” She sent Diane a mischievous grin.

  “Give me some time and some more of this wine, and I’ll come up with something.” Diane felt her mouth pull into a grin to match Tamsin’s.

  Her gaze fixed on Tamsin’s green eyes and they sat like that for a while, not saying a word. The silence stretched out between them. It wasn’t uncomfortable, but with each passing second, Diane felt a sense of expectation grow. Expectation that was becoming too much for her to bear. Her glance skittered away from Tamsin.

  “I hope you like fish,” Tamsin said. “I have a beautiful piece of salmon lined up for us.” Diane was grateful to her for moving the conversation to safer grounds.

  “I love salmon,” Diane said, bringing her gaze back to Tamsin. “And I can’t wait to sample your culinary skills.”

  “I hope they’ll meet your expectations.” There was a flirty edge to Tamsin’s tone. And to the smile she was giving Diane. Maybe this wasn’t such an innocuous topic after all.

  While this kind of back-and-forth felt unfamiliar to Diane, it was also exciting and adventurous.

  “I’m sure you won’t disappoint,” Diane found herself saying, hoping to mirror Tamsin’s flirty tone. Her gaze was still glued to Tamsin’s, adding weight to the words she had just uttered.

  A cloud moved in front of the sun, casting an almost instant chill on the patio. Diane felt a shiver go up her spine, but she wasn’t sure if it was brought on by the change in temperature or the current vibe between her and Tamsin.

  “Maybe we should move inside,” Tamsin said. “It’s starting to cool off. And I need to get to work in the kitchen.”

  They had moved from the garden to the dining table inside to eat.

  “About the other night.” Diane peered at Tamsin from behind her glass of wine.

  Tamsin held her gaze.

  “I didn’t mean to cause offence. I was surprised to run into you and just blurted something out. I didn’t mean a word of it.”

  Tamsin curled up the side of her mouth. “You did sound a bit harsh, but here we are.” Her lips folded into a small smile. “You wouldn’t be sitting here, eating this frankly delicious salmon, if I had taken offence.” Tamsin straightened her shoulders. “I guess I was also a bit rattled because my date wasn’t going very smoothly.”

  “Why was that, if I may ask?” A nervous flutter awoke in Diane’s chest.

  Tamsin pursed her lips. “It’s hard to say exactly why sometimes. I guess we simply didn’t hit it off. No chemistry, something like that.”

  Diane nodded. “The elusive chemistry.” She tried a smile.

  “What makes two people like each other?” Tamsin mused. “It’s really hard to put your finger on, isn’t it?”

  Diane pondered this. She’d love to offer Tamsin some wise words, but she hadn’t felt whatever it was that constituted ‘chemistry’ between two people in such a long time, she felt a little out of her depth. Unless… what she was feeling right now, and every time she was in Tamsin’s vicinity for that matter, could be construed as such.

  “It is.” She looked into Tamsin’s eyes. They sparkled with such intensity, that the flutter in Diane’s chest flared up again. She had to look away. “I’m glad there are no hard feelings between us,” she said. Only chemistry, she thought, but wouldn’t dare say out loud.

  “I should head home now,” Diane said after she’d finished her coffee. “It’s been a busy day and I have a nine o’clock tee time tomorrow morning.” She stood and picked up her bag. “Dinner was lovely, thank you so much.”

  Tamsin stood as well and walked around the table. “I was happy to have you as my first official dinner guest.”

  Diane led the way to the front door. She turned to face her host. “Next time you’ll have to come to mine. I don’t have a Bramble to provide entertainment but I’m a pretty good cook. At least that’s what Timothy tells me.”

  “I would love that,” Tamsin said.

  Diane hesitated, not sure how to say goodbye. She took a step towards Tamsin and embraced her in a tentative hug, but once her arms were around her, they seemed to act on their own volition and squeezed her tighter. Tamsin responded to this by holding her closer still.

  This embrace was stretching out much longer than was socially acceptable for two friends taking leave of each other, but Diane suddenly felt incapable of letting go. Until Tamsin’s arms around her loosened slightly.

  Diane pulled away. She couldn’t look Tamsin in the eye. Something had definitely shifted inside her that evening and the woman she had just held so close to her was the cause of it.

  “Well,” Diane said, “I’m off then.” She turned to the front door and pushed down the handle, but before she stepped out, she felt compelled to turn around again. Tamsin was staring at her with a strange look in her eyes.

  Diane moved towards Tamsin and pecked her on the cheek. Then she turned and quickly walked towards the garden gate and her car without saying another word.

  Chapter Sixteen

  The next week, as Tamsin was going about her business, Diane kept popping into her head. She’d hardly seen her at the club, but Isabelle had told her that was normal at this time of year due to it being the end of the fiscal year. Which made Tamsin all the more grateful that Diane had taken her on as a new client, even though she was probably very busy. She hadn’t let on during their meeting, and hadn’t uttered a word about it during dinner.

  Ah, that dinner. Not only had it been a sort of milestone for Tamsin to have her first guest over in her new house, but it had also been very pleasant to sit and chat with someone as evening fell. Tamsin hadn’t always believed she was born for the kind of companionship that was touted everywhere, from movies to commercials to magazines, but maybe she had changed. And maybe Diane was part of her plan for that particular kind of change.

  Maybe her move to the countryside had been about more than just wanting more space and fresh air. Perhaps the thought of turning forty soon had changed something in her subconscious and the results of that were only now making it to the surface.

  She arrived home just as her sister’s car was pulling up. She’d been looking forward to this weekend. And maybe she could confide in Eve. Tamsin felt she might burst if she didn’t tell someone about Diane, even though there wasn’t really that much to tell. It was just a feeling, in the end. Some chemicals in her brain acting up.

  Eve got out of the car and opened her arms to pull Tamsin into a hug. “I’m so ready for a weekend without James,” she said. She cast her glance over the cottage. “I’d forgotten how lovely and peaceful this place is. I’ve only just arrived and I feel a million times less stressed already.”

  Eve carried her holdall inside while Tamsin did the same with the shopping she’d picked up. When she was cooking for someone else but herself, she liked to put some effort in. On the menu tonight were scallops with courgette and black pudding.

  Once inside, Bramble greeted Eve with a few licks of the hand. Tamsin opened the back door so Bramble could go out into the garden and chase squirrels. T
he sky was blanketed with thick dark clouds and Tamsin made a mental note to keep an eye out for rain. Bramble out in the rain equalled a big mess to clean up inside afterwards.

  “Bramble seems to like it here.” Eve produced two bottles of red wine from her bag. “James gave these to me and said to savour them. They’re not meant for over-indulgence, apparently.”

  “As if we ever would.”

  “As if he won’t be doing exactly that on his lads’ weekend away.” Eve rolled her eyes. “I can’t believe I once argued for wanting to join him.”

  “Ah, the foolish things young love makes us do.”

  Eve set about opening the wine and pouring them each a glass while Tamsin started chopping a courgette.

  “Can I help?”

  Tamsin pointed to a chair by the kitchen door. “You can sit there and tell me all about your week.”

  “We spoke on the phone two days ago. Not much has happened since.” Eve sat on the chair appointed to her. “I finished the drawings for the Clare Linderman book, so well done me.” She sipped from her wine. “You tell me about your week instead.”

  “It was Darren’s last week at the club.” Finally. “So things should get a bit busier from now on.”

  “Which reminds me,” Eve said. “I spoke to Maxine the other day when I was dropping off some documents. She asked if you’d managed to file your own taxes.” She threw in a chuckle. “I told her that would be the day.”

  Something warm bloomed in Tamsin’s chest. “I did no such foolish thing, of course. I’ve found an accountant here in the village. She’s a member at the club. Her name’s Diane.” Tamsin focused on chopping, her head bent down. She didn’t want a sudden blush on her cheeks while talking about Diane to give her away. This was Eve she was talking to, the foremost expert on all her feelings since the day she’d been born.