A Swing at Love Read online

  “Aaaand?”

  “And what?” Tamsin still didn’t look up.

  “I recognise that certain inflection in your voice. Plus, it’s not the first time you’ve mentioned this Diane.”

  “Don’t be silly.” Tamsin had a hard time focusing on cutting and, wishing to keep her fingers intact, she put the knife down for a moment. She even dared to look her sister in the eye. Eve’s eyes were almost the same colour as hers, she thought, as she often did, even though she didn’t know why. Despite being fraternal twins, they’d both inherited their mother’s bright green eye colour, Eve’s a little lighter than Tamsin’s.

  “I’m not the one being silly.” Eve painted a smirk on her lips. “And I wasn’t born yesterday either.”

  “Nope, you were born on the 6th of July 1978, just like me,” Tamsin said, “albeit thirty minutes later than me, which technically makes me your older, much wiser sister.” She smirked at Eve.

  “Yeah, yeah, repeat that often enough and perhaps you’ll believe it, but my thirty minutes deficit on this planet have not impacted my acquired wisdom at all.” Eve put her glass of wine on the kitchen table. “How about you finish chopping first. You can tell me all about Diane later.”

  “There’s nothing to—” Tamsin started, but Eve cut her off by lifting up her hand.

  “At least, as my older sister, show me some respect.”

  They both burst out into a chuckle. ‘Show some respect’ was one of their father’s mantras in life—and the man had many mantras to choose from.

  “Have you seen Dad?” Tamsin inquired, glad that she was off the hook about telling her sister about Diane for now.

  “No, but I’ll see him next week. He’s coming all the way to London. Some furniture vendor is very keen on a few of his latest pieces.”

  “Blimey, dad’s leaving his territory and heading for the big smoke.” Tamsin had resumed her chopping.

  “You should come, Taz. It would be lovely to have a family dinner.”

  Tamsin nodded. “I will. What with the move and settling in here, I haven’t seen dad in ages.” When she still lived in London, Tamsin went to see her father at least once a month.

  “It’s a date then. We’ll go to Lomax. He loves their rack of lamb.”

  Tamsin happily kept chopping, looking forward to seeing her father. When she took a break to sip her wine, her sister wagged a finger at her. “I’m going to set the table and, when we sit down, you and I are going to have a long overdue heart-to-heart.”

  Tamsin had managed to steer the conversation during dinner; a meal which didn’t take very long because her sister always had the habit of gobbling her food as though she’d never be fed again in her life. Eve had started talking about an idea she’d had of transferring some of her drawings to the furniture their father made and she got so caught up in it, she seemed to have forgotten all about Diane.

  If only it were that easy for Tamsin.

  When they’d cleared their plates, Tamsin looked outside. Dusk was beginning to fall but no raindrops had yet made an appearance.

  “Shall we take Bramble for her daily constitutional?” she asked.

  “I thought you’d never ask. I want to see the nightlife in Tynebury.” Eve smirked at her.

  “I think Friday is karaoke night at the village pub,” Tamsin replied.

  “Let’s steer clear of that then.”

  Tamsin grabbed Bramble’s leash from a hook in the hallway. If they were walking into the village, she might need it.

  Once outside, Eve inhaled deeply. “I can see the appeal, you know. Even though I’ve given you a hard time about moving to Dullsville.”

  “It’s really not dull at all,” Tamsin said. “It would be if you’re looking for nightlife and a new restaurant opening every weekend, but I’m past that now.”

  Eve hooked an arm through Tamsin’s. “You’ve settled in well, then?”

  Tamsin nodded. “My job helps, of course. It’s the perfect way to get to know people.”

  Eve squeezed her arm a little tighter. “True. It’d be different if you were a hermit.” She tilted her head back and looked at the sky. “Weather’s the same as in London, though.”

  “Are you glad we grew up in the countryside?” Tamsin asked.

  “I guess.” She shrugged. “Luckily, neither one of us have children of our own to take into account.”

  Eve had long ago declared her and James happily—and very consciously—child-free. Tamsin might have felt her biological clock give a little tick when she turned thirty, but she didn’t think she had enough desire to consider becoming a single mother—and was further deterred by the whole rigmarole she’d have to go through. As far as Tamsin was concerned, children simply hadn’t happened in her life. Most of the time, she was neither happy nor sad about that.

  “I have Bramble, of course,” Tamsin joked. The dog was walking a few feet ahead of them. “She loves growing up in the countryside.”

  Tamsin lived on the very edge of Tynebury, but the village wasn’t big and it didn’t take her and Eve long to reach the high street. The first few weeks after she had moved here, it had been downright bizarre to find everything but the pub closed on a Friday evening, so accustomed had Tamsin become to the convenience of living near a major city. But now it gave her a sense of peace. When there was nothing to be done, no new restaurants to try and no exciting plays to discover, it was much easier to relax—to simply do nothing.

  “Where does Diane live?” Eve asked, out of the blue.

  “I truly don’t know. I’ve only been by her office, which is just off this street.” Tamsin pointed at the next street on their left.

  “Come on, Taz. Give me something. It’s not as if I have my own exciting love life to tell you about. James and I have been married for too long. We just muddle along and everything’s fine.”

  “Everything can’t be fine all the time,” Tamsin said, buying time.

  “Well, no, I guess not. So sometimes, for a little while, everything’s not fine, until it’s fine again.” She bumped her hip into Tamsin’s.

  Then, as if the bump of her twin’s hip opened up something inside of her, Tamsin started talking. The words were there, at the ready, as though they’d been waiting to be let out of her mouth. Tamsin told Eve about the evenings in Portugal, her resolution to get over Diane and subsequent failing to do so. About the dinner they’d had the previous week, ending with a hug that was very much open for interpretation.

  She ended with, “but as far as I know, she’s as straight as an arrow, so…”

  “From what you’re telling me, she doesn’t sound very straight at all,” Eve countered. “In fact, it sounds as though she’s very much into you.”

  Tamsin stopped walking. She looked around but there was no one about. She’d have felt more comfortable conducting this conversation in the privacy of her home. “Sometimes, I get that impression as well.”

  “How old is she?” Eve let go of Tamsin’s arm.

  “Fifty-four,” Tamsin said.

  Eve’s eyes widened. She put her hands on her hips. “Your tastes have certainly changed.”

  Tamsin wanted to object, but she barely had the chance to open her mouth before Eve interjected.

  “Which just goes to show, a person’s preferences can change all the time.” She waggled her eyebrows. “What goes for you, can go for Diane too.”

  “Being interested in an older woman instead of a younger one is a bit less drastic than going from men to women,” Tamsin said.

  “Sure,” Eve said, “but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen.” She offered her arm again. “Let’s walk some more so you can listen to my sage advice.”

  Tamsin grabbed hold and they started walking through the quiet evening streets of Tynebury again.

  “My advice,” Eve said, “is that you should ask her out. Take the leap. What’s the worst that can happen?”

  Tamsin scoffed. “I could lose my job—again.”

  Eve shook he
r head. “This is a grown woman we’re talking about. Someone who makes her own choices. Someone who’s been dropping many a hint. The worst that can happen is that she’ll say no, that’s it.”

  “It’s different when you live in a village like this. Word travels fast. If I ask her out and she says no, then tells a friend, and so on… Things can become really problematic for me.”

  “You’ve already had her over for dinner once. Invite her again. Don’t say it’s a date, just have one.” Eve said it as though this was the brightest idea in the history of humankind.

  “I’m not sure,” Tamsin said.

  “Of course you’re not,” Eve said, “But I’m here the rest of the weekend to help you change your mind.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  The sound of clapping drifted over to Diane as soon as she stepped out of her car. She locked it and walked out of her office car park. Instead of turning towards the entrance to the building, she headed for the village green, from where the cheering was coming.

  Tynebury Spring Festival was one of the highlights on the village calendar. Part village fête, part flea market, it always brought together the villagers for a friendly baking competition and some trading of whatever had not survived the yearly spring clean. It even drew visitors from the surrounding villages.

  Diane headed for the adult refreshment stall. Thompson & Partners always sponsored the stall by supplying the wine.

  It was not even noon yet, but the few high tables that were set up under a gazebo were already packed with people enjoying a glass of wine. Thompson & Partners coasters were laid out on every table and Diane had found that this event always brought in one or two new clients. Apparently wine and accounting went pretty well together.

  “Good morning, Stacey” she greeted her receptionist, who was manning the stall. “You’re busy this morning.”

  “We’ve been swamped ever since we opened,” she said. “Would you like a drink?”

  “It’s a bit early for me to start on the vino.” Diane peered at the list that was displayed on the bar. “I’ll have a sparkling grapefruit juice for now.”

  Stacey handed her the drink and Diane took it over to one of the tables to mingle. Even in a small village like Tynebury, networking was important.

  She was in conversation with a local insurance broker, who brought in quite a bit of business for her, when she spotted a familiar figure browsing the second-hand book stall across from the bar.

  Tamsin was examining paperback novels, taking one out, reading the back cover and putting it back in the display box.

  Another woman came up to her, holding a larger book and showing it to Tamsin. They stood close together, shoulder to shoulder with their backs to Diane. Their laughter drifted over to her.

  Was Tamsin out on another date already? She hadn’t mentioned anything at dinner the other night. Maybe it hadn’t been set up yet.

  Or maybe Tamsin had sensed that Diane was not that interested in hearing about her dates. She would have been right about that, even though Diane could not really explain why. Or rather, she could, but was not ready to put it into words, even in her head.

  The two women seemed quite close, much more so than people should be on a first date. So maybe it wasn’t a first date, but a third or fourth.

  How come Tamsin hadn’t talked about someone she was seeing? The dinner had only been a week ago. Surely they could not have grown so close in such a short space of time.

  Stop this, it’s none of your business. Diane tried to tune back into the conversation between the two men standing next to her. Something about an insurance settlement after a house fire.

  Her gaze was drawn towards Tamsin and her friend again. The other woman had turned slightly and Diane could see her face more clearly. She had very similar facial features to Tamsin, but her hair was different—longer and blonder. This must be the sister Tamsin had talked about.

  Relief washed over Diane.

  She thought back to last week, to the goodbye she and Tamsin had shared in the hallway of Tamsin’s cottage, to the feeling of warmth and closeness that had engulfed her. And then she had gone and kissed Tamsin. Her mind had been lucid enough to go for her cheek, but in her heart, she knew that what she’d really wanted was to kiss Tamsin’s lips.

  What would it be like to feel Tamsin’s lips on hers? She could still remember vividly the kiss she’d shared with Fiona decades ago, but somehow she knew that with Tamsin, it would be different. Less tentative, more passionate. She could almost feel Tamsin’s mouth opening, their tongues meeting.

  “Diane, what do you think?” A voice snapped her out of her reverie.

  “Ehm, sorry,” Diane said. “What were you saying?”

  “Should the council grant the building permits for the new apartment block on Prairie Lane?” The insurance man was looking at her expectantly.

  “I, er, I don’t think they should,” Diane said. “Will you excuse me, please?”

  She stepped away from the table and walked over to the bar. It might still be early, but she could sure do with a glass of wine to wash away the images floating around her mind.

  An hour later Diane was finishing her third glass of wine, now in the company of Isabelle, who had showed up determined to make a healthy contribution to the charitable causes the fete was supporting.

  “Shall we have a wander around?” Isabelle had asked when she’d arrived. “I quite fancy some lemon drizzle cake for dessert tonight. And I spotted a vintage mirror that would fit perfectly in the guest room.”

  Diane had kept an eye on Tamsin and her sister, not wanting to have to face them in her current state of confusion. They had been browsing the stall manned by the local post office clerk, looking at her offerings of garden gnomes and other trinkets of doubtful taste.

  “Let’s have another drink first,” Diane had replied, hoping Tamsin would have left by the time they finished their wine.

  Isabelle had regarded her before saying, “All right. But just the one. You seem to be quite lubricated already.”

  Diane drank the last sip from her glass. She was experiencing a pleasant buzz, enhanced by the sun that had come out to bathe the village green in a beautiful spring light.

  She scanned the assembled tents and stalls. Tamsin and her sister were nowhere to be seen. “Let’s go for a browse.” She took Isabelle’s arm and they walked out towards the cake stall.

  “The ladies of Tynebury have been very busy this year,” Isabelle said, looking at the display of intricately decorated cakes. Each one was on some sort of arty display or pedestal, ready to be judged for the event’s most coveted prize.

  Diane’s stomach rumbled at the sight. “Shall we get a slice to nibble on as we walk around?”

  They each bought a piece of lemon drizzle cake and continued their exploration of the festival’s offerings.

  “How are Rob and Matthew?” Diane asked.

  “They’re fine. Looking at other clubs in the area where being gay doesn’t disqualify you from joining.” There was obvious bitterness in Isabelle’s tone of voice.

  “Have you found out more about why Matthew was refused membership?”

  “Stephen gave me a line about all available spots being taken by direct family of members, children and grandchildren, and that he should apply again next year. It’s a load of crap, of course. The committee’s stuck in the nineteen-fifties, that’s what the issue is.”

  Diane thought for a moment. “Should we start a petition or something? Surely we can get a lot of prominent members to sign on. Everybody loves Rob and he’s been a part of the club ever since he was born.”

  “I suppose we could,” Isabelle said, “but I don’t think it would do much good. They’ll say they can’t be prejudiced, since they just hired a gay pro.”

  This comment brought Tamsin to the front of Diane’s mind again. Should she tell Isabelle about the feelings she’d been experiencing? Maybe her closest friend could give her some perspective and snap her out of t
his ridiculous infatuation.

  “Speaking of,” Isabelle exclaimed and pointed towards the end of the row of stalls.

  Diane looked over and saw Tamsin and her sister walking towards them. Damn.

  “Tamsin, hello.” Isabelle kissed Tamsin on both cheeks. “We were just talking about you.”

  “I thought I could hear a ringing in my ears,” Tamsin said. “Only good things, I hope.”

  Diane tried to think of something to say, but her mind was fuzzy from the wine and sun.

  “This is my sister, Eve,” Tamsin said. “Eve, these are two of the ladies from the golf club, Isabelle Avery and Diane Thompson.”

  Eve’s gaze seemed to zoom in at the mention of Diane’s name.

  “Hello,” Eve said, shaking Isabelle’s hand. Then she took Diane’s hand in both of hers and said, “I’ve heard so much about you.”

  Diane noticed how Tamsin’s elbow bumped into her sister’s arm. Eve let go of Diane’s hand.

  The power of speech still seemed to be eluding Diane. She knew she was supposed to reply something, but she just stood there in silence and nodded.

  She felt Isabelle staring at her. “What’s the matter, Diane? Cat got your tongue?”

  “Sorry.” At last, some words made it past Diane’s lips. “I think I shouldn’t have had that last glass of wine. I seem to have lost my manners.” She addressed Tamsin’s sister. “It’s lovely to meet you, Eve.”

  Diane’s gaze drifted back to Tamsin. She looked exquisite in a light blue fitted oxford shirt over a pair of dark jeans. She forced her eyes back up to the golf pro’s face. “How are you, Tamsin? I’ve had another look at the documents you brought me last week. It seems pretty straightforward. You should make an appointment to go over everything. Maybe next week?” Stop babbling, she told herself.

  Tamsin was looking at her in amusement, as if she could sense the turmoil going on inside Diane. “Sure, I’ll call your office on Monday.” She held Diane’s gaze, until they heard a cough come from Eve.