A Roll in the Hay, стр. 39
She took a longer drink, setting up camp by one of the pillars that ran down the centre of the room. It was a perfect vantage point, one from which she could see almost everything without pulling too much attention to herself. She checked her phone as one song blended into another, and despite a lot of glances at the fresh meat, nobody seemed interesting in approaching her. Tess had a feeling she’d have to do the legwork herself.
Great. That was going to take another drink.
It wasn’t that hard in the end. Babs came over to rescue Tess from her lonely posturing and introduced some of the other regulars. She left Tess with a wink as she went back to chatting up an older woman at the bar, and it was actually fun to hear how people had come from all sorts of backgrounds, different jobs, and different places.
Okay, so maybe nobody gave Tess that little thrill of first attraction, but meeting all these new people made her realise how much space there was in her life for them.
Had she been lonely all this time without being aware of it?
On that bleak discovery, she realised that the noise and the heat of all these bodies was getting to her. Having shrugged off her leather jacket earlier, she snagged it and headed for the back door. For a moment, she could have sworn she saw Finn, but given that they were all loved-up with Dave, it was less than likely.
Stepping out into the car park, Tess couldn’t help wishing she still smoked. It was always useful as a way to guarantee a few minutes away from stressful situations. Unless, of course, she got cornered by some other stranger seeking a light, which often happened just as she was starting to feel more peaceful.
At the tap on her shoulder, she turned, saying, “Sorry, I don’t…” The person seeking her attention was the last one she expected.
“Don’t worry. I’m not asking to bum a smoke. Didn’t expect to see you here, of all people.” Susannah looked a little cold in her sleeveless blue dress, the thin belt around her waist just a sliver of gold.
For a chivalrous moment, Tess wondered if she should offer her jacket. “Really? Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Just don’t get the Friday night meat market vibe from you. That was a compliment, I suppose?”
“Careful, I might start thinking you really don’t hate me after all.”
Susannah rubbed her bare arms. “I thought we’d been over that. Very insecure of you to go fishing again, Doctor.”
“Oh, here.” Chivalry won out in the end. Tess shrugged her jacket off and slipped it over Susannah’s shoulders before she could argue. “I can handle a bit of a nip in the air. I was born to it, wasn’t I?”
“It’s not like Cheshire is known for being a tropical paradise,” Susannah argued. “This is a nice jacket. I might not give it back.”
“Not in a hurry to head back in, then?” Tess didn’t know quite what she was asking, but there was a charge in the air all of a sudden, one that made the fine hairs on her forearms stand up.
“Do you know, I think I’m fine where I am.” Susannah leaned against the wall and gave Tess a small, lovely smile.
Chapter 14
She should not have been out here.
Finn’s instructions were perfectly simple: go in, get a drink, and just take a look around. Susannah hadn’t managed to follow even those simple steps.
Now she was leaning against the wall in a borrowed jacket that smelled of some light, woody perfume mingled with the unmistakable scent of good leather, and all these facts were conspiring to make her smile. A real cheesy, uncontrollable, cheek-muscle-stretching grin. For a while there, she’d thought her face had forgotten how.
“You do seem fine. Where you are,” Tess finally replied.
Was she… Oh, she was blushing all right. That fair complexion all redheads seemed to have really showed up the embarrassment too.
“If you don’t want to head in, maybe we could go for a walk?” Tess continued. “I get the feeling this might be a popular spot for, um…”
Susannah giggled. Actually out-loud giggled. She hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol, and yet she was strangely light-headed. “Oh yes, quite. Wouldn’t want to cramp anyone’s style. Looks like that path leads down to the river?”
“It’s a burn, actually.” It was pleasant how Tess’s Scottish burr wrapped around the word. “Or a brook, I suppose, where you’re from.”
“Didn’t realise vets took a linguistics course.” Susannah pushed away from the wall, leading the way to the burn. “You do keep surprising me.”
Tess fell in step without seeming to try.
It had been too long since Susannah did something as simple as go for a walk with another person; too often she rambled around the estate on her own.
“How do you do that?” Tess asked. “You’re just talking about something, like the fact that I surprise you, but it always sounds like an accusation. I feel like I’ve been caught with my hand in the biscuit tin when I talk to you. Most of the time.”
“Forgive me,” Susannah said, and It was suddenly very urgent that Tess did. “I’m out of practice.”
“At what?”
“You name it: talking to people normally, making a friend, being around other people. I could put it all down to grief, or a tough year in general, but the truth is I’ve always been just awful at it. Honestly, I’m much better with horses than people.”
“I think there’s some hope for you yet.” Tess stared out over the narrow body of water. Their pace slowed to a stroll. “When we’re not sniping at each other, talking to you is actually quite pleasant. Not that I’d run around admitting that, of course. I suppose you’re used to everyone bowing and scraping as well. Can’t