Page 33 of A Sky Full of Stars
‘Anyone we know?’ Thea asked as Cora, high on the fizzy bootlaces Tristan had given both kids when he’d arrived, courtesy of a stop at the corner shop, zoomed through the living room and out of the patio doors into the small back garden.
‘Charlotte, Gran’s new lodger,’ Tristan said quickly. ‘And as I said, it’s early days.’
Thea let out a whistle. ‘Are you sure that’s a wise move? I mean won’t it get a bit awkward if it all goes south?’ She shook her head, reconsidering. ‘But then, to be fair, you don’t often pop in on Gran these days unless I nag you to, so perhaps Gran won’t notice anyway!’
‘That’s not fair,’ Tristan protested. ‘I might not be as regular a visitor as you, but I do try and see her when I can.’
‘Well, at least if you’re dating her lodger, you’ve got more of an excuse to check in on her than usual,’ Thea countered. ‘And even you can keep a relationship going for a few weeks, I’m sure.’
Tristan said nothing and took another bite of the cake. He’d stopped rising to Thea’s comments about his love life some time ago, and he was too good a brother to carp back about the state of her own. Things weren’t great between Thea and her ex, and the wounds were still raw.
‘Well, little brother, I hope it all goes well for you,’ Thea added. ‘You deserve a bit of fun. You work far too hard, in my opinion, and if Charlotte can drag you away from your desk, then I already like her.’ She sipped her tea. ‘I met her the other day, and she seems nice. And, much as it squicks me out to think about it, at least one of us is getting some romantic action!’
Tristan did his best not to choke on his mouthful of tea. Some subjects weredefinitelyoff limits, and his sex life was one of them. ‘Early days, sis,’ he muttered. ‘And even if it wasn’t…’
‘…you wouldn’t be giving me details, anyway!’ Thea teased. ‘Believe me, Tris, I have no desire to know the, er, ins and outs, so to speak. I’m just glad you’re having a good time.’
Despite his best efforts not to, Tristan couldn’t help smiling. ‘I am,’ he said. ‘And for the moment that’s all you need to know.’
A little later, as he hugged Thea and his niece and nephew goodbye, Tristan reflected on how lucky he was. He hadn’t always felt this way, and their family losses had taught him that he shouldn’t take that feeling for granted. But, for the moment, he was happy to embrace it. And as he drove the fifteen minutes or so between Thea’s house and his own, he put his mind to what to cook Charlotte for lunch the next day. He was by nature extremely cautious, but what harm would it do to be a little less so in the pursuit of pleasure and happiness? Today had been a great start, and, if he had his way, tomorrow was going to be even better.
34
Charlotte tried not to feel nervous as the hands of the clock edged towards midday. She’d attempted to walk the line between looking her best and as if she hadn’t made much effort, but now she was beginning to second guess her own choices of a knee-length Jack Wills red dress and comfy but smart trainers. Was the dress too much for lunch? Did it clash with the copper tones in her hair? She wasn’tthatout of practice at dating, but she certainly felt as though she was.
Thankfully, before she could rush back to her room and change for what felt like the fiftieth time, she heard the familiar rumblings of Tristan’s Audi pulling up on the driveway. She’d already popped Comet through the adjoining door to Lorelai, so, after checking her appearance in the bathroom mirror one last time, she hurried out of the back door and bumped into Tristan coming the other way.
‘Sorry,’ she said, face flaming as red as her dress as they collided. ‘Thought I’d save you the faff of knocking on the door.’
‘Or running into Gran?’ Tristan gave a smile. ‘Good thinking.’ He glanced over her shoulder, and she thought she saw him relax a little when he realised Lorelai wasn’t about to spring out on them from behind the hydrangeas. Dropping a kiss on her lips, he added appreciatively, ‘Nice dress.’
‘Thanks,’ Charlotte replied. ‘I, er, wasn’t sure how smart your gaff is, so I thought I’d better make the effort!’
‘Too smart for my place,’ Tristan grinned, ‘as you’ll see when you get there, but I appreciate it.’
‘You don’t look bad yourself,’ Charlotte replied as they walked back to the driveway. She checked out his white Henley T-shirt and dark jeans combination and smiled inwardly at his bravery for wearing white when she assumed he was going to be cooking for her.
The drive back to Tristan’s flew by. Much to Charlotte’s relief, conversation flowed easily, and she was pleasantly surprised when Tristan pulled into a parking bay outside a Victorian terraced house on the outskirts of Taunton’s town centre. The house certainly had kerb appeal, with immaculate stonework and sparklingly clean windows, and a red-painted wooden front door.
‘Home sweet home,’ Tristan said as he hurried round to open the passenger door for her. ‘Although sometimes parking outside can be a problem.’
‘I failed three driving tests on parallel parking,’ Charlotte laughed, ‘so you get absolutely no judgement from me!’
Tristan led her up the small path through the front garden, which had been paved over, to the front door, and then into the relative gloom of the hallway. As Charlotte’s eyes adapted to the cooler, darker interior space, she was quietly impressed when she saw the dark red wallpaper and the rich brown sloping mahogany balustrade that led to the upper floor. Underfoot were what looked to be lovingly restored original chequered tiles, and Charlotte smiled to see the mahogany hat stand and umbrella store off to one corner of the door. The rest of the hallway was pleasingly bare and swept through to a kitchen at the back of the terrace, with three doors leading off to other rooms.
‘Come on through,’ Tristan said as they walked down the hall. ‘What would you like to drink? I’ve got a bottle of Chablis in the fridge if you’d like some, or something soft? I picked up some homemade lemonade from Saints’ Farm when I was over there the other day, if you wanted some of that?’
‘A small glass of Chablis would be great, thanks,’ Charlotte replied. Now she was on Tristan’s territory, she felt the need to take the edge off her nerves. It did feel strangely intense being in his space, knowing how reserved and private he was. The fact that he’d chosen to open his home to her gave her a rush of pleasure, but she also felt butterflies in her stomach at the intimacy.
‘Coming right up.’ They were in the kitchen, and Charlotte was surprised to see how modern it was. Housed in an extension to the original building, it had a glass roof and was a collection of glossy white units and impressive-looking chrome appliances. There was virtually nothing out on the vast expanse of counter space, except for a glass fruit bowl containing a pyramid of green apples, which looked as though they’d been put there for aesthetic effect rather than appetite.
‘Have a seat,’ Tristan said over his shoulder as he opened the door of the integrated American-style fridge and unscrewed the cap on the Chablis. Having poured a glass for Charlotte, he got himself a tumbler of filtered water from the fridge and then joined her at the breakfast bar.
‘Thanks,’ Charlotte said, and took a gulp of the wine to steady her nerves. The almost clinical look of the kitchen was a lot more what she’d been expecting to see, and it matched perfectly with Tristan’s love of order and precision. She wondered what he’d make of her rather shabby kitchen in the flat at the halls of residence: whether he’d judge her for the haphazard way she lived. She tried to shrug off the feeling of inadequacy; what did it matter?
‘Everything OK?’ Tristan asked gently. ‘This feels a bit full-on, doesn’t it? Just you and me in my house, without a load of other stuff to distract us.’
Charlotte gave a nervous giggle. ‘It does a bit.’ She took another sip of her wine. ‘I’m more used to the cluttered quarters of university academics. Your house is beautiful, but very tidy.’
