Playing My Love (4 page)

  "Sure!  That'd be nice.  We've only just moved here and we don't know anyone yet"  I said, pulling my phone from my pocket.  Her eyes flickered down to my left hand.

  "You and your husband?"  she asked, chewing her lip.

  "Yes.  He's probably wondering where I am, to be honest!  I was only supposed to come out for some wine."

  "Oops!  Well, if you get into trouble, blame it on me.  Tell him you bumped into an incessant chatterer or something who burned your ears off with inane village gossip!"  We swapped numbers before standing to leave.  "Where's your car?"

  "Just over by the supermarket.  Can I give you a lift anywhere?"  I offered, feeling a strong desire to stay in her company for as long as possible.
  She shook her head.

  "No, but I'll walk with you if you want?  I'm meeting her back near the park."

  We went back out into the cold and walked briskly down the road, complaining about how bitter it was and how it didn't look like letting up any time soon.  When we reached my car, I suddenly realised I'd just made small talk about the weather!

  "What?"  s
he asked, seeing my smile.

  "Nothing.  I just…I came out today feeling like there was no light at the end of the tunnel.  And now…"  I hesitated.

  "Now you've seen the light?"  she joked, nudging me with her elbow.  I smiled, embarrassed.

  "I was going to say that I don't feel like I'm alone in that tunnel anymore"  I said softly, holding her gaze.  Something shifted in her eyes and her smile faltered.  She opened her mouth to say something, but stopped herself.  Time almost stood still as we stared at each other comfortably.
  A warm and very pleasant tingle went through me.

  "DARCY!"

  A girl's voice bellowed across, shaking us from…whatever it was, our private moment?  I sucked in a sharp breath, feeling like we'd just been caught doing something we shouldn't.  Darcy held a hand up to her friend, but turned quickly back to me.

  "Call me.  Anytime, it doesn't matter.  I'd really like to see you again."

  "Sure.  I will"  I said, knowing I'd never call her.  For one, she was a young, fun college student while I was nearing a boring forty and practically a widow.  I flinched at my own thought.

  "Good.  I don't just serenade anyone you know!"  Darcy said, putting her arms over my shoulders and hugging me close to her.  I hugged her
back, my arms around her waist and for the first time, I caught the scent of her perfume.  It was sweet and musky, as comforting and warming in some weird way as her embrace was.  Well, as
she
was in fact.  I tightened my arms slightly before we pulled apart.

  "Thank you Daneka Marcella Hennessey."

  "Ooh" she said, pulling a face and leaning in conspiratorially. "Not many people know my full name, so how about we keep that as our little secret eh?" 

  "My lips are sealed!"

  With one last easy smile and a small squeeze on my arm, she turned and jogged away to meet her friend who was gazing curiously at me.  I got in the car and drove home, my thoughts a jumble in my head.

  I had no idea what had just happened.
  I started trying to analyse it all straight away, confused by the strange turn of events and my reaction to this beautiful stranger.  There was something so naturally easy about her and I'd been truthful when I told her I was enjoying her company.  I hadn't felt the need to hide how I felt, and neither had I felt like I was being judged or watched for my reaction which is what everyone else around me seemed to do lately.

  It wasn't until I was getting out of my car at home that I realised I'd spent the entire journey thinking about Darcy and her effect on me, and no time at all on the impe
nding discussion with Gray about the test results.

  A lead cloud suddenly descended, suffocating me as it all came flooding back.

  Ah yes.  Now I remember.  No husband, no children.

  The stark reality of a dark lonely future on my own loomed before my v
ery eyes.  And Gray wanted to discuss it with me.  Now.  I walked back in slowly to face the music, idly wondering if it was too early for a whiskey, but deciding I didn't care.

                                                                  
3

              
Rescued…Again (Sort Of!)

THREE WEEKS LATER

  I turned the
music down as I rolled to a halt in the small layby, some strange warning light flashing at me from the dash.  I was quite literally in the middle of nowhere.  Cursing, I jumped out to survey the damage under the bonnet.  I had no idea what I was looking at, but I got the distinct impression I wouldn't be driving anywhere anytime soon.

  "Oh, well that's just fantastic!"  I said aloud, voicing my displeasure to the car as I slammed the bonnet back down.  I got back in to keep warm, completely pissed.  I thought expensive cars were supposed to be reliable?  Picking up my mobile, I noted there was less than ten per cent battery left and called Gr
ay.  There was no answer so I left a quick message outlining my problem and where I was, then I hung up to preserve the battery.  He was probably napping, but I hoped he would wake up soon and see the missed call.

  About three minutes later
the phone rang and I put it to my ear quickly, relieved.

  "Darling I don't have much battery left, but I'm freezing my arse off out here so can you please just come and get me?"

  "Absolutely! Just tell me where you are?"
  an amused female voice said.  I cringed.

  "Darcy!  I'm sorry, I thought you were my husband"  I managed to say, although my face was burning.

  "Oh, and here I thought you were just being affectionate!  But seriously, where are you?  I'll come and get you."

  "I couldn't possibly expect you to…"

  "Alison, it's freezing outside and I really don't mind.  Don't be stubborn and just tell me where you are?"
  she ordered, her tone pleasant and friendly.  My battery beeped, forcing me into a quick decision.  I gave her a brief description of where I was just before the phone died unceremoniously and I exhaled slowly, suddenly feeling very nervous.

  After my initial meeting with Darcy three weeks ago she'd tried calling twice and had texted me four or five times.  I'd ignored all her efforts at contact, telling myself she was just being polite and that I wouldn't know what to say to her.  Her texts had been friendly and sweet, just as she was.  They asked if I was okay,
and she said she was there if I needed a chat or even a tour around the local area.  A few times I actually started a text to reply back to her, but then I'd cancelled it and put my phone away.

  Fifteen minutes later a small red car
pulled into the layby behind me.  I got out and went to meet her, relieved.

  "Hey Darcy!  Thank you so much for coming to get me
.  Obviously Gray hasn't checked his messages yet!  God only knows how long I could have been here waiting for him"  I gushed, mainly because I felt so guilty that she'd come instantly to my rescue after I'd ignored her for three weeks.

  "It's no problem.
  What happened?"  she asked, looking my BMW up and down.

  "I don't know.  This warning light came on and the car just started losing power, then it died.  If you could possibly drive me home I'd really appreciate it?  I'd reimburse you for your time and petrol, of course."

  She smiled and waved a hand dismissively as we got into her car.

  "Like I said, it's no problem.  I'm just glad I can help.  Hey, lucky I called when I did, right?"

  "Why were you calling?"  Ouch.  That had come out wrong and sounded harsh.  "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that.  That sounded terribly rude."

  "
Don't worry about it.  I was just calling to see if you and your husband were free tonight because I managed to get a small gig playing at a pub in town.  The more people that turn up, the more popular I look and the more they'll be willing to pay me next time!"  she said, her brown eyes shining.  I smiled.

  "Oh I'm sure you're very popular.  You have a beautiful voice."

  "When I remember the words, right?"  she said, smiling back.  Then she put the car in gear and pulled away.  Out of the corner of her eye she saw me shivering and thoughtfully turned the heater up to its fullest setting.

  "Thank you"  I said gratefully.

  "You're welcome"  she replied, glancing quickly over at me.  Now that I had the chance to study her closer, I was struck once again by how beautiful she was.  Yes, she had youth on her side, but there was something natural about her beauty.  She wore little (if any) make-up and her face was smooth and blemish free.  Her sculpted cheekbones led up to wonderfully friendly brown eyes that seemed to have a constant sparkle in them.  But I wondered if it wasn't her mouth that was captivating me the most.  Her lips, red and full, that always seemed to be curving up into an infectious and engaging smile.  Hell, even her teeth looked perfect!  She turned and caught me staring and I blushed, looking quickly away out of the window.

  "So, um, do you want to tell me where you live or shall we just go on a mystery tour?"

  "Oh, yes, sorry.  Do you know Orchard Lane?  We're the third house down on the left."

  "No way!  With the big barn?"

  "Yes, you know it?"

  "Oh my god, I used to play in that barn when I was little!  We used to jump from the upper level onto the stacks of hay below!  Really hurt actually, but loads of fun! 
Is there still hay in there?"  she asked excitedly, her hair shimmering as she shifted her attention back and forth between me and the road.

  "Uh, yes, I think so."

  "Sweet!  Oh, Alison, you have to try it!  I'll even try it with you!"

  "Oh no, I'm way too old for stuff like that"  I said, laughing.

  "You're not that much older than me, are you?"

  "I'm thirty six."

  "What?  No way!"  She did a double take.  "Wow!  I thought you were about twenty nine!  Shit!"  She laughed.  "Well, you look amazing for thirty six!"

  "Thank you."  Her compliment set off a warm glow inside me
.  We drove on in silence for a few minutes while I struggled with what I wanted to say.  "Darcy, I'd like to apologise."

  "Really?  What for?"  s
he asked, looking puzzled.

  "For not returning your messages.  I just…I'm not very good at staying in contact with pe
ople.  I just wanted to explain that it was nothing personal."

  "Hey, it's okay, honestly.  I just assumed you had your hands full with whatever it was that had been troubling you that day."

  I hesitated, pulling at a thread on my jeans.

  "No.  Well, yes, but no."  I sighed.  "It's incredibly complicated and I hope you'll understand if I don't go into it in any detail.  But I, um…I want to say thank you.  Your singing and taking me out for coffee that day, well it pulled me out of a very dark place and I was rude to ignore you afterward.  I am truly sorry"  I said quietly, no
t even realising how in depth I'd intended to be. 

  "Rubbish!  No apologies!  Although,"  her lips twitched into a smile,  "You could always show your gratitude by coming to hear me play tonight?"

  I chuckled and put my hand on her knee.

  "Of course."

  I wasn't sure why I did it.  Thinking back, it did seem like an overly affectionate thing to do to a virtual stranger, but she made me feel so relaxed!  Whatever my reasons were, I knew that I was one hundred per cent responsible for what happened next.

  Darcy looked down at my hand on her knee and left her gaze there just a little too long.
  By the time she returned her attention to the road, it was too late to do anything other than swerve off to the side and into a tree to avoid the car that had appeared when she wasn't looking.  Luckily, she'd only been doing about twenty five miles per hour, and she'd had the good sense to apply the brakes early enough so neither of us was really hurt.