Winky face.
Ha! I’m not sure about that, but thanks again to you and your friend for arranging this.
You’re more than welcome. I’m glad you’re having a nice time. Humphrey all right? (I can’t believe I have to write that name…)
A rolly-eyed emoticon winged its way to him.
Get over it. It’s a good name. And yes, he’s having a wonderful time! He’s having a doggy massage at the moment.
Shocked face quickly followed by laughing one.
He’s so chilled anyway, I don’t know what this will result in. He may just sleep for the entire next week!
Hope you’re having one too. I think you’re probably more in need than the dog, to be honest.
Don’t worry. I am. I’ve just had a lovely hair treatment and I’ve got a massage booked at 2
Sounds good. Also, why is your phone not turned off? You’re supposed to be decompressing
Funny face.
Ha ha! It’s only on because I wanted to speak to you…
I reread the message and deleted some of the words. Try again.
It’s only on because I wanted to thank you for setting this up. I’m not looking at emails, messages, social media or anything else. Jess is offline at some romantic retreat Harry’s whisked her off to this weekend, so it’s fine, really
He sent a smile.
I’m torn between being happy to hear you’re having a good time and wanting you to switch off entirely.
I will. Stop worrying about me so much
Winky face.
He sent back a shrug.
Can’t help it. This is just what I do when it comes to people I care about
I didn’t know how to reply. The words were so simple, but they meant such a lot. That was one of the things I’d liked about Seb from the beginning. He was straightforward. Said what he meant, but without being overly blunt or rude. He took people’s feelings into consideration and I always knew where I stood with him. I imagined he’d been a good and respected officer in the army. I’d said something to that effect once and he’d shrugged it off, saying something non-committal like he’d hoped so, which made me think he definitely had been.
There was no question of him being a complete angel – he certainly still got wound up about things, but he always tried to see things from all perspectives before leaping in and making a decision or comment. I admired this trait, although I’d been less admiring of it when someone had pranged my car in a line of traffic and he’d begun to question it. I’d told him in no uncertain terms I’d been sat there in a queue minding my own business and that the only perspective he needed to see on this occasion was that I was annoyed, sore and now the owner of a car with its boot smashed in and that I’d rung for sympathy, not a balanced view of things. Seb had laughed and the next day I’d received flowers and a box of biscuits, as well as a tube of muscle rub. The card had read ‘Some people just shouldn’t have a licence!!!’ Apparently he’d been very specific about the three exclamation marks required, just to ensure I could tell exactly how outraged he was on my behalf.
I looked back down at my phone. There was really only one way to reply…
Thank you
A hugging emoji appeared, bringing a smile to my face as I put the phone down on the table and glanced at the clock on the wall across from me. Time for a little nap before going off to collect Humph from his treatment and get him settled in the room before heading back down for my own massage. Perfect.
* * *
The hotel Seb’s connections had wangled for me was close to a National Trust property, the grounds of which were open to the general public for free from dawn to dusk and this had proved to be a beautiful place to take Humphrey for a long walk each day, as I absorbed the atmosphere and listened to the birds chatter, hidden from sight in the branches of the trees above. The relaxing natural landscape built on the calm feeling the whole weekend was instilling in me.
As I returned from a walk with the dog, stepping into the elegant foyer that merged modernity with a nod to the grace of Art Deco, I heard my name called.
‘Ms Wentworth?’
I looked up to see a tall brunette striding towards me on heels so beautiful, I had trouble pulling my eyes away from them for a second or two. The beauty of the shoes matched that of their owner, and as she approached me, a wide and perfect smile broke on her face at the same time as she held out her hand.
