Maybe Lou needed to step away from the garden and see what else life had to offer . . .
BY JO THOMAS
Ham hock terrine, followed by the risotto,” Lou repeated in her head as she closed her computer and slid off her glasses, putting them in their case on the little kitchen table.
She loved this kitchen. It had become her happy place, along with her little cottage garden. When she’d moved in here on her own, she’d been able to do whatever she wanted, no compromises. And it was exactly how she wanted it.
But now, it was time. All her friends kept telling her. It was time to get out there, back in the saddle. Meet someone new. The only thing missing in this kitchen was someone to share a cup of tea with at the table, or a meal for two.
With the kids having their own lives and spending their holiday time between here and their father’s new place, it was mostly just her and the cat. Alfie was great company, but not quite the same as a human being.
She took a big, deep breath and looked at the glasses case on the table. This dating malarkey was all very different from when she first met Rob, all those years ago in a charity pub darts competition. They’d got on straight away, but as time passed and the children left home, they realised they wanted different things.
He’d gone to live in an apartment in Spain, and joined the local darts team. She’d stayed in the area, and found this lovely little cottage and garden.
How things had changed.
Rob dove into reclaiming his youth, including tie-dyed T-shirts and baseball caps, and she’d discovered gardening and the pleasure of growing things.
All she needed now was someone to share it with.
She could hear the taxi pull up outside and took another deep breath.
This was a huge step. She wobbled, literally. Her knees shook over her unusually high heels that her best friend Bella had persuaded her to buy.
Maybe she should just cancel. But then, that would be a complete waste of a new hairdo. And the manicure to cover up her gardening nails.
It was just a pleasant lunch out, Bella had told her. To dip her toe back into the dating world. But it was all apps and swiping these days, and online chatting, with fingers far more used to pulling up weeds than typing on a tiny keypad.
But she liked the sound of James, who she was meeting at the Dog and Duck, a gastropub he’d suggested. She’d looked it up and memorised the menu.
It would be
