A week later, Tara walked up to the front door and rang the bell. Despite herself, she swallowed nervously as she heard him come out to the hallway to answer it. What the hell was she doing here? And why had she let Liz talk her into this?
“Hi there.”
“Hi.” When he opened his front door, Luke’s blue eyes lit up, but when he looked down and saw what Tara was holding in her arms, he quickly took a step backwards. “What . . . what’s that?”
“Oh, it’s nothing,” Tara tried to sound nonchalant. “Wow, the place is looking great!” She looked past Luke’s bulky frame into the front hallway.
Eric had obviously done sterling work in the few weeks he’d been working on this place for his neigh-bour. The walls were freshly painted, there was a new wooden floor and skirting in place of the old worn lino and, from her vantage point, Tara could see that he’d redone some of the kitchen too.
“Well, aren’t you going to invite me in? Or do I have to stand out here all day?”
“Erm, come in then.” All the time trying to avert his eyes from what she was holding, Luke held back the door and allowed Tara in.
“Well!” she announced breezily. “You’ve certainly been busy!”
“Yes . . . erm, Tara, what is that?” Luke repeated, his voice quivering a little.
“Oh, this?” Tara held up the animal cage as if she’d forgotten all about it. “It’s a gerbil,” she told him nonchalantly.
“And what is it doing here?” Luke said, backing a little further away from her.
“Oh, silly me – I forgot to mention it. It’s a present,” she said, thrusting the cage at him.
Immediately Luke recoiled. “A present?”
“Yes, a housewarming present for you!”
Luke swallowed. “Erm, Tara, it’s very nice of you to think of me but –”
“I thought it was the best possible gift for you.”
“Ah – why?”
“Well, I know this is my territory and not yours, but surely you know the best way to overcome your fears is to face them head on?”
And by being here today, that was exactly what she herself was doing. Finally taking Liz’s advice, Tara was opening herself up to the possibility of a relationship, a friendship, whatever, with Luke Cunningham.
So, it might come to nothing but wasn’t it – as Liz had always insisted – wasn’t it worth taking the chance? It wasn’t as though she could use Glenn as an excuse any more. As of last week, he and Abby had announced they were thinking of moving in together when the baby was born, and as much as it would kill her to let him go, Tara knew she had no choice. Seventeen years on, she had to allow her son to get on with his own life, and now she, Tara, would get on with hers.
Starting today.
“Tara, I appreciate the gesture but –”
“Just let me help, OK?”
“Help with what? I’m already overrun with bloody mice. I don’t need another rodent to add to my collection.”
“I told you – it’s not a mouse – it’s a gerbil,” she repeated, again thrusting the cage at him.
Then, as Luke tentatively put his hand out to take it from her, their fingers touched briefly and an unmistakeable spark of electricity passed between them.
For a long moment, the two of them stayed like that, eyes locked together, while between them in its cage, the gerbil munched innocently on a piece of lettuce.
“Tara,” Luke said eventually, “did it ever cross your mind that I might not want to make friends with rodents? That I’d much rather make friends with a more agreeable and less scary species?”
“Like what?” she said, her eyes still locked on his.
“Like you,” he said, moving forward, and Tara swallowed . “I think the likes of you qualifies as a species all of your own. Genus femalus obstinatus I think it’s called.”
“Me? Obstinate? Never.”
“No, never in a million years,” Luke said, gingerly taking the gerbil cage and setting it on the hallway table. “And don’t try and play the innocent with me. Liz has told me enough about you, and I’ve learnt enough myself to know exactly what I’m getting into.”
“Then she’s probably also told you I’ve got a lot of baggage,” Tara said, amazed that the two of them were being so frank so quickly. It felt strange, exposing herself like this, but at the same time, it felt quite . . . nice.
The first flush of attraction, the promise of more to come – Tara hadn’t felt something like that in a very long time. And it was only then, standing there in front of Luke – a man she sensed wanted something to progress between them as much as she did – that she realised she missed it.
“Baggage?” Luke smiled and drew her close. Standing there in the circle of his arms, her body inches from that incredibly broad chest, his handsome face smiling down at her, Tara felt safe. She felt safe with Luke, and for the first time in ages, she gave herself up to the fact that what happened next was something she couldn’t, or didn’t want to, control. But she was pretty sure she knew what it was, in the same way that she was just as sure she wanted it to happen too.
“Yes, baggage,” she repeated.
Luke’s mouth was now only inches from her own.
“Well, knowing you,” he went on, giving her a lopsided grin, “it’ll be environmentally friendly and biodegradable baggage, so I’m sure we won’t have to deal with it for long.”
Then, he lowered his head and kissed her softly on the lips.
THE END