Tabitha Locke's Key to Happiness: An utterly gorgeous cosy romance by Liz Davies

Author:Liz Davies [Davies, Liz]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lilac Tree Books
Published: 2024-02-06T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

Alexandra Park was an elevated open parkland to the south of Bath, with views across the city. Rhys parked on the road that encircled it, and they began to plod up the slope.

Tabitha had stiffened up in the car, but as she hiked up the hill she slowly loosened up. This was a good idea of Rhys’s. If she had gone straight home, she mightn’t have been able to move tomorrow.

As they climbed higher, Bath spread out below them, and Tabitha stopped for a moment, ostensibly to take in the view, but in reality it was because she was out of breath. It was a shock to discover just how unfit she was. Casual strolling around her beloved city clearly wasn’t enough to maintain her pre-Bath level of fitness. Once upon a time, she had been a regular at the gym, balancing physical activity with days spent behind a desk, and evenings spent out with friends. These days, her only exercise consisted of wandering around the city, looking at the sights.

Neither she nor Rhys spoke much on the way up to the Bath Lookout point, and when they reached it Tabitha sank onto the bench, thankful to be able to sit down. Rhys perched next to her, leaning forward with his forearms on his thighs and his hands clasped together as he gazed over the city, its buildings gleaming a buttery yellow in the late afternoon sun.

‘I’m sorry.’ Rhys’s voice was gruff.

‘What for?’

‘Inflicting that lot on you.’

‘It’s OK.’

‘You weren’t comfortable, and that was remiss of me.’

‘Martha seems nice.’

‘She is.’

‘And Laurent.’

Rhys glanced at her before returning his attention to the vista in front of them. ‘Laurent is... Laurent.’ He shrugged. ‘There’s no harm in him. He’s got a heart of gold. He’s just loud.’

‘And big.’

Rhys snorted. ‘You can say that again.’ He paused. ‘I should have warned you they’d be there, and I should have anticipated that Martha would ask for your mobile number.’ He sat up and scooted around to face her, his expression sombre. ‘You don’t need to tell me, but I’m here for you if you ever want to talk.’

Oh, God, he (rightly) suspected there was more to her not owning a mobile than the simple explanation she had given him. Tabitha studied her lap and didn’t respond.

Rhys changed the subject. ‘Um, about next Sunday, I, er...’

Tabitha froze, her heart thumping. Was she going to go from girlfriend to ex-girlfriend in the space of an afternoon? She didn’t blame him: she was damaged goods. The baggage she carried was greater than he could be expected to bear. Maybe it was better if they split up now, before she became any more embroiled in this relationship, because it was bound to end eventually, either when she told him about her past or when he found out. Which he would do, sooner or later. The closer they grew, the greater the chance that he would find out. Someone – her grandad, or her parents if their relationship developed to the point where they met each other’s parents – would undoubtedly slip up at some point.

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