When Love Knocks Twice (A Contemporary Love Story) Read Online Free PDF Page A

hormones.
    But
the memory brought a physical warmth now, much to her surprise.
Whatever else, she remembered him with fondness she decided. It was
perhaps why she had felt comfortable inviting him to dinner. And it
occurred to her that, that had been the trouble with her relationship
with Tom as teenagers, he had been comfortable, when as a teenager
she was looking for exciting. The thought was a minor revelation to
her. So what was she looking for now, a comfortable life, or an
exciting life?
    Her
thoughts became more rambling and less focussed as sleep slowly
started to overcome her.

Thursday

    Tom
came down to the breakfast the next morning and found, to his
pleasant surprise, Gail sat at a table perusing the menu. Having
completed his double take, he joined her at the table.
    “ This
is a surprise. I didn't expect to see you until later.”
    “ Good
morning,” responded Gail. “I trust you slept well.”
    Tom
raised an eyebrow. “What's this about? Why the formal polite
approach all of a sudden?”
    “ Early
morning. It pays to be civilised,” she grinned. “I
decided that if we were going on a route march that I would treat
myself to a Full English Breakfast.”
“Such decadence,”
mocked Tom.
    Their
orders were taken, and arrived promptly, precluding much more in the
way of conversation as they tucked in. Once they had finished toast
and coffee Gail called for her bill.
    “ No,
no, no,” insisted Tom. “This is on me. I probably owe you
something from forty years ago anyway.”
    “ Okay,”
accepted Gail. “ But only on the understanding that you come
back to mine for dinner tonight.”
    “ It's
a deal. How could I refuse? Do you want to come upstairs and use the
facilities before we go?”
    “ Are
you inviting me up to your boudoir, Mr Drysdale?”
    “ Yes,”
retorted Tom. “But only because you've got bacon stuck between
your teeth.”
    She
took a half-hearted, backhanded swipe at him that was so slow he
dodged without any trouble, and they went up to his bedroom, before
returning downstairs, Tom shod in walking boots, and Gail carrying
her car keys. Once in the car park she beeped her remote at a sleek
SAAB sports convertible and provoked a ribald remark from Tom, which
she ignored. Retrieving her walking-boots and lacing them swiftly and
efficiently, she announced herself ready to walk.
    As
they started out to trek to the edge of town, curiosity overcame
Gail.
    “ So
where exactly are we going?” she inquired.
    “ The
moor outside the town, beyond the reservoir. It used to be our
wilderness as kids.”
    Gail
shook her head. “I'm afraid you could be sadly disappointed.
They have tidied it up somewhat, made paths for Sunday walkers with
pushchairs. There's even a café in the middle.”
    Tom
mimed Aghast. “No! Sacrilege!”
    Gail
was right, but Tom's dismay didn't stop them having morning coffee at
the café, before they continued out into the country beyond
the neat, where wilderness still survived.
    They
denied themselves any lunch on the basis that they were still working
off breakfast, but sat down on a grassy knoll, in the sunshine,
overlooking the low valley they had just walked through.
    “ I
don't think I've ever been up this far,” mused Gail.
    “ You
are joking.”
“No,” Gail insisted. “We
lived on the other side of town, remember. As kids this was too far
to come on our own.”
    Tom
laid back on the grass and clasped his hands behind his head. “You
definitely missed out then.”
    “ So
it would seem.”
    They
enjoyed the peace and quiet for a few moments before Gail broke it.
    “ Do
you ever feel guilty that they're not here and you are?”
    “ Our
other halves you mean.”
    “ Yes,”
confirmed Gail.
    “ Yes,
sometimes,” agreed Tom. “More often I feel saddened that
I can't share the moment with them, but somehow I feel that it's me
that's lost out.”
    “ Yes!”
exclaimed Gail. “You're right. I never thought of it like that,
but it does. So should I feel