Tamsin opened her eyes. She felt something scratchy between her right shoulder blade and the bed sheets. She pushed herself up and glanced over her shoulder. A crumb.

Diane had brought them up a few slices of toast to nibble on last night, which had been the extent of their dinner.

Diane. Where was she?

Tamsin looked around the room. To her right, the curtains had been drawn over a small window. To her left, a chair had Tamsin’s clothes draped over its back. Underneath the sheets, Tamsin was naked. They had really done this. Tamsin had just woken up in Diane Thompson’s bed, only… Diane was nowhere to be seen.

She listened for sounds in the house. Maybe Diane had gone down the stairs to fetch more toast, famished from making love—and missing dinner. In her own house, the first sound Tamsin usually heard was Bramble rousing from sleep. This house was eerily quiet. No clanking of cups. No smell of coffee drifting upwards.

Had last night freaked Diane out so much she’d done a runner again? From her own house?

Tamsin scratched her head. There wasn’t much else for her to do than get up and put her clothes back on. Bramble needed to be fed and let out. At least her dog would be happy to see her this morning.

Tamsin threw off the sheets and slipped into her jeans and blouse. She walked to the window and opened the curtains. The window looked out over Diane’s back garden and the rolling landscape beyond. Then all the images from last night flooded Tamsin’s mind. The kiss on the sofa. Diane’s outstretched hand. The rush up the stairs, followed by tearing off each other’s clothes. Tamsin had been gentle with Diane, careful and deliberate. Perhaps not careful enough. She took a deep breath, turned on her heel, and headed downstairs, where she found no one.

She had just located her handbag and was about to swing it over her shoulder, when she heard a car approach. She stilled to listen further. The dull thud of a car door being shut. The click-clack of heels on the driveway. The scratching of keys in the front door lock.

Tamsin peeked her head into the hallway and looked into Diane’s face. She was holding a paper bag from which emanated the most enticing smell.

“You’re up,” Diane said.

“You’re here,” Tamsin replied.

“Where else would I be?” Diane closed the door behind her and walked up to Tamsin.

“I thought you’d run off again.” Tamsin identified the smell coming from the bag as freshly baked croissants. She could murder one of those.

“From my own house?” Diane turned on her full-wattage smile.

Tamsin shrugged.

“I’d been awake for two hours and you just kept on sleeping. I took the opportunity to get us some much-needed breakfast. I left you a note by the coffee machine.” She held up the bag. “Are you hungry?”

“Desperately.” Tamsin planted her hands on Diane’s hips and pulled her close. “Someone made me miss dinner last night.” She shook her head. “What kind of a dinner party is that?”

“The hostess deserves all the punishment you can muster, but first,” Diane leaned in, “she also deserves a kiss.”

Diane smelled freshly showered, her breath minty. Tamsin felt a little self-conscious, but they’d slept together last night, so she kissed her despite feeling less than fresh. The way she leaned into the kiss, Diane didn’t seem to mind at all.

“Coffee,” Diane whispered, when they broke from their kiss. “And lots of it.”

“Maybe I should jump in the shower first,” Tamsin offered.

“Nonsense.” Diane glanced at the bag of croissants. “If I don’t eat in the next minute, I’m not sure what I’ll do. Isabelle told me that ‘hangry’ is very much a thing these days.” Diane led the way to the kitchen.

Tamsin eagerly followed her. In her previous affairs, she’d always been the one running out to buy pastries in the morning. It was nice to have it done for her.

Diane made coffee while Tamsin laid the table and then they sat next to each other at the kitchen table which offered the same view as the bedroom window, only much grander.

Tamsin bit into the croissant. She’d had croissants from the same bakery before but they’d never tasted like this. It wasn’t just that she was hungry. It was the woman sitting next to her, sharing breakfast with her.

“Good god.” Diane moaned in exaggerated fashion. “Where have you been all my life?”

“Are you talking about me?” Tamsin asked. “Because I grew up in Derbyshire, then I moved to South London, although when I say South London, I actually mean Croydon. Then I moved to Tynebury and here I finally am.” She turned to face Diane.

Diane’s gaze on her was soft. Her eyes narrowed further when she spoke. “Last night was amazing.” She paused. “I feel like a different person. Like a new me.”

“Your latebian status isn’t freaking you out too much?”

Diane shook her head. “Not one bit, which is a bit strange. I might still be under the influence of… sex with Tamsin Foxley.” She curved her lips into an irresistible smile.

Tamsin waggled her eyebrows. “It has that effect on people,” she joked.

“Will you spend the day with me?” Diane’s voice had grown more serious. “I still owe you dinner, after all.”

“I’d love to, but I do need to get home to Bramble. She’ll be going bonkers by now.”

“I’ll go with you.” Diane put a hand on Tamsin’s knee. “If you want me to, of course.”

“We might as well tell Bramble,” Tamsin said. “She’s the least judgmental creature I know.”

On the walk from Diane’s home to Tamsin’s cottage, Tamsin had wanted to take Diane’s hand in hers, but she’d fought the urge. After all, she wasn’t the one who’d lived in this village all her life. She figured that, for Diane, just being seen walking through Tynebury with the new lesbian in town was enough of a challenge already. But if it was, Diane hadn’t let on at all. Despite their hands not touching, Tamsin had felt close to her because Diane had barely seemed to notice any passers-by—she’d only had eyes for Tamsin.

After lavishing Bramble with enough attention to make up for having to spend the night on her own—a few extra treats and throwing her tennis ball into the thicket of shrubs bordering the property—they stood in Tamsin’s kitchen.

“Do you, er, want to talk about what happened?” Tamsin asked.

Diane pursed her lips and locked her gaze on Tamsin’s. “I think I might have to do it all over again before I can talk about it.”

Tamsin burst into a chuckle. “We do have all day so I suppose that can be arranged.” She stepped closer and pushed herself against Diane, pressing her backside against the kitchen counter. They kissed and any desire to talk fled Tamsin as well.

When they broke from their kiss, Diane said, “I don’t want to think about any of the consequences of this. Not yet. I just want to enjoy it.” She ran a fingertip over Tamsin’s upper arm.

“Excellent plan.” Diane probably didn’t realise that this was a departure from Tamsin’s usual ways as well. But it felt good—different. Full of possibility. And they may not be at the exact same stage of their lives, but they already had a lot more in common than Tamsin and Ellen had ever had. In fact, Ellen hadn’t crossed Tamsin’s mind much at all in the past twenty-four hours. This was a first.

They’d just locked lips again when Tamsin’s phone started ringing. She rolled her eyes. “I bet you that’s my loving, but very nosy sister.” She dug her phone out of her purse and showed Diane the screen, which displayed a picture of Eve pulling a silly face. If it had been anyone else, Tamsin would have pressed the ignore button already, but she’d always had a hard time ignoring Eve. It wasn’t something they did with each other. Although this time, Eve couldn’t possibly use the excuse she’d worry if Tamsin didn’t pick up. They both knew why she was calling.

“Are you going to pick up?” Diane asked.

Tamsin had only to look at Diane, her head tilted back, her eyes full of desire, to be able to ignore her twin. “Eve can wait,” she said, and tapped the red button. She switched her phone to silent mode and tossed it back into her bag.

“What if there’s a golfing emergency at the club today?” Diane said, a wide smirk on her face. “What if Debbie gets a ball stuck in the bunker again and needs to reach you urgently because she has no clue how to get it out?”

“Really?” Tamsin stepped closer again. “Debbie’s who you’re thinking of right now?”

“Screw Debbie.” Diane hooked a finger in the waist of Tamsin’s jeans and pulled her all the way to her. “I feel kind of sorry for her now, actually. She’s stuck with Lawrence while I’ve got you.”

“My dad made this very bed we’re lying in,” Tamsin said. They had to stop ending up in bed around meal times because her stomach was growling again.

“It’s very sturdy.” Diane turned to her side. Tamsin adored her playful side. “Give him my compliments.” She kissed Tamsin on the nose. “What about the bedside tables? They’re gorgeous.”

Pride swelled in Tamsin’s chest. “I bought those for ten quid each at a charity shop in London, then gave them a new life.”

“A charity shop?” Diane sat up a bit straighter. “They look like they come from a designer store.”

Tamsin held up her hand and wiggled her fingers. “The magic Foxley touch.”

“I know all about that.” Diane caught Tamsin’s hand in hers and kissed the tip of her index finger. “It must be magic, what with you managing to get me into bed twice in less than twenty-four hours.”

Tamsin cleared her throat ostentatiously. “Excuse me. I thought I was coming over to yours for dinner last night, only to find out that no dinner would be served. At all. This is not my doing at all.”

“You’re too foxy, Tamsin Foxley,” Diane said and snickered. “I bet you’ve heard that one a million times before.”

“A few times, but it sounds extra adorable coming from you.” Tamsin slanted towards Diane and pulled her into a kiss again. She couldn’t get enough of her.

A phone started ringing downstairs. They both jumped.

“That can’t be me. I’ve put mine on silent,” Tamsin said, while making a mental note to call Eve at the earliest opportunity.

“Must be mine then.” Diane sighed. “Do you mind if I get that? What with Lucy being pregnant. It could be Timothy.”

“Of course.” Tamsin watched Diane get out of bed—a sight she’d missed that morning—and quickly slip into her blouse.

“There’s a robe on the back of the door,” Tamsin said.

Diane nodded and grabbed it, then headed downstairs. Tamsin followed her with a sheet folded around her naked body. Diane had missed the call, but it was apparently from someone important enough—probably her son—for her to call back immediately.