Out of Practice (29 page)

To Holly’s continuing surprise, it was Ben that Taffy scooped up yet again, blowing a raspberry on his tummy that Holly would never have dared attempt. ‘I think I’ll take . .
.’ he blew another raspberry to further shrieks of delight, ‘. . . this one!’ He raised an eyebrow at Holly and quietly murmured an aside, ‘If that’s okay with you? I
will be properly careful though, I promise.’

Holly swallowed hard, overcome by an unfamiliar emotion. She struggled to put her finger on it, as she mutely nodded her head. Supported, that was it. She felt supported. Not alone, or lonely,
or out of her depth.

She watched as Taffy encouraged the boys to join in the cheers for the first brave swimmers. It was as though he instinctively knew how important it was to her that the boys enjoy experiences
like this one. How special it was for her to be a small part of a community that cared about the past as well as the future and whose idea of a family event hadn’t changed for half a
century.

The adrenalin was pumping through her veins now, as they waited patiently for their turn. ‘Are you ready, boys?’ she grinned excitedly. ‘It’s going to be chilly.’
She shrugged off her down jacket and felt Taffy’s eyes skimming her body, lingering where her baggy t-shirt clung to her swimsuit and taking no small amount of pleasure in the two high spots
of colour that appeared on his cheeks.

‘Looking good there, Dr Graham,’ he murmured quietly, as they were pushed together by the others waiting.

‘Not so bad yourself, Dr Jones,’ she replied, trying not to stare at his muscular abs and the fine smattering of hair on his well-honed chest.

Luckily their turn had come, plunging into the shallows of the meandering river and heading for one of the natural pools that made this stretch of river a perfect oasis. Although the air was
cold, the water itself was by no means arctic and they lowered the twins into the river. Residents young and old piled in around them, spreading out into little cliques in places, but mostly
jumbled together like pick and mix – Werther’s Originals alongside young bouncing jelly beans.

Screams of laughter and shock at the cold water filled the air as adults and children alike splashed each other gleefully. It seemed as though the only residents who hadn’t made the effort
to come were the bedridden and the snooty – it didn’t take a rocket scientist to work out which category Milo fell into. Even the supermarket, shops and pub had closed temporarily so
that the staff could join in.

Certainly, the sight of Police Chief Inspector Davis in his stripy bathing suit would stick with Holly for years to come and she couldn’t help thinking what a bloody good sport he was, as
he ducked handfuls of water thrown his way by the odd young troublemaker. The Major seemed to be getting some rather intensive swimming tips from Marion Gains, who was one of the river club’s
regulars, and was obviously loving every minute. Holly could have sworn she even saw Julia Channing in a floral swim hat down at the far end of the weir.

She watched the twins as they bobbed happily, warm in their little suits, and delighted by the cooing attentions of every granny who swam by. Taffy, to his enormous credit, hadn’t stopped
watching them for a second and Holly found herself feeling a little overwhelmed by the whole spectacle. He reached over and brushed a soggy curl from her face. ‘Having fun?’

‘Far more than one might imagine.’

He grinned. ‘Yep, cold water, lots of people, early start – you wouldn’t think it’s a winning combination.’

Holly privately thought that it might just be a magic formula for happiness and acceptance but she wisely kept her ramblings to herself. She watched as an athletic teenager came flying from the
tyre swing into the deepest part of the river and surfaced without his shorts. She snorted childishly with laughter.

Taffy leaned in closer. ‘It’s not normally a naturist swim, honestly. But if you felt the urge to join in, I’m sure that no one would object.’

Holly splashed him, her eyes widening at his intimate tone. Sure, there was a certain familiarity in their relationship. Somehow, he had become her surrogate partner this morning after all, but
there was something in his voice that made Holly realise that, for all her protestations, Taffy’s feelings for her were not purely of the platonic variety.

All she had to work out now, was how that made her feel. Watching him swing Ben around fearlessly in the water, she knew one thing for certain – Taffy Jones was one of the good guys.
Whatever she chose to do, it had to be handled with care and affection. She had no desire to be the latest conquest on his list. It wasn’t how she functioned. But likewise, she’d found
a rather special friendship with Taffy and she had no desire to lose that while he worked through what could only be a passing fancy.

She started a little at the feel of his hand on her waist. Treading water, with everyone else around them, the intimacy of the gesture was somehow magnified. ‘Shall we get the boys out for
some hot chocolate, while they’re still having fun? Probably best to finish on a high note and then they’ll want to come again next year.’

‘Good plan,’ she smiled. ‘Always leave them wanting more.’

The double entendre of her words only occurred to her, as she saw the flash in his eyes and the increased pressure of his hand that somehow felt perfectly natural brushing against her rib cage.
She delighted in the boys’ exuberant reactions to the promise of hot chocolate and cast one last look around the river, cementing the image in her memory as the moment she felt truly a part
of this wonderful community.

Wading out of the water, there were volunteers wrapping everyone in towels and silver foil blankets, hot drinks pressed into their hands. The four of them found a tree stump to perch on, a child
on each lap and steam from their drinks warming their hands and noses. A photographer from the
Larkford Gazette
snapped their moment of intimacy. Holly thought at the time that it was
bound to be a fabulous photograph. She couldn’t possibly foresee the furore it would cause at home when it made the front page under the caption, ‘New Local Doc and Family Embracing
Larkford’s Spring Swim’. It certainly wouldn’t have occurred to Milo that he could have been the one making his wife and children laugh like drains. But then, it had to be said,
with Milo in the mix, they probably wouldn’t be.

Dan threw his wet gear into the boot of his car and stretched out the tension in his shoulders. He really was getting a little old for bombs and somersaults into the river, but
he never could resist a challenge or a dare. He’d rather hoped to catch up with Taffy, have a bit of a chat, but Taffy seemed to be playing surrogate father to Holly’s twins this
morning. Dan genuinely couldn’t see how this was going to end well for his friend. Despite being known for his skills with the opposite sex, Dan had never seen his friend like this
before.

Speak of the devil, Dan looked up to see Taffy jogging across the river bank towards him. ‘Feeling a little delicate, are we?’ Taffy called out as he got closer. Perching on the edge
of Dan’s boot, he pinched Dan’s towel to rub at his hair. ‘Now, are we blaming the somersaults, or is there anything you’d like to tell me about a certain science
teacher?’

Dan coloured immediately. To be honest, he hadn’t really got his head around last night. He couldn’t really complain though, could he? To Taffy The Player of all people? He’d
basically been offered the Holy Grail – no strings attached, amazing sex with a beautiful girl. The problem being, of course, that he now felt a bit of a girl himself. A bit ‘used and
abused’.

‘Nah, just pulled a shoulder, I think,’ he said evasively.

‘I have absolutely no sympathy, mate,’ Taffy laughed, not missing a trick. ‘If you spend the whole night doing unspeakable things to that gorgeous girl, you shouldn’t
really expect any.’

Dan attempted to shrug, but flinched as the pain spasmed through his shoulder.

Taffy sat down beside him and handed over his bottle of isotonic drink. ‘Drink that and stop moaning, you big baby. And then I’m going to want details.’

Dan shook his head. ‘No details.’

‘Aw crap, that means you actually like this girl, doesn’t it? When you go all cagey about privacy, it’s game over. Can I at least ask whether she’s as sporty in the sack
as she is on the track? I heard she’s got proper juice from my mate at the Harriers.’

Dan raised one eyebrow. ‘Your mate at the Harriers? You mean Brian the equipment guy? Yeah. I’m sure he’s the font of all knowledge.’

Taffy took back his drink and stood up. ‘Well, if you’re going to be snooty . . .’

‘Look, Lindy’s great – the full package really – and we had an amazing evening. We just, well, let’s just say we’re looking for different things.’

Taffy groaned sympathetically. ‘Got all clingy, did she?’

‘Not so’s you’d notice, no.’

Dan’s abrupt tone and his obvious discomfort conveyed the situation more clearly than anything he might have said.

‘Oh,’ said Taffy quietly. ‘Bad luck, mate. To be honest, I probably should have warned you. She does have that reputation. I didn’t realise you were thinking
“relationship” – I just thought a decent shag would do you good!’

‘Jesus, Taffy. Easy on the tact there – you don’t want anyone accusing you of political correctness. Anyway, the sex was more than decent. Although, by the sound of it,
she’s had plenty of practice.’ He sighed. ‘I just couldn’t get my head in the game. Too much whizzing around up here.’

Taffy perched beside Dan on the tailgate of the car and let out a deep breath. ‘Don’t worry about it, honestly. It happens to all of us and you’d been knocking back the cider a
bit so . . .’

Dan’s laugh was short and a little bitter. ‘There’s nothing wrong with the hydraulics. Just my stupid brain. Couldn’t stop thinking about other things. There she is
– gorgeous by the way – doing the nasty and I couldn’t stop thinking that I’d really fancy a sandwich!’

Taffy grinned. ‘What kind of sandwich? Are we talking roast beef, horseradish and a little rocket?’

‘Nope,’ said Dan disgustedly. ‘Not even a fancy sandwich – just cheese and that pickle that Julia used to buy with the little sultanas in it. I’m a disgrace to my
gender, Taffs, I really am. And then, next thing you know, she’s dressed and off, leaving me feeling like . . .’

Taffy took back his drink and drained the bottle, tossing it over his shoulder into the chaos of Dan’s car. The very fact that Dan didn’t bat an eyelid was further evidence of his
wobbly state of mind. ‘Now don’t bite my head off, but are you sure that thinking about Julia’s chutney, of all things, might not have been a Freudian what’s-his-face? You
know, you were actually wishing you were in bed with Julia? And, as for the rest, stop kidding yourself. You’re a Serial Monogamist. Always have been.’

‘And leopards never change their spots?’

‘Well, I wouldn’t say that . . . I’m practically a reformed character these days.’

Dan gazed out over the river bank, letting Taffy waffle on. He wanted to listen, but just as last night, his mind took him off on its own little safari.

Dan leaned back and sighed. ‘Taffs, with all due respect, mate, shut up about Holly for thirty seconds would you. I’ve had a bit of an epiphany.’

‘Crikey mate, alright. Don’t panic, we can get you a cream for that,’ Taffy dead-panned.

Dan just shook his head. ‘Seriously, for two minutes, I kind of need to talk to you.’

Taffy pulled a remorseful face. ‘Okay then, start with the juicy stuff and we can go from there.’

‘Not about Lindy. I need to talk to you about The Practice, actually. I need an opinion. I’m thinking of stepping out of the race for Senior Partner. It’s just too much grief
and hassle. Julia’s building up some cliquey support and, frankly, doing my head in with her new split-personality. I have no idea from one day to the next whether she’s going to be
Jekyll or Hyde. And I just can’t work out Henry’s deal, with all his wheeler-dealing. I’m just starting to wonder if it’s all worth it. Besides, it’s not like
I’m in great shape at the moment, is it?’

Taffy couldn’t deny that he’d spent most of the week wondering whether Dan would show up for work and whether he’d be safe and capable when he got there. ‘I do get what
you’re thinking, but aren’t you overcomplicating this? Isn’t it just a blip? You’ll go to Hereford this week, Chris’ll work his voodoo magic and you’ll be fine
again. Then, I reckon, you’d really regret pulling out. And we’d all have to live with the consequences,’ he ended darkly.

‘Maybe. Maybe not . . .’

They both sat in silence watching a group of joggers stretching out on the trail on the opposite river bank. One or two were dressed in lycra body suits, their neon trainers glistening against
the soggy ground. Their warm-up seemed to last forever and then they set off, as a pack, not speaking, just running. Dan pulled a Mars bar out of his pocket and took a huge mouthful, before
offering it to Taffy.

‘D’you think there’s a chance we’re not taking this marathon training thing seriously enough?’ he asked, heading off on a tangent.

‘Wha–?’ mumbled Taffy, mouth full of chocolatey nougat.

‘Well, all the Harriers have a special diet, according to Lindy. Low GI, high carb, lots of lean protein, no booze . . .’

Taffy swallowed hard. ‘I would honestly rather have a stroke halfway round than eat an egg-white omelette and give up a healthy ale or two.’ He patted his firm, muscled, but
decidedly un-chiselled abs. ‘Don’t want to make the ladies feel uncomfortable by being intimidating.’

Dan snorted with laughter. ‘Okay, Romeo. But seriously, what do you think about me stepping down? You’re in kind of a unique position, you know. You know all the goings-on,
who’s up to what, but you’re not tied in and blinkered like the rest of us.’

Taffy could see that Dan had a point, although he’d never stopped to consider it that way. He spent so many shifts at The Practice now, it had started to feel like home. It was the other
shifts dotted around the county that actually felt weird. ‘Well, to be honest, I think you’re all mental in your own way. I’m not sure your flashback thing is any worse than
Julia’s desire to control everyone and everything around her. And Henry Bruce? Well, if you ask me, he’s not exactly on the straight and level. Can’t put my finger on why, but he
always seems so fucking shifty, you know?’