Love All

Rain Stops Play

"Thomas! Darling!" The tanned, honey blonde walked up and kissed him on the cheek, grabbing his arm and wrapping it around her as she snuggled in, quite literally shoving Cara to the side.

Tom and Cara had only arrived a matter of minutes before, enjoying a glass of champagne before their table was ready.  Dressed in a beautiful - and scarily expensive - dress she'd bought in the intervening few days, Cara had finally felt, well, beautiful.  

The ugly duckling in her head had morphed into the swan.  

It wasn't just the dress. It was Tom. Much as she would never have admitted to the attention of a man, any man, being the measure of her self worth, Cara had to admit Tom made her feel special.

He'd been the perfect host - and the perfect Gentleman that night at his house.  They had kissed - a lot - and they had, to coin a phrase, made out like teenagers on the sofa after dinner.  What she had also done, was go home not having slept with him.  

Sure in the knowledge that she would have, if she had felt it right, he hadn't pressured her.  Far from it, he had been kind and caring and everything she'd ever dreamed he would be.  As they'd said goodnight, he'd kissed her tenderly and promised to be there at the airport to collect her when she came back the following weekend.  The guest bedroom would be hers, if she wanted it.  His bed would be hers if she wanted him.

Flying home the next day, despite the prospect of the next weekend, Cara had felt bereft.  As she looked out the aircraft window, the day was, like her mood a grey and wet one.  Unseasonably cold, it had echoed the chill in her heart.  Through the mist she could see the courts of Wimbledon retreat below, the flightpath taking them right over the scene of her miracle.  She smiled, a single tear rolling down her cheek.  Wiping it away, she'd smiled. "See you soon" she'd whispered and closed her eyes for a snooze.

It had only been an hour, the flight wasn't long, but it had felt a million miles and a lifetime away when she landed.  For a moment, she wondered if it had all been a - wonderful - dream.  For a moment. As she waited for the bus to take her to the carpark, she was suddenly reminded just how real it all had been,

"Miss Graham?" a voice at her back made her jump a little and she blushed as she turned. 

"Yes? That's.... Oh my!"   As Cara turned, a large bunch of roses was speaking to her. From behind it, 

"These are for you, your tennis coach sent them." A young man with a large smile handed them to her and as he walked away, she could see he was from a local florist.  Her heart raced as she put down her bag, reaching for the card attached to the bouquet.  Her fellow travellers smiled and whispered at the 'beautiful flowers' and 'lucky woman' as she tore open the little white envelope.

The card inside had few words, but those words?  Made her feel amazing.

"You are my sunshine Cara, you took it away today.  Bring it back soon darling. Txx"

Looking around, as if she'd been told the biggest secret of the universe, she smiled.  Definitely a swan.

A week later, she'd arrived back in London to a welcome she wouldn't have ever dreamed possible.  A chauffeured SUV, the driver in uniform and cap, waiting at arrivals with her name on a little board.  She'd smiled, feeling like a million dollars and he'd carried her bag to the car as she read the note that had been handed to her.  It almost felt like she was in some sort of spy movie, getting her instructions from 'M' as she was taken to her safehouse.

'Darling, I'm sorry I can't be there in person as I promised, but I hope that Parker will be a better substitute than I ever could be.  I decided I wanted our reunion to be in private and not a media circus.  There will  be time enough for that later.  Parker's my usual production company driver but he agreed to do this for me as a favour tonight, he'll bring you to mine, as I said, with no expectations or design.  I'll see you when you get here, hope you're hungry love, I think I might have bought a chicken just a bit too big for two!  See you soon darling, can't wait for the sunshine to come back into my life. Txxx"