by Anna Bell
‘Stupid bloody thing,’ says Ben. He picks up the strewn-about clay and slams it back down again onto the now still wheel. He rubs his head in frustration, depositing a bit of clay in his hair and making it stand up in a Tintin quiff.
My heart does a somersault and I bite my lip. He couldn’t possibly look any sexier.
‘You’ve just got to take it easy,’ I say, sitting down behind him and balancing myself. I carefully scrape up his clay and mould it back into a ball, before putting his hands around it. I wrap mine over the top à la Ghost, and as I depress the pedal and ease the wheel slowly round, I help Ben shape it.
‘Now this is a bit more like it,’ he says, the lightness coming back into his voice.
I have to say I’ve enjoyed the pottery. For the first time since embarking on our new joint bucket list, I’ve found something that Ben can’t do that I can. It’s nice to be the one coaxing and encouraging for a change.
We’ve rented a little cottage in the Lake District, and whilst for most of the week Ben’s had me hurtling head first down questionable paths on my bike and hiking up what seem like sheer cliff faces, today was my choice of adventure, and I chose the shed at the bottom of the garden that has a little potter’s wheel and kiln. The whole reason I’d chosen this particular cottage – well, that and the hot tub . . .
‘Got something on your mind, have you?’ says Ben, laughing.
I look round at the pot we’re making – it looks undeniably phallic. I haven’t been paying attention, too lost in thinking about last night’s steamy hot-tub session.
‘Must be a Freudian slip.’
‘Oh, really,’ says Ben removing his hands and running them along my thighs.
‘Oi, watch my trousers, clay hands,’ I say, jumping up.
It only seems to spur him on as he gets up, his hands outstretched.
‘These clay hands want to show you how good they are off the potter’s wheel.’
He reaches over to me and slips them under the waist band of my trousers and pulls me in close.
‘Do they now?’
‘Uh-huh.’
I scan the window of the shed to make sure we’re not visible to onlookers; it’s pretty secluded so I think we’re safe.
His hands slide under my T-shirt and up my back as he slowly leans over and kisses me.
I close my eyes and think how lucky I am that I’m now working my way through the list that I call the bucket list for living happily ever after.
Abi’s Guide to Bucket Lists
Now, a bucket list really should be full of stuff that you’ve always wanted to do, not torturous things that have you quaking in your boots like the list of Joseph’s that I did.
So instead of putting yourself into your ex’s shoes and living out their dreams, write your very own bucket list – one that will inspire you to live a little, and here’s how I recommend you do it.
1 – Choose 2 or 3 Travel Destinations:
Before I met Ben I booked holidays based on last-minute deals, using the checklist of cheap booze, sizzling temperatures and proximity to the beach. I’d never really got the travelling bug, and therefore my ‘where to’ bucket list was pretty empty. But after some head scratching I thought of three.
First up: a European city break. Not only are they easy to do on a weekend and therefore involve taking minimal time off work, but with cheap flights they won’t cost you the earth. Meaning there won’t be many excuses not to tick them off your list quickly.
I chose Florence and Siena for my list. Not only is there the lure of all that yummy pasta and fantastic coffee, but they also have amazing art collections. And they’re not the most unromantic of places, perfect to go with my lovely new boyfriend. . .
Next up is somewhere a bit further afield. That place tucked away in the back of your mind that you’ve always wanted to go to, somewhere dreamy. For me, that place is the Maldives. I’m picturing a little wooden bungalow on stilts over crystal-clear waters and bright white beaches. The perfect place for something like a honeymoon (nudge, nudge, Ben).
Then there’s that once in a lifetime trip – or at least I hope mine will be . . . I’m definitely not doing it twice. Something like a safari, a diving holiday or a camper-van trip round New Zealand. On my list is – a trip to Tanzania to trek up Kilimanjaro followed by a safari. Um, can you guess who came up with this? Ben thinks I’ll get up Kilimanjaro no problem, since I’ve managed to conquer Snowdon. I’m not brilliant at geography but I’m thinking that Kili is a bit bigger, and the risks of altitude sickness a bit higher. But Ben keeps telling me to focus on the cute fluffy lions and lofty giraffes that I’m going to see after.
2 – Pick up a new hobby
So I’ve binned the Spanish lessons. I can now successfully go to tapas restaurants and order meatballs – mission accomplished. Yet there are other hobbies I’ve always wanted to acquire but never given the time to start.
I recommend picking a couple of things that you’ve always wanted to learn to do, but never had the time. Then make the time!
I decided I wanted to learn to knit and to bake. I’ve started both and I’m pleased to report they’re going better than the español. I started off knitting Ben a jumper (I’m still convinced that the Colin Firth Christmas jumper is a good one) but I’ve scaled down my ambitions and am now knitting a scarf. As for the baking, I’m getting pretty good and my waistline is testament to that – let’s just say those post-Joseph break-up pounds are not going anywhere.
3 – Day trips
Places where you have to get glammed up or get togged up in overalls. I’m thinking tea at the Ritz or walking over the millennium dome. Things you can do in a day that are as far from your average day as you can get.
On my list is having dinner at Heston’s The Fat Duck. It’s a four-hour feast that I think will blow me away, and with the prices charged a real one-off experience for me!
4 – Add some life goals
Ideally you should think about where you want your life headed and how you can get there. They should be slightly obtainable; marrying Ryan Gosling as amazing as it might be is probably a bit far out of reach. But writing a novel or getting a few rungs up the career level might not be. In my life-goals section are to own a house (my bank balance is laughing at that one) and to start up my own business (well, Ben wants lots of kids and a little bit of flexible working would help).
And that’s my new bucket list in a nutshell. I probably should have made a list like this in the first place, but then I never would have met Ben . . .
Acknowledgements
I once mountain-biked down the most dangerous road in the world in Bolivia. Or at least I would have done if I hadn’t cried my eyes out after the first two metres and spent the rest of the day in the support van following the riders that did complete it. You see that’s what happens when you try and do something on your ex’s bucket list just so you can impress them. Despite that being one of the worst things I’ve ever done it did inspire this novel, so thank you to that ex for breaking up with me back then and setting me on the path to writing this novel.
My agent Hannah Ferguson also deserves a huge thank you for helping to come up with the idea for this novel. It was a bit of an uphill struggle and as always she put up with my neurotic emails and I’m incredibly thankful she keeps me as a client.
This is my first book with the imprint Zaffre, and it’s been lovely getting to know everyone. To Joel and Claire especially, thank you for your editorial notes and your enthusiasm for the novel.
A huge thank you needs to go to the readers, bloggers, fellow authors and Team Novelicious for their support – especially keeping me sane on Twitter. Also to the amazing bloggers who have reviewed my books or featured me on their blog, thank you so much. To my lovely real-life friends and family, your endless support and interest in my books often astounds me – thank you!
My two lively children Evan and Jessica deserve special thanks as they have to put up with a for
getful mum and a messy house (as any time not feeding the baby or playing Duplo are spent tapping away instead of cleaning). Lastly, my husband deserves the biggest thank you. Thanks for putting up with all the self-doubt, all the ham, egg and chip dinners we have to have when I haven’t had time to cook, and for buying me lots of Maltesers when I’m editing. You know I met him whilst ticking ‘trek to Everest base camp’ off my bucket list. You see actual proof that bucket lists can lead you to love . . .
About the Author
Anna Bell currently writes the weekly column ‘The Secret Dreamworld of An Aspiring Author’ on the website Novelicious (www.novelicious.com).
Anna is a full-time writer and loves nothing more than going for walks with her husband, two young children and Labrador.
You can find out more about Anna at her website: www.annabellwrites.com
Also by Anna Bell
Don’t Tell the Groom
Don’t Tell the Boss
Don’t Tell the Brides-to-Be
First published in Great Britain in 2016by Zaffre Publishing
This ebook edition published in 2016 by
Zaffre Publishing
80-81 Wimpole St, London, W1G 9RE
www.zaffrebooks.co.uk
Copyright © Anna Bell, 2016
The moral right of the author to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places and events are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN: 978-1-7857-6038-9
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-7857-6039-9
This ebook was produced by IDSUK (Data Connection) Ltd
Zaffre Publishing is an imprint of Bonnier Publishing Fiction, a Bonnier Publishing company
www.bonnierpublishingfiction.co.uk
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