Once in a Lifetime

by Chrissie Manby

  ‘That told you,’ said Dani.

  ‘I’m Mr Princess?’

  ‘Mrs Jezza …’

  Dani got the warning stare.

  ‘Eyes front!’

  For the rest of the class, Dani and Will spoke only when they were spoken to, but their joint humiliation at the beginning of the session had already fostered a closer bond between the two new friends. Every now and then they caught each other’s eye and had to work hard to hold in the giggles. It was the most fun Dani had had in a very long time.

  At ten o’clock precisely, the class came to an end. Nurse Van Niekerk blew the final whistle and puppies and their owners were dismissed with stern instructions to practise everything they’d learned that day over and over before the next session.

  ‘Sir, yes, sir!’ Will dared a mock salute.

  Nurse Van Niekerk pursed her lips at him.

  ‘You are bad,’ said Dani as she and Will left the playing field. ‘No one gets to take the mick out of Nurse Van Niekerk without consequences.’

  ‘Good job I’m only here for a week, then.’

  ‘You’re just in Newbay for a break?’

  ‘No,’ said Will. ‘I meant I’ll only be at this doggy class for a week. Until Nat comes back. I’m in Newbay forever.’

  ‘Forever?’

  ‘Perhaps. I moved here last month. It was an out there kind of decision but every so often you have to shake it up.’

  ‘The only shaking that goes on here is due to the high incidence of Parkinson’s.’

  ‘It’s not that bad. I already knew it a bit because of going out with Lola. We were both in London at the time but we used to come and visit her parents here. I always liked it. The sea and the beach and all that fresh air … And I wanted a change of lifestyle so I just thought I’d go for it.’

  ‘Honestly? I’ve spent my entire life trying to move out.’

  ‘Why? It’s really lovely here. You’ve got the sea. The beach.’

  ‘The mobility scooter racetrack that is the prom … You’re not old enough to move here, Will.’

  ‘Then you’re not old enough to live here. Come on, Dani. Let’s go and get a coffee. There must be somewhere you can get a decent flat white around here.’

  ‘You want to go for a coffee?’ Dani was unduly surprised. ‘With me?’

  ‘Yes, you, Dani Parker. Lead the way.’

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Dani took Will to Daffodil’s. It wasn’t the best place to get coffee in Newbay but it was the nearest to boot camp and definitely better than The Sailor’s Trousers. Dani had done her research on dog-friendly venues since then. Daffodil’s did a proper latte and sometimes the girl behind the counter tore her attention away from her iPhone long enough to actually get your order right.

  Will insisted on paying for their coffees. Dani had a flat white. He had a skinny latte.

  ‘Payment in advance,’ he said. ‘Because I’m going to pick your brain about this town. What there is to see and do and which gym I should join …’

  ‘I don’t think I can help you there,’ said Dani.

  Will leaned an elbow on the table. He was wearing one of those T-shirts with the tightly rolled-up sleeves designed to show off muscles to best effect. Will had some impressive muscles. Dani glanced up to see that the girl behind the counter was taking a surreptitious pic of her new friend. He was probably the most interesting customer to ever grace the benches of this caff. He was twenty years younger than the average age of the clientele and twenty times more buff.

  He smiled a little questioningly. Dani panicked that he’d actually asked her something while she was gawping at his biceps.

  ‘You’ve got a tattoo,’ she blurted, immediately regretting it.

  ‘Ah, yes.’ He rolled his sleeve up a little further so that she could see.

  ‘What does it say? LAW?’

  ‘That’s right,’ said Will. ‘It’s not finished. When it’s completely done, it will say “Law unto myself”.’

  ‘Interesting,’ said Dani.

  Odd, was what she thought.

  ‘How long were you and Lola together? If it’s not too personal a question.’

  ‘Oh, I don’t mind answering questions,’ said Will. ‘Like I said, I’m totally over it. After all, we went out for eighteen months but we’ve been broken up for nearly five years now. That’s almost three times as long as we were together. So as far as I’m concerned, that means our friendship is more significant than our relationship ever was, right?’

  ‘I suppose so,’ said Dani. ‘And it’s great that you’ve been able to stay friends. Not a lot of people truly manage it. There’s usually one member of the former couple who secretly wants to get back together, isn’t there? Who accepts the friendship but really is just waiting for something more?’

  ‘That’s not me,’ said Will, quickly. ‘Lola was right to end things. We weren’t really that well suited. We’d have fallen apart eventually. I could see the first time I met Nat that he was a much, much better match for her.’

  ‘Yes,’ said Dani. ‘They do seem very well suited.’

  She had the sense that both she and Will weren’t being entirely honest.

  ‘And I hope they’ll be really happy together for a very long time.’

  Will raised his coffee cup in a toast. Dani reciprocated with her mug.

  ‘Dani,’ he said. ‘I hope this doesn’t come out wrong but I’m wondering if you’d like to go somewhere for a proper drink?’

  ‘What? Like a pub?’

  ‘Yes. A pub.’

  Flossie was supposed to be at Xanthe’s all day and Jane would be at her computer class with Sarah. For once, Dani didn’t have to be anywhere particular. She had a day off. So why shouldn’t she be in a pub with a gorgeous-looking man? It didn’t have to mean anything. It was just nice to be in the company of someone other than work colleagues or well-meaning girlfriends. It was different.

  ‘I’m up for that,’ she said.

  Will and Dani settled on The Pirate Ship, a pub that overlooked Duckpool Bay. It was extremely popular with the local dog owners, who raised money there each Christmas for the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association. The walls of the pub were dotted with photographs of the dogs they had sponsored over the years.

  ‘I always thought I’d like to be a puppy walker,’ said Dani. ‘But now I’ve had this one for a couple of months, I know I’d never have had the right stuff to make sure a guide dog puppy was properly trained.’

  ‘I don’t know,’ said Will. ‘I was pretty impressed by Jezza’s response to your calls today.’

  ‘If only he’d been a bit more responsive last week.’

  Dani recounted the story of Jezza and the engagement ring. Nat and Lola clearly hadn’t told him.

  ‘You mean Nat was going to propose to Lola?’

  Will seemed surprised.

  ‘Yes. But Jezza and I scuppered that.’

  ‘Oh well,’ said Will. ‘I suppose fate sometimes takes things in hand. Look, Dani, shall we get a bottle instead of two glasses? We’ll drink more than a glass each, won’t we?’

  ‘I guess so,’ said Dani.

  ‘I know I will now,’ said Will.

  Will carried the two dogs’ bowls and the bottle of wine out into the pub’s garden, where Dani found them a table in the shade.

  ‘So, how did you meet Lola?’

  ‘I was working as a model,’ said Will.

  Of course he was.

  ‘And so was she.’

  Of course she was.

  ‘We were both booked onto the same job. A website shoot for a sportswear company specialising in tennis wear.’

  ‘Do you play tennis?’

  ‘Do I look like I play tennis?’

  ‘Well, you must do, otherwise they wouldn’t have booked you.’

  ‘Fair point. Anyway, I don’t really play tennis and neither does Lola, but they booked us for the shoot and they flew us down to South Africa to do the pictures. It was the middle
of winter in Europe at the time and they wanted the pictures to look summery. So, we flew to Cape Town for a week and Lola and I had to spend the week pretending to be in love, and able to play tennis, for the cameras. Until, it started to feel like something was happening for real.’

  ‘That’s romantic,’ said Dani.

  ‘I didn’t expect it to outlast the job. These things normally don’t. It’s easy to be all loved-up when you’re in a beautiful location wearing clothes and getting your hair done every day. You get to see the best side of each other. It’s a case of what happens on the shoot stays on the shoot. But when we got back to London, we started seeing each other officially. And one thing led to another and within two months we’d moved in together. Bish, bash, bosh.’

  ‘So, why did you break up?’

  ‘Lola met someone else on another shoot. At least that’s the official line. It was pretty clear to me that her family didn’t approve of our relationship. A male model for a son-in-law? Lola’s father was more ambitious for her than that.’

  ‘So you think he influenced her?’

  Will nodded. ‘He’s a very persuasive man. It doesn’t matter, though. If that’s what’s important to Lola, then she was the wrong woman for me, right?’

  ‘Yeah,’ said Dani. ‘You can’t choose who you fall in love with and you certainly shouldn’t try to choose who your children fall in love with.’

  Though as she said that, Dani knew that if Flossie decided to fall in love with someone even more ‘unsuitable’ than Jed, Dani would not hesitate for a moment to lock her in a high tower accessible only by fireman’s ladder.

  ‘So, Dani. Tell me some more about you. What do you do?’

  ‘Oh, nothing so interesting as being a model.’

  ‘Trust me, there is nothing interesting about being a model. Unless you enjoy standing around all day while a photographer faffs about and people smother you in make-up and paint definition on your pecs.’

  ‘They do that? If I’d known that was an actual job, I would have signed up for it years ago.’

  Will laughed.

  ‘Maybe it’s not too late for me to retrain. But for now, I’m a patisserie chef. I make cakes and desserts for a living. At The Majestic Hotel.’

  ‘That’s where Lola had her birthday party.’

  ‘Were you there? I made her birthday cake.’

  ‘NFI.’

  Dani squinted.

  ‘Not Effing Invited,’ Will clarified.

  ‘It was quite a small party,’ said Dani. ‘Anyway, on a day-to-day basis, I’m in charge of the team that makes the cakes for the afternoon teas and the desserts the restaurant serves in the evening. And then, as and when it’s required, I’ll make special cakes according to guests’ requirements. Birthday cakes, wedding cakes. I even made a divorce cake once.’

  ‘What did that look like?’

  ‘It was a chocolate sponge with black icing. Three tiers. For the top I made two little figures in wedding dress, but instead of standing side by side, I made it look as though the bride was pushing the groom off the edge of the cake into oblivion. I think I may have a photo on my phone.’

  Dani scrolled through until she found it.

  ‘I like it,’ said Will. ‘Though remind me never to get on the wrong side of you.’

  ‘So, that’s what I do,’ said Dani. ‘It’s what I’ve done since university.’

  ‘You went to uni? I’m in awe of people who go to uni,’ said Will. ‘It must be so great to have a brain. I’ve had to get by on my looks. And when they go …’

  ‘I think you’ve got a little while before that happens,’ Dani said. ‘At least another fortnight.’

  ‘Then I had better make the most of it.’ He gave her a playful wink.

  Was Will flirting with her? It was so long since Dani had flirted with anybody, she wasn’t sure she would recognise it when it happened. But Dani eventually decided that he was. That wink. That ‘make the most of it’. He was referring to the attraction she obviously felt for him, wasn’t he? And implying that the feeling was mutual? Perhaps? Blimey, she hoped so.

  When Will came back with the second bottle of pinot grigio, he was also carrying a bowl of chips. Instead of sitting opposite as he had been before, he sat down beside her.

  ‘I took a risk. You do like chips, I hope.’

  ‘You are a psychic!’ Dani exclaimed.

  ‘Ketchup?’

  ‘Always.’

  They shared the bowl and argued over who should have the last chip.

  ‘It’s yours,’ said Will.

  ‘No, it’s yours.’

  Will patted his stomach. ‘I’ve got a job on Tuesday. Got to keep in shape.’

  ‘Ah well,’ said Dani. ‘No one trusts a skinny chef.’

  ‘But you’ve got a great figure,’ said Will. ‘Sorry. That was very personal of me.’

  ‘Oh no, it’s fine,’ said Dani. ‘Really.’

  They were both blushing now. Or maybe it was just the wine and the sunshine.

  Will looked for a distraction.

  ‘Ah look,’ he said. ‘I think Princess and your Jezza are in love.’

  ‘I think they are,’ Dani agreed.

  ‘Watch out, Jezza. She’ll break your heart. Shall I get another bottle of wine?’ Will asked suddenly.

  ‘A third?’ Dani asked.

  ‘Three’s a charm.’

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Three was certainly something …

  It was almost four o’clock and Will and Dani were still at the pub. On the table in front of them, two empty bottles of wine and one that was more than half finished were testament to how good a time the pair of them had been having. Princess and Jezza were both asleep beneath the table now, curled up in a ball on Dani’s windbreaker, which had been sacrificed for a dog bed. Dani didn’t need a coat. It was a lovely sunny afternoon and she was glowing from all the booze.

  ‘Will you look after Jezza while I go for a wee?’ Dani asked her new best friend.

  In the ladies’ bathroom, she looked at her reflection critically. They’d had another snack – a couple of burgers – to try to soak up some of the alcohol, and she had a piece of lettuce between her teeth. That was the problem with salad-based garnishes. She wondered if Will had noticed. She checked her grin again and splashed water on her red cheeks.

  As Dani walked back to the table, Will was transfixed by his phone. He didn’t put it down when he saw Dani was on her way back. She sat down next to him and waited for him to put the phone away. He didn’t. Instead he said, ‘He’s done it.’

  ‘Who’s done what?’

  ‘Guess.’

  Will handed Dani his iPhone. It was opened to Instagram. Lola’s account. There were three new photos. The view from the top of the Eiffel Tower. A photograph of Nat and Lola grinning in each other’s arms. And a close-up of an engagement ring. Which wasn’t the ring that Dani had sifted out of Jezza’s poo.

  ‘Did you know he was going to do this?’ Will asked.

  ‘Well, no,’ said Dani. ‘I mean, he didn’t tell me but I suppose it’s obvious when you think about it. A mini-break in Paris after that aborted proposal the other week.’

  ‘Nice, eh?’ said Will.

  ‘Yes. Good for them,’ said Dani. ‘I can’t think of anything nicer than getting a marriage proposal on top of the Eiffel Tower.’

  ‘Or anything more original,’ Will added in a bitchy aside, which Dani found hilarious. The wine helped, of course. ‘Top of the Eiffel effing Tower. I bet they weren’t even the first couple that lunchtime.’

  ‘Oh god,’ said Dani. ‘I bet Nat would be mortified if he knew we were looking at him on Instagram. We shouldn’t look.’

  ‘The whole point of Instagram is that people look.’

  ‘Good point,’ said Dani. ‘Do you mind if I scroll back through Lola’s account?’

  ‘Be my guest,’ said Will.

  Dani tapped to turn Lola’s feed into a patchwork of mini-pictures.


  ‘Oh, I can’t believe she hasn’t taken that one down!’ said Will, clicking on a shot that showed him by a pool somewhere sunny. There were several shots of Will in Lola’s feed. Will talked Dani through each one.

  But while Will and Dani looked at Lola’s old photographs, she was busy posting new ones. The newly engaged couple moved from the Eiffel Tower viewing platform to its restaurant, where they celebrated with a champagne lunch. Lola took half a dozen photographs of her hand, draped artfully across an Eiffel Tower menu. Her friends and followers were busy posting their congratulations and admiring her newest piece of bling.

  ‘All that mashing up of poo I had to do and in the end Nat proposed with a different ring!’ Dani observed again.

  ‘That is just bloody rude,’ Will agreed. ‘But still, we wish them all the best. Right?’

  ‘We do,’ Dani chimed in. ‘To Lola and Nat. How should we toast them?’

  They toasted the engagement with another bottle of pinot grigio. The pub’s landlord ensured that Princess and Jeremy were attended to before he even thought about the wine. He placed two bowls of water on the counter, along with two dog treats.

  ‘Is Princess allowed to have these?’ Will mused.

  ‘Probably not,’ said Dani. ‘But it is a Saturday.’

  ‘It is. And her parents are getting married.’

  ‘Indeed.’

  ‘Let’s take an Instagram pic of our own?’ Will suggested after bottle number four had gone down.

  ‘We’ve got to get the dogs in it,’ said Dani.

  ‘Princess and Jezza send their very best wishes to the future Mr and Mrs Hayward?’ Will suggested.

  Click.

  ‘We need another,’ Will said. ‘Put your chin down. Look up at the lens. Pout like this. No. Like this! Oh yes, baby! You’re good.’