Of course, there were lots of campervans about, and there’d be more than one red one, for sure. But as she neared the vehicle, she spotted the distinctive logo on the side: Jack’s Cocktail Campervan. She couldn’t help but smile. Blimey, maybe Becky was right about her getting animated when she mentioned him. Was there something in that? She quashed that thought quickly.
Realistically, the chances of actually seeing him here on the beach were slim. He could be walking anywhere in the area, or playing golf or something. As they wandered past, believe it or not, Daisy took that opportunity to stop and pee up the wheel of the campervan, leaving a damp trail across the lower tyre and sprinkled around its base.
‘Daisy! You naughty dog,’ Lucy scolded. ‘What do you have against Jack, hey?’
Thankfully, no-one was around to witness that. That diva dog did choose her bloody moments.
Lucy walked on, heading for the path that led from the lane end on through the dunes. She couldn’t help but scan the area, just in case she might get a glimpse of Jack. She couldn’t decide whether she’d want to bound over to him or simply hide. There was no sign of him on the little sandy track, nor where the marram grass gave way to the beach and the view of the bay expanded.
Lucy liked to stroll along the shoreline on the way out, close to the waves that pounded and crashed as they rolled in a froth to the shore, then she usually headed back on a trail that swept just below the dunes where the sand was softer underfoot, taking in the curve of the bay. Daisy quite enjoyed a bit of digging here and there, especially if there was an interesting scrap of picnic debris about. At one point, the little dog resurfaced with her nose covered in sand. Lucy laughed, then crouched down to brush the dachshund’s face off with her hand.
‘Look at you, Miss Scruffy. You’ll get sand in your eyes.’
Daisy merely gave her a look, as if to say it was worth it for that morsel of scrumptious sausage roll.
Lucy was still crouching when she felt a rhythmic thud vibrating through the sands close by. Someone must be running. As she stood up, she found herself facing a very sweaty but not-unattractive-looking man. A man she knew. Jack.
‘Hey, I thought it was you,’ he said breathlessly, pausing beside her and jogging on the spot for a few seconds.
‘Oh, hi.’ Lucy’s lips lifted into a smile.
‘So how are things? Did you have a good night Friday?’
‘Yeah … yes, all fine,’ she stuttered vaguely. Was he referring to the Merry-Go-Round or the pizza van takings?
‘Well, it’s good to see you here. Out for a walk with the peeing Devil Dog, I see.’
Daisy looked up at him haughtily, with a slight curl to her lip, which made Lucy’s smile broaden. Never diss a Dachshund. ‘Hey you, don’t be cheeky. She’s not usually a nuisance. And yes, well, I live nearby, I have a cottage in the village, so it’s our usual walking spot.’
‘Ah, right. I fancied a change of scene for my jog today. The sands are always a good workout.’
‘O-kay.’ She took in the running shorts and sweat-marked vest. He evidently had put some effort into his run. And, she had to admit, zooming in for a sneaky peek, his physique did look pretty fit in the sports gear. With bare legs and arms showing, and clingy Lycra over the rest, it revealed a lot more than his smart-casual workwear did.
‘Look, do you fancy a cold drink or a coffee or something?’ Jack mooted. ‘I mean, I won’t stay like this, but I can quickly freshen up at the van …’
Lucy felt frozen for a moment. Part of her wanted to bolt back to the cottage, and part of her wanted to jump at the invitation. What was with her?
‘Well, er, Daisy and I were about to head back to the cottage, weren’t we, Diva Dog?’
Daisy looked up at her with a bemused expression, as if to say, ‘That isn’t the plan and you know it!’
‘But, well, I suppose we could stick around for a little bit. It’s such a gorgeous day, after all …’
‘Maybe I could fix us up a drink in Ruby – the camper’s always well stocked – and we could take it and sit in the dunes?’
Should she agree to a drink? It was just by chance they’d met up, and it did sound a nice idea. They’d have to rattle along at future events, for sure, so better to keep things friendly. She was also a little dehydrated from last night’s pub antics. Where was the harm?
‘Okay then.’
‘If you fancy, I could even fix you up a cocktail? It’s nearly lunchtime and I take it you’ll not be driving anywhere, if you live nearby.’
‘Urgh …’ The acidic dregs of last night’s drinking session were still lying in her stomach, not to mention her just-cleared head. ‘Maybe not alcohol,’ she confessed. ‘Bit of a heavy night last night … with my girlfriends.’
‘Hah, I see. Well, I do some great mocktails and juices, so no worries. Right, well, I’ll just freshen up a bit first.’
And with that he whipped off his top, then his running shoes, left them in a little pile by her feet, and dashed down the sands in just his shorts. Oh! … Lucy had to admit it was a very pleasant sight indeed, as she watched him dash into the shallows and then take a neat dive over the first big wave, out to the open sea. Well … that was one way to freshen up.
She wasn’t quite sure whether to watch and wait for him, or to wander slowly up the sands, back to the lane where she knew the campervan was parked up. But Jack wouldn’t realise that she knew Ruby’s whereabouts. So, she sat with Daisy at the base of the dunes, not far from Jack’s little heap of clothing, and watched the world go by – as well as taking several glances in his direction – until Jack came sauntering back out, shaking off his wet hair on the way. Just watching him stirred something very basic in her, a need … a desire … that she hadn’t felt for quite some time.
Bloody hell! Well, that was disconcerting and rather inconvenient.
Jack jogged back up the beach, the sun already drying his salty skin. He spotted Lucy, sat at the base of the dunes. She looked tanned and pretty in casual cropped jeans and a yellow spotty T-shirt, her dark hair loose at the back but swept behind a yellow-and-white scarf thing that looked kind of cute in a sixties sort of way. Her smile was gentle as he approached, warming him.
He gathered up his T-shirt. No point putting that sweaty thing back on. ‘Okay? Ready for a cooling drink in the dunes?’
‘Ah … yeah.’ She sounded slightly hesitant. ‘Of course.’
‘Great, I’m parched.’ That run had really dehydrated him. A large glass of water and then an icy cool beer were totally in order.
They walked together, with short-legged Daisy strutting in between them.
‘Nice place to live. It’s a great little village,’ commented Jack on their way back up the lane.
‘Yeah, I’ve only been here a few months, but it’s perfect for me. It’s a pretty spot and I love my little cottage.’ It really was beginning to feel like home. ‘What about you? Where’s home?’ Surely, he didn’t base himself out of Ruby?
‘Ah, I lodge with a mate at his house in Glenton, a village near Alnwick.’
‘Oh yeah, I know it. It’s just inland, isn’t it? Not too far.’
‘Yeah, I rent a room there. And … sometimes, well, I choose to just roam free with the campervan and my two-man tent. Not really a four-walls kind of guy.’
‘Oh, I think I’d find that strange. I like my home comforts too much.’
‘Nah, it’s not strange at all. It’s kind of grounding. Sitting out under the stars in the middle of the hills, or waking up to watch the sun rise over the sea. It’s pretty amazing.’
Lucy nodded. Put that way, it did have some appeal.
‘And it’s not like I do it all the time. Just when the whim takes me, if I don’t have work lined up for a day or two. Drive, park up, climb a mountain, swim in the sea or a lake. The world’s a pretty cool kind of place.’ He had an aura of boyish wonder about him as he spoke.
A family passed by with a toddler in tow, loaded up with buckets and sp
ades, fold-up chairs and a picnic box. The little boy dropped his blue plastic spade, and Jack swept it up and caught up with him. ‘Hey, little guy. Ah, excuse me …’ he called out.
‘Ah, thank you!’ The mother stopped, taking the toy spade from Jack. ‘What do you say to the man, Archie?’
‘’Fank you.’
The lad and his clan trooped on. Beach days. Sunny times. Family times. It was lovely to see. Lucy was filled with a delightful warm feeling.
Jack and Lucy soon reached Ruby; her shiny red paintwork was gleaming in the sunshine.
‘Right, just give me a couple of mins. I’ll grab a clean T-shirt, and then I’ll fix you a fabulously refreshing drink.’
‘Sounds good to me.’
‘Does Devil Dog need some water?’
‘Hah, stop calling her that! She’ll take offence. And yes, I’m sure she’d like some.’
Jack thoughtfully fetched that first, opening up the cab and climbing through to reappear with a large plastic bowl. Daisy was straight in there, lapping it up. Jack disappeared for a further minute or so, and then the side hatch opened up, so he could chat to Lucy while he prepared their drinks. He was now sporting a khaki-coloured top, with a logo saying Seize the Day on it.
‘So, what would madam like today? Wait … let me think. Fresh lemon and lime juices, squeezed over crushed ice, with soda water and a sprig of mint?’
‘That’ll do nicely.’ Lucy couldn’t help but grin.
‘Except I don’t have any ice ready, sorry. No electric hook-up out here. And I hadn’t imagined I’d be making cocktails at the beach today.’
‘Oh that’s okay, I’ll let you off this time.’
‘There’s a couple of cold beers in a cool bag. If you’d rather have one of those?’
‘No, that’s fine. The lemon-and-lime soda sounds good.’
Jack pulled two fold-up seats out of the campervan, then set about making Lucy’s drink, slicing and squeezing the zingy green and yellow fruits into a tall cut-glass tumbler and pouring over soda water from a bottle. He topped it with some fresh mint leaves, left over from a function last night, and passed the glass to her, then grabbed a cold beer for himself.
‘I think we need a sea view,’ he suggested. ‘A view from the dunes, perhaps?’
‘Okay.’ So, after taking a big and delicious sip from her glass – quenching her thirst – they each carried a chair and their drinks, with Daisy close at Lucy’s heel. The trio walked a little way back down the lane, soon diverting into a sandy track on the dunes.
They set up their seats in a slight dip in between the marram grass mounds, sheltered from the sea breeze, yet still having the full panorama of Embleton Bay. That sweep of golden sand arced before them, metallic light glinting off the gentle summer waves of the North Sea. The cries of kittiwakes and herring gulls. The rhythmic sounds of the surf.
Why had Lucy never thought to bring a chair down with her, and set up base with a book and a cooling drink? Hmm, on pleasant days, she might well do that from now on.
‘So, when did you move out here, then?’ asked Jack, as they gazed out to sea. ‘Such a cool spot.’
‘Ah, about four, no five, months ago now.’ Time was rolling on, thank heavens, putting space and distance between her and Liam and all the hurt that had gone with that.
‘Where were you before that, then?’
‘Ah …’ she shifted a little in her seat. ‘Well, I had a house, in Morpeth, with my boyfriend. Ex-boyfriend.’ She didn’t mention the word ‘fiancé’. There was no need to go into any of that.
‘Right-o. Sorry, I’m not prying … So, how’s the drink?’ He deftly switched the conversation, sensing her unease.
‘Delicious. Really refreshing, even without ice. And at least I’m not going to get brain freeze.’
‘Cool.’ He took a slug of his beer from his bottle. ‘So Lucy, where are your dreams taking you?’
‘Ah … what do you mean?’ Lucy was taken aback for a second. Who asked that kind of question of someone they hardly knew? Hmm, Jack, evidently. She didn’t think Liam had ever asked that question of her, he’d just assumed their dreams were the same … the sensible house, quality car, dual income in good steady jobs. Hah, they hardly sounded like dreams at all, did they?
She still hadn’t answered.
‘Okay, well what did you want to do when you were a kid then? What was the burning ambition? What did you want to be?’ Jack fired on.
Nothing had been particularly burning, and she had to laugh out loud as she confessed, ‘Well, I certainly didn’t harbour any dreams about becoming an accountant.’
‘Is that what you were doing before this?’ Jack quirked an eyebrow.
‘It wasn’t that bad … just …’
‘Boring?’ The eyebrow quirked higher.
‘Exactly. And stifling.’ She couldn’t help but smile as she said it, opening up to this guy.
‘Hah, well I can probably match you there. I was training to be a lawyer, many moons ago.’
‘Really?’ Lucy couldn’t imagine that at all.
‘Yep, had started uni and everything … but god, it just wasn’t me. Would have sent me demented, I think. All those hefty tomes to study … the case law, and then a life trapped in court rooms and smart stuffy offices.’ He paused, taking in the beautiful azure of the sky, the rush of rolling surf. ‘My parents didn’t quite see it that way, mind you,’ he continued. ‘Especially when they’d helped support me that first year …’ He still felt bad that he’d disappointed them, but had managed to pay back most of the money over time.
‘Oh, don’t suppose that was cheap … Well, my dad’s still reeling from me leaving the accountancy job.’
‘Ouch.’
‘Yeah, it’s like everyone wants what’s best for you … only maybe it isn’t,’ the words spilled from Lucy’s mouth.
Jack was nodding thoughtfully. ‘Anyway, you never said what your real dreams were?’ he continued.
‘Ah, well,’ she smiled, thinking back. ‘I did always make my dolls play restaurants. And I always pictured having my own fabulous eatery that overlooked the sea … by a beautiful beach somewhere. Where people would love to come and eat and, well, just enjoy themselves. Hah, I think some of Papa’s dreams must have rubbed off on me.’ She paused. When had she stopped imagining that?
How big were their dreams, how little their lives. The words flitted hauntingly in her mind. Had she read that in a book somewhere?
‘Well, you’re nearly there then, aren’t you?’ Jack cut in.
Lucy’s brow creased, not sure what he was getting at. Was he being sarcastic?
‘Your pizza horsebox … you can pull up at all these fabulous places, park up at events that are right by the sea. You’re just not stuck at any one. And hey, you’re already serving fantastic food. You’re living the life, Luce. Well, almost …’ he was smiling earnestly.
Wow, he suddenly made her see things so differently. ‘Well, if you put it that way …’ But her sensible-self reminded her, she still had a long way to go, for sure. Her business was only just finding its feet, but hey-ho. Onwards and upwards and all that.
‘Just keep moving forward, Lucy. You really are getting there,’ Jack flashed her a supportive grin. ‘But for now, let’s just kick back and enjoy the sunshine and this glorious view.’
‘Yeah.’ That sounded perfect – time to let her anxieties over the business drift away on the sea breeze, for a little while at least.
Daisy had snuck under Lucy’s chair, making the most of the shady spot. She soon started to snore. ‘Did you hear that?’ Lucy asked with a smile.
‘Yeah, that rumbling noise, didn’t like to mention it. Thought you might have some wind issues.’
‘Shut up, you. It’s Daisy … snoring.’
‘’Course it is. Handy having a dog to blame, isn’t it?’ He raised his eyebrows cheekily.
She batted a hand out at him and her chair lost its grounding in the shifting sand, lurching peril
ously to one side … towards Jack. He reached out, stopping her seat from toppling over, his forearm muscles taut beside her. Then he pushed her back upright, as he burst out laughing. ‘See, that dog’s a bloody liability. Trouble wherever she goes.’
Lucy couldn’t help but giggle.
‘Well, you’ve soon downed that.’ Jack noted her near-empty glass. ‘Good job it wasn’t a real cocktail. Ready for another?’
‘Oh … well, I was thirsty. But …’
‘It’s fine, I’ll nip back up to Ruby, no problem. I might well fetch another beer for myself. There’s no rush to be anywhere particular this afternoon.’
Lucy realised she had nothing pressing on either. Maybe there was no harm in staying for one more. ‘Well, okay. Yes, thanks.’
‘Do you fancy a real cocktail this time? I take it you’re just walking home?’
Her head was in fact feeling a lot better. One drink would be rather nice. ‘Nope, not going anywhere today. So yeah, go on then.’
‘Any favourites? Gin-based, vodka, or a surprise?’
‘Nothing too sickly or sweet, but go on, you choose for me.’
‘A summer’s day beach drink. You’re on. I won’t be long.’
He stood up, swigging the last of his beer from his bottle. ‘I’ll bring some water for Devil Dog too. She’s looking a bit hot under there.’
Lucy looked at Jack, her head tilted, as if she was somehow looking at him anew. Perhaps he did actually have a sweet side to him, she thought. Here, he seemed different from the bravado-filled barman she’d witnessed at the events. Softer somehow, more thoughtful. More like the quieter man she’d glimpsed as they chatted before the Merry-Go-Round ride that night. Lucy sat looking out to sea, with the breeze caressing her skin. The warmth of the sun making her feel a little sleepy. It had evidently affected Daisy who was snoozing soundly, very soundly, with all the snoring going on from beneath her seat. Lucy felt very thankful to be living so near to all this, this gorgeous Northumberland coastline, and … for today’s company.
Fifteen minutes later, Jack appeared with a cocktail ‘glass’ in hand – in fact it was a tin mug. It was icy cold with condensation as he passed it over.
The Seaside Cocktail Campervan Page 10
