Jess opened a bottle of red wine, grabbed a couple of glasses, and walked into the sea-facing lounge. Dan was lying down on the couch. ‘Make yourself comfortable,’ she said sarcastically, but with smiling eyes. ‘Here.’ She handed him a glass of wine. ‘So, what brings you all the way down to the depths of Cornwall then, Mr Harris?’
Dan sat up and took a slurp of wine. Without flinching he automatically replied. ‘You do.’
Jess looked directly at him. He was undoubtedly still a handsome man. She shifted in her armchair and as much as she didn’t want to, she had to admit that she still fancied him.
Dan looked his former lover up and down. ‘You look great, by the way, Jess. Not a day over forty. Thought you might have let yourself go a bit, what with being married for all these years.’
Jess lifted a cushion as if to throw it at him. ‘God, age hasn’t mellowed you has it, you’re still a cheeky bastard.’ She stood up and walked over to the window, the full moon lit a pathway right across the sea. With her back to him she blurted. ‘This is too weird, Dan, I’m not sure if I like it.’
He walked behind her and gently put his arms around her waist. The same electric current from all those years ago, went right through her. Frightened by the strength of her own feelings she snapped. ‘No, Dan, get off me.’ She pulled away from him and sat back down on an armchair. ‘How did you know I was here anyway?’
‘Charlie told me. She’s in LA at the moment. She’d mentioned the name of the cottage and that it was in Looe, so I figured all I had to do was get here and ask some local where the cottage was.’
‘Very clever of you,’ Jess uttered. She was secretly bowled over by the fact that he’d made such an effort to come and see her.
Dan continued. ‘I thought this was the perfect place for us to meet. I knew you didn’t have Freya, Charlie is away, and Alex has got Evie all this week.’
Jess softened at the mention of Evie. ‘Bless Evie, how is she?’
‘She’s great. A little madam but then she always was. She’s kept her lovely blonde hair and is a clever little thing, well not so little now. I can’t believe she’s at secondary school. Here, I have a photo of her on my phone.’
Jess looked at the smiling Evie and felt sad. ‘Do you know that I missed her more than you as time went by? I imagined her going through the different stages of her life, starting school, making friends – everything in fact.’ She took a slurp of wine and then said candidly, ‘You can’t imagine how much you hurt me, Dan. I actually thought I’d never get over you.’
Dan bit his lip. ‘I was so immature then. Now I am older I really can’t believe I was so insensitive. To keep coming back to you when I was never sure what I really wanted, I realise now how hurtful that must have been for you.’
‘So please tell me it was worth my pain. No disrespect to Charlie, but you obviously have yet to find what you were looking for?’ Dan lay back on the sofa.
‘I had a wild year after we split up. I hit the drugs hard, when I didn’t have Evie obviously. I found it hard to strike up a relationship for a while. Anybody my own age couldn’t hack having a toddler in tow at weekends and I didn’t want to find anyone who wanted to settle down, as that wasn’t what I wanted at all. He smiled at Jess and continued. ‘Do you know what as time went by, I also was aware that I never ever said I loved you? You were so right, after I’d had a couple of long-term relationships I realised that I actually did love you. I loved you very much, Jess.’
Jess pushed her hands through her hair and let him continue. ‘What we had was really special. I just didn’t see it at the time. And now here I am, ten years on and who’s the fool? It’s certainly not you. Just look at you, Jess, you are simply beautiful. You have a gorgeous daughter and a dream country cottage. You won’t ever have to work again. Your life is sorted.’
‘Let’s not forget the little matter that my loving husband has just had an affair with someone young enough to be his daughter though,’ Jess quipped.
‘I thought I wouldn’t mention that,’ Dan replied.
‘Well there’s no point in not, that is the reason why I’m here after all,’ Jess said indignantly. Dan continued. ‘And how are you feeling about it, it must have been quite a shock?’
‘Look, Dan, I don’t wish to be rude but I actually don’t want to discuss it with you. But no my life is not sorted. In fact I’m at a major crossroads in it.’ She stood up again, and then blurted out of the blue. ‘God, this is surreal. You’re sleeping with my husband’s daughter. You shouldn’t be here, Dan. It’s not fair on anyone.’ Dan was not perturbed by her outburst.
‘That’s all it is, Jess. I’m sleeping with her. I can’t see a future for me and Charlie. She is so ambitious and at last I feel I’m ready to settle down. I want to create a proper home for Evie. She’s been pushed from pillar to post for so many years. It may be too late, but I owe it to her to offer her stability throughout her teens at least.’
‘Well all I can say is you better tell Charlie how you feel sooner or later. She’s a great girl, and I won’t have you hurt her. There’s no point stringing her along and it’s certainly not fair on Evie. Time goes so fast, Dan, you’ll blink and suddenly you’ll be fifty!’
Dan didn’t reply, just lay back on the sofa again and flirtily asked, ‘So did you do any more drug taking, Mrs Robinson?’
Jess smirked and replied almost insolently, ‘No.’
‘Are you sure?’ Dan cocked his head to the side and smiled.
‘I didn’t actually. It was weird I always associated them with you and I never ever felt the urge to take them again. It was like it was our fun and I didn’t want to share those feelings with anyone else.’
‘That’s sweet,’ Dan replied.
‘Well don’t flatter yourself too much,’ Jess continued. ‘I wasn’t in a crowd who’d ever even consider taking Class As. So even if I’d wanted to I wouldn’t have had a clue where to get any anyway.’
‘There goes my feisty Mrs Robinson, glad you’re still you, Jessy Morley.’
‘I’m still the same bloody person, Dan. Nobody can change that much surely.’ She stood up to walk to the toilet and missed her step. ‘Whoa, I’m a bit tipsy.’
‘You’ve only had a couple of glasses,’ Dan said surprised.
‘Actually, I had two pints of Scrumpy in the pub earlier. By the way, do you still like Stella?’ She suddenly enquired.
‘Oh yes indeedy. Why have you got some?’
Jess shook her head and laughed, suddenly remembering their first encounter. ‘Did you notice my car by the way?’ she asked.
‘I can’t believe I didn’t mention it – it is class, Jess. I’d love to have a go in it tomorrow, if that’s OK?’
‘God, remember that first time you took me to the pub in that old GTI of yours. I thought I’d die of fright.’
Dan laughed. ‘I can’t believe you didn’t say anything.’
‘I didn’t want you to think I was acting my age now did I?’ Jess smiled.
‘My driving was appalling then. I actually had an accident soon after we split, nothing major, but Evie had been in the car and it did make me realise that I had to slow down.’
‘Thank goodness for that,’ Jess added.
‘Remember the Soho Hotel too?’ Dan continued reminiscing. ‘Jess, all I can say is that was a young boy’s dream. Bling hotel and a sexy older woman. Gave me years of masturbating material that did!’
‘Daniel Harris, what are you like?’
‘Shit sorry, Jess, that was rude.’
‘I like rude,’ she replied without hesitation. Then in realising just what she’d said, she darted off to the loo.
On her return, they finished the bottle of wine and pulled the sofa forward so they could both see the sea. ‘I take it you’ve booked a hotel?’ Jess questioned, knowing full well he hadn’t.
‘I was err, hoping I could crash here if that’s OK with you, I take it you have a spare room?’
They both laughed and Jess continued. ‘Yes I have a spare room and you are sleeping in it tonight, without question.’ His leg touched hers by accident and the same old electric current buzzed between them both.
‘Did you feel that, Jess?’
‘Feel what, Dan?’ She lied and moved down to the end of the sofa.
‘Oh nothing, it must have been a spider of something running over my hand.’ Dan lied.
Jess laughed to herself. He had been so honest up to now. She knew that she couldn’t let her heart rule her head. She had to be realistic. And, despite Sam’s betrayal, she was still a married woman, and Dan was seeing Charlie. There were so many people’s feelings at stake, people who she really cared for. They sat in silence for a while, taking in the moon-drenched vista, until Dan piped up.
‘Have you got any more wine?’
‘I have but I shouldn’t, I’m drunk already.’
‘Oh go on, Jess, have another glass.’ Dan urged.
Here we go again Jess thought and prayed again that there were no gas ovens around!
‘Let’s play scrabble,’ Dan suddenly suggested catching sight of the battered box on the bookshelf.
‘I never thought I’d see the day.’ Jess laughed. ‘Daniel Harris, playing scrabble! I’ve got dominos for after too if you want,’ she said and got up to get another bottle of wine from the kitchen.
She returned minutes later to find Dan, lying on his back and snoring loudly.
She moved the coffee table back to allow room for the duvet she had placed over him and, as she did, she saw the Scrabble letters he’d arranged on the board: I think you’re grand x.