At exactly 10 a.m., Jess heard the crunch of tyres on Hope’s drive. She looked out of her bedroom window and saw Dan’s brand new Golf GTI. She checked herself in the mirror. Her dark jeans and a crisp fitted white shirt accentuated her figure. She was glad that despite the entire trauma she had been through she still looked passable, albeit a little tired. Dan greeted her at the front door.
‘Hey, Jess, you look lovely.’
‘Thank you. Now just where are you taking me, baby boy?’
They smiled at each other and Dan felt like he had been whisked back ten years. ‘It’s a surprise, so please don’t ask me again.’
Jess settled back in the comfy leather seats of Dan’s new car. She thought back to the time he had picked her up in his old boneshaker all those years ago and laughed to herself. The banging rant of Eminem had been replaced by Classic FM, and there wasn’t even a sniff of marijuana. They drove through the Berkshire countryside until they hit the M4 and headed London bound. Terminal Two Heathrow Airport was its usual chaotic self, but as usual with Dan by her side she felt completely at ease.
‘I’m so excited,’ Jess enthused and squeezed Dan’s hand as the plane roared into the sky.
Jess loved Prague. She had run an event there before Freya had been born, and was enthralled then by the buzz of the Old Town Square at night and the cobbled streets with their beautiful architecture. They checked into a hotel just off of the Old Town Square, dumped their bags and set out to explore.
‘We have to go to Charles Bridge,’ Jess exclaimed.
‘Whatever you wish, Mrs Robinson,’ Dam smiled.
It was a beautiful sunny day and the Vltava River twinkled in front of them.
Dan took Jess’s hand as they began their stroll across the bridge. She marveled at the impressive statues that lined the route. They mingled among the various stalls that were selling jewelry, pictures, and various keepsakes. After a while Dan broke their silence.
‘Now, did you know?’
‘Probably not, so go on tell me an interesting fact, Mr. Harris. I know there’s one coming.’
They both laughed as Dan continued. ‘Well the bridge’s construction started in 1357 under the auspices of King Charles IV and it wasn’t finished until the beginning of the 15th Century. It was originally called Stone Bridge or the Prague Bridge but has been the Charles Bridge since 1870. There are 30 statues on here in total.’
‘Dan, sometimes you worry me, I really don’t know where you store all of that useless information you come out with.’
They found a bar at the end of the bridge and sat outside taking in the vista.
‘What’s your poison, Ms Morley?’ Dan took Jess’s hand.
‘Well if they do Stella it’s got to be that – don’t you think?’
She smiled broadly. Jess took a sip of beer from her pint mug and for the first time in a long time felt really relaxed. ‘I haven’t got a lot of money for this weekend, Dan.’
‘Shush.’ Dan lifted his hand up to stop Jess saying anymore. ‘I said this weekend was my treat and I won’t have you even mention it again.’
Jess felt like a scolded child, but secretly loved the fact that Dan wanted to look after her. ‘OK, well thank you. I really do appreciate it.’
They finished their beers and Dan leaned across the table and clasped both of her hands in his. ‘Has anyone ever told you, you really are quite beautiful, Jessica Morley?’
‘I’ve lost count.’ She laughed.
Dan got up to go the toilet. Jess studied him as he returned to his seat. He hadn’t really changed that much at all, apart from a slight beer belly and his hair receding. He still had his youthful exuberance but did look his thirty-four years. She had to admit that she still really did fancy him. The sun set over the bridge and Jess felt like she was sitting in the middle of a picture postcard.
‘What a lovely way to spend a Saturday night,’ Jess stated after a while.
‘This is so not it though, Ms Morley. Come on let’s go, I’ve booked us a restaurant for dinner.’
They sat at a table overlooking the river in the exquisite eatery that Dan had chosen. The waiters, smartly dressed in black, tended to their every need as the delectable cuisine was served course by course. Jess finished the last mouthful of her main course.
‘That was to die for. Well done, Mr. Harris, on your choice of venue, I might have to employ you to run some events for me.’
Dan laughed. ‘It’s a pleasure, Ms Morley.’ He then became more serious. ‘Look if you don’t want to talk about anything regarding home then tell me, but what exactly are you going to do? – Will you have to start working again?’
‘I will, but in a way I’m quite glad. What with Freya being at school and me now being alone I really could do with something to stimulate my mind. I was actually thinking of putting the writing course I did when we split up to good use.’
‘Cool, well that’s positive. What sort of writing do you think?’
‘Do you know what? I haven’t even thought about it, but maybe initially I will just send some topical articles off to various magazines and see if any of them are interested. I’m not really sure how it works. I need to research it and see what sort of living I could make.’
‘Maybe you should write a novel?’ Dan questioned. ‘I can see it now: Jessica Ann Morley, international novelist!’
Jess laughed. ‘I hadn’t even thought of that. Maybe I should do an autobiography. The world and God’s dog all seem to be writing about themselves at the moment.’
‘Good idea,’ Dan replied.
Jess continued. ‘I’ve got quite an interesting life story if you think about it. Older woman meets toy boy, he breaks her heart, she meets a serial philanderer, her house burns down and the toy boy comes back.’ She paused, laughing.
Dan looked intently at her and said softly, ‘And then the toy boy asks her to marry him.’
‘How funny would that be?’ Jess carried on laughing oblivious to Dan’s intentions. Suddenly boosted by the thought of her future, which after two pints of lager and half a bottle of wine suddenly seemed quite bright, Jess felt jubilant. ‘Let’s go dancing!’ she announced loudly, then leaned over and kissed Dan full on the lips
At midnight they were still only halfway up the queue of Prague’s trendiest club.
Every time a bouncer opened the door to let people in, they heard the dance music belt out into the busy street. Behind them was a rowdy stag party.
‘Hey mate,’ one of the stag party slurred to Dan. ‘Good on ya, bringing your mother.’ The group all sniggered in unison. Dan’s face turned to stone.
‘She’s not my mother!’ he snarled.
Jess was mortified. Near to tears, she grabbed Dan’s hand and marched him back down the street, away from the taunts of the perpetrators. She began to shout at him.
‘Whatever you think of me, however good you think I look, face it, Dan, I am still fifty years old! Maybe you were right all those years ago, how could this possibly work?’
She pulled her hand out of his. ‘I want to go back to the hotel.’
‘But, Jess, you wanted to dance.’
‘No buts, Dan. I have never been so embarrassed in all my life.’
She opened the hotel door and went straight to the bathroom. The reflection looking back at her, if she was really honest, was not that of a fiftyyear-old woman, but she had to face it: that is what she was. She was middle-aged and yes, she was old enough to be Dan’s mother.
Dan was lying on the bed wearing just his boxer shorts, when she eventually appeared from the bathroom. ‘Drink?’ he asked and smiled.
‘I’ll have a whisky please,’ Jess took off her jeans and lay next to him in her white shirt and sexy white cami-knickers. Dan looked at her and let out a loud wolf whistle.
‘Jessica Morley, you are the sexiest woman I have ever met and I mean that.’
‘Really?’ Jess felt in need of reassurance.
‘Yes, you are.’
‘Oh, Dan, I always prayed something like that would never happen.’
‘Jess, they were just drunk lads and thought they were being funny. You do not look like my mother, how many times do I have to tell you that?’
‘Oh I’m sorry, Dan. All my life I have always been so self-assured, but finding out about Sam being unfaithful , so many times, has knocked the stuffing out me. I guess it’s made me think – what on earth is wrong with me? In fact the same feelings I felt when you left me.’
Dan bit his lip. ‘Oh, Jess, I’m so sorry I hurt you so badly. I promise to make up for it now.’ He leaned over and kissed her tenderly. The electric current sparked between them and she wrapped her legs around his. ‘Dan, just hold me.’
Suddenly, Jess started to sob. Dan held her tightly. He pushed her hair out of her eyes, dabbed her face with a tissue, and kissed her forehead.
‘Shush now, let it all out, Jess, just let it out. Everything is going to be all right.’
Jess cried herself to sleep with Dan holding her as if she was the last woman on earth. When he could hear her breathing shallow, he leant up on one arm and looked down at her. Without question this was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with and, as he began to drift off to sleep, he started to plan a proper proposal.