Moments later, she heard gasps from inside the hall. Her stomach twisted, and she found herself hoping that Jean-Michel had been kind to her – minimising her flaws and enhancing her good points. She hoped he hadn’t painted her in some abstract fashion, with two heads or three breasts.
Barbara stepped inside, her eyes widening as they fell upon an enormous, round, naked stomach. Her gaze moved upwards, over the chest, the neck, before finally reaching the face… of Mary from Hartlepool! Barbara turned in shock, to be confronted with yet another scandalous image: Carol from Nuneaton, loosely draped in a white sheet. To her left, Linda from Hemel Hempstead smiled shyly from the canvas, only a strategically placed bunch of grapes to cover her modesty.
Barbara’s gaze darted around the room, coming to settle on the small portrait of herself sandwiched between Wendy from Penrith and Maggie from King’s Lynn. Her face stared back at her, tired and dishevelled, the glassy look in her eyes suggesting she’d been somewhat tipsy when she sat for the artist.
Barbara’s head swivelled, finally finding Jean-Michel who was nodding and smiling as he accepted the praise being lavished upon him, his eyes twinkling in that special way she’d thought was reserved for her and her alone.
A cold chill ran through her bones as she remembered how his gaze had lingered on Mary over lunch, the solicitous way he’d poured wine for Linda as he encouraged her to drink another glass. Barbara felt unbearably foolish, ashamed of how she’d let her imagination run away with her. Their special relationship was a mere illusion; he would not be crying and begging her to stay.
Barbara turned away, overcome by an unexpected wave of homesickness. Right now, she wanted nothing more than to be sat on the sofa in her Peterborough semi, sharing a cup of tea with the man she’d loved for over thirty years. The life that had seemed so mundane before suddenly seemed to be full of the very best things this world has to offer.
And the best of all of them was Derek.
About the Author
Sophie Hart lives in London with her boyfriend and her collection of naughty books. She likes to spend her time going on nice holidays, making half-hearted attempts to exercise, and lusting after Daniel Craig.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ngbclub
Twitter: @Cafe_Crumb
Visit www.sunloungerstories.com to discover more about the authors and their story destinations.
We have everything you need to make this your Best Summer Ever!
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In Bruges
***
Emma Heard
DESTINATION: Bruges
Tonight had to be the night. Giving her chunky fringe one more tweak to check it wasn’t descending into the curtain hairstyles favoured by boy bands in the 90s, Melissa took a deep breath and grabbed her handbag.
Tonight was her last night in Bruges with Jonathan which meant surely, tonight, he would finally propose. Locking the door of their room she took the lift down to the small hotel bar. Glancing at herself in the mirror, Melissa was glad she had saved her best sundress till last. A red halter neck covered in white polka dots, it hugged her waist and the full skirt ended just below her knees. The comfy flip-flops on her feet slightly ruined the look but having initially ignored the guide book warnings that stilettos should be avoided due to the city being mainly cobbled streets, she had gone over on her ankle. Flip flops were all she felt comfortable in. Listening to the music in the lift, Melissa lent against the wall and closed her eyes. It was ridiculous how tiring it was waiting to be proposed to.
It had been three long months since she had accidently overheard Jonathan on the phone to his best friend.
‘I’m gonna do it soon. I have found the ring, I just need to get it and hide it.’
She had strained at the door but obviously couldn’t hear Martin on the other end and annoyingly he seemed to be doing most of the talking. All she could do was try to decipher Jonathan’s responses.
‘Yep, I reckon I’ll do it then. Yep, you’re right.’
It was frustrating to not have a clue when it would happen but Melissa was over the moon none the less. Having been together for four years and lived together for the last two, she was in no doubt she wanted to marry Jonathan. She adored him and couldn’t imagine her life without him. Now, all she had to do was wait. It seemed safest to let him take the driving seat in their plan-making so that he had free rein to propose how he wanted. Melissa had let him decide almost everything for the last three months and it had taken a lot for her take a step back. Her birthday had come and gone, as had their anniversary. At times she found herself questioning why it hadn’t happened since he had seemed so dead set on the phone to Martin. Maybe he had changed his mind? That thought made Melissa question everything about herself and their relationship, and it hurt so much she constantly felt on the verge of tears, so she tried not to dwell on it. She had to admit she grew more disappointed and worried each time the proposal didn’t happen but when Jonathan booked a minibreak to Bruges it all became clear. He was obviously going to propose while they were away.
Having poured over the guidebook with her best friend Hannah, she had picked the top five likely proposal locations so she could be somewhat prepared. Every time she thought about Jonathan proposing Melissa felt as if she might possibly burst with happiness. She had thought so much about being engaged to him that her heart had even beaten faster the moment Jonathan suggested they go up to the champagne bar in St Pancras before getting the Eurostar. As they had approached the blue piano under the stairs which the public were free to play, the first bars of ‘It Must Be Love’ rang out over the concourse and she was sure he had arranged the whole thing. Her mind had raced as she decided that of course he was going to propose while they were still in England so she could ring her parents and break the news before they got on the train! The sun was streaming through the glass roof and it would have been quite a moment.
But no proposal came.
After all her conversations with Hannah she had driven herself half mad with the adrenaline of thinking it was going to happen and then the anti-climax when it didn’t. Every day for the three days they had been away, Hannah had text ‘So…?’ and with a weary heart she had simply replied ‘Nothing yet.’
Wandering towards the market square she held Jonathan’s hand and tried to show interest in the facts about Bruges he had learnt from the old man who frequented the hotel bar each night. She made interested noises in all the right places but her mind couldn’t stop thinking about the past few days. They had shared some truly romantic, amazing moments. They had climbed the 366 stairs of the Belfry Tower, squeezing against complete strangers as they tried to pass on the narrow spiral stairways, and kissed as they looked out over Bruges as it lay beneath them like a toy town.
They had strolled by the lake of love and taken cheesy selfies of themselves hugging and kissing and gone on a boat tour of the canals, learning all about the history and architecture of Bruges. They had sat outside countless cafes and bars drinking the best hot chocolate they had ever tasted and sampling a variety of Belgian beers. But as each moment didn’t bring that moment Melissa felt herself grow more and more disappointed.
Throughout dinner she tried to relax but she felt she was going to burst. They had returned to the restaurant they had discovered on the first night hidden down a narrow side street just off the market square. She tried to eat her pasta while Jonathan had his fourth Flemish stew of the trip.
‘Do you know what Mel? I’ve been thinking about something.’ As he spoke he put down his knife and fork and looked at her. Her heart sped up and she sipped her wine, trying to stop all moisture leaving her mouth.
‘Yes?’
Was he going to do it here in a busy restaurant with all these people around? Although it was candlelit and very romantic. Her mind raced, going through all the possible scenarios. Would he get on one knee? Would people clap? The anticipation was too much. ‘Yes Jonathan?’
‘Well.’ He c
leared his throat. ‘The thing is, this stew is bloody amazing but I reckon it would make a cracking pie if you popped it in some short-crust pastry. What do you think?’
Just like that the wind was knocked out of her sails.
‘Well?’ He smiled at her expectantly, his dark eyes twinkling at his genius idea. ‘Don’t you agree?’
She tried to muster something, anything, but she couldn’t. Instead she nodded and he beamed right back at her and attacked his frites with gusto, dipping each one in the dark brown gravy of the stew. Melissa couldn’t eat any more of her food. Her wine tasted acidic and made her feel sick. She couldn’t even stomach what would have been her last waffle complete with Belgian chocolate and cream.
As they left the restaurant Jonathan lazily threw his arm around her shoulders. ‘How about we head back to the hotel? I fancy another beer and it’s cheaper than the pubs around here.’
She shrugged him off. ‘You want to go back to the hotel already? It’s barely nine o’clock!’ she exclaimed.
‘I know, but it’s been a busy few days.’ Jonathan tucked his hands in his pockets. ‘I’m just tired that’s all.’
‘Tired? You’re tired? How do you think I am feeling?’
Jonathan looked at her in confusion. ‘Mel, calm down, we can stay out if you want, go to that nice cellar bar we found yesterday.’
‘I don’t want to go to that cellar bar.’ She knew her voice was getting higher and higher but she couldn’t help it.
‘OK,’ said Jonathan slowly. ‘So where would you like to go?’
‘I don’t know.’ She shrugged and catching sight of Jonathan rolling his eyes was enough to send her crazy. ‘What?’ she hissed.
‘What?’ His voice gave away his annoyance.
‘Why did you roll your eyes?’
He threw his hands up in despair. ‘Because I don’t know what you want from me. You have no opinions any more. You let me decide everything and act like you don’t care either way.’
His words stung but she knew he was right. She hadn’t wanted to ruin any of his proposal plans so she had side-stepped decision-making for the last few months and let him call the shots. Usually she knew exactly what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to let her opinions be known.
‘I do care, Jonathan, I just…’ She couldn’t explain and just stood staring at him.
‘You just what? You don’t care, else you would have some opinion on where we eat or stay or even which show we watch on the telly.’ He sighed. ‘You’ve changed.’
The mixture of anger and sadness in his voice made her eyes prick and she couldn’t help but blurt out. ‘I didn’t want to mess things up.’
‘Mess what up? Mess us up?’
‘No, not us, the…’
‘The what? Can you at least try and finish a sentence please?’
‘I didn’t want to mess up you proposing, OK?’
The words came out thick and fast and hung in the air between them. The air felt cooler than earlier and Melissa pulled her cardigan around her tightly as she stared up at Jonathan’s surprised face. The street was quiet with only a few people walking up ahead.
Jonathan finally broke the silence. ‘Let’s go back to the hotel, you look cold.’
She nodded, not trusting herself to speak and they walked in silence, the only sound coming from her flip-flops slapping against the cobbles. As they started up the hotel steps Jonathan stopped suddenly. ‘I’m going to go and get some air. You OK from here?’
Melissa nodded and watched him walk away. Letting herself into the room she pulled her phone out of her bag and dialled her best friend Hannah’s number.
‘Mel?’
The familiarity of the voice brought tears to her eyes. She choked out a hello.
‘Oh my god! He’s done it hasn’t he? Tell me everything!’
Mel’s sobs grew harder and her friend’s voice filled with concern. ‘Mel? Mel? Are you OK? What’s going on?’
Wiping her eyes she cleared her throat and explained their evening.
‘Oh Mel, he didn’t say anything when you mentioned the proposal?’
‘No, nothing. I’ve ruined any chance that he will now, even if he was going to. Maybe I misunderstood his conversation on the phone? He looked so shocked when I mentioned proposing.’
‘Why else would he have been talking about a ring? It’s OK; you just need to talk to him. Tell him about over-hearing the conversation and he’ll understand why you thought it was going to happen.’
‘You think I should?’
‘Yes. Then he’ll get why you haven’t been your usual self and you can get back to bossing him around!’
Despite herself Mel chuckled. ‘OK, I’m going to go find him. I’ll call you.’
Quickly rubbing the mascara from under her eyes Melissa grabbed the room key and headed out. The lift seemed to be taking ages to reach their floor so she hobbled down the stairs as quickly as her sore ankle and flip-flops would carry her. Standing on the steps of the hotel she tried to think where he would have gone. Remembering the cellar bar he really liked she took off down the street. It wasn’t quite dark but the streets were dim and she was grateful for the street lamps. She broke into a jog, flip-flops clicking with every step. Even though she felt her ankle twinge with every step, she kept going and turning the corner she saw him up ahead, stood on a stone bridge looking over the canal.
‘Jonathan!’ At her shout he turned and instinctively smiled. She jogged until she got to him and breathing deeply she put her hands on her hips and tried to catch her breath.
‘Are you OK?’ Jonathan looked concerned and a little amused.
‘I’m fine. I just needed to find you.’
The canal was overlooked by hotels but there wasn’t a soul around. Jonathan leant against the stone wall and Melissa climbed up upon it, swinging her legs and enjoying the cool concrete against her thighs. ‘I’m sorry Jonathan.’
He signed deeply. ‘You don’t need to be sorry. Now I know what you were thinking it makes a lot of sense how you have been acting lately.’
Mel nodded. ‘I have a small confession.’
She told him about the phone call she overheard and how she had convinced herself it was going to happen soon. She told him she had been ‘proposal ready’ all week in her prettiest dresses so she would look nice in the photographs of their engagement.
‘Ah. Now it makes even more sense. So for three months you have been expecting a proposal at any minute?’
‘Yup. Pretty much.’ She giggled. ‘It’s been exhausting.’
‘I bet it has!’ He laughed and took her hand, entwining his fingers. ‘If I’m honest with you I was going to do it not long after I spoke to Martin but you changed so dramatically. One of the things I loved about you was your decisiveness and your drive and you just seemed to lose your…oomph.’
‘I can see that.’ She had been placid and it must have been annoying.
‘I was going to propose, Mel, and I still want to but you need to let me do it in my own time and in my own way. I want to surprise you. OK?’
‘OK.’ And she meant it. Hearing him say he was going to propose was all Melissa needed to feel calmer and more secure than she had in months.
He leant in and kissed her gently. ‘I love you.’
‘I love you too.’
Jonathan lifted her off the wall. ‘Let’s head back to the hotel.’
‘Sounds good.’
Mel took a few steps and realising he wasn’t next to her she turned around. And there he was, down on one knee on the cobbles in the middle of the bridge.
‘Melissa, will you marry me?’
The sight of him down on one knee, looking so vulnerable was much more mind-blowing than it had been in all her daydreams about this moment. Her breath caught in her chest and her eyes welled up.
‘I’d love to marry you.’
He jumped up and hugged her, kissing her cheeks and forehead and finally reaching her lips. They stood embracing and kiss
ing and giggling like teenagers. He slipped the white-gold ring onto her finger and as she moved her hand slowly the streetlight bounced off the solitaire diamond which sat nestled on the top. Melissa couldn’t think of anything but this incredible man in front of her and how she was going to get to spend the rest of her life with him.
‘Surprised?’
‘Surprised.’ She genuinely was. And it felt simply wonderful.
About the Author
Emma Heard was born in Devon, went to university in Bath to study psychology and then returned to Devon to train as a primary school teacher. For seven and a half years she has taught three and four year olds who keep her on her toes and have probably provided her with enough content for ten books! She lives with her fiancé Steven and hundreds of lovely books and this is the first time she has ever entered a writing competition.
Website: http://lovestoreadwantstowrite.blogspot.co.uk/
Twitter: www.twitter.com/@EmWantstowrite
Facebook: www.facebook.com/EmmaHeard
Visit www.sunloungerstories.com to discover more about the authors and their story destinations.
We have everything you need to make this your Best Summer Ever!
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Midsummer Madness
***
Pernille Hughes
DESTINATION: Denmark
SPLASH! The Baltic wave blindsides me, sloshing water straight up the skirt of my sundress. SPLOSH! Before I can select an apt swearword, the North Sea counters with its own roller, the spray rendering my top half equally transparent. OK, so I see wearing a white cotton sundress on a beach-walk was a mistake. I see that now. The guidebook for Northern Denmark said this was a tradition and a must-do; standing with a foot in each sea, straddling the battling waves. I half suspected it was a joke. Standing here soaked, the dress totally see-through, clearly the joke is on me. Crossing my arms across my chest, I race clumsily across the sand for the dunes, where the hordes of tourists, all making the same walk to the peninsula tip, can’t laugh at me and my stupidity.
SUNLOUNGER 2: Beach Read Bliss (Sunlounger Stories) Page 29