One Summer in Spain

by Ian Wilfred

  “Oh, the poor woman must be worn out. Rupert had her in fits of laughter. Yes, we had a nice time. She told us about the original owners of the land. It had been a family home for generations before a company bought it.”

  Gemma explained about the derelict old house she had just seen, but Dulcie wasn’t sure if that was owned by the same people. Time was passing quickly. Gemma needed to organise the evening meal before getting herself ready to go out later.

  “You look lovely, dear. Going anywhere special?”

  “Wrongly phrased question, Dulcie. You should have said, ‘Going out with anyone special?’”

  “Rupert, it’s none of our business. By the way, Gemma, that meal was beautiful and seeing as Rupert’s already asked, you may as well tell us.”

  “See, Dulcie, you’re just as bad as I am. There’s no need to ask. It’s got to be Dario. As soon as one taxi leaves, another pulls up! Sorry, darling, I know that doesn’t sound good, but it was just a joke. Forgive me, it’s none of our business. Go and have a lovely evening, Gemma.”

  “Yes, I’m meeting Dario, but it’s not what you’re thinking. He was telling me about a problem which he and his grandfather have to resolve, and I think I’ve come up with a solution which may help. Now are you both sure you don’t need me to do anything before I go?”

  “No, we’re fine, thanks. He’s a very lucky young man, so go and have fun. By the way, I meant to tell you, I spoke to Jamie earlier and we’ve agreed that he and Janice will be coming over in a fortnight’s time and staying for a week now. Just thought you should know, now off you go or you’ll be late.”

  Gemma was excited with her ideas for Dario’s home, but the butterflies in her stomach overwhelmed her. After discussing the holiday lets they’d be going out for a meal and that was a date. It had been a long time since she had been on anything resembling a date, as even at university the odd night out to a pub couldn’t really be described as such. This felt different, perhaps because she was out in Spain.

  It would only take her twenty minutes or so to get to Dario’s, but her nervousness was still worrying her. If his grandfather was there, would she be able to tell him her ideas? She hadn’t really thought this through properly, and quickly decided that if he was there, she wouldn’t mention it. She would just make an excuse and go out to the restaurant with Dario, but she wished her stomach would settle.

  “Hi, you look nice. I’d have come and picked you up. It would have been no trouble.”

  “No, it’s your evening off, but thanks. You look good too, but first things first, is your grandfather here?”

  “Why? You didn’t think he was coming out with us, did you?”

  “No, of course not, but I didn’t want to speak in front of him.”

  Before Gemma said anything she first needed to clarify a few things in her own mind about the apartments and really wanted to have a quick look around one. They were all the same, so it didn’t matter which. She knew her idea would all boil down to money in the long run, but putting that to one side, she couldn’t wait to see the rooms.

  Dario fetched the keys and although it was getting dark Gemma could still see the garden and patios and it was just as she thought. It just needed a good tidy up and clear out of all the overgrown bushes and shrubbery. It was such a shame that it had been left to become overgrown, there was so much space which could be used.

  “Pick a number, one to six.”

  Gemma picked the third key as that belonged to the apartment in the middle of the block. Dario opened the door and Gemma was amazed to see how big the apartment was, but also how dated it was. Carpet, curtains, pine furniture would all need updating, plus the walls would need several coats of paint. The bathroom contained a big white toilet and wash basin, which were in a reasonable condition, but the bath was old and with its paint scratched off, did not look at all appealing. The plumbing seemed to be in working order though as was the shower unit over the bath. Gemma had seen enough.

  “So, are you going to tell me what all this is about?”

  “Yes, over dinner, if that’s alright. I just need to think things through a little first. Anyway, where are we off to?”

  “The table’s not booked until nine-thirty, but we could go for a drink somewhere first or stay here, have a drink here, and go to the restaurant later. Your choice?”

  Staying in would give her an opportunity to look around the house a bit more. Would there be space for a minimum of 12 people to comfortably sit in the kitchen? Slowly the reality of her idea was beginning to falter, especially if the money wouldn’t run to it. A few coats of paint would hardly address the problems, but there was no harm in discussing it with Dario. She decided the best place to do that was at the restaurant, so they finished their glass of wine and headed up the road.

  They surveyed the menu and placed their order. Gemma knew she ought to explain, but where to start? Her head was buzzing with ideas and it would probably all come out jumbled up.

  “I’m trying to get my head round this. Slow down a bit. You’re saying that we should get rid of the kitchenettes and baths in the holiday lets and just have a shower. So that would be a cubical or wet room? The toilets and basins are fine, but the dreadful baths must go. Tiling and painting wouldn’t be too expensive. My grandfather and I could do the kitchen part as that’s what most of the bad reviews complained about, and then I suppose we could move beds and get some new furniture, but it’s the house that’s the main problem, isn’t it?”

  “I’d imagine your grandfather wouldn’t want to move and rent out the home.”

  “No, not at all. He wouldn’t have a problem with that. He’d far sooner be living in Roncia with his sister. It’s much quieter and most of his friends live there away from the hustle and bustle of Graingcia. Money would be the main problem, as there’d be quite a lot of refurbishment to carry out. The idea’s great, and it could work, but I’m not sure how we could do it financially.”

  “The kitchens are perfect. People in the UK would pay thousands of pounds for a kitchen like that. It has a rustic charm and is the height of fashion, but you will need to spend money on furnishings.”

  Dario was laughing, but Gemma wasn’t quite sure what was so funny. She was beginning to feel as though it was all a stupid idea and was embarrassed about even mentioning it.

  “Gemma, you’re a genius. It’s a perfect idea if some people like the rustic look. I’d prefer sleek and modern any day myself, but if we can do most of it ourselves, we’d save so much money. The plumbing’s straightforward, and the painting and tiling would be easy.”

  “Yes, but don’t forget the cost of the furniture, and you’d be looking at six double beds to start with. Now, why are you laughing again, Dario? What’s so funny?”

  “You didn’t know that my father owns a furniture shop in Madrid, did you? Everything would be cost price. Oh, Gemma, what a fabulous idea. I could hug you and give you a big kiss, I really could.”

  “Well, Dario, don’t just say it. Kiss me!”

  Chapter 14

  It wasn’t just the one kiss they shared, but quite a few before they left the restaurant and headed back to the villa. They’d had a lovely evening, the food had been delicious, the ambience of the restaurant perfect for a romantic meal, and Dario’s Spanish eyes were to die for! Strangely, there was no further talk about the holiday apartments being refurbished as they casually chatted and got to know each other better. Gemma spent most of the time taking him through her childhood days to arriving in Spain, careful not to mention Dulcie and Rupert’s lottery win. To be honest, Dario wasn’t interested in them at all, it was her he wanted to get to know!

  Gemma went to bed happily reminiscing over her lovely evening and the kisses she’d shared with Dario. She had a good night’s sleep, and before long could hear Maria cleaning outside and someone in the kitchen.

  “Morning, Gemma, did you have a nice evening, dear?”

  “Dulcie, you should have rephrased that as, ‘Did you
kiss him?’ I’m only joking, Gemma, did you have a good time?”

  They all laughed and Gemma told them all about her evening, the restaurant and the lovely food, but omitted to mention the kiss. Rupert explained that they’d got up early as he’d seen on the Internet that a group of Brits who now live in Graingcia always met up for coffee once a week. They’d decided to join them and hopefully find out more about the town. Dulcie had already phoned Dario to come and collect them and asked Gemma if she’d like to come along too. She didn’t! It would be good for Rupert and Dulcie to go and do things on their own and secondly, she didn’t look her best first thing in the morning and really didn’t want Dario to see her when she wasn’t at her best.

  “No thanks. I think I’ll sit out in the sunshine instead. There’re a few things I want to look up online for Dario, and I’ll prepare us a nice lunch for when you get back. I think I can hear Dario’s car pulling onto the drive.”

  “Not coming out to say hello, Gemma?”

  “Don’t be silly, Rupert. A girl has a reputation to maintain. She’s got to keep up the illusion of how she looked last night. This courting business is a game which needs to be played properly. You should know all about that!”

  “Oh, you are funny, Dulcie. I remember a time in London when we were young, free, and single. I’ll just say the word, ‘Marco’, remember?”

  With that she quickly hurried him out of the door. Gemma made a mental note to ask Dulcie about Marco when the time was right. Although she didn’t want to face Dario, she couldn’t help taking a sneaky peak out of the window. Surprisingly, he wasn’t wearing his usual jeans and T-shirt, but summer shorts. Perhaps he was also looking to impress! Gemma knew the months ahead would be worth looking forward to!

  Coffee made, a quick word with Maria and time alone to sit in the sun with her iPad and notebook. Today she wanted to find images of interior design to give Dario some examples of how the holiday lets could look and check out the Ikea website for bedding, towels and cushions. They’d be a good price and easy to get. Another thing she had in mind was to search for similar sized holiday home complexes to see how their exterior areas were designed. She was so excited, not just for Dario and his grandfather, but also the fact that this was a project she could have a say in. Although she’d never done any DIY before, she did consider herself handy with a paintbrush and she would certainly be capable of clearing the overgrown shrubbery. All she needed was to bring her ideas to life with the help of some photos from the Internet.

  Two hours later and she had moved from the sunny patio to the guest room which Dulcie and Rupert had set aside for an office. The printer whirred into action producing piles and piles of paper, each showing various colour schemes, products, and ideas for interior design. Gemma was still of the opinion that white would be best with perhaps splashes of colour thrown in here and there with the soft furnishings. The chairs could even be white, but with washable covers. Wardrobes seemed to be quite expensive, she thought. Perhaps just a rail would do. She even came across the website belonging to Dario’s father’s furniture business. Not that she could understand the wording and product descriptions as it was all in Spanish, but all the furniture and home accessories looked good.

  Designing and budgeting for the exterior area wouldn’t be so straightforward. Gemma wasn’t an expert in comparing the advantages of patio slabs and turf, but the biggest shock was the price of outdoor furniture. It was all such a challenge, balancing between items that looked good but were pricey against basic things which were expensive. She moved on to look at what could be done with the kitchen / dining areas. Dario’s father had some great sofas, but all the pots, pans, crockery and utensils needed to be updated and perhaps Ikea would be the best place for that and their website had translatable links so she could easy follow everything while pricing it up in Euros on the basis of enough for 12 guests. As Gemma printed more and more images of kitchen design, she heard Rupert and Dulcie returning. It was two-thirty and she hadn’t even started on preparing lunch for them all.

  “We’re back! Hope you haven’t gone to too much trouble with lunch as we’ve already eaten. The coffee morning turned into a boozy lunch! We’ve had a great time, made to feel very welcome and it was great to meet some fellow Brits.”

  “Yes, but some of them began to ask a few awkward questions when they found out where we were staying, and Rupardo here, well, he seems to have formed his own little fan club. The women loved him!”

  “Very funny, dear, but yes, I did enjoy myself. They were so helpful, telling me about the sights of Graingcia. Most importantly, they said I’d need to go into Almeria for clothes shopping and some of the ladies even offered to come with me. Oh, and it wasn’t Dario who brought us home. He had somewhere else to go to, so one of his colleagues drove us home instead.”

  Gemma wondered about that. It wasn’t like Dario to let them down, but he had organised a replacement driver so maybe he’d an urgent booking, or gone to tell his grandfather about the refurbishment plans. Rupert announced that he was tired and would be going for an afternoon siesta. Dulcie wanted a nice cup of tea and to sit out in the shade, so Gemma made them both tea and proceeded to tell Dulcie how she had spent the morning.

  “Dario’s grandfather will be thrilled to bits with all of this, and it’s so nice that you’ve found something to keep yourself occupied. You need more in life than looking after us two old codgers. Dario’s a lovely lad, he’s kind, thoughtful and I know he thinks a lot of you, dear. Now let me tell you about our morning. We’ve met some lovely people today. Most of them were all over Rupert though. You could see they loved this gay old man with a penchant for shopping and a few bob in his pocket! Wait and see, they’ll soon be coming out with sob stories, but on the whole, most seemed to be genuine and very nice.”

  Dulcie was starting to doze off, so Gemma discussed their evening meal plans and then persuaded her to go and have a rest. Unusually, they decided on pizza. Dulcie had remembered there was a pizza restaurant next to the café they’d had lunch in and this had sparked an interest, so she asked Gemma to go to the supermarket, pick up a couple of pizzas and some fresh salad. Gemma was pleased to get out. She could do with a walk after having spent the whole morning in front of a computer screen. She just needed to tidy up the office room first and put all her paperwork into logical order. It did cross her mind whether she could drop it all off at Dario’s while she was out. She knew he didn’t lock the gate to the complex, so if he wasn’t there she could put it under the door instead. Something told her he would be there though, already up to his neck in clearing things out, ready for the hard work to begin.

  The weather was beginning to improve. Days were quickly becoming hotter and hotter, and Gemma thought she ought to do the shopping at cooler times of the day, either early in the mornings or in the evenings when the sun had gone in. She took extra effort in getting ready, not really wanting Dario to think she’d gone to a lot of trouble, but she did want to look nice so she put a little more makeup on and headed down the hill to the beach to drop the paperwork off before going to buy the pizzas.

  The gate was open when she got there, but there was no sign of Dario’s taxi, just an old green pick-up truck. As she started to walk to the house, an old man called out to her in Spanish. Perhaps this was Dario’s grandfather.

  “I’m sorry, I don’t speak Spanish. I was wondering whether Dario was around.”

  “I’m Pablo, Dario’s grandfather and I speak English quite well. I’ve had to learn it over the years what with all the British tourists who come over. Nice to meet you, are you here on holiday?”

  “Sort of. I’m Gemma, and I’m staying up at the villa on the hill. Has Dario mentioned me?”

  “Oh, you must be with the elderly couple who are staying for a few months. He’s mentioned taking them out and about, but I don’t think he’s mentioned you although I am getting a bit forgetful in my old age. Now, how can I help you?”

  Gemma had to think quickly. He
didn’t seem as though Dario had discussed all the refurbishment plans with his grandfather and it wouldn’t be right for him to find out about it all this way, so Gemma explained that she had printed out a few things on the printer for Dario. She was thankful that she had found a large enough envelope for all the information she’d printed and been able to seal it. Pablo didn’t seem the type of man who would open something not addressed to him.

  “Okay, don’t worry. You leave that here with me and I’ll make sure Dario gets it when he gets back. It won’t be for a few days though, as once his girlfriend arrives from Madrid, he’s like putty in her hands, forgets all sense of time. One day he’ll wake up to the fact that she’s no good for him, I hope.”

  Chapter 15

  There was a knock on Gemma’s bedroom door. She knew she couldn’t hide away for much longer, but she had duties to perform and really ought to get started on them. She had been stupid falling head over heels in love with a gorgeous Spanish taxi driver, and dwelling on it all wouldn’t help matters. How daft could she have been to think that he only had eyes for her. Anyone as handsome as Dario was bound to have a girlfriend, if not several.

  “Morning, dear, how are you feeling this morning. It was such a same you missed out on the pizzas, but the good thing is that Rupert didn’t burn them. Has your headache gone?”

  “Yes, thanks, Dulcie, I’m feeling a lot better, but I think I’ll have a quick shower.”

  Gemma got herself ready, made coffee and joined Dulcie out on the patio. All was quiet, there was no sign of Rupert.

  “What a beautiful morning! No Rupert?”

  “He’s up and out already. Gone to meet a few of the Brits from the coffee morning for a walk and chat. It’s good for him to make new friends instead of hanging round here with me all the time.”

  “Yes, it’s great that he’s settled in so quickly. Can I get you anything, breakfast perhaps?”