(Part 01)
Anna Harwood and her daughter Clare lived in the village of Clarence which was a mile or so from Purplemere.
She was 55 years old, pale skinned, strawberry blonde, turning to silver, five foot nothing tall and whippet thin and her daughter was just a younger version of her mother.
Her husband David had died the year before and as they only had one child there was only the two of them.
They both worked at the Royal Downshire Hospital in Purplemere Clare was a district nurse and Anna was a clerical officer.
The two of them did a lot of things together, shopping, eating out and the theatre.
But for Mother’s Day Clare had bought a three day, all-inclusive spa break for her mum at the Tipton Manor Hotel and Spa in the north of the county.
Clare very thoughtfully had booked for her mum and a plus one because she knew she wouldn’t be comfortable going to a place like that on her own.
But she insisted that she wanted to go with Clare, so they could spend some quality time together doing girls stuff.
Anna knew that wasn’t the kind of thing Clare had in mind, as it wasn’t her kind of thing at all.
Clare wasn’t the rest and relaxation sort at all, she was more of a party girl, which Anna thought was probably why she was still single.
So she was delighted when Clare agreed to be her Anna’s plus one.
In order for her to get the best possible deal Clare had booked a midweek mini break, and it made perfect sense to Anna, her daughter was a nurse after all, so money didn’t grow on trees but the earliest she could get was at the end of april.
It was a long drive from Clarence, on the outskirts of Purplemere, to Tipton in the north of the county but then they had taken the decision after getting off the expressway to take the scenic route through the Pepperstock Hills National Park.
But the scenery in the Park was well worth the additional time with its stark contrasts from the extensive tract of magnificent mixed forestry to the south and east, the old Quarries reclaimed by Nature to the west to the bare, and often barren crags to the north.
However despite the scenic splendour she had witnessed when they arrived Clare was not in the best of spirits.
Anna knew that Clare could have found much more enjoyable ways of spending her days off than babysitting her mother.
But she loved her even more for doing it despite her preferred pastime of looking for her ideal man, Anna kept telling her that there was no such thing but she wouldn’t listen.
But when Clare gave her a smile she knew her daughter had resolved to make the best of it and try to get her monies worth despite having her mum as her wingman.
They were greeted in reception by a very attractive specimen of a man and Anna could see Clare perk up.
He was over six feet tall, lean and muscular, very good looking and well groomed, he was manicured and pedicured, toned, tanned and smelt like a perfume counter.
Naturally Anna marked him down as gay.
(Part 02)
Anna and Clare Harwood were greeted in reception by a very attractive specimen of a man and Anna could see Clare perk up.
He was over six feet tall, lean and muscular, very good looking and well groomed, he was manicured and pedicured, toned, tanned and smelt like a perfume counter.
Naturally Anna marked him down as gay.
“Good morning ladies” he said with the faintest hint of a French accent.
“Good morning” they replied in unison
“We have a booking in the name of Harwood” Clare said
“Ah the Harwood sisters” he said
“You know very well we're not sisters you cheeky boy” Anna said in a style something akin to a Carry on movie.
“You're not sisters?” he asked feigning surprise
“Mother and daughter” she said
“And which one are you Mademoiselle” he said and kissed her hand
“Cheeky” she said and blushed
Clare didn’t contribute to the converse but Anna noticed she was giving him the full benefit of her appraisal whilst wearing a wistful expression, doubtless in regard to him playing for the other side.
When the Oscar Wilde capers were over and done with they managed to get themselves checked in and it was while she was signing in that that she became aware he was doing some appraising of his own, of her and her daughter and she began to question her initial assessment that he was gay.
“When you have settled into your room I will give you a tour of the facilities” he said “Shall we say on the terrace in 30 minutes?”
“That will be fine” Clare said
“Of course with your lovely pale skin you two will need to stay in the shadows” He said.
Anna blushed at the compliment and Clare smiled.
According to his name badge his name was Claude and he was very handsome and Anna could tell that her daughter was thinking that things might well be looking up if he didn’t bat for the other side.
“You can check my skin anytime” Clare said
“I’ll bare that in mind” he retorted
“You’re a terrible flirt Clare” mum said
“I know” she said, “although I think of it more as advertising”
They went up to their rooms and settled in and then went down stairs to find Gorgeous Claude.
However as the approached the terrace they came across him fawning over another group of women of mixed ages, ranging from 16 to 60, and they watched as he ogled and drooled over all of them and Clare felt her skin crawl and she shivered.
“Yes I know what you mean” Anna said “he’s a real lounge lizard”
So they decided to skip oily Claude’s tour and just wandered around on their own.
Their sojourn took them to the pool area first, they saw the Rock sauna, infra-red sauna, aroma steam room, ice fountain, drench showers, Jacuzzi, a Romanesque pool and the swimming pool as well.
After which they headed towards the sun lounge and refreshments which was when they literally bumped into Phil Grice and his uncle, Roger Greven.
(Part 03)
The collision between the Harwood’s and Roger Greven and his nephew Phil Grice resulted in Clare falling into a planter and Roger lying flat on his back with Anna on top of him nose to nose.
Phil Grice was the only one left standing and unsure who he should help first.
He decided on the pretty young one in the planter, who was left like an upturned beetle, with her legs waving about, which was what he noticed, her lovely legs, she was also giggling which he liked to.
“I’m terribly sorry”
He said and took her hands and pulled her to her feet, it took little effort as she was a tiny little thing and he was over six feet tall.
She was still giggling and was unable to respond and when she saw her mum lying on top of a strange man her giggles turned to belly laughs.
All four of them were laughing by the time everyone was on their feet again and between the laughter everyone expressed their apologies for their clumsiness.
Neither Anna nor Roger’s first reaction was laughter as they lay on the floor, because Roger felt anger until he realised he had been assailed by a very attractive woman while for Anna as she lay nose to nose with a nice smelling good looking man, what she felt was lust.
In between giggles Anna kept giving appraising glances at the good looking man who she had laid on top of and she liked what she saw, to the point that she though he put Claude in the shade.
He was six feet tall, with a military bearing with short salt and pepper hair, blue eyes and a neat well-groomed beard.
And while she was looking at him he was sneaking glances at her and thought she was even lovelier when perpendicular than she had been when horizontal.
When the laughter had subsided Anna said
“We were headed to the sun lounge for a coffee, perhaps you would join us”
The two men agreed and Clare gave her a look of approval.
When they were seated in the lounge and the drinks were ordered the introductions were made.
Roger Greven, who walked with a stick, was a year older than Anna and Phil Grice was the same age as Clare.
Roger was there for aqua therapy to rebuild his muscles after shattering his pelvis following a fall from his horse, and his nephew Phil was there because Roger hadn’t been passed fit to drive.
“Are you from Tipton?” Clare asked
“No we are from Sharping St Mary in the Finchbottom Vale” Phil replied
“Really?” Clare exclaimed “we’re from Clarence”
“So we are practically neighbour” Anna said to Roger
They stayed in the lounge for over half an hour in which time Anna and Clare discovered that Roger was widowed and Phil was single.
Unfortunately before they could glean any further information one of the therapist staff approached the table and informed Roger that it was time for his session.
So they parted company with expressions that they hoped they would run into each other again during their stay.
After they had gone Clare and Anna looked at each other and said in unison
“Well they were nice”
(Part 04)
During the remainder of their first day and all of the next, despite their best efforts, they didn’t see Roger or his nephew.
But they had a great time using the facilities and enjoyed the full range of what was on offer, fitness classes, gym, rock sauna, infra-red sauna, aroma steam room, ice fountain, drench showers, Jacuzzi, a Romanesque pool, Reflexology, Raki, facials, scalp massage, hand massage, Manicure and Pedicure you name it they had it.
But by the end of the second day Anna was getting increasingly frustrated that she hadn’t even had a glimpse of the gentlemanly Roger.
She had thought about him a lot because she was really attracted to him and she had had long convoluted internal dialogues about it because he was the first man she had looked at in that way since she lost her husband and she felt a measure of guilt and betrayal to her husband’s memory, and how would Clare react if something developed between them?
Not that that was likely if she never saw him again.
After her and her daughter had dinner together Anna said she was going to bed as she was exhausted and Clare said she was going to the Gym to try work off her over indulgence.
Anna didn’t go off to bed, even though she was exhausted, because she knew that the internal dialogue would keep her awake so she decided to go for a walk in the grounds.
It was a beautiful moonlit night as she walked around the network of paths in the gardens and was totally lost in thought as she strolled along when she was brought back to the moment by a voice saying
“Hello again”
Anna jumped and looked around to find the source of her alarm and saw Roger Greven sitting on a bench in an arbour
“Oh hello” she responded
“I hope I didn’t startle you?” he asked
“No it’s alright” she replied “I was just miles away”
“Nothing troubling you I hope”
“Possibilities and consequences” she replied enigmatically
“Do you mind if I join you?”
“Please do” he replied amiably
“I thought we may have run into each other sooner than this” she said
“Not literally I hope” he said and they both laughed and then he added
“It was a very intense therapy session and it left me completely exhausted, so I took my meals and refreshment in my room”
“But you’re feeling better now?” she enquired
“I am, but now I can’t sleep”
“Are you in pain?” she asked
“No not pain” he replied “anguish”
“Oh” she exclaimed “About what?”
“Starting over”
“Starting over?” she repeated
“Yes, as you know I lost my wife last year, and…” he began and Anna added
“And you don’t know if it’s too soon to start again, without disrespecting his memory or betraying the love you shared with him”
“So you feel it too?” he asked and put his hand on hers as it rested on the bench.
“Yes” she gasped and squeezed his hand
“Then could we try starting over together?” he asked with trepidation
“Yes” she replied happily
And the new chapter in their lives began with a kiss in the moon light.
Anna and her daughter had to go home after lunch the next day but they spent lunchtime with Roger and his nephew and before they left Anna and Roger held hands discreetly under the table, they would have to keep whatever was happening between them to themselves until they knew for sure where it was going.
And a farewell kiss on the cheek would have to sustain them until the weekend when they were “starting over” some more.
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