got to the end of her story.
Oliver shrugged, his hands deep in his pockets. ‘Not really. I live in Bristol, which is a great base. There are lots of places I can get to easily, and Cornwall, Devon and Somerset have enough going on to keep me busy. Are you planning to travel with your bus, or stay in this area?’
‘I haven’t decided yet,’ Charlie admitted. ‘But I’m organizing a festival in Porthgolow. It’s a beautiful village, but it could – oh!’ Her eye snagged on a smart logo, pale purple writing on a slate-grey background. ‘Oh,’ she said again, and came to a halt.
Ahead of her, next to a vendor selling Jacuzzis, was a sign that read The Crystal Waters Spa Hotel. Beyond it were three large pods made out of glass and wood, with cushioned benches running round the inside and circular tables in the middle, arranged with place settings for a beautiful alfresco dinner. She had seen something similar in her mum’s John Lewis catalogue. A few thousand pounds on a mini conservatory that you could place anywhere in your garden. She hadn’t noticed any at Crystal Waters, but she could see how they would fit perfectly with the surroundings.
‘You OK?’ Oliver asked.
‘Yes, fine.’ A man and woman were standing in front of the pods, wearing navy suits and crisp white shirts. She didn’t recognize either of them. After her initial surprise, her next emotion was disappointment.
‘Should we be heading back?’ Oliver pressed, touching her lightly on the arm.
‘Of course. Sorry, it’s just that Crystal Waters is in Porthgolow.’ She smiled at Oliver in an attempt to cover her strange reaction.
She was about to turn away when Daniel appeared, shaking hands with the dark-suited man and woman. He was dressed casually, in a grey T-shirt, jeans and a battered leather jacket. Charlie had time to notice this before Marmite, perhaps encouraged by the familiar face, launched himself at the closest pod and the beautifully laid-out table within. Charlie froze, unable to think or move as her dog, his extendable lead whirring, set gleefully about his task, taking a matter of seconds to demolish the luxurious, and no doubt expensive, display.
‘Oh my God!’
‘What the hell?’
‘Whose dog is that?’
The last exclamation, from the man in the navy suit, was surely unnecessary, Charlie thought as she raced forward and scooped Marmite into her arms, trying not to look at the pod’s now less-than-elegant display. Marmite licked her face, his tail wagging, as if he’d just achieved something magnificent. Navy Suit Woman stared at what was left of the dinner table, while the man, having found the answer to his question, strode towards her.
Charlie shrank back, covering Marmite with her arms, but before the man could reach her, Daniel placed a hand on his chest and spoke to him in a low voice that didn’t carry. She scuttled back to Oliver’s side and saw that he was laughing silently, his hands over his mouth, his head bowed.
‘Not helping,’ she whispered, and had to bite down on her bottom lip so as not to be infected by his laughter.
Navy Suit Man retreated, and Daniel approached her. His fingers were flexing at his sides and she wondered if that was some kind of calming technique, the same way Juliette had taught her how to take deep, even breaths that expanded her entire torso before reacting to a situation. She could do with a few deep breaths right now.
‘Daniel, I am so sorry,’ she said instead. ‘I’ll pay for any damages, of course.’ She prayed that they amounted to tablecloths and a couple of plates, and that Marmite hadn’t smashed any of the cut-glass crystal or the glass of the pod itself.
Daniel looked from her to Marmite, then Oliver. He frowned. ‘I know you’re determined, but I hadn’t expected sabotage. I can see I’m going to have to be on my guard from now on.’
‘Daniel, I honestly didn’t mean for that to happen.’
His serious expression cracked into a grin.
‘Wait, you’re not—?’
‘We’re covered for accidents at these shows,’ he said. ‘It’s probably a good idea to have one pod empty anyway, so customers can imagine something that’s more to their style. Not everyone goes in for silver cutlery and Royal Doulton.’
‘Royal Doulton?’ Charlie murmured. ‘Shit.’
‘I know. Didn’t take that into consideration when you were planning to set your dog on me, did you? You should always budget properly for attacks of vandalism. You’re lucky I’m such a generous guy.’ He glanced at Oliver, his smile slipping, and held out his hand. ‘I’m Daniel Harper, owner of The Crystal Waters Spa Hotel.’
‘Ollie, The Marauding Mojito.’ Oliver shook his hand. ‘This all looks pretty swanky.’
‘It did, until Charlie came along.’ Daniel ruffled Marmite’s ears. ‘Are you and your dog always this accident prone?’
‘No,’ Charlie said quickly. ‘And just because my dog’s a tearaway, doesn’t mean I’m clumsy.’
‘The first time I met her, the bus had had a bit of an accident,’ Oliver said. ‘It was actually pretty spectacular, the way—’
‘We don’t need to get into that,’ Charlie said, grabbing his arm. ‘I’m sure Daniel doesn’t have time to stand here gossiping.’
‘I just came to see how Mark and Ali were doing. I left Jasper in the car because I thought he might cause trouble.’ He glanced behind him, where Ali was crouched inside the pod, retrieving bits of broken crockery. ‘Clearly a precaution I needn’t have taken.’
‘Maybe our dogs should get together for a doggy date.’ She didn’t know why she’d said it – maybe to distract him from what Oliver had said about Gertie’s accident. She couldn’t cope with the two of them ganging up on her.
‘Doggy date?’ Daniel laughed, and Charlie felt her cheeks burn.
‘God, is that the time?’ she said. ‘I’ve left Juliette and Lawrence for far too long. Nice to see you, Daniel, sorry again about Marmite. Your pods are beautiful, by the way. I didn’t see them in the garden that time.’
‘They’re new,’ Daniel said. ‘Been installed a week.’
‘Great. Lovely. I’ll have to … drop in.’ She started to pull Oliver away.
‘I’m looking forward to your festival even more now,’ Daniel called, giving her a wave when she glanced behind her. She was unable to stop herself from waving back.
‘He’s in the village where you’re staying?’ Oliver asked, when they were out of sight of the Crystal Waters stand.
‘Yes, he is,’ Charlie
