Page 24 of A Chance in a Million
In fact it wasn’t too terribly cold and it was unquestionably refreshing after the heat of the day. She swam out and around the floating platform, deciding not to climb the ladder out of the water as this would only result in having to steel herself to slip back into the cold water again. She wondered idly where Dino was this evening. Normally he was to be found snoozing on her doormat but today he must have had a prior commitment.
When she came out of the water it was too fiddly to change out of her wet costume, so she decided to stay as she was for the short walk back to her house. She was just rolling up her shorts, top and towel and enjoying the warmth of the last rays of the setting sun when the dog suddenly appeared. There was the thunder of charging paws and his familiar black shape came bursting through the bushes and he flung himself into the water with gusto. He surfaced with a big canine smile on his face, noticed her for the first time and immediately doggy-paddled energetically back to the bank and climbed out, clearly intent on saying hello.
Well aware by now of the icy and malodorous shower that would accompany him, she backed away along the path into the bushes and took refuge behind a particularly thick clump of gorse as he shook himself violently, sending Labrador-perfumed pond water all over the place but fortunately not too much her way. When he had finished, she was just emerging from her shelter when she suddenly heard footsteps and almost bumped into a tall figure who appeared on the path. She took one look at him and stepped back apprehensively.
He looked like a cross between a caveman, a tramp and a yeti. His tangled hair hung down past his shoulders and he had a bushy beard that almost completely masked his face and could probably have housed a family of baby birds. He was wearing sunglasses, a crumpled khaki T-shirt and shorts, and from the look of his strong arms he would know how to handle himself if it came to a fight. She was just looking warily for alternative escape routes when Dino came bounding up and jumped at the man, scrabbling at his waist with his paws in cheery greeting.
‘Dino, you pest, get off. You’re soaking wet.’
It was only when Jane registered that the yeti was speaking fluent native English that the penny dropped. This had to be David, Veronica’s son. She managed to produce a friendly smile and held out her hand towards him, acutely conscious that all she was wearing was a wet swimming costume.
‘Hello, you must be David. I’m Jane… Jane Reed, your mother’s new PA.’
‘Oh, yes, hi.’ He sounded polite rather than warm and friendly.
He shook her hand and then an awkward silence ensued. It didn’t last long because at that moment the dog decided he was still feeling a bit damp so he dropped back onto all fours and proceeded to shake himself violently once more, soaking both of them. His master gave an exasperated groan.
‘Dino, you monster. Go back in the water, will you? Look what you’ve done to the nice lady.’
Jane hadn’t often been referred to as a nice lady before and it brought a smile to her lips. ‘No harm done but I think I’d better head off home and change. Good to meet you, David. Bye.’
‘Oh yes, good.’ She had already turned away when he remembered his manners. ‘Goodbye.’
That evening she had a visitor. She had just finished a plate of salad with delicious local salami and goat’s cheese when there was a tap at the door. She opened it to find Veronica standing there, holding a sheaf of papers which Jane instantly recognised as her two novellas. A sudden wave of apprehension ran through her but she, too, remembered her manners.
‘Hi, Veronica, do come in. Feel like a coffee? I’ve just finished eating and I’m about to make some.’
‘That would be nice.’ Veronica stepped inside and closed the door behind her. ‘I finished reading the second of your two novellas this afternoon and I thought I could give you a bit of feedback if you like. Is now a good time?’
‘Now’s great, thanks. Thank you so much for reading them so quickly.’ Jane was dying to ask what the great author though of her work but she forced herself to be patient and busied herself at the coffee machine. She glanced over her shoulder and made a bit of small talk as Veronica took a seat at the kitchen table. ‘I met David earlier on.’
‘I thought you might have. I hadn’t heard a thing from him for weeks and then he just appeared this afternoon. What did you think of him?’
Jane felt she could hardly tell her boss that her son looked like a caveman so she prevaricated. ‘We barely exchanged more than a couple of words. The dog had just soaked me and I was rushing off to change.’
‘I bet he didn’t look like any army officer you knew back in the day.’ There was a melancholy half-smile on Veronica’s face so Jane decided to be honest.
‘It was hard to see anything of him under all that hair. Has he got something against hairdressers and razor blades?’
‘God only knows when the last time he went to a hairdresser was. Certainly not for ages. Since before his father’s death, definitely. I did warn you that he takes absolutely no interest in his appearance. I suppose it’s partly a reaction after years of short back and sides in the army.’
‘When did he come out of the army?’
‘Three years ago. Probably when he was about your age now.’
Jane set the cups of coffee on the table and sat down as well. ‘Why did he leave?’
A shadow passed across her boss’s face. ‘You’d better askhim. In fact, it might not be a bad thing if he tells you why he left and you tell him why you did. It might be good for both of you. Now, let me tell you what I got out of reading your work.’ It was clear that she was deliberately changing the subject.
Jane filed away the fact that it would appear that David had also left the army under unusual circumstances and her curiosity was piqued even more, but for now, she listened partly in anticipation, partly in trepidation, as Veronica passed judgement.
‘I liked both of the novellas in different ways. The thriller was well written – they both were – but I felt it lacked intensity somehow. I thought your main protagonist was a bit too impassive. I wanted more emotion from him.’ She looked up and smiled. ‘But your romance, on the other hand, had me gripped from the start. The former Olympic swimmer with the tragic past really hit the spot with me and I was genuinely disappointed when it finished after only thirty thousand words or so.’
‘So you’re saying I should concentrate on writing romance?’
‘On what I’ve seen of your work so far, definitely. You managed to produce believable and sympathetic male and female characters and the twist at the end came as a real surprise. Well done. So, yes, my advice, for what it’s worth, is to concentrate on writing romance. You mentioned an interest in historical romance so why not try that, if you can think of an era that appeals to you? Also, if I were you I’d go for something a bit grittier. You’ve showed from your thriller that you can write about the seamier side of life. Why don’t you see if you can combine both works into a romantic thriller?’
Jane felt a wave of relief. ‘That’s great to hear, Veronica. Thank you so much. I really value your opinion. Getting feedback from a writer of your calibre is a chance in a million for me. I was terrified you were going to tell me I was wasting my time. I’m so, so grateful.’
