The Leap Year Proposal

Chapter Nine

Jess

Wednesday 15 January

‘This is just like old times, Mark Featherstone,’ Jess said as she rested her hand on her minigolf club.

‘Well, if we’re going to be true to form, I’m going to win.’ He smirked as Jess pretended to swat him with her club.

‘You’re lucky I’m slightly too far away. Anyway, I don’t fancy your chances tonight, do you?’

‘Oh, I absolutely fancy my chances.’ He waggled his eyebrows.

Jess rolled her eyes. ‘At minigolf. And if you continue like that, you can extend that outcome to other areas too.’

Mark laughed as he lined up his ball for the eighth hole. ‘I don’t see you winning tonight. I beat you on the shark, the octopus and if I had to bet on it, I’d put money on me winning the manta ray hole too.’

Jess stayed silent. He had a point.

‘You’re not holding your club properly, and your stance isn’t wide enough,’ Mark went on.

‘Well, we don’t all have a lucky red ball,’ Jess said.

Mark grinned. Never a game went by when he didn’t make a reference to how he always chose the red ball at minigolf as it was a tradition he’d had since he was little, because he had red hair. She didn’t like to tell him it might have been cute when he was four, but not so much at twenty-four.

‘Mark, stop trying to coach me. I’m not one of your pupils. If I want to play minigolf badly, I will.’

‘Your choice. And you’re so good at it… playing badly, that is.’

He ducked as Jess threw her balled-up hoodie at him. Mark was so annoying when he insisted things had to be done a certain way, particularly when it came to any kind of sport, competitive or otherwise. Not that minigolf was exactly a sport, but he applied the same rules.

‘Drat!’

Ha, he’d missed. ‘Aw, what? No hole in one, or two, or even three? Would you like me to give you some pointers?’ She grinned as he shot her a dark look. He was so competitive it made her laugh.

She took her shot, straight under the manta ray’s fin, and it kept going, going, going. Yes! It was in. Take that, Mark!

Mark groaned. She was only three points behind him now, and he’d hate that. Jess scanned her band and input her score. She wasn’t doing too badly, actually. Maybe Mark was trying to put her off so he could win. Well, two could play at that game.

As Mark lined up to take his shot at the starfish– she was loving the under the sea theme of this particular minigolf– she whispered in his ear, ‘How about we cut this short and go home and…?’

Mark’s shot went wide, he cursed and, looking around to ensure no one else saw, dived for Jess, tickling her, then kissing her until she felt literally dizzy.

‘Think you can put me off, do you? I’m still going to win, but you had better deliver on that promise when we get home.’

‘I have no idea what you mean,’ Jess said as Mark swept her into a passionate kiss, halted eventually only by the arrival of some wolf-whistling teenagers.

‘Are any of them in your class?’ Jess asked, reddening.

‘Let’s bloody hope not,’ Mark muttered, ‘or I’ll never hear the end of it. Right, much as I’m really enjoying this course, let’s hurry up, so we can get home and get started on your suggestion.’

Spurred on by his comment, and warmed by the thought, Jess resolved to do her best to take the win. She’d find a way to console him once they got home. With a smile, she struck out for the great white shark hole– the irony of its killer instinct not lost on her.

Thursday 16 January

‘Jess, have you seen my rugby shorts? I’m playing against the science department tonight.’

Jess was standing in their miniscule utility room wading through the clean laundry basket, finding all her yoga pants and workout tops when she heard Mark calling her. Between two pairs of yoga pants nestled a pair of black rugby shorts.

‘Laundry basket,’ she called back. She replaced the items she didn’t need and set up the ironing board.

‘What time will you be in tonight?’ she asked Mark as he gave her a peck on the cheek then shoved the shorts into his sports bag.

‘Don’t know. Might go for a couple of beers with the guys. You don’t mind, do you?’

‘No, I have classes and dog walks until five, then if I have time, I was going to nip to Parkers for some supplies, and then I’m heading through to Edinburgh to meet Jess and Anouska.’

Mark frowned. ‘Didn’t you meet up with them last week?’

‘Yep. We got on really well. Thought we’d make it a weekly thing. Actually, who am I kidding? I won’t have time to get to Parkers if I’m to make that train.’

Mark raised his eyebrows. ‘A bit of a trek on a Thursday night, but it’s clearly worth it to you. Text me a list and I’ll pick up what you need.’

‘Really? That would be great. You know how little choice the supermarkets’ health-food sections have compared with Parkers.’ He really was so thoughtful.

Mark nuzzled into Jess’ neck, gave her a lingering kiss on the lips, which made parts of her fizz with delight, then grabbed his man bag containing all his classes’ assignments. ‘Yeah. Right, I need to go. I’ve S2 this morning– back to back, and they’re a tough lot this year. Have fun tonight. Bye.’ He was out the door in two seconds. Thirty seconds later, he returned, flashing her a megawatt smile. ‘Sports bag,’ he explained, retrieving it from behind the door, before about-turning and heading back out.

‘Think of your core,’ called Jess to her final class of the morning. ‘You are in control of it, yep, even the beginners. Lie on your back, pull your left knee towards your chest and hold for ten, twenty, thirty. That’s it– feel the burn. Now, the right knee, and ten, twenty, thirty.’

By the time she had worked her class up to the double leg stretch, half were zen-like and half were in agony. One thing was for sure, they’d all feel it in the morning, possibly herself included.

‘And we’re done,’ Jess called as she picked up her towel and wiped her forehead.

She checked her watch. Fifteen minutes before her Pilates class started. She’d grab some water and a protein shake and get back to it.

‘And now into downward dog, and relax.’

Jess’ eyes strayed to the clock. Five past five. Phew, what a day. Sometimes having the classes spaced out helped. Other times she was in the zone and could happily keep going for hours without a break. Her phone vibrated. Whoever it was would have to wait. They still had triangle and upward-facing dog to do.

‘That’s us, guys. Well done, everyone.’ Jess smiled at them and picked up her gym towel to wipe the sweat from her face.

The twenty or so people in the class, mainly women, thanked her and filed out of the room or stood in little groups chatting or making plans to go for coffee the following week. As Jess went to leave, Nathan stopped her.

‘Jess, you coming to the pub with us? A few of us are heading over to The Crooked Chimney.’

‘Thanks, Nathan, but I have plans tonight.’

He shot her a cheeky smile. ‘Our loss. Maybe next time. See you next week.’

‘Maybe. Yeah, see you. Enjoy yourselves.’

‘We will.’

Jess shook Nathan’s sexy grin from her mind and strode towards the changing rooms. She showered quickly then grabbed her kit bag and headed for the station. Perhaps tonight wasn’t the best time to be taking public transport over to Edinburgh for their second meet-up. It must be close to freezing at the moment, which meant by the time she returned it would probably be minus temperatures.

As she waited for the train, she checked her messages. Got everything you asked for from Parkers, my little health nut, M x

She smiled. Mark wasn’t exactly averse to exercise himself and had the body to show for it, but she was glad he’d managed to go to the health-food store for her, one more thing off her to-do list. Although she was overjoyed to have set up her dog-walking business, some days, the mix of walks combined with the exercise classes she led meant life was pretty full-on.

Once the girls had all arrived, greeted each other and settled in Cirque again, Ellie got straight to the point. ‘So, have you had any more ideas about where you’re going to propose?’

‘Of course. I haven’t been able to concentrate on anything else, and I’ve done a ton of research,’ Jess admitted. ‘But before we get into all that, congratulations on you and Scott moving in together.’

Ellie flushed. ‘I can’t quite believe it’s really happening. I was so annoyed at his disinterest in me putting the flat up for sale and then wham, he’s suggesting we buy a place together.’

Anouska shook her head. ‘I’ll never understand men, but I’m really happy for you.’

‘Thanks, Anouska.’

As their attention turned to Jess’ situation, Jess took a bite of chicken whilst gathering her thoughts then whipped out her phone. ‘I had a look online earlier. How about this? Oporto, five nights B if she wasn’t thinking how to propose or where, she was trying to work out the exact words to use. The downside of being a dog walker was it gave her a lot of headspace, too much time to reflect.

Yes, of course she would say ‘Will you marry me?’ but she did feel there should be some sort of precursor to the proposal. Something along the lines of ‘Mark, you’ve been my soulmate since we were seven, how about you remain it until we’re in our dotage?’ or ‘Mark, I’ve known since I first met you that you were the one I wanted to marry. Will you do me the great honour of being my husband?’ or ‘Mark, we’ve been inseparable since we were little– let’s make it more permanent.’ The possibilities played out on a never-ending loop in her head, but nothing stuck. She simply couldn’t seem to make a final decision. Her head was aching from overthinking.

‘I don’t suppose you two have come up with any great ideas for me then?’

‘How about at the rugby ground? You said last week he was into rugby. You could have it come up on the board during the game,’ Anouska offered.

‘I’m not sure Mark would like that. It’s a bit public.’

‘Or how about through the medium of karaoke? You could sing Train’s “Marry Me”,’ suggested Ellie.

Jess did like that song, but she hated karaoke, albeit Mark loved it. She huffed out a breath, despondent.

Anouska said, ‘And that’s pretty public too. Well, one thing’s for certain, he’d know from that single act how much you love him and want to marry him.’

‘No, more like he’ll be mortified and leave me, never mind marry me.’ Jess wasn’t known for her singing voice, or rather she was, but for all the wrong reasons.

They went through the possibilities, one by one, but it seemed that all those Jess put forward had snags. Even those Anouska and Ellie came up with were either improbable or likely to have Mark booking a solo one-way ticket to Australia.

Jess sighed. The search was far from over.

Friday 17 January

The next morning, Jess had already been up for an hour working in the living room on some new music for her Zumba class, when she noted she still hadn’t heard Mark in the shower. She glanced at the clock. Twenty past eight.

She marched into their bedroom and shook him awake. ‘Mark, wake up. You’re going to be late for work.’

‘Ugh…what?’ Mark grunted.

‘Mark, stop messing about. You’ve overslept. It’s twenty past eight.’

‘Oh shit!’ Mark bolted upright. ‘I’ll never make the bus in time now.’

‘No, you won’t. You look like crap, by the way. And you stink. You can’t go to work like that. Jump in the shower and I’ll see if I can find you some mints. I’ll drive you to work. There’s no way you can take the car. You’ll still be way over the limit.’

Jess was more than a tad annoyed that Mark’s impromptu midweek drinking session was going to disrupt her day, but saw no way out of it, short of Mark arriving late to work. She made him a coffee in his to-go cup and prepared her own things, ready for the day. She wasn’t working until eleven, as one of her dogs was going to the vet and the other was away on holiday, so she had planned to pop into her parents’ first. Now she’d have to cut short her visit, given her impromptu chauffeuring session.

Mark appeared, fresh from the shower, yet still managing to look as if he’d been dragged through a hedge, with bloodshot eyes, hair sticking up and a vacant expression on his face. He smiled as soon as he saw the coffee mug.

‘Not until you’re dressed. We need to go.’ Jess was firm. Honestly, sometimes it was like having a child. She loved Mark to pieces, but on occasion he didn’t seem to have matured much from the seven-year-old she had met almost two decades earlier.

Mark quickly shaved and dressed and by twenty-five to nine, he was ready to go.

They got into Jess’ little-used Honda Civic and headed for the school.

‘Thanks, Jess.’ Mark’s eyes were full of sincerity as she deposited him at the gates at five to nine. He’d still be playing catch-up for part of the morning, but at least he would turn up in time for his class, and the coffee seemed to have energised him.

‘Don’t make a habit of it,’ she said in her best schoolmarm tone.

‘I won’t. I’m sorry. One of the lads had just found out he’s about to become a dad, and well, he thought it was a good idea to wet the baby’s head already, rather than waiting until it’s actually born.’

She rolled her eyes at their antics and at his sheepish expression.

‘All right, you’re forgiven. Don’t forget these.’ Jess leant out of the window and pushed some mints into his hand.

‘What would I do without you?’ He leant through the open window and kissed her full on the lips, to the excited catcalls of some nearby teenagers, pupils of his, no doubt. Well, that was good enough for him. It would serve him right if they took the mick out of him, this morning.

It wasn’t the first time he had said that to her, but she did wonder sometimes what he would do, as he was so scatterbrained. The only thing he seemed able to focus on properly was teaching.

Funny how some people pigeon-holed her or stereotyped her as being airy-fairy, expecting her to believe in astrology, worship crystals and follow the teachings of Buddha, just because she was a yoga instructor. But that wasn’t her, and she was more grounded than most people she knew. She simply liked to keep fit and had always loved exercising and music. Sometimes, before she was an instructor, she felt she needed something less energetic than her body attack class, and one day a friend had invited her to Pilates and she’d loved it, and from that first class had grown the germ of an idea for an exercise business.

As she drove to her parents’ house, she mused that life wasn’t too bad, apart from inconsiderate boyfriends coming home drunk and being too hungover to get up in time for work. Fortunately, he didn’t do it very often. He’d have some serious making-up to do tonight when he got home, though.

She was reversing into the driveway when her mobile buzzed with a message. Ellie, in the group chat.

Just wanted to say thanks!

Jess frowned. Thanks for what?

As if reading her mind, Ellie texted: It was Jess who clinched it for me, plus I had all that thinking time out on the slopes last week.

What? came Jess’ reply, followed by Don’t keep us guessing from Anouska.

I’m going to do it. I’m going to propose on the twenty-ninth of February too.

At Jess and Anouska’s explosion of shocked and delighted emojis, Ellie sent back about ten laughing emojis with tears in their eyes.

Jess grinned then bashed out, Here’s to our leap-year proposals!