Today, I thought I’d share Chapter One from my fourth and latest Moonlight Over Muddleford Cove which right now for the rest of May, is on a 99p/$1.38 deal or #Free on Kindle Unlimited. Click here to buy:

CHAPTER ONE

As I stepped off the bus, I tutted loudly, realising that I’d left my bag of shopping on the seat. Turning quickly in an effort to get back on, I stumbled and fell into a puddle. I righted myself, reached for the door, and the driver grinned at me as he pulled away. Charming!

Grabbing my handbag, which had also landed in the puddle, I twisted awkwardly and got the heel of my shoe stuck in a drain. The flipping thing wouldn’t budge so I took off my shoe and bent down to pull it out. I heaved it out noisily and looked down at my hand. There was a shoe, but in the drain, my heel remained. A group of teenagers who were at the bus stop found it highly amusing, especially when I glared at them. Could this day get any worse?

Chuntering away to myself as I hobbled home, I reflected on my dreadful day. First thing this morning at work, we’d all been called into a meeting to be told that one of our biggest clients had cancelled their contract and it was very serious for the future of Breakspear and Proud. They were the third this month, and the impact of this had meant there’d been talk about jobs being lost. I was the last person employed, and those last in are normally first out. There were lots of hushed whispers around the office and I was really worried.

The work news alone, was a rubbish start, but then the seam at the back of my rather snug-fitting favourite black pencil skirt had split quite spectacularly as I bent over to pick up some papers that Mr Rhodes had dropped on the floor. Everyone in the office had found it highly hilarious that I had huge white pants on, which made it ten times worse when the rest of my outfit was black, so I’d had to tie a cardy around my waist and pop into the only shop for miles around – a small supermarket, with a very basic clothes department, opposite the office – and buy a pair of trousers which weren’t cheap and weren’t particularly nice either. That’s where I’d seen the meal deal for a three course meal for two for twelve pounds and I thought I’d buy it to try to cheer up Callum. He’d been a bit down in the dumps lately and seemed really distant. A treat once in a while wouldn’t break the bank. Shame it was still on the bus.

Maybe a night off from talking about our forthcoming wedding would do us both good. There was so much to do, I seemed to be constantly talking about it, and it was doing my head in. We could relax over a nice bottle of Merlot and watch a movie, snuggling up together on the sofa just like the old days. You never knew where it might lead…

I loved the street I lived on. All the houses and tiny front gardens were really well cared for and as I stood at the bottom of our path, and looked up, I felt proud of the painting job I’d done on the front door over the weekend. Now it was a bright glossy red, with a shiny new silver knocker and letterbox in which my dishevelled reflection came back at me. Either side of the front door were artificial potted buxus plants. It was a house that looked loved.

I smoothed down my wayward long brown hair, making a mental note to check my bank account to see if I could afford to get my scraggy split ends trimmed soon, before putting my key in the lock. The front door seemed to be stuck on something, so I gave it a good shove and nearly fell over a suitcase that had been left in the hall. Then my eye caught sight of a bulging holdall on the other side of it. What the hell was this?

Rubbing the back of my neck I yelled, ‘Callum, I’m home!’

‘Oh God! Nell! Erm! What are you doing here? I wasn’t expecting you home yet.’ He nervously looked at his watch.

‘Dur! I live here!’ I grinned and tilted my head to one side. ‘Are we having a clear out?’

He couldn’t look me in the eye and that was the moment that I knew. My stomach churned.

‘We’re not, but I am.’

‘But, but…’ I sank to sit at the bottom of the stairs. ‘I don’t understand. Where has this come from?’

‘I’m sorry, Nell, but I can’t do this anymore. I’m leaving.’

And that was when my incredibly crappy day got even crappier.

If you’ve enjoyed this extract and would like to buy Moonlight Over Muddleford Cove, you can do so by clicking here: