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Excerpt
Thank you so much for allowing me to share a little extract from my new book, Summer at my Sister’s.
This is from Chapter One and is part of a video call that Josie Parnell is having with her twin sister, Diana Dunn. Their mum has told Josie to go and visit Diana because, “something isn’t quite right”, so Josie is calling Diana in the hope of finding out what could possibly be wrong in her sister’s perfect life.
When she sees Diana’s face and hears that Diana’s husband, Alex isn’t driving the family down to Seahorse Harbour and won’t be joining them there for a while because he’s, “too busy”, Josie realises their mum was right. Perhaps Diana’s perfect life isn’t quite so perfect at the moment.
I hope you enjoy reading this.
‘Are you okay, Di?’ I asked, peering at her face. ‘I mean, are you ill? You said you haven’t been feeling well lately. Is it something to worry about?’
‘No, no.’ She shook her head. Almost violently. ‘It’s nothing like that. Honestly. I’d tell you if it was. I think I’m just … a little out of sorts. A bit run down maybe. Nothing a sea breeze won’t cure.’
‘Cocktails always make me feel better so I’m with you on that.’
Now she did laugh. ‘I meant the sea air, not the drink. You know I don’t drink … anymore.’
‘And I don’t drink any less.’ I sniggered. I love those old jokes. ‘So it’s just you and the kids then?’
She looked anxious. ‘Me and the kids?’
‘Going to Seahorse Harbour.’ This conversation was definitely weird.
‘Oh yes. For now. And Henry of course.’
‘Ah yes. Henry. Who could forget that lovable hound?’
‘You could. Obviously.’
‘Yeah well. Dogs aren’t my thing. You know I don’t do well with living beings. With living anything, really. Which reminds me. I’m really sorry but that gorgeous plant you bought me a few weeks ago seems to have … er … decided it didn’t like living in the City.’
‘Josie, no!’ She shook her head and laughed, although it wasn’t a particularly happy sound. ‘Please don’t tell me you’ve killed it already.’
‘Okay. I won’t tell you that.’
‘But you have?’
‘I think it took its own life. I didn’t do anything, honestly.’
‘But you watered it, didn’t you?’
‘Er. I think I did. Once or twice. Possibly not. I meant to.’
She sighed and shook her head again. ‘Oh, Josie. What am I going to do with you?’
Don’t ask me why I said it. I had no intention of doing so. None whatsoever. But I did.
‘You could ask me to come and stay with you for the summer. Or at least until Alex is free to come and join you.’
She blinked a few times and stared at the screen, her perfectly arched and shaped brows raised skywards.
‘In Seahorse Harbour?’
‘No. Mars. Of course in Seahorse Harbour. That’s where you’re spending the summer, isn’t it?’
‘It’s where we spend every summer,’ she said, somewhat wistfully I thought.
I gave a little cough and she smiled wanly.
‘Do I have to ask twice?’
‘What? Are you serious? Are … are you actually asking if you can come and stay? You never come and stay with us.’
‘Well, I’d rather stay with that sexy hunk who now owns The Seahorse Inn but as I don’t know him, I’ll have to stay with you until he asks me. What did you say his name was again?’
‘Mikkel. Mikkel Meloy.’ She lowered her gaze.
‘I still think that sounds more Irish than it does Norwegian. But he does look like a Viking and he could ravage me anytime he likes.’
‘You’ve only seen him once, Josie and that was via my webcam at Easter.’
‘Okay. Don’t get snippy. You sounded just like mum.’ I laughed. ‘You only have to see a man like that once for him to make an impression. Is he still single?’
She looked away into the distance. ‘As far as I know he is.’
‘Hi, Josie!’ My niece Becca appeared in the background, waving frantically. ‘You two talking about Mikkel? He’s sooooo gorgeous. Everyone’s in love with him you know. Even though he’s old.
‘Hey you! He’s only a couple of years older than me and your mum, you cheeky minx.’
Becca giggled. ‘Yeah. Old. But not as old as Orla’s dad. He used to be the heartthrob in Seahorse Harbour until Mikkel moved there. He’s still hot, although Orla hates it when I say her dad is sexy – but he is. Not quite as hot as Mikkel though. Orla’s crushing on him too. We’ve been reading Georgette Heyer books. One of the women in Mum’s book club loves them. Most of the heroines marry guys much older, so we’re sort of getting into the whole, older men thing, even though it still seems a bit gross. They’re sexy to look at sometimes but to have actual sex with them.’ She shivered dramatically. ‘Makes me want to heave just a bit.’
‘You’re not having sex with anyone, young lady. You’re only fifteen.’ I tried to sound stern but I think I failed because I was laughing.
I tried to picture Liam’s face. That’s Orla’s dad. He’d love to know that the thought of having sex with him made someone want to heave. Personally, when I was younger, I quite liked the thought of having sex with Liam Fulbright. Mainly because he was such a nerd, especially with his huge glasses, and I wondered if, like a super hero, he had a far, far sexier alter ego. I definitely got the impression there was something bubbling just beneath his lightly tanned skin and that long, lean body. But I hadn’t seen Liam for years. The last time I saw him was when he was nineteen. He was getting married to Una Cole – the most beautiful girl in the world.
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