A Secret in Clover Cove: a heart-warming romance set on the beautiful west coast of Ireland

by Maggie Finn

  So Danny had gone straight back to the Wicklow suite and had suggested to Simon that he too, might like to do the right thing. Danny had been surprised how easy it had been. Perhaps, when it came down to it, people wanted to make the right choices, it was just that on a day-to-day basis, they just somehow managed to tie themselves in knots.

  ‘Well I really don’t know what to do next’, said Tessa.

  ‘First this.’ He kissed her again. ‘Next? Well, you’ve got a solo show to promote.’

  She looked at him, panic in her eyes.

  ‘Relax,’ he chuckled. ‘You have a ready-made news story attached. ‘“Legendary artist quits to help daughter” is a perfect headline.’

  ‘But what if no one likes it?’

  ‘Tess, those people in there have been paying a small fortune for your art for years.’

  ‘But they –’ she lowered her voice – ‘They thought they were buying Simon Drake paintings.’

  ‘Sure. But they liked them, didn’t they? They were happy to put them on their walls, right? No one went blind.’

  She pushed him playfully.

  ‘Come on, this is serious.’

  ‘I know. But it’s not like you’re going into this as a complete unknown, are you? And if no one buys your stuff,’ he shrugged. ‘Well then we’ll know it was all about the brand, not the art itself.’

  She snorted.

  ‘Some comfort.’

  With a finger under her chin, Danny gently turned her to face him.

  ‘Tess, do you want to make money or do you want to be true to yourself?’

  ‘I want to be true to myself.’ A grin spread across her face. ‘And you know what? Right now, I wouldn’t actually mind people rejecting me because “she’s not Simon Drake.” For the first time in ages, I feel… free.’

  Danny took a drink of his wine.

  ‘Yeah, tell me about it,’ he said. Tessa put a hand on his knee.

  ‘Oh Danny, I’m sorry, here I’ve been going on about myself and you’re in a worse position.’

  ‘Gee, thanks.’

  ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean that.’

  ‘But it’s sort of true,’ sighed Danny. ‘Here I am saying I’m going to write this wonderful novel that’s going to change the way people think and feel, but I have zero experience writing anything longer than a few thousand words.’

  ‘But you do have experience in making people feel, Danny. When you write in the paper, people hang on your every word. You have a way of making people listen, of opening their eyes.’

  ‘Have you been reading my piece on the Cub Scouts Swim Meet?’

  ‘Come on Danny, we’re in the same boat. We’ve both decided to do the thing we’ve always dreamed of doing. We can’t back out now.’

  And Danny did feel it; he shared Tessa’s excitement, the excitement of the unknown, of setting out on an adventure, not knowing for sure what was over the next fence or the next field.

  ‘Let’s make a pact.’

  ‘What kind of pact?’

  ‘That if ever the other wants to back out, to go get a job in a supermarket, then the other will whack them over the head with a…’

  ‘…a rolled-up newspaper?’

  ‘A paintbrush – one of the big ones.’

  Tessa leant her head on Danny’s shoulder and looked out at the sea. Out in the darkness, lights were flashing on and off.

  ‘What’s all that blinking?’ asked Tessa.

  ‘That’s a ship boxing the compass,’ said Danny. ‘They’re finding their way home.’

  Tessa looked up, then kissed his shoulder.

  ‘You know what?’ she said, ‘I think I already have.’

  Thanks for reading A Secret in Clover Cove – I hope you enjoyed it!

  If you’d like to be kept up to date on all the new releases and happenings in Clover Cove and for access to the Maggie Finn member’s area for exclusive content and extracts, sign up for the Clover Cove newsletter here.

  The next book in the Clover Cove series is The Little at Café at Clover Cove.

  Molly Maguire’s life is romantic enough: she makes delicious cakes and her café has the most beautiful view in Ireland, Clover Cove’s windswept beach. So why would she need a man? Besides, Maggie has bigger problems. The café is failing and the bank is threatening to shut her down, which would mean heartbreak for Molly, especially as she has just fallen in love with a gorgeous, but mysterious surfer.

  If Maggie closes the café, she will have to leave Clover Cove and go back to work for her ex, handsome celebrity chef Marcus. Can Molly and her friends find a way to save the Little Café in Clover Cove? Or will she have to choose between true love and future of Clover Cove itself?

  You can read a sample (or buy the book!) here.

  And did you read the first Clover Cove book, ‘Love Comes To Clover Cove’? You can find it here.

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