by Karen Clarke
My stomach did a cartwheel. ‘Oh?’
‘It’s over between us.’
Joy rushed through me, then I thought of Bobbi-Jo and her little boy. ‘Alex, I’m sorry.’
I lifted my head, blinking back tears.
The sky was deepening to orange and purple, the sun a sliver of brightness above the sea. A pair of seagulls wheeled by on the salty air.
‘We hadn’t been seeing each other that long.’ He touched my arm. ‘I think she knew I was still in love with you.’ His voice was gentle. ‘She’ll be OK.’
I remembered the way she’d clung to Alex, and wondered. ‘I hope so,’ I said. He still loves me.
‘I know you’re seeing that other guy, but I wondered …’
‘I’m not,’ I said, brushing away the tears that had started to fall. ‘We’re friends, that’s all, and he’s … he’s gone now.’
Alex’s relief was so palpable, I suddenly wanted to laugh.
He shuffled even closer, until our arms were touching. ‘So, what do you think?’ He looked at me sideways, the last of the sun catching the amber flecks in his irises.
‘I think you were right about a lot of things.’ I dug my fingers into the sand. ‘My mum, my stupid travel plans, all of it, really.’ I glanced at him through my hair. ‘I think I’ve been a bit of an idiot, and that I still love you, and that if you want to be my boyfriend again that would make me very happy.’
His eyes were wide with wonder, and I knew it was everything he’d hoped to hear.
‘And this?’ He dug his hand in his pocket and drew out the ring I’d returned to him a year ago. ‘Do you think you might want to wear it again one day?’
Fireworks went off behind my ribcage. ‘There’s every chance I might,’ I said, reaching out to wrap my hand around his. ‘Although it might not be appropriate to wear it when I’m working.’
‘Oh?’ His face drew closer and I saw myself in his pupils. My fringe was already growing back.
‘I wouldn’t want it to end up in a piece of fudge, or some marzipan crunch,’ I murmured, my eyelashes damp with happiness. ‘I don’t know if you’ve heard, but I make my own sweets these days.’
‘Oh, I know,’ he said, his smile slow and broad. ‘I heard all about it on Morning, Sunshine!’
‘You did?’
‘Didn’t you know?’ His eyes danced into mine, and his lips drew closer. ‘The Beachside Sweet Shop is famous, Marnie Appleton.’
A Letter from Karen
It’s been a privilege to sit down and write about Shipley and its residents, and all the shenanigans there, and I hope you’ve enjoyed reading Marnie’s story as much as I enjoyed telling it.
I grew up in a seaside town, so it wasn’t a great stretch to write about one, and although I’ve never met anyone quite like Doris Day, I’m sure everybody has known a neighbour a little bit like her!
I’ve lived in a few big towns over the years, but I love the sense of community that comes from settling somewhere like Shipley, where people look out for each other, and wanted to reflect that in my story.
It can be hard to let go of characters once they’re written as I’ve usually fallen in love with them all – even the not-so-nice ones – so I’m looking forward to bringing back a couple in my next book and can’t wait to meet them again.
Writers like to know if they’re getting it right, so if you enjoyed The Beachside Sweet Shop and feel like popping a review online, it would mean a lot. Just a line or two will do.
And if you liked it, you won’t have to wait long for The Beachside Flower Stall, and I’m currently working on my third book in the series, which has a lovely, Christmassy theme. If you’d like to hear about them when they’re released, you can sign up to my email list below.
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If you’d like to contact me with thoughts and feedback I’d love to hear from you.
@Karenclarke123
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Also by Karen Clarke
The Beachside Sweet Shop
The Beachside Flower Stall
Acknowledgments
A lot of people are involved in making a book and I would like to thank Kirsty Greenwood for introducing me to the wonderful team at Bookouture who made it happen. Big thanks to Celine, Abi and Emma for making it fabulous, to Kim Nash for getting the word out, and to my fellow Bookouture authors for welcoming me in.
The online writing and blogging community has played a big part in my writing journey and I’m so grateful for their encouragement, in particular Cally Taylor for A Story a Fortnight, which gave me the kick-start I needed, Sherri Turner and Helen Walters for continuing support, and Amanda Brittany for her tireless feedback, and for becoming a good friend in real life.
A great big thank you to family and friends; my mum Anne, sister Julia, Alison, Debbie, Sue Blackburn, and the other Karen Clarke and her daughter Gemma among others, for reading my books and saying lovely things about them.
And last but never least, thank you to my children, Amy, Martin and Liam, for their unwavering support (and for the brilliant throwaway lines I pinched from Amy) and to my husband Tim for making everything possible – I love you.
Published by Bookouture
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An imprint of StoryFire Ltd.
23 Sussex Road, Ickenham, UB10 8PN
United Kingdom
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www.bookouture.com
Copyright © Karen Clarke 2017
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Karen Clarke has asserted her right to be identified as the author of this work.
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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers.
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places and events other than those clearly in the public domain, are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
ISBN: 978-1-78681-036-6