‘Has it all gone?’
She peered around my head, moving me by the shoulder to check the back, ‘Yes. All gone.’
‘Thanks for your help.’ I raised an eyebrow and grinned at her.
She looked at me, a sheepish look on her face. ‘Sorry. Seaweed gives me the willies. It’s all slimy and yucky.’
I shook my head at her, still smiling.
‘What are we going to do about the dress?’ Tilly asked.
I glanced down. She was right. There was no way I could walk about like this. Brighton might be known for its laissez-faire attitude but I personally drew the line at swanning about in an outfit that now left very little to the imagination. I leant across and took the bags and equipment off her.
‘New plan. I’ll go and find us a more inconspicuous spot and you nip across the road and grab us some coffees and something to eat. We can go over some stuff here until I dry out enough to not get arrested.
‘Sounds good.’ She turned to go. ‘And I’m sorry about the seaweed thing.’
‘Don’t worry about it,’ I said, handing her two reusable takeaway cups. ‘Now, off you go. I’ll be over here.’ I waved the bags in the general direction of where I was headed.
‘OK. Back in a bit.’
I sat down and pulled a pair of flip-flops from one of the bags. Slipping them on, I made my way across the pebbles to a spot that looked good and sat myself down. From one of the bags, I pulled an Oriental-style parasol and opened it, shading my pale skin from the strengthening sun. Whilst my brother had inherited my dad’s ‘one glance at the sun and I’m handsomely golden’ genes, I’d inherited my mother’s pale Irish colouring wholesale from the red hair to skin the colour of fresh cream. ‘Golden’ wasn’t a word I associated with my skin when it came to the sun. ‘Red and blotchy’ would be nearer the truth if I ever bothered trying to acquire anything resembling a suntan. Which I didn’t.
If I was honest, it didn’t really bother me. Despite all the usual carrot top, ginger nob and other wholly inaccurate connotations my redhead status had inspired at school, Mum had always kept me positive about it all. Of course, when all my friends had been wearing tiny shorts and crop tops, their golden tans making their hair look blonder, legs longer and teeth whiter, there had been moments I’d ached to be the same. But, as I got older, I realised that I couldn’t change what I’d been given so it would be better to embrace it rather than fight it. And in recent years, celebrity had been on our side. With Prince Harry and Ed Sheeran flying the flag for the men, plus the advent of the Mad Men phenomenon and actresses like Emma Stone and Julianne Moore, redheads were cool! I mean, we’d always known we were cool, but finally – finally – the world at large was also now getting the message.
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About the Author
Maxine has wanted to be a writer for as long as she can remember and wrote her first (very short) book for school when she was ten.
As time went by, she continued to write, but ‘normal’ work often got in the way. She has written articles on a variety of subjects, as well as a local history book on Brighton. However, novels are her first love.
In August 2015, she won Harper Collins/Carina UK's 'Write Christmas' competition with her first romantic comedy, ‘Winter's Fairytale’.
Maxine lives on the south coast of England, and when not wrangling with words loves to read, sew and listen to podcasts and audio books. Being a fan of tea and cake, she can (should!) also be found out on a walk (although preferably one without too many hills).
Instagram: @scribbler_maxi (This is where she is to be found most)
Twitter: @Scribbler_Maxi
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/MaxineMorreyAuthor
Pinterest: ScribblerMaxi
Website: www.scribblermaxi.co.uk
Email: [email protected]
Author’s Note
If you have enjoyed this book, could I ask for a moment of your time to pop a review on Amazon. One line is plenty! Every single one really does make a difference, helping my books to have a much greater chance of being noticed by more readers. Thank you so much!
Love, Maxine
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First published in Great Britain in 2020 by Boldwood Books Ltd.
Copyright © Maxine Morrey, 2020
Cover Design by Debbie Clement Design
Cover Photography: Shutterstock
The moral right of Maxine Morrey to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction and, except in the case of historical fact, any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Every effort has been made to obtain the necessary permissions with reference to copyright material, both illustrative and quoted. We apologise for any omissions in this respect and will be pleased to make the appropriate acknowledgements in any future edition.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-83889-042-1
Large Print ISBN: 978-1-83889-804-5
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-83889-043-8
Kindle ISBN: 978-1-83889-039-1
Audio CD ISBN: 978-1-83889-040-7
MP3 CD ISBN: 978-1-83889-801-4
Digital audio download ISBN: 978-1-83889-041-4
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Winter at Wishington Bay Page 29