The Cornish Cream Tea Summer

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The Cornish Cream Tea Summer Page 9

by Cressida McLaughlin


  Sarah nodded again.

  ‘Then we’ve got time to change her mind. I mean, we can, can’t we? We can save all of this.’

  Sarah seemed dubious, Charlie still looked shocked and Sam … Lila could hardly bear to look at Sam. He and Keeley were really close, but she’d obviously kept this from him, hadn’t considered what it might do to him.

  ‘We can save this,’ Lila said again. She took Sam’s hand. ‘Don’t worry. I’ll help to make this right. I promise.’

  He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it, then pulled her towards him, wrapping his arms around her and resting his chin on her head. ‘We can do it together,’ he said.

  In that moment, Lila felt like it was possible. They could change Keeley’s mind, save the shoot, get everything back on track. This was her chance to fix what seemed broken, to prove that she could be a force for good.

  As Sarah hurried off to wherever she was needed, and Lila reluctantly pulled away from Sam and saw the questions in Charlie’s eyes, she knew that fate had intervened again.

  She had been sent down to Cornwall, to Charlie and Gertie, Daniel and Marmite, and the Estelle set. She was being given a chance to make up for her own disaster, by preventing Keeley from doing the same thing. The young actor might believe she had thought everything through, but Lila had seen from her body language, had heard in her shaky words, that she was simply reacting. She was rushing into a decision that would have consequences for the rest of her life, and would affect so many other people.

  Lila would help her to see how much she meant to everyone – not just for the sake of the production and its budget, but as a friend. She would help her realize what she would be losing if she walked away. For the first time in a long time, and in part because she knew that her cousin, and this gorgeous, kind, inspiring man in front of her were with her, Lila believed she could make a difference.

  She smiled up at Sam. ‘You’re right,’ she said. ‘We can do it together.’

  Lila had come too far, and fallen for this new life too hard, not to put up a fight to save it. She didn’t know how yet, but Lila, Charlie and Sam were going to save Estelle.

  Acknowledgements

  As always, writing The Cornish Cream Tea Summer has not been a one woman show. These are the people who have helped me with this book in practical, and other, ways.

  Kate Bradley, my wonderful editor, who gets me and my writing completely, and always knows how to make my books shine. She puts up with a lot from me, and I am so lucky that she does!

  My brilliant agent Hannah Ferguson, who is hugely supportive and reassuring, and supports me every step of the way. Thank you, also, to the rest of the team at Hardman and Swainson.

  The whole HarperFiction team for their dedication, and for turning my words into beautiful, polished books that readers want to buy. Thank you to copy editor extraordinaire Penny Isaac, to proof reader Sarah Bance, and to designer Holly MacDonald and illustrator May Van Millingen for the gorgeous covers I want to dive right in to.

  I didn’t know a lot about filming on location, or the world of television, before I started writing this book – other than watching endless ‘behind the scenes’ videos of my favourite series on YouTube – so one of the biggest thank you’s must go to Ross Bambrey, who patiently and thoroughly answered all my questions, gave me hilarious anecdotes and made me want to be a supporting actor. I have twisted some of the information he gave me to fit my story, and any mistakes or implausibilities are mine alone.

  I cannot write these acknowledgements without mentioning the BookCampers, who this book is dedicated to. Isabelle Broom, Kirsty Greenwood, Cesca Major, Cathy Bramley, Rachael Lucas, Alex Brown, Holly Martin, Jo Quinn, Katy Colins, Emily Kerr and Liz Fenwick. They are the most supportive bunch of writing friends, and I don’t know what I would do without them.

  To David, husband and coffee provider – though that is the very least of all he does for me. No other romantic hero comes close.

  To Mum, Dad and Lee, the best family a girl could hope for.

  And, finally, to all the readers. I wouldn’t be writing books if you didn’t want to read them, and I love hearing from you. Thank you for making this job everything I hoped it would be when, all those years ago, I was staring at that first blank page, wondering if I could write a novel.

  Haven’t read Part One: All You Knead Is Love? Charlie and Lila’s summer journey starts here …

  You can pre-order Part Three: My Tart Will Go On here at the link below:

  Also by Cressida McLaughlin

  THE CORNISH CREAM TEA BUS

  Click here to buy The Cornish Cream Tea Bus 9780008332198

  THE HOUSE OF BIRDS AND BUTTERFLIES

  Click here to buy The House of Birds and Butterflies 9780008225858

  THE CANAL BOAT CAFÉ

  Click here to buy The Canal Boat Café 9780008136048

  THE ONCE IN A BLUE MOON GUESTHOUSE

  Click here to buy The Once in a Blue Moon Guesthouse 9780008219291

  A CHRISTMAS TAIL

  Click here to buy A Christmas Tail 9780008136024

  About the Author

  Cressy was born in South East London surrounded by books and with a cat named after Lawrence of Arabia. She studied English at the University of East Anglia and now lives in Norwich with her husband David. When she isn’t writing, Cressy spends her spare time reading, returning to London or exploring the beautiful Norfolk coastline.

  If you’d like to find out more about Cressy, visit her on Twitter and on Facebook. She’d love to hear from you!

  /CressidaMcLaughlinAuthor

  @CressMcLaughlin

  https://cressidamclaughlin.com

  Also by Cressida McLaughlin

  The Canal Boat Café series

  All Aboard

  Casting Off

  Cabin Fever

  Land Ahoy!

  The Canal Boat Café Christmas: Port Out

  The Canal Boat Café Christmas: Starboard Home

  The Once in a Blue Moon Guesthouse

  Open For Business

  Fully Booked

  Do Not Disturb

  Wish You Were Here

  Primrose Terrace series

  Wellies & Westies

  Sunshine & Spaniels

  Raincoats & Retrievers

  Tinsel & Terriers

  A Christmas Tail – The Complete Primrose Terrace Story

  The House of Birds and Butterflies

  The Dawn Chorus

  The Lovebirds

  Twilight Song

  Birds of a Feather

  The Cornish Cream Tea Bus

  Don’t Go Baking My Heart

  The Éclair Affair

  Scone’s Away

  The Icing on the Cake

  About the Publisher

  Australia

  HarperCollins Publishers Australia Pty. Ltd.

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  Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia

  www.harpercollins.com.au

  Canada

  HarperCollins Canada

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  22 Adelaide Street West, 41st Floor

  Toronto, Ontario M5H 4E3, Canada

  www.harpercollins.ca

  India

  HarperCollins India

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  Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201 301, India

  www.harpercollins.co.in

  New Zealand

  HarperCollins Publishers New Zealand

  Unit D1, 63 Apollo Drive

  Rosedale 0632

  Auckland, New Zealand

  www.harpercollins.co.nz

  United Kingdom

  HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.

  1 London Bridge Street

  London SE1 9GF, UK

  www.harpercollins.co.uk

  United States

  HarperCollins Publishers Inc.

  195 Broadway

  New York, NY 10007

  www.harpercollins.com

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  Cressida McLaughlin, The Cornish Cream Tea Summer

 

 

 


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