Single All the Way: An unputdownable and uplifting Christmas romance

by Karen King

  Single All the Way

  An unputdownable and uplifting Christmas romance

  Karen King

  Books by Karen King

  Snowy Nights at the Lonely Hearts Hotel

  The Year of Starting Over

  Single All the Way

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Epilogue

  Snowy Nights at the Lonely Hearts Hotel

  Karen’s email sign-up

  Books by Karen King

  A Letter from Karen

  The Year of Starting Over

  Acknowledgements

  To Ann, fellow author and friend. Memories of our joint author visits still make me chuckle.

  1

  Sunday, 14 December

  Meg

  How could Oliver be so cruel? Meg Preston wiped the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand, sat up and hugged her knees, trying to process everything that had happened. She loved Oliver so much, thought they would be together forever, and now… now she didn’t see how they could be. Not after the bombshell Oliver had dropped. He should be apologising, grovelling, explaining himself, not storming out as if she were the one to blame, the one who had lied. He knew how important this was to her; how could he deliberately deceive her? She was the one who should have stormed out! How bloody dare he put this on her?

  She glanced at the clock: just after ten. Oliver had been gone over two hours now, leaving Meg sobbing on the bed, her world crashing around her ears. She couldn’t believe he could be so heartless. Some Christmas this was going to be. And she’d been hoping they’d be starting the new year with something to celebrate. Oliver had made it very clear that there was no chance of that. Well, she’d had enough of him calling the shots. She wasn’t waiting for him to return, for an apology and an explanation that she obviously wasn’t going to get. She needed to get away, to give herself time to think about it all, to decide if she wanted to be with Oliver now she knew how he really felt. And right now, the answer was no.

  Where could she go? She cast her mind over their various friends; they were all happily coupled and didn’t need her turning up with her suitcase at this time of night any more than she needed to see their togetherness right now. She didn’t fancy going to her parents’ house either; her mum would fuss and her dad would lecture, telling her that she and Oliver had made vows and should stick to them. As far as her parents were concerned, marriage was for life. Well, she had thought that too until the horrible events of this evening.

  So a hotel room was the best option, at least for tonight, until she was clear about what she wanted to do. Meg grabbed her mobile, did a quick search on nearby room vacancies and booked one in a small hotel about a quarter of an hour away. Right, now she needed to move fast; she wanted to be gone when Oliver came back. Let him be the one sitting at home wondering what she was doing! She pulled her case from the top of the wardrobe, heaved it onto the bed and opened it up. What should she take with her when she didn’t know how long she’d be gone? She grabbed jeans, jumpers, underwear, pyjamas, her make-up and a hair dryer and placed them in the case, then added a couple of dresses too – she might decide not to come back and would need more than jeans if she was staying at a hotel over Christmas. She wished she could take Laurel and Hardy, their cute mini-lop rabbits, with her; they would be such a comfort and she hated to leave them behind, but what choice did she have? As soon as I’ve sorted out what I’m going to do, I’ll come back for them, she promised herself, adding a couple of pairs of shoes, her boots and her laptop and charger to the case then closing it up.

  She lugged her case downstairs and left it in the hall while she went into the kitchen to give the bunnies a cuddle. Laurel scampered over to Meg as soon as she entered the room, but Hardy was too busy tucking into a mound of fresh kale. Meg smiled as she watched them. It had been Oliver’s suggestion to call them Laurel and Hardy, and she had agreed even though one of the bunnies was male and the other female. After all, Laurel was a female name and suited the tiny, honey-coloured bunny, who always wanted to please, whereas Hardy suited the bigger, fatter, lazier and greedier – but just as gorgeous – white bunny. She loved them both so much and would miss them like crazy. She bent down and scooped up Laurel, who was making her ‘happy’ noise and flicking her ears. The little bunny licked Meg’s hand and snuggled into her. Hardy looked up then went back to nibbling the kale.

  ‘I’m sorry I have to go, but I’ll be back soon.’ Meg kissed Laurel on the forehead then put her back in the pen and stroked Hardy, who was still eating. ‘Be good and don’t squash Laurel,’ she told him. Hardy loved to lie on top of Laurel, and Meg and Oliver often joked that the white bunny would get so fat that one day he’d flatten his companion. She closed the pen sadly. She didn’t want to leave her pets behind, didn’t want to leave her home either. But she couldn’t bear to be here when Oliver returned. He had deceived her and ruined the future they had always planned. She didn’t see how she could ever forgive him for that. She took her notebook out of her handbag, ripped out a page and scribbled a note to Oliver:

  You’ve really hurt me. I can’t believe that you’ve lied to me over something as important as this. I’ve gone away to think about whether I want to be with you now I know how you really feel.

  Meg

  No kisses. She placed the note by the sugar bowl, went back into the hall, grabbed her case and walked out.

  * * *

  She’d unpacked at the hotel and had a bath before her phone rang. She looked at the screen. Oliver. And it was almost midnight. She’d answer it. Maybe now he’d thought about it, and come back to find Meg gone, he might want to apologise, to tell her that he hadn’t meant it.

  ‘I can’t believe you’ve walked out just because of what I said. Is that all I mean to you?’ Oliver shouted down the phone. No apology, then.

  Meg took a deep breath. ‘Well, I obviously don’t mean much to you as you’ve deceived me for years!’ she retorted.

  ‘You’re making this more than it is—’

  ‘Really?’ She pressed her fingers to her temple as a dull ache began to form. ‘Have you any idea how much you’ve hurt me? I don’t want to talk to you, let alone be with you right now. I need some space to think.’

  ‘I didn’t deceive you. You’re the one who pushed me into a corner, wanting
a decision right now. And just because I don’t give you the one you want, you walk out! I thought you loved me. That our relationship meant more than that to you.’

  ‘And I thought you loved me, but obviously you don’t, otherwise you would have told me the truth sooner.’

  ‘You’re being unreasonable, Meg—’

  ‘How bloody dare you call me unreasonable?’ she yelled then ended the call and turned her phone to silent. She didn’t want to talk to Oliver any more tonight.

  * * *

  It took her a long time to fall asleep, and then it was a restless one. She woke early and reached for her phone, hoping to find a message from Oliver saying he was sorry and hadn’t meant what he’d said, begging her to come home.

  No messages, no missed calls, no voicemails.

  Well, that showed how much he cared, didn’t it? Shaking her head sadly, she realised she couldn’t go back. Nothing would ever be the same between them.

  It’s nearly Christmas, Meg. You can’t split up at Christmas.

  Oliver had left her with no choice. There was no way she could spend Christmas Day smiling and being jolly at her parents’ house, with Dan and Katya and little Tom, pretending that everything was okay when it wasn’t. Her whole world had been blown apart and Oliver didn’t seem to understand how devastated she was.

  She wasn’t even sure her parents would understand. Their marriage was rock-solid, and they believed in working through their differences – not that she could remember many arguments between them when she and Dan were growing up; it was mainly a quiet, peaceful household. ‘You should respect each other’s opinions,’ her father had always said when she and her brother, Dan, had argued. Well, she respected Oliver’s opinion and his right to keep some things private, but this was something he should have told her about when they first got together, and definitely before they’d got married. She loved him so much but didn’t see how their marriage could continue when it was built on such an enormous lie which had a massive impact on their marriage.

  I’ll go away for Christmas, she decided. I’ll spend it quietly by myself, give myself time to come to terms with things.

  She picked up her phone and sent Oliver a message.

  I don’t see how we can get past this, Oliver. I really don’t. I’m going away for Christmas, to give me time to think about it. I want you to think about it too, to make sure that really is your final decision.

  A message shot back.

  Fine. If that’s all I mean to you, go ahead. And yes, it’s my final decision.

  Meg read it, shocked and hurt at the brief contents and the speed of the reply. Obviously he wasn’t even prepared to discuss this. She typed back:

  Then we’re over. I’ll be in touch for my things in a couple of weeks and to collect Laurel and Hardy.

  Then another message followed.

  The bunnies are staying with me.

  She’d half-expected – hoped – that he might try to talk her out of leaving, to try and salvage their marriage, but obviously he didn’t care. Fuming, she shot a message back.

  You’re not having the bloody bunnies.

  She’d have to let her parents know that she and Oliver wouldn’t be coming to them for Christmas. Then she’d book herself in somewhere for a week or so, until she sorted herself out. Heartbroken, she called her mum. It went straight to answerphone.

  ‘I’m sorry, Mum, but me and Oliver have split up. We won’t be coming over on Christmas Day,’ she gabbled. ‘I’m really sorry to let you all down but I need to get away for a bit.’

  She sat up on the bed, her head resting on her bent knees, her phone still in her hand. What should she do? Where could she go? She could maybe stay at this hotel over Christmas; it didn’t seem that busy but it was a bit close to home. She wanted to put more than a quarter of an hour’s distance between her and Oliver, to get right away from Exeter. Maybe she could rent a little cottage? But then she would be completely on her own. Is that what she really wanted? She might be better off in a hotel where she could mix with other people if she wanted to. She started to do an Internet search on Christmas holiday breaks.

  She caught her breath as her phone rang, feeling a pang of disappointment as her mum’s name and image appeared on the screen. She’d hoped it was Oliver, begging her not to leave him. Did he really care so little about her?

  She wasn’t sure she was up to talking to her mum. She would have a dozen questions and Dad would probably be shouting in the background, telling Meg to talk it through, that they had made vows, that if they loved each other they could sort it out. The ringing stopped. Then it started again. Mum was determined to talk to her, so she might as well get it over with.

  ‘Oh, Meg, sweetheart, what’s happened?’

  The sound of her mum’s concerned voice brought a lump to Meg’s throat. ‘I don’t want to talk about it, Mum, it’s too upsetting, and I don’t think we can fix it.’ Her voice broke. ‘I need to get away for Christmas, think things over.’

  ‘Then come with me, we can spend Christmas together. I’ve… I’ve actually just rented a cottage near Boscastle, down in Cornwall, until the second of January. There’s plenty of room for you too and it’s a lovely area.’

  ‘Are you going with Dad?’ Meg was confused. She’d thought the family Christmas at home was all planned, same as every year. When had they decided to go away? And why? She couldn’t remember the last time her parents had gone away together. Dad was a homebody, preferring familiar surroundings.

  ‘Not with your father, no,’ her mum replied. ‘I don’t know exactly how to tell you this. Especially right now.’ She paused. ‘I’m leaving, Meg. I’m leaving your dad.’

  ‘W-what?’ Meg stammered. Her parents were splitting up? She couldn’t take it in. She had thought they were happy together. How could they be splitting up after all this time? ‘Why?’ she asked. ‘What’s happened, Mum?’

  ‘I… Look, it’s complicated. I don’t want to talk about it on the phone, let’s both talk when we’re at the cottage – if you want to, that is. Please say you’ll come, Meg,’ her mother said. ‘It’s only about a ninety-minute drive. I’m setting off later this morning and I’ll send you the location so you can drive down when you’re ready. It’s probably best if we each go in our own car in case one of us wants to go home at any point.’

  Her parents lived less than half an hour’s drive away so they could easily have shared a ride, but Meg guessed Mum was right. She might not want to stay until January. They might drive each other mad! She and her mum got on fairly well, but even so, over two weeks with just the two of them in a cottage could be difficult, especially as they were both bound to be emotional. She still couldn’t get her head around the fact that her mother had walked out. What on earth had happened? She might as well go for Christmas though. It was better than spending it alone. And she had to find out what had happened with her mum and dad. Maybe she could get them back together again. ‘Okay. I’ll come. Thanks, Mum,’ she agreed.

  ‘You will? I’m so pleased. I’ve got to go now. See you later, love.’

  A few seconds later a message zinged in, showing an image of a pretty terraced cottage in a place called Goolan Bay.

  Meg stared at it, still stunned from the phone call. Why was her mum leaving her dad, and why go to Goolan Bay of all places? She had never known her parents to go to Cornwall. Why had Mum chosen to spend Christmas there?

  2

  Sally

  As soon as she’d sent the message, Sally Carter sat down, shaking. She couldn’t believe she’d actually told Meg that she was leaving Ted. She hadn’t even told Ted yet! In fact, she’d only just made the decision. Yes, the idea had been playing around in her mind for a long time now. It had gotten stronger just lately but she had been shelving it until after Christmas. Then she’d received Meg’s answerphone message, and although it had shocked her – she’d thought Meg and Oliver were happy together – she’d realised that it must be something important for Meg to ta
ke such a step. Meg adored Oliver. She would never split up with him, especially just before Christmas, if it wasn’t something serious. It was a brave step not to put up with whatever it was until at least the holidays were over.

  It had given Sally the courage to finally take that step too. She didn’t want to act all merry on Christmas Day, cook dinner, make small talk with the family, pretend everything was all hunky-dory. She didn’t want to settle for spending the rest of her life on autopilot with Ted. She wanted to get away. Why wait until after Christmas?

  Where could she go at such short notice, though? She didn’t want to tell any of their friends yet, especially Frances and Martin – thank goodness they were off on that cruise tomorrow; Frances would be all questions and then gossip about it to everyone they knew. And a hotel was so… busy. She wanted somewhere she could completely get away from it all. Give her a chance to think, to be sure she was making the right decision to leave Ted. She was so miserable and didn’t think he was happy either, but they’d been together so long…