Tracy Corbett - The Forget-Me-Not Flower Shop

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Published by AVON

An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk

First published in Great Britain by HarperCollins 2017

Copyright © Tracy Corbett 2017

Tracy Corbett asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

Ebook Edition © July 2017 ISBN: 9780008221928

Version: 2019-03-01

For my wonderful family, who always believed that one day my dream would come true.

Contents

Cover

Title Page The Forget-Me-Not Flower Shop TRACY CORBETT A division of HarperCollins Publishers www.harpercollins.co.uk

Copyright Published by AVON An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF www.harpercollins.co.uk First published in Great Britain by HarperCollins 2017 Copyright © Tracy Corbett 2017 Tracy Corbett asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work. A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library. This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins. Ebook Edition © July 2017 ISBN: 9780008221928 Version: 2019-03-01

Dedication For my wonderful family, who always believed that one day my dream would come true.

Chapter One: Friday, 14 February

Chapter Two: Tuesday, 18 February

Chapter Three: Tuesday, 18 February

Chapter Four: Saturday, 22 February

Chapter Five: Monday, 24 February

Chapter Six: Wednesday, 26 February

Chapter Seven: Friday, 28 February

Chapter Eight: Saturday, 1 March

Chapter Nine: Sunday, 2 March

Chapter Ten: Tuesday, 4 March

Chapter Eleven: Thursday, 6 March

Chapter Twelve: Saturday, 8 March

Chapter Thirteen: Tuesday, 11 March

Chapter Fourteen: Monday, 17 March

Chapter Fifteen: Saturday, 5 April

Chapter Sixteen: Saturday, 12 April

Chapter Seventeen: Saturday, 12 April

Chapter Eighteen: Monday, 14 April

Chapter Nineteen: Monday, 14 April

Chapter Twenty: Monday, 14 April

Chapter Twenty-One: Friday, 25 April

Chapter Twenty-Two: Thursday, 1 May

Chapter Twenty-Three: Tuesday, 6 May

Chapter Twenty-Four: Thursday, 8 May

Chapter Twenty-Five: Thursday, 8 May

Chapter Twenty-Six: Saturday, 10 May

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Friday, 16 May

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Friday, 16 May

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Friday, 16 May

Chapter Thirty: Saturday, 17 May, 12.15 a.m.

Chapter Thirty-One: Tuesday, 20 May

Chapter Thirty-Two: Thursday, 22 May

Chapter Thirty-Three: Saturday, 24 May

Chapter Thirty-Four: Saturday, 31 May

Chapter Thirty-Five: Sunday, 1 June

Chapter Thirty-Six: Monday, 2 June

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Wednesday, 11 June

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Thursday, 12 June

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Friday, 13 June, 5 p.m.

Chapter Forty: Friday, 13 June, 5.30 p.m.

Chapter Forty-One: Friday, 13 June, 6 p.m.

Chapter Forty-Two: Saturday, 14 June

Chapter Forty-Three: Sunday, 15 June

Chapter Forty-Four: Thursday, 19 June

Chapter Forty-Five: Wednesday, 25 June

Chapter Forty-Six: Thursday, 26 June

Chapter Forty-Seven: Friday, 27 June

Chapter Forty-Eight: Friday, 27 June

Read an extract from The Summer Theatre by the Sea

Acknowledgements

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About the Author

By the Same Author

About the Publisher

‘ It’s a wonderful life! ’ the poster in the adjacent jeweller’s window boasted, displaying an array of pricey eternity rings mounted on velvety heart-shaped cushions.

Evie tried not to growl. It was a little hard to feel as though things were ‘wonderful’ when your ex-boyfriend had made your life so utterly miserable you’d had to up sticks and move area just to preserve your sanity. It was even harder to believe life was ‘wonderful’ when the rusty metal shutter on your shop front wouldn’t budge, causing a tirade of random expletives to fill the chilly morning air. But that was the reality of her situation and she just had to deal with it.

Evie rammed her shoulder against the slats, determined not to be outdone by a warped piece of aluminium. It was one thing to keep burglars out, it was quite another to deny the staff access, especially on the busiest day of the year.

Valentine’s Day was both a blessing and a curse. Although she was guaranteed to be busy, with a multitude of sales and a much-needed boost to her limited funds, it was also a day that required a good deal of pretending. As a florist, Evie was in the business of ‘selling romance’. It wouldn’t do to be cynical and bitter. She had to smile, radiate happiness and ensure that The Forget-Me-Not Flower Shop was the place to buy your loved one the perfect Valentine’s gift.

The shutter finally relented, dislodging a blanket of snow from the wooden awning and sending it showering down on top of her. For a moment she stood there, shuddering as the sensation of wet crept down the back of her neck. Not the best start to the day.

Despite the inconvenience of an overnight snowstorm, the shop front looked like a picture postcard. The leaded bay window arching onto the quaint high street looked almost Dickensian with its frosted glass front and icicle topping. Whatever else in her life sucked, the little business opportunity that had landed in her lap was indeed ‘wonderful’.

When she’d made the decision to leave Surrey – in the hope that moving area would finally convince her ex their relationship was over – Evie had had no idea where she’d end up. She just knew she had to get away. It was only a chance viewing of an advert in the local paper that had led her to Heatherton.