Kathy Jay - Reach for the Stars - A feel good, uplifting romantic comedy

A division of HarperCollins Publishers

www.harpercollins.co.uk

Harper Impulse

an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk

First published in Great Britain by HarperCollins Publishers 2018

Copyright © Kathy Jay 2018

Cover images © Shutterstock.com

Cover design © HarperCollins Publishers Ltd 2018

Kathy Jay 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.

Source ISBN: 9780008122782

Ebook Edition © February 2018 ISBN: 9780008122751

Version:2017-12-19

Table of Contents

Cover

Title Page A division of HarperCollins Publishers www.harpercollins.co.uk

Copyright Harper Impulse an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF www.harpercollins.co.uk First published in Great Britain by HarperCollins Publishers 2018 Copyright © Kathy Jay 2018 Cover images © Shutterstock.com Cover design © HarperCollins Publishers Ltd 2018 Kathy Jay 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. Source ISBN: 9780008122782 Ebook Edition © February 2018 ISBN: 9780008122751 Version:2017-12-19

Dedication For Elisabeth

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty-One

Epilogue

Acknowledgements

Also by Kathy Jay

About the Author

About the Publisher

For Elisabeth

H ow is it possible to miss this place before I’ve left?

Layla Rivers pushed open the door to the fish and chip shop, a one-time fisherman’s cottage, quaint, bygone and painted pastel blue, in the pretty harbour of Porthkara. Behind her, a collection of boats bobbed at anchor, fenders tied to their hulls. The pier reached out into the calm glassy sea and the lighthouse stretched up to the sky, a vigilant seagull perched on top keeping a lookout for stray chips dropped by butterfingers. A bell jingled as she stepped inside to the welcome of a familiar face behind the counter.

‘Hey, Layla. All set for your trip?’

‘Yep, I’m good to go. I’ll miss Porthkara.’

‘Six months will fly by. You’ll have a wonderful time, you lucky thing. What can I get you?’

‘A portion of chips please.’

‘Coming up.’ Rosie, an old school friend, beamed and tipped a batch of freshly chipped potatoes into the sizzling fryer. A blast of familiar cooking smells filled the small shop as she took a kitchen cloth and emerged from behind the wall of brightly-lit glass and stainless steel to wipe the steamed-up window. ‘Joe not with you?’

Layla tensed. Rosie was married to the man of her dreams, a gorgeous rugged trawler-man. They had two children already. And hopes for a third.

‘We had planned to watch the sun go down together. A perfect beginning to our trip around the world.’

Her friend frowned. ‘So where is he?’

‘He cried off with excuses about sinking a pint of real ale with the lads.’ She shrugged. ‘He’s at the pub.’

While she waited for the chips to cook she walked over to the window and gazed out across the harbour to the lighthouse and, close by it, the centuries-old seafarers’ chapel built in a hollow at the base of a cliff. ‘You have a great view of Saint Elisabeth’s.’

‘That’s one of the best things about working here. It’s the perfect vantage point for wedding watchers.’

Layla laughed. ‘There’s been a spate this summer.’

‘I get to see it all. The dresses, the guests, the glitches!’

‘Glitches?’

‘Nothing too serious. You heard about the usher who tripped over a bollard on the pier and fell into the sea?’

‘Yep.’ Layla giggled. ‘Poor guy! I gather somebody saved the day and found him a change of clothes.’

‘Someone also videoed the shenanigans. It went viral. The chip shop was in the background.’

‘Free publicity.’

Returning to her post Rosie checked the fryer and wiped the counter with her cloth. ‘A couple of weeks back, there was the cutest pageboy. His mum got him an ice cream and a flipping seagull only went and dive-bombed him! He spilt ice cream all down his little outfit. She brought him in to mop up the mess and I got all the goss. The bride was pregnant! Nobody was supposed to know, but everybody did. And the bride’s parents were getting a divorce right after the wedding. It was the elephant in the room.’

‘Crikey.’

‘No one was allowed to mention it because the bride was so touchy. Heaven knows why, pregnancy hormones maybe.’

‘Or she was afraid talking about it might spoil the day?’

Rosie pulled an awkward face like she was sorry she’d brought it up. ‘You know what that feels like, right?’

‘I guess.’

‘How long have you and Joe been together?’

‘Twelve years.’

‘So when will it be your turn to walk down the aisle? When you get back from your travels? Or will we be hearing that you’ve rocked a romantic wedding for two somewhere fabulous, like Bali or Barbados?’