Maddie Please - The Summer of Second Chances - The laugh-out-loud romantic comedy

A division of HarperCollins Publishers

www.harpercollins.co.uk

Published by AVON

A Division of HarperCollins Publishers

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk

First published in Great Britain by AVON 2017

Copyright © Maddie Please 2017

Cover design © HarperCollins Publishers Ltd 2017

Cover illustration © Head Design

Maddie Please 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: 9780008257293

Ebook Edition © July 2017 ISBN: 9780008257125

Version: 2018-03-15

For my husband Brian, who never doubted me.

With all my love.

Thank you.

Table of Contents

Cover

Title Page The Summer of Second Chances MADDIE PLEASE A division of HarperCollins Publishers www.harpercollins.co.uk

Copyright Published by AVON A Division of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF www.harpercollins.co.uk First published in Great Britain by AVON 2017 Copyright © Maddie Please 2017 Cover design © HarperCollins Publishers Ltd 2017 Cover illustration © Head Design Maddie Please 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: 9780008257293 Ebook Edition © July 2017 ISBN: 9780008257125 Version: 2018-03-15

Dedication For my husband Brian, who never doubted me. With all my love. Thank you.

Prologue PROLOGUE It was quite incredible really, when I considered what a long time things took to do as a rule. Meeting Ian and moving in, supporting him as he built up his business, entertaining people who drove me nearly mad with boredom, getting contracts, the crazy nit-picking of flaky homeowners. These things took months, sometimes years. To lose it all took no time at all. I lost my partner, my home, a lot of my friends and my peace of mind – not necessarily in that order – and yet, only a few days had passed. We had shared the usual formulaic Christmas with Susan picking at her food as though I was trying to poison her. And then Ian had started on about the bloody New Year’s Eve party we were having. He’d rolled his eyes at his mother who was sitting opposite me. ‘I had to persuade her, you know, Mum. Lottie hates New Year’s Eve,’ he said. Quietly, as though I was simple and couldn’t hear him. ‘I don’t!’ I said. ‘That’s so not true.’ I would have said it more emphatically with words like bollocks or crap attached, but Susan has been known to leave the room when I swear so I didn’t. It was Christmas after all. ‘She says it’s just one more day,’ Ian continued. He sent me a mischievous grin to show he was teasing me. I pulled a face at him and tried to kick him under the table. Susan put down her knife and fork and peered over her glasses at me. ‘You’re very young, Charlotte. Perhaps you think there will always be one more day.’ Oh God, I knew what was coming. Susan sighed and shook her head. Yes, here it was. ‘I would give anything to have one more hour with Trevor. One more day.’ She bit her lip, shook her head and struggled on bravely. ‘If I had known he would be taken from me so soon.’ And after the party, wallop! One bloody shock after another, everything getting worse and worse until I came to dread waking up each day because I knew something else horrible was bound to happen. And then the day came when I packed my clothes, my jewellery box, my grandmother’s clock and as many of my belongings as I could fit into my car – the only thing I now owned – and handed back the keys to the house to an anxious solicitor who looked like Rodney Trotter’s younger brother doing work experience. I could almost imagine Susan’s glee as she closed one claw-like hand over them with an evil cackle. I’d always known she had never really liked me, but now she could make her feelings more than clear. She blamed me for what happened, and this was the perfect revenge.

Chapter 1: Snowdrops – a friend in adversity, consolation, hope

Chapter 2: Daffodils – uncertainty, unrequited love, deceit

Chapter 3: Aquilegia – resolution, determination, anxiety

Chapter 4: Rhododendron – deceit, danger

Chapter 5: Primrose – modest worth and silent admiration

Chapter 6: Hyacinth – jealousy

Chapter 7: Foxglove – insincerity, deceit

Chapter 8: Purple iris – faith, hope, inspiration, friendship

Chapter 9: Daisies – loyalty

Chapter 10: Wallflowers – courage in adversity

Chapter 11: Cherry blossom – kindness

Chapter 12: Honeysuckle – devotion, fidelity

Chapter 13: Forget-me-not – remember me, friendship

Chapter 14: Azaleas – passion

Chapter 15: French marigold – sorrow, deceit

Chapter 16: Geranium – determination

Chapter 17: Anemone – have you forsaken me?

Chapter 18: Yellow carnations – disappointment, rejection

Chapter 19: Morning glory – love in vain

Chapter 20: Lily-of-the-valley – returning happiness

Chapter 21: Gladiolus – courage and strength

Chapter 22: Purple lilac – first emotion of love

Chapter 23: Chrysanthemum – cheerfulness and truth

Chapter 24: Holly and ivy – domestic bliss and faithfulness

Acknowledgement

About the Author

About the Publisher

It was quite incredible really, when I considered what a long time things took to do as a rule. Meeting Ian and moving in, supporting him as he built up his business, entertaining people who drove me nearly mad with boredom, getting contracts, the crazy nit-picking of flaky homeowners. These things took months, sometimes years. To lose it all took no time at all.

I lost my partner, my home, a lot of my friends and my peace of mind – not necessarily in that order – and yet, only a few days had passed.