He shouldn’t be here. He should be on the other side of the world, focusing on his new life, as I have on mine, I think to myself. What on earth is he doing right here, right now, in this city where neither of us have ever lived, or, as far as I’m aware, have any connections? The thoughts in my head are a jumbled mass of rambling unanswered questions causing me to remain rooted to my seat.
I take in his familiar gait and relaxed manner as he moves past my windscreen and steps up onto the opposite kerb, and I watch out of my rear-view mirror as he turns left down the pavement, walking away, unaware of my presence.
I know if I don’t act now, this moment will be gone and I may never see him again - ever. Is there a reason that the universe presented him here, directly in front of me, today of all days? On a day when I feel like things have just turned a corner for me? On a day where I feel like I’m gliding into a new era and phase of my life? Why have the planets chosen this moment to collide and serve up my past so directly, presenting him right here, in the flesh, right in front of me?
If I ever wanted closure, or answers to some unasked questions I realise that this is it and I must seize this opportunity before it is gone, possibly forever.
I quickly check my reflection in my rear-view mirror, running my tongue over my teeth just in case I have any lipstick remnants left on my enamel, after I reapplied only a few minutes earlier in the Ladies’ after my meeting. Satisfied with my appearance, my tyres screech in protest as I yank the steering wheel to the kerb, stopping abruptly at an awkward angle just far enough to the left to get out of the way of the frustrated traffic queued up behind me. I leap out, cup my hands around my mouth and shout his name at the top of my voice.
He’s about a hundred yards away now, the muscles in his strong wide shoulders rippling under his casual shirt as he continues to walk away from me in the opposite direction. But the familiar pitch of my voice calling his name must resonate instantly as he stops immediately and turns, as if to confirm to himself that his own mind is not playing tricks on him and it really is the familiar sound of my voice he can hear. He spots me amongst the flow of passing pedestrians moving around me, smiles widely and quickens his pace as he walks back up the pavement towards me. The adrenaline and buzz I felt from my meeting earlier intensifies as I realise this really is it. This is the moment we never had when we broke up.
I have no idea what he will say, what I want to ask, or what will happen as a result of bumping into him again. Seeing him once more so unexpectedly, and in such an odd way, on the street of an unfamiliar city, feels as if greater forces have reunited us. But why?
As he approaches I suck air into my lungs and attempt to organise the tumultuous thoughts that race through my mind. His smile widens with recognition and a shared affection as he reaches me.
“Hi,” he says warmly. “Well this is a surprise. What on earth are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same thing,” I reply, taking in the slim gold wedding band on his left hand whilst wondering where the conversation will lead, or indeed, what will happen as a result of us bumping into each other again.
***
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About Isabella
By day Isabella Wiles is the CEO of her own busy Management Consulting firm, her career having afforded her the opportunity to travel extensively since her early twenties, and by night she is a passionate writer of romantic fiction.
Isabella has written hundreds of business articles, reviews and two best-selling works of non-fiction which are published internationally and translated into multiple languages, however Belonging signifies her debut as a writer of romantic (and slightly saucy) fiction.
She lives in the North-East of England, with her husband and their two children.
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Book Club Discussion
Below are some sample questions you may want to use as starting points for a discussion within your book club.
The book description includes the following line, ‘Can Victoria find where she truly belongs or will the secret she carries destroy her chance of finding lasting love and true happiness?’, what do you now believe Victoria’s secret (or secrets) to be? Has it been completely revealed in this book?
How does the title ‘Belonging’ have relevance to the story? What do you now believe its meaning to be?
How would you describe Chris and Victoria’s character flaws and insecurities, and where do you believe they stem from?
What do you believe Victoria’s greatest fear to be? And likewise what does Chris fear the most?
Having now read the full story and the mistakes that each of them made, do you believe either character’s behaviour at any point in the story was justified?
Was Victoria right to forgive Chris for all of his failings and Chris right to forgive Victoria for hers?
How many of the characters’ struggles were internal versus external, from choices they made themselves or from circumstances beyond their control?
What would you like to believe happened to the characters after the end of this book?
Did you anticipate the reconciliation at the end?
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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.
Published by Aurora Independent Publishing
Copyright © 2018 Isabella Wiles
Isabella Wiles asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
ISBN: 978-1-9996529-0-6 (Kindle Version)
ISBN: 978-1-9996529-1-3 (Print Version)
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing and signed by the author, nor be otherwise circulated in any form other than that in which it is published.
The contents depicted in this book do not reflect the views of the author, publisher or related sales and distribution parties.
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
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Acknowledgements
The old African proverb ‘it takes a village’ reminds us that an entire community is involved in the raising of a child. Well, I definitely feel the same way about tackling the enormous task of giving birth to a debut novel!
I’m extremely grateful to all of my constant cheerleaders, who right from me first talking about the possibility of penning this story, to those who actively urged me on after I’d shared only a few scenes and snippets, as well as those of you who in your persistent enthusiasm to want to read the finished book, unknowingly held me to account. So to all of you, a heartfelt thank you.
Thank you to my early supporters; Sarah Bell, Karyn Brown, Claire Mitchell, Gail McCamley, Helen Patten, Sarah Shearn and Kate Spencer whose initial feedback gave me the confidence to get started. To all my subsequent BETA readers Bridie Bailey, Fiona Clark, Victoria Cook, Kate Freeman, Katie Green, Joan Hill, Lou Johnson, Karen Parkin, Bianca Robinson, Sarah Rogers, Beth Schmehl and Sharon Wilkinson for taking the time to read an almost finished manuscript, for being able to see past the 600 or so
grammatical errors and for giving me their immeasurably vital feedback, allowing me to shape and improve the manuscript into the one that is now published.
Special thanks to Helen Patten for her help brainstorming a suitably awesome yet cryptic title. To Kathryn Green for her expert eye fact checking all the Greek references, Bianca Robinson for doubling checking all things Kiwi and to Craig Linkhorn for lending me his precious 1993 Mobil New Zealand Travel Guides - they proved invaluable!
Thank you to Michelle Emerson (www.michelleemerson.co.uk) for her expert help in copy editing and all things formatting, and to Ella Gascoigne (www.thebookpublicist.com) for her support and advice in all things publicity. Also, I’m massively indebted to fellow author Louise Ross, (LJ Ross, author of Holy Island and the bestselling DCI Ryan Mysteries) for her very generous and invaluable advice, giving me the confidence to go ahead and self-publish.
However, the biggest thanks has to go to my long-suffering husband and my two boys who have tolerated my shoddy conduct as a wife and mother over the past eight months. I apologise profusely for all of the endless evenings, weekends and time whilst away on holiday, that I’ve been permanently scrawling in a notebook, typing away on my laptop or talking endlessly to myself like a proper weirdo! I’m eternally grateful to you for allowing me the space to write and for your never-ending love and support. This project absolutely would not have got started, never mind finished if you three hadn’t have been my loudest cheerleaders of all.
Now it’s time to do it all over again… eek!
Thank you, I love you all.
Belonging: Two hearts, two continents, one all-consuming passion. (Victoria in Love Book 1) Page 41
