The Broken Hearts Book Club

by Lynsey James

  ‘Really?’

  I nodded. ‘Yeah, I could do with a cuddle.’

  ‘OK then. I guess I’ll go and make us all something to eat.’ Jake allowed his face to relax into a smile and handed Maya to me. Then he headed off to the kitchen to cook bacon and other lovely things.

  I got myself comfortable and cuddled her close to me. Her lemon sleepsuit smelled of babies and fabric softener and I could feel her soft skin against mine. She made little snuffly noises and moved around in my arms to find a comfy place to lie. I stroked her hair and kissed her head. She was absolutely adorable. As I held her, I was given a snapshot of what life with Jake could hold for me: living above the pub or somewhere nearby, kids of our own, totally crazy about each other… Utter bliss.

  ‘Look at you,’ I whispered, ‘aren’t you perfect?’

  She stirred and started to cry. My lack of experience with babies came to the fore and I started to panic.

  ‘Oh no, I’m sorry! D-don’t cry!’

  Just then, Jake appeared in the doorway. ‘Is everything OK?’

  ‘She started crying and I wasn’t sure what to do,’ I admitted.

  He smiled and scooped her up in his strong arms. ‘Ah she’s just being fussy. Aren’t you Maya-moo?’

  The little girl stopped crying and started to gurgle happily as she gazed up at Jake. She looked utterly enchanted by him and judging by the look on his face, the feeling was mutual.

  ‘Sorry,’ I said with a sheepish smile, ‘I don’t have a lot of experience with kids, being an only child and that! You’re great with her though.’

  He sat down, carefully jiggled Maya so she was resting in the crook of his arm and used his free hand to stroke my face.

  ‘Babies aren’t easy at the best of times. You did fine and the more time you spend with her, the better you’ll get at knowing what she wants.’

  Maya decided to contribute to the conversation with a series of happy gurgles. Jake and I laughed and I leaned over to stroke her hair again.

  ‘You tell her Maya!’ he said with a grin. ‘She’s much better than she thinks, isn’t she?’

  We held each other’s gaze and smiled. Although I still had some way to go, I could feel myself beginning to open up for the first time in forever. Maybe I could really belong in this adorable family unit. Maybe there really was a place for me in Luna Bay after all.

  I left The Purple Partridge just after breakfast and made my way to Rose Cottage. My little slice of heaven was now looking less like a derelict shell and more like a home. The living room was all but finished; all it needed was furniture. The kitchen was more of a work in progress, but it was getting there. At least the ceiling had been repaired. I’d have to get the section of the wall I’d almost knocked down re-skimmed with plaster, but by and large, it was looking pretty good.

  As I worked to get the old tile adhesive off, I found myself thinking once again about the Broken Hearts Book Club. Although I’d had a few teething problems with them, they’d taken me in and made me welcome. OK Diane hadn’t, but she had her reasons and I could still soften her up. The rest of them had been warm and welcoming as I’d found my feet as the chairwoman of the club. I’d thought the idea was bonkers at first, but now I was starting to enjoy it.

  When they’d walked out of the meeting last night, each of them had carried their own personal tragedy round their neck like a millstone. They deserved a life outside of their grief and it was up to me to help them.

  It was official: Operations Broken Hearts Book Club was on!

  My first target for Operation Broken Hearts Book Club was Jean. She would be the easiest one to help, I decided. I went to her little knick-knack shop on the high street with Elle, and we watched her through the shop window as she busied herself with putting stock out. She did that a lot in meetings, I’d noticed: kept herself busy with one thing or another, so she didn’t have to talk about her grief.

  ‘She looks so sad,’ Elle said with a sigh. ‘What happened to her?’

  ‘Her dog Hobie died recently and she really misses him. She’s such a lovely lady, she deserves to be happy again. Fancy helping me spread a bit of fairy dust?’

  ‘You’re on!’

  Hiya Jean!’ I threw her a sunny smile and a wave and pretended to browse the fridge magnet display.

  ‘All right flower? Lovely day in’t it?’ I was surprised at her friendliness; she’d been a bit frosty towards me since I’d joined the club. She looked at Elle. ‘Nice to see you back here too Elle! How did Australia treat you?’

  Her face lit up. ‘Ooh it was amazing! I started off in Perth then went to Sydney then Melbourne. Saw some amazing places but I’m glad to be back now. Got to put down some roots sometime haven’t I?’

  Jean smiled. ‘Indeed you have lass! Haven’t seen you around since you took off all them years ago, but it’s lovely to have you back.’

  A smile flickered on Elle’s face. I could tell she still wasn’t wholly comfortable being back in Luna Bay after everything that had happened.

  Right on cue, Jean mentioned the weather again. I could’ve kissed her; her timing was so perfect without her even realising it.

  ‘What a gorgeous day outside eh? Real summery weather.’

  ‘Yeah, it’s beautiful out… Right dog-walking weather, wouldn’t you say?’

  I cast a sideways glance at her to see her reaction. She quickly turned her back on me and went over to do something at the till. Her head was bent low so I couldn’t see her face. Elle and I exchanged worried glances. Had I blown it already?

  I wanted to join her, so I picked up a little crystal elephant and took it over to the counter.

  ‘Is that everything?’ she asked stiffly.

  ‘I was just saying it’s dog-walking weather today.’ I handed her some money and waited for her reply.

  ‘I heard what you said, but as you well know I don’t have a dog any more. Therefore, dog-walking weather doesn’t really apply to me.’

  ‘You must miss Hobie a lot. I had a dog when I was younger – Max, his name was – and we lost him when I was eleven. I don’t think I’ve ever really gotten over that,’ Elle said as she came over to join us.

  Jean softened a little. ‘Dogs are like friends for life. You never get over losing them.’

  ‘Have you ever thought of getting another dog?’ I asked. ‘There’s loads of lovely rescue centres around here with great dogs to adopt. They need a loving home and you could give them that.’

  Her eyes misted over and she looked away. ‘After losing Hobie, I don’t think I can go through that again. Excuse me…’

  She trailed off and ran through to the back of the shop.

  ‘Oh bollocks,’ I whispered. ‘What have I done?’

  Elle craned her neck to see what she was doing and grimaced. ‘She looks pretty upset. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.’

  I watched her as she composed herself and tentatively went to join her.

  ‘Jean, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you cry. Can I sit down?’

  She nodded and gestured to the little brown stool opposite hers. I bent forward and put an arm round her shoulder.

  ‘You’ve got so much love to give, Jean. Anyone can tell how much you love animals.’ I gestured to the bright blue cardigan she was wearing, dotted with little white rabbits. ‘I know that loving another dog might seem like you’re being unfair to Hobie, but you wouldn’t be. He’ll always have a special place in your heart won’t he? No other dog can replace him, but your heart’s more than big enough to love two. What do you say? Why don’t you go and pay a visit to one of the rescue centres, even just to have a look?’

  Elle came to stand in the doorway. ‘I know this is none of my business, but Lucy’s right. Like she says, your heart’s more than big enough to love another dog. It’d be a shame to let all that love go to waste. You’d give a dog a fantastic home.’

  Jean looked up at me. ‘I miss him so much, girls. He was my best friend and not seeing his face ever
y morning just brings home how much I miss him. I just don’t know if I could love another dog like I loved Hobie.’

  I rubbed her back and gave her a hug. ‘You’ll never be able to love one like him, but you can love them differently and that’s OK.’

  She took a deep breath and nodded her head. ‘You know Lucy, you might just be right.’

  Just after I left, she put the Closed sign on the shop and gave me a wink as she went to her car. I smiled. One down, five to go.

  Chapter Sixteen

  I decided to make Cath my next target and possibly also help Frank at the same time. Anyone could see they were meant to be together, from the subtle looks at meetings to the ‘accidental’ brushing hands when they were reaching for a sausage roll. I pondered how to get them together without them realising it as I slapped some duck-egg blue emulsion onto the kitchen walls at Rose Cottage. Jake had fixed the hole in the ceiling, which turned out to be cosmetic, and was doing his best attempt at re-skimming the wall where the tiles had been. It wasn’t going very well. The plaster kept slipping off the trowel and onto his shoes.

  ‘Bollocks,’ he muttered as another splodge dropped off and onto his scuffed working boots.

  ‘How’s it going?’ I asked, already knowing the answer. ‘Are you winning?’

  ‘Kind of,’ he lied. ‘I haven’t done plastering for a while, but it’s just like riding a bike! You never forget.’

  I put my roller down and went over to him, wrapping my arms around his waist. ‘Yeah, it looks like you’ve done a great job of plastering your boots. Real professional effort there!’

  A blush crept into his neck and cheeks. He turned round and lightly kissed me on the lips.

  ‘Are you making fun of my DIY efforts, Miss Harper?’

  ‘You know, I think I might be.’

  He kissed me again and I could feel him smile. He pulled me into him and his kisses deepened.

  ‘Only me!’ Mum’s voice forced us apart. ‘Just bringing you in some tea and cakes in case you need a break.’

  ‘Thanks Mrs H,’ Jake said, relieving her of the tray she was carrying. He shot me a knowing glance as he went to put them on the worktop. We’ll pick up where we left off later, it said.

  ‘It’s looking lovely in here now,’ Mum said, looking around at our handiwork. ‘You’ve done a really good job.’

  ‘Yeah I’ll be moving in before I know it!’ I looked at the newly painted kitchen and had to admit that it was starting to look and feel like a proper home.

  ‘I went past Jean’s little knick-knacks shop earlier and it was closed. Wonder where she’s got to?’

  I smiled, remembering the look of hope on her face as the Closed sign had gone up. ‘She had to go and take care of something important.’

  ‘What have you been up to Lucy, meddling again?’ Mum grinned.

  ‘I prefer to call it spreading some cheer amongst the broken-hearted residents of Luna Bay. But yeah, I’ve been a nosy cow as usual.’

  I allowed my mind to wander and imagine Jean standing in one of the rescue centres, looking for the perfect pooch to bring home and love. The thought warmed my heart and I couldn’t wait to continue my quest to help the rest of the members.

  After the plastering became too much of a challenge for Jake, we decided to head over to the pub before he made any more mess.

  ‘Would you think me a smug bastard if I said I haven’t stopped smiling all day?’

  ‘Yeah, but I’m the same. We can be smug bastards together.’ I turned round and kissed him again. For the first time ever, I felt like I was learning how to be in love. It was an amazing feeling that made colours brighter, smiles wider and heartbeats faster.

  He patted me on the shoulder and extracted himself from my embrace. ‘I’m gonna head up and get changed. Fancy heading to the beach? It’s dead in here and Nicole will be OK on her own for a while. Rachel’s dropping Maya off in a second too. She’s staying tonight.’

  ‘I’d love that.’ That dopey grin wasn’t coming off my face any time soon.

  He stared at me for a second, wearing his you’re-the-best-thing-in-the-world smile, then disappeared upstairs.

  I went to grab a seat and wait for Jake, when I saw a stunningly beautiful woman walk into the pub. She was around the same height as me with long mermaid-like blonde hair and huge sea-blue eyes. The white strappy sundress she was wearing made her look like some kind of Greek goddess and her skin had a caramel tan. In her arms, she was carrying a squirming, giggling Maya.

  She made her way over to where I was standing. ‘Is Jake Hartley around?’

  ‘He’s upstairs just now,’ I replied. ‘You must be Rachel, right?’

  She stuck a tanned and manicured hand out for me to shake. ‘That’s me! Rachel Taylor, nice to meet you. I take it he’s mentioned me then?’

  My heart froze as I realised I was standing in front of the Rachel, the one who’d broken his heart just months before.

  ‘Oh! Lucy Harper, nice to meet you too. I-I’m a friend of Jake’s. Yeah, h-he’s mentioned you! Why don’t you go on up, he’s just in the flat.’

  Way to go Lucy, you sound like you’ve just bumped into Sleeping Beauty at Disneyland.

  ‘Cheers!’

  I craned my neck round to watch her head upstairs. She looked like a runway model, whereas I looked like I’d lost a fight in a paint factory. Duck-egg flecks were everywhere: clumps of it knotted my dark brown waves, it was spattered on my clothes and on my face. I looked awful in comparison to Rachel.

  Moments later, she came down, having dropped her beautiful little girl off with her dad.

  ‘See you later Lucy. It was nice meeting you.’ She waved as she left and flipped some of her flowing golden locks over her shoulder.

  ‘You too, Rachel.’

  I looked down at my paint-spattered dungarees and wished to God I’d smartened myself up before leaving the house.

  Jake came bounding down the stairs, carrying Maya and a bucket and spade.

  ‘Ready to go?’ he asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

  I nodded. ‘Born ready!’

  We took Maya down the road to beautiful Luna Bay Beach. As soon as Jake set her down on the sand, she giggled happily and patted it to feel its texture beneath her chubby little fingers.

  ‘It’s a joy watching her,’ he admitted, kneeling down next to her. ‘I moved here because of the beach but ironically, I hardly have time to bring her here.’

  I took a seat on the sand and looked at them as they played. It really was perfect.

  ‘Shall we make a sandcastle Maya-moo?’ he suggested, picking up the brightly coloured bucket and spade he’d brought with him.

  He put the spade in her hand and helped her scoop some sand into her bucket. She giggled at the scrunching noise the spade made as it dug into the wet sand.

  ‘Can I try?’ I asked.

  ‘Sure!’ He looked pleasantly surprised and let me take over guiding sand into Maya’s bucket.

  ‘Let’s make a princess castle, shall we?’

  The little girl dropped the spade and became more interested in trying to have the sand for lunch.

  ‘No, no silly that’s for our castle!’ I laughed and wiped her face and hands so she didn’t get any in her eyes.

  I caught Jake looking at me and blushed. ‘What is it?’

  ‘You’re a natural with her. It’s… it’s just really nice to watch.’

  I smiled and went back to my quest of building a sandcastle with Maya. We eventually got enough sand in the bucket to make a decent one.

  ‘Are you ready?’ I took her hand and made her tap the top of the bucket. ‘One… two… three!’

  I took the bucket off to reveal an almost-perfect sandcastle. A couple of the turrets had collapsed, but otherwise it was pretty bloody good.

  ‘Wow, that’s some princess castle! I’m very impressed.’ Jake reached over and gave us each a kiss on the cheek for our efforts.

  I picked up some nearby shells an
d stuck them on to give it a little bit of decoration. ‘There, now it’s fit for Princess Maya-moo.’

  Jake grinned and took my hand in his. ‘You might just be the best thing to happen to me for a long time, Lucy Harper.’

  ‘You’re not too bad yourself,’ I replied with a wink.

  ‘I mean it; you came out of nowhere and just made everything better. I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but I’d do it again and again.’

  Every inch of me bristled with happiness. Somehow, things had spectacularly fallen into place and while I wasn’t sure how it had happened, I was glad it did.

  Lying back on the sand I looked at the cloudless sky and allowed an unusual feeling to wash over me. It was the feeling of belonging. I had let Luna Bay and its Broken Hearts Book Club under my skin and into my heart. This gorgeous little corner of the world was woven into every fibre of me and I loved it more than I could ever express.

  I wanted today to stretch on forever; a little slice of heaven that could be spun out for a lifetime.

  Chapter Seventeen

  For the next few days, it was heaven. Jake and I spent practically all of our free time together. We went out with Elle and George, who were still hopelessly besotted with one another. Throughout the meal, there had been more romantic glances and secret games of footsy under the table than in even the cheesiest romantic comedy. I could see some of the diners rolling their eyes at us, but I didn’t care. I was floating on a little cloud of bliss that nobody could knock me off of.

  It was at that same meal I finally managed to talk to Elle about her guilt over the Vicky thing. Ever since we’d met up again, I’d wanted to talk to her about it but there hadn’t been a good time.

  ‘What happened to Vicky wasn’t your fault, you know,’ I said while we were in the ladies.

  She stopped what she was doing and looked at me as though I’d just told her I was a sparkly vampire. ‘What makes you say that? I didn’t even try to stop her doing what she did; at least you had a go. I just stood back and watched it happen. I’ve been going round the world for the past eight bloody years trying to forget that, but I can’t.’