The Wedding Pact
Page 32
She flung open the door and Flynn looked up from where he was carrying a bottle of wine to their small table in the living room.
He had his glasses on, he must have been reading a cook book, and it made her melt a little. ‘Everything all right?’ he asked.
‘Abe – and Mrs Haverley – are happy for us to stay living here.’
Flynn put down the wine and reached August in two strides, kissing her so she was lifted off her feet, or at least it felt that way, she wasn’t sure.
‘Dinner will be two minutes,’ he said, breaking away, and then, with an adventurous glint in his eye told her, ‘Wait in your room, I’ll come and get you.’
She did as she was asked, leaning her back against her closed door and thanking her lucky stars, her fate, her kind and forgiving neighbours and friends, her grandmother and her own self for giving her another shot.
There was a knock on her door and August turned, opening it, and there was Flynn, dressed in his suit, his loose-collared pale blue shirt that he’d been wearing that first day she met him that still had the coffee stain on the front, despite being washed. He’d kept it.
He smiled down at her, leaning against her doorframe and motioning to the laid table behind him. ‘August Anderson? I’m Flynn Miyoshi. I’m here to pick you up for our first date.’
Epilogue
Dreams have a starting point, but they don’t ever have to end if you can keep nurturing them, helping them to grow, adding to them and enjoying them.
Flynn quit his job, but not law altogether. He found a new firm with a strict work-life balance policy, and began to love the wide world that his field opened up, once again. He made sure to video call with his relatives in Japan weekly, and that included his grandmother, all the way down in the south on her tropical island.
Callie’s mum, Allen and Maud all met the news about Flynn and August not being married with surprise, but all would admit it didn’t really make any difference to them either way. As far as they were concerned, the love birds in the middle apartment were exactly who they had always thought they were. Callie, in time, forgave August for her deception, and their warm friendship resumed.
Mrs Haverley returned to her top floor flat from hospital, feeling better than she had in years. She was now a keen walker – so keen, in fact, that she joined August and Bel on the Regency Costumed Promenade at the next Jane Austen Festival, parasol and all.
Bel and Steve finally married after a long engagement, and Kenny finally got to be the best man that Bel always knew he was. His plus one, and his best man, was Mark the receptionist, and neither of them could stop beaming their pearly whites at each other all day.
Abe returned to London, where his life quickly became less sad and lonely than before. Feeling motivated by the emotions that August had awoken in him, and wanting to feel them again, he started dating a woman called Maya, who loved to join him on trips to Bath to visit his mum.
August gave up the notion that the house was a portal to her dreams, and that by living there and having her ultimate dream come true, all the others would just fall into place. Instead she stoked the fire within her, and focussed on furthering her career, allowing fear to fall away as she found success with her expanding demo reel, and enrolling in a weekend drama school to learn how to become a better, classically trained, stage actress on the side. She still had every one of her dreams; and this time, she was willing to work for them.
As for August and Flynn’s relationship … Well, no fake divorces were needed. They remain in their home in Elizabeth Street, now sharing just the one bedroom. They still like to practise kissing, often. And though neither of them knows it yet, in the not-too-distant future they’ll be replacing those make-believe wedding photos with the real deal.
Acknowledgements
Thank you, wonderful readers, for moving in with August and Flynn and keeping their secret with them through the pages of this book. I hope you enjoyed living in the house on Elizabeth Street – I certainly liked hunkering down under the imaginary chandeliers to write it for you. Although the house and the road are made up, Bath itself is one of my favourite cities in the UK, and it’s been great to visit again, at least in my mind (thanks Covid-19 for putting a stop to research trips … sigh).
Special thanks to my lovely editor Bec Farrell at Sphere for helping mould this novel and for all your sparkling enthusiasm. And to the rest of the team at Little, Brown and beyond, in particular Frankie, Thalia, Vanessa and Bekki, Robyn Neild for the beautiful cover illustration, and Anna Acton for beautifully narrating another Isla tale – big big thank you, I couldn’t do this without you.
Thank you to my literary agent Hannah Ferguson and the team at Hardman & Swainson. Hannah, you’re a star, can’t wait until we can meet up again!
Thank you to the magical Louise Andrée Douglas for her help visualising the wonderful world of auditions, and to voice artist Penny Scott-Andrews for helping break down the beats on how to work in this industry. Thank you Rob for the marvellous research help and thank you Emma for always reading through my rough drafts, even when they’re sometimes verrrry rough!
Thank you, family and friends – Phil & The Bear for being my real husband and dog and for being the best parts of 2020 (and every year). Mum & Dad who I’ve missed during all the lockdowns but who’ve always been on the end of FaceTime. Paul, Laura, Beth, Rosie, Indy, Mary, David, Jude, Robin, Eleanor, Peter – miss you and hope we can all get together again soon.
And a big thank you to Holly & Belinda. We might be in a global version of an escape room this year, but you two never fail to encourage me towards unlocking my dreams.
Escape to the mountains and fall in love this Christmas …
Alice Bright has a great life. She has a job she adores, a devoted family and friends she’d lay down her life for. But when tragedy strikes, she finds her whole world turned upside down.
Enter, Bear, a fluffy, lovable – and rapidly growing! – puppy searching for a home. Bear may be exactly what Alice needs to rekindle her spark, but a London flat is no place for a mountain dog, and soon Alice and Bear find themselves on a journey to the snow-topped mountains of Switzerland in search of a new beginning.
Amidst the warming log fires, cosy cafes and stunning views, Alice finds her heart slowly beginning to heal. But will new friends and a charming next door neighbour be enough to help Alice fall in love with life once more?
‘The most beautiful, heart-warming story. Gorgeously cosy, uplifting … utterly lovely book’ Holly Martin