She hadn’t realised she’d been keeping an eye on the doors but as soon as there was a figure on the other side, Regan recognised it was Charlie and felt herself light up. Charlie gave a broad smile when he saw her and she had to stop herself from doing a slow motion run into his arms. There was something very special about Charlie. Nobody, and certainly not any previous boyfriends, had made her feel like this. Maybe it was the situation she found herself in? Maybe that was magnifying anything that was vaguely pleasurable against the rest of the giant whiffy pile of poo that was currently her life. Or maybe they were perfect for each other.
She made her excuses to Wendy and greeted Charlie. They grinned at each other like idiots for a few moments before Charlie went to make himself a coffee.
‘Sunday night was fun,’ he said, dunking his Hobnob.
‘Yeah, we should do it again.’
‘Great,’ said Charlie. He went to say something else but Cressy interrupted by chiming her bell and calling the session to order. Everyone picked a chair and Charlie and Regan sat next to each other. Charlie reached his fingers down and gave her hand a squeeze. When he let her fingers go she felt bereft. She was falling for Charlie. A spiral of panic uncoiled in her gut – she hoped he was feeling the same.
This was moving very fast. They’d only met a few times, but Regan had an innate feeling that the two of them were meant to be together. She wasn’t the slushy sort and certainly hadn’t felt like this with Jarvis. It was exciting and scary at the same time. Her mind drifted off and she fantasised about holding his hand as they walked along the beach. Regan took a steadying breath and tuned in to Cressy.
‘Can everyone please hold out their hand, palm up.’ Cressy had a bowl and a teaspoon and she went around and placed a sultana in everyone’s palm. Regan was grinning wildly.
‘Blimey, that’s portion control for you,’ said Regan, eyeing her sultana.
‘It’s mindful eating,’ whispered Charlie.
Cressy took them through a step-by-step process where they studied the surface of their sultana, sniffed it, squeezed it gently and held it up to the light. At this point Regan struggled not to laugh. They all looked like they were presenting a miniature offering to the gods. Eventually Cressy told them they could place it on their tongue, but they weren’t to eat it. They had to think about the texture and what they could taste before biting into it. When they were allowed to eat it, very slowly, Regan was amazed by how good it tasted. Her senses were on high alert and the sultana tasted better for it.
‘Wow, that is weird,’ said Regan, marvelling at the intensity of flavour. It made her wonder if there was such a thing as mindful sex. If there was, she very much wanted to give it a go.
After lying down for the same body scan technique they’d done the previous week, it was the end of the session. Chris, the other new member from the previous week, came over to speak to Charlie and while they chatted Regan put their yoga mats away. She couldn’t wait to go for their walk and spend some time with Charlie. He was an addiction she wanted to feed.
‘Thanks,’ said Chris, as Regan returned. ‘Good luck with yours,’ he added, before giving Charlie a knowing look and leaving.
‘What’s he wishing you luck for?’ she asked. She had a sneaking suspicion it had something to do with her.
Charlie looked cagey and steered her out of the community hall. Outside, he took hold of both her hands.
‘Regan, you are something else. I knew the day I met you that you were someone very special.’ She could have floated away on his words. It made her so happy to know he’d spotted the connection they had too. ‘Look … there’s something I should have told you. But I really don’t want it to change anything between us. Okay?’
‘Okay,’ said Regan. She racked her brain for anything he could tell her that would change things. A wife? A dozen unruly children? He was a spy? If it wasn’t the wife, she was pretty sure she could cope with anything else.
Charlie looked down and bit his lip. She could not adore him more. He slowly looked up and fixed her with his gaze. ‘I’ve got a brain tumour.’
Regan realised she’d been grinning. The grin fell from her face. She wanted to ask if he was joking but she could tell he wasn’t. Her stomach lurched and her head swam to the point of dizziness. ‘But …’ She looked back at the others leaving the centre. That was his connection to the group; he had something very wrong with him too. ‘But they can operate on tumours, right?’
Charlie gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head. ‘The odds of me surviving an operation are not in my favour. So I’m not taking the risk. But we can still have fun for as long as I’m here. Can’t we?’
Unexpected tears sprang to her eyes. Her one chink of light in the darkness had just had the blinds pulled down over it and the shutters nailed closed. They say the universe only gives you as much as you can handle. The universe must think I’m hardcore, thought Regan, but I’m not. She gasped in a breath. How wrong she had been before about reaching rock bottom.
Can’t wait to see what happens next? Click here to find out in part two …
Keep Reading …
Will Regan be able to pick herself up from rock bottom? And can she help save Charlie – as well as herself?
Click here to find out what happens next in part two …
About the Author
Bella Osborne has been jotting down stories as far back as she can remember but decided that 2013 would be the year that she finished a full-length novel.
In 2016, her debut novel, It Started at Sunset Cottage, was shortlisted for the Contemporary Romantic Novel of the Year and RNA Joan Hessayon New Writers Award.
Bella’s stories are about friendship, love and coping with what life throws at you. She likes to find the humour in the darker moments of life and weaves these into her stories. Bella believes that writing your own story really is the best fun ever, closely followed by talking, eating chocolate, drinking fizz and planning holidays.
She lives in the Midlands, UK with her lovely husband and wonderful daughter, who thankfully both accept her as she is (with mad morning hair and a penchant for skipping).
Also by Bella Osborne:
It Started at Sunset Cottage
A Family Holiday
Escape to Willow Cottage
Coming Home to Ottercombe Bay
A Walk in Wildflower Park
Other titles in the Meet Me at Pebble Beach serialisation:
Part Two: In Too Deep
Part Three: Sink or Swim
Part Four: Seas the Day
About the Publisher
Australia
HarperCollins Publishers Australia Pty. Ltd.
Level 13, 201 Elizabeth Street
Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
www.harpercollins.com.au
Canada
HarperCollins Canada
Bay Adelaide Centre, East Tower
22 Adelaide Street West, 41st Floor
Toronto, Ontario M5H 4E3, Canada
www.harpercollins.ca
India
HarperCollins India
A 75, Sector 57
Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201 301, India
www.harpercollins.co.in
New Zealand
HarperCollins Publishers New Zealand
Unit D1, 63 Apollo Drive
Rosedale 0632
Auckland, New Zealand
www.harpercollins.co.nz
United Kingdom
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
1 London Bridge Street
London SE1 9GF, UK
www.harpercollins.co.uk
United States
HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
195 Broadway
New York, NY 10007
www.harpercollins.com
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Meet Me at Pebble Beach: Part One – Out of the Blue Page 9
