Villa of Sun and Secrets
Page 26
Not long afterwards, Mario said it was time for them to leave and there was a flurry of goodbyes and promises to see each other soon.
After Mario and his family had left, Josette insisted she, Gordon and the twins would clear up and Carla was to relax. When she went to protest, Joel said, ‘Good idea. I need you to come with me for five minutes. I want to show you something.’ He held out his hand. ‘You remember I did some pottering in the garden earlier? It wasn’t just about giving you space to talk to your relatives.’
Carla took his hand and he led her towards the wild bit of the garden behind the pool house where she’d placed Amelia’s urn. Right at the front in a freshly cleared patch, a garden plaque had been pushed into the ground.
As Carla read the words engraved on the stone plaque, Joel put his arm around her shoulders and squeezed her tightly. ‘I found it in the market and thought this would be a good place for these sentiments. And,’ he hesitated. ‘C’est a perfect saying for us to remember in our future lives.’
Starting Today,
I need to forget what’s gone, appreciate what still remains,
and look forward to what’s coming next. (anon.)
Carla turned into him and as he put both his arms around her she raised her face to his, for the kiss that she knew would seal the beginning of her future.
Acknowledgments
Thank you ‘Team Boldwood’ for helping me to make this book the best it could be. A thank you to my online writing group who keep me sane and boost me up when I’m in need – you all know who you are. Thanks also to Linda Mitchelmore and Jan Wright – one a friend for many years in real life, one I’ve never met, but both are so supportive of me. Last but by no means least, my heartfelt thanks must go to my readers – without you I wouldn’t be doing a job I love, so a big THANK YOU to everyone.
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About the Author
Jennifer Bohnet is the bestselling author of over 10 women's fiction novels, including Rosie's Little Cafe on the Riviera and The Little Kiosk By The Sea. She is originally from the West Country but now lives in the wilds of rural Brittany, France.
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First published in Great Britain in 2019 by Boldwood Books Ltd.
Copyright © Jennifer Bohnet, 2019
Cover Design by Lexie Sims
The moral right of Jennifer Bohnet to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction and, except in the case of historical fact, any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Every effort has been made to obtain the necessary permissions with reference to copyright material, both illustrative and quoted. We apologise for any omissions in this respect and will be pleased to make the appropriate acknowledgements in any future edition.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Paperback ISBN 978-1-83889-220-3
Ebook ISBN 978-1-83889-221-0
Kindle ISBN 978-1-83889-222-7
Audio CD ISBN 978-1-83889-253-1
MP3 CD ISBN 978-1-83889-354-5
Digital audio download ISBN 978-1-83889-219-7
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