Cover

Praise for

Heidi Swain

‘Sweet and lovely. I guarantee you will fall in love with Heidi’s wonderful world’ Milly Johnson

‘Wise, warm and wonderful – a real summer treat!’ Heat

‘Sparkling and romantic’ My Weekly

‘The most delicious slice of festive fiction: a true comfort read and the perfect treat to alleviate all the stress!’ Veronica Henry

‘A fabulous feel good read – a ray of reading sunshine!’ Laura Kemp

‘Sprinkled with Christmas sparkle’ Trisha Ashley

‘A story that captures your heart’ Chrissie Barlow

‘Fans of Carole Matthews will enjoy this heartfelt novel’ Katie Oliver

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Dedication

To Michael, my dad,
who I don’t see nearly often enough,
but who is forever in my thoughts
and always in my heart

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

If I closed my eyes and concentrated, I could see the sea stretching ahead of me, all the way to the distant horizon. I could breathe in the fresh salty air and almost taste the tang of it on my lips. If I stood in that exact spot, I could see the sun rising, quickly reaching the glistening rockpools, tempting me to explore their secret depths. And if I concentrated even harder, I could hear the waves lapping the shore, gulls wheeling overhead and feel the warm, soft sand, pushing up between my bare toes . . .

‘Tess?’

I concentrated that little bit harder.

‘Are you all right?’

I screwed my eyes up tighter still, hoping to catch sight of my mother. She would be sitting in a deckchair, wearing her favourite yellow sundress and waving with one hand, a well-thumbed paperback clasped firmly in the other.

‘Earth to Tess. Do you read me?’

It was no good. The spell was broken. No amount of focused concentration could block out the noise of the office and my colleagues who, I discovered when I finally opened my eyes, had crowded around my desk, concern etched across their brows.

Apparently, it wasn’t possible to close your eyes and stick your fingers in your ears without drawing a certain amount of attention, but I had been deeply immersed in my moment of mindful meditation and would have been happier if they’d just left me to it. That said, I supposed I should have been grateful that my team had even noticed my ‘absence’. Considering the week we’d had, I was surprised any of them actually cared for my wellbeing at all.

‘Oh, you are still with us then?’ Chris snapped.