Follow a Star (31 page)

May thought fleetingly of what form of jolly time had been enjoyed aboard
Lucille
. Unfortunately, something similar must also have crossed Thunder’s mind.

‘I don’t know about a jolly time,’ he snarled. ‘You’d better have a jolly good explanation about what you’ve been doing with my sister for the last two nights.’

‘Nothing you need trouble yourself about,’ Cecil said, haughtily. ‘I would, however, like to make a small announcement and tell you all that this dear lady has done me the immense honour of agreeing to be my wife.’

Bill whistled softly. ‘Fast worker. Congratulations to you both.’

‘Some of us,’ said Cecil, fixing him with a steely eye, ‘know a good thing when we find it.’

Please don’t, thought May, desperately hoping that Bill wouldn’t be baited into an unwelcome declaration. It was too soon, too public, too scary to make that kind of commitment. Trying not to wince, she looked nervously up at him. He gave her a wry smile to show that he understood and wrapped her up in his strong embrace.

‘And some of us,’ he said, kissing her hair, ‘just want to take our time appreciating the good thing we’ve found.’

Perfect, she thought, breathing him in. She was in the right place. Secure in Bill’s love, free to be herself.

On a beautiful afternoon in mid September May waited impatiently in
Lucille’s
cockpit for Bill to return with the last-minute supplies for their voyage. Work commitments had already meant they hadn’t been able to get away quite as quickly as they’d hoped. Then they’d put off the trip for the chance of experiencing their first Little Spitmarsh Film Festival together. It was worth it, May sighed happily, to see Bill dressed up as the Sundance Kid for the final evening of the festivities, a favourite film character night at Samphire. He’d initially taken a little persuading, but was much more enthusiastic when she agreed to go as Ariel from the Little Mermaid.

Fiona and Paul, about to move into their new home, had come as Anthony and Cleopatra, although this Egyptian queen was sporting a little baby bump. Harry and Matthew were rocking Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta in ‘Grease’, and Thunder had made a few eyes water turning up as Tarzan.

May laughed to herself thinking about the interesting night she and Bill had when they’d got home. Now, while Cecil and Janice planned their future – although she and Bill noticed that the older couple seemed rather more keen on spending time together, now they had found each other, than running a B&B – they were free at last to take off for a week’s idle sailing, taking advantage of the Indian summer to explore new shores. Together. She looked up as Bill came striding towards her, his lovely red hair glowing gold in the sunlight, and felt intense pleasure at the thought of spending some undiluted quality time with this wonderful man. She was all set to take the provisions from him when he jumped in beside her.

‘Listen to this.’ He grinned as he offered her his iPod, ‘it’s just become available so I’ve downloaded it.’

High tide and the summer rain

Hides your tears, conceals your pain

Cast off your past, learn to be free

Sail to your future, cast off with me

Follow a star, starting again

When the voyage is over, will we still be friends?

Say we’ll still be friends

‘I’m so proud of you,’ Bill said, beaming and making May feel shy. If the spotlight had been entirely on her, she might have felt embarrassed, but Thunder had taken her lyrics and made the song all his own. His deep, careworn voice combined with all the mythology surrounding the redeemed rocker added a gravitas to her simple words which opened the song to all kinds of interpretations.

‘He sings it so much better than I ever could,’ she acknowledged.

‘Not better, differently,’ Bill reflected. ‘I love your voice, and so do many other people. Are you quite sure you really want to give up on your singing career?’

‘Look what happened last time I stood up in public and sang – you walked out on me.’ She laughed and, seeing his stricken face, quickly put her arms round him. ‘I’m much happier writing than performing. The last few minutes before I had to walk on stage to face an audience always tore me apart. I never overcame that fear even when they were people who’d paid to come and see me. Not even when I could hide behind a stage persona – especially one that never seemed to fit me.’

No, she thought fleetingly, she wouldn’t miss Cherry, the sexy blonde alter ego Aiden had wanted her to be. In the end, after giving the matter very serious thought, May had decided not to take legal action against the man who had tried to control every aspect of her life. The threat of it had been sufficient for him to release her from her professional contract without a fuss and she had no taste for reliving every moment of the previous two years in court. Seeing him convicted wouldn’t make her feel victorious. A few hours of community service probably wouldn’t change his basic personality, she decided. What made her walk a little taller now was the knowledge that she’d found the strength and self-assurance within herself to break his hold on her. The decks were clear.

‘And thanks to Thunder inviting me to write the material for his new album, I’ll never have to worry about going back out on stage ever again.’

‘I’ve been thinking about that. You’ll probably want to be based in London, won’t you?’ Bill said, sounding as if he was trying to be brave.

‘Why?’ She shot him a look of disbelief. ‘Why would I want to return to the south east when everything I need is here?’

Bill seemed to be too busy fiddling with his iPod to notice her meaningful look.

‘Even Mum and Dad are selling up and moving here. I don’t want to be too far from them now that Mum and I are getting on so well. Dad’s got all that extra work, thanks to you, and Cecil’s practically let Mum take the antique shop over permanently,’ she added when he failed to respond.

‘And we’re following a star, starting again on our new voyage,’ he said thoughtfully.

‘When the voyage is over, will we still be friends?’ she sang softly.

‘Always.’ He smiled and took a deep breath. ‘I’ll always be your friend, May,’ he said, taking her hand, ‘
and
your lover for as long as you’ll have me. Please understand that I never want to own you, May, or make you do anything you don’t want to do, but I love you and I’m kind of hoping that one day, I could be more than just a friend or a lover to you. I’d like to be your husband and the father of your children. All you have to do when you’re ready is say yes. Is that all right with you?’

May smiled up at him, happiness radiating through her. ‘Yes,’ she said, firmly.

Winning a tin of chocolate in a national essay competition at primary school inspired Christine Stovell to become a writer! After graduating from the University of East Anglia, she took various jobs in the public sector writing research papers and policy notes by day and filling up her spare drawers with embryonic novels by night. Losing her dad to cancer made her realise that if she was ever going to get a novel published she had to put her writing first. Setting off, with her husband, from a sleepy seaside resort on the East Anglian coast in a vintage wooden boat to sail halfway round Britain provided the inspiration for
Follow a Star
and also her debut novel,
Turning the Tide
. Christine lives in Wales and has published numerous short stories and articles.
Follow a Star
is Christine’s third novel with Choc Lit. Her others are
Turning the Tide
and
Move Over Darling
.

For more information on Christine visit:

www.twitter.com/chrisstovell

www.facebook.com/christinestovellauthor

www.homethoughtsweekly.blogspot.co.uk

From Christine Stovell

Turning the Tide

All’s fair in love and war? Depends on who’s making the rules.

Harry Watling has spent the past five years keeping her father’s boat yard afloat, despite its dying clientele. Now all she wants to do is enjoy the peace and quiet of her sleepy backwater.

So when property developer Matthew Corrigan wants to turn the boat yard into an upmarket housing complex for his exotic new restaurant, it’s like declaring war.

And the odds seem to be stacked in Matthew’s favour. He’s got the colourful locals on board, his hard-to-please girlfriend is warming to the idea and he has the means to force Harry’s hand. Meanwhile, Harry has to fight not just his plans but also her feelings for the man himself.

Then a family secret from the past creates heartbreak for Harry, and neither of them is prepared for what happens next …

Visit
www.choc-lit.com
for more details including the first two chapters and reviews.

Find out more and purchase in the kindle store (
Amazon UK
,
Amazon US
,
Amazon Australia
,
Amazon Canada
)

Move Over Darling

When is it time to stop running?

Coralie Casey is haunted by her past. Deciding it’s time for a fresh start, she sets up ‘Sweet Cleans’, a range of natural beauty and cleaning products, and escapes to Penmorfa, a quiet coastal village in west Wales.

Gethin Lewis thinks he’s about to put his home village Penmorfa behind him for good. Now an internationally-acclaimed artist living in New York, he just has to return one last time to wind up his father’s estate.

But the village soon disrupts their carefully laid plans. As truths are uncovered which threaten to split the community apart, Gethin is forced to question his real reasons for abandoning Penmorfa, and Coralie is made to face the fact that some stains just won’t go away.

Visit
www.choc-lit.com
for more details including the first two chapters and reviews.

Find out more and purchase in the kindle store (
Amazon UK
,
Amazon US
,
Amazon Australia
,
Amazon Canada
)

We’re an independent publisher creating
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Where heroes are like chocolate – irresistible!
Quality stories with a romance at the heart.

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Follow a Star
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