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First published in Great Britain by HarperCollins 2016
Copyright © Phillipa Ashley 2016
Phillipa Ashley asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the authorâs imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
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E-book Edition © November 2016 ISBN: 9780008191870
Version: 2017-12-07
Tuesday October 1>st
Demi
âGood morning, friends! This is Greg Stennack, your favourite local DJ on your favourite local station, Radio St Trenyan. Iâll be bringing you all the latest tunes and news from our great little corner of Cornwall and cheering you up on this wet and windy October the first. Hey, did I just say it was October? Seems like only yesterday that we were slapping on the suncream and stretching out the beach towels to catch some rays. Oh, wait â that was only yesterday! Hey, never mind, people. Christmas is only eighty-five sleeps away. Now, letâs kick off this wild autumn day with âHere Comes the Rain Againâ by the Eurythmics â¦â
Hey, thanks, Greg, Iâve nothing against Annie Lennox, but I think Iâll pass.
With a groan, I bash the radio alarm âoffâ button with my palm and pull the duvet over my head. That was a mistake. Now that Gregâs not blaring down my ear, I can hear the rain lashing against the windows and battering the roof of my tiny terraced cottage. A moment later, I throw the duvet off me, shivering in the cool October morning. I say âmorningâ, but it might as well be evening itâs so dark and gloomy in my bedroom. The late September heatwave weâd been enjoying at Kilhallon Park broke late last night when a massive storm blew in from the Atlantic and settled over our corner of far-west Cornwall.
The bedroom door bangs against the wall and four paws land squarely on my legs and a rough tongue licks my face.
âOof!â
My dog, Mitch, stands on my stomach, tongue lolling. âThanks, boy, but Iâd rather have a wash myself. In the bathroom, preferably.â
Mitch woofs and jumps onto the floor, wagging his feathery tail.
âI know, I know. You want a walk, but have you heard that wet stuff falling from the sky outside?â
Mitch leaps off the bed, and stands by, tilting his head this way and that, as if to say: âWussâ.
I give up all thought of staying in bed. âOK. You win.â
As I swing my legs off the bed, Mitch scampers to the doorway, hardly able to contain himself, excited at the prospect of a walk. After Iâve pulled on old jeans and a fleece, I trot downstairs, grab a quick glass of juice and pull open the curtains. Itâs still bucketing down, and the rain is driven by strong winds off the sea, so itâs almost horizontal.
I grab an old waxed jacket from a peg by the back door and pull the hood over my head. Not only does Mitch need a walk, I need to check that nothingâs blown away from our brand-new guest cottages. I also need to make sure that our new cafe, Demelzaâs, is still in one piece ready for its opening day on Thursday.
Since I arrived at Easter, my boss, Cal Penwith, and I have been working hard to transform Kilhallon Park from a run-down caravan site into a boutique holiday resort. With the help of our friends â and despite the efforts of our foes â our cottages and glamping site officially open for business today.