Love Me Or Leave Me
True love lasts a lifetime.But sometimes, life just gets in the way . . .It’s the opening weekend of the first ever boutique ‘divorce hotel’ and three couples arrive to ditch their emotional baggage, once and for all, and move on.It’s make or break time for Lucy and Andrew, Jo and Dave and Dawn and Kirk. But the hotel’s manager, Chloe Townsend, is one very special lady. As she settles her guests in, it becomes clear that this weekend is going to bring some big surprises.Because some things are worth fighting for – and what seems like an unhappy ending can be a very exciting new beginning …And when the weekend draws to a close, no-one is going to be more surprised than Chloe herself.If you love MARIAN KEYES and SOPHIE KINSELLA you will love this!
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CLAUDIA CARROLL
Love Me or Leave Me
AVON
An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd
77–85 Fulham Palace Road
Hammersmith, London W6 8JB
First published in Great Britain by HarperCollins Publishers 2014
Copyright © Claudia Carroll 2014
Cover illustration © Shutterstock 2014
Cover design © Emma Rogers 2014
Claudia Carroll 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 author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.
Source ISBN: 9780007520886
Ebook Edition © September 2014 ISBN: 9780007520893
Version: 2014-12-09
Contents
Chloe.
‘Shh, shh, shh,’ I can hear my best friend Gemma saying, as she hands me a fistful of Kleenex and purposely avoids hugging me, so as not to crumple the wedding dress. Even though it makes shag-all difference now. My perfect wedding dress too; the one I spent long months trawling just about every bridal shop the length and breadth of the country to find.
‘It’s all right, sweetheart. Just try to tell me what happened.’
Right then, I think, staring dully back at her. You asked for it. So here it is; here’s what I can remember from just minutes ago, before the skin got ripped off the surface of my life, exposing nothing but raw flesh underneath.
The killer is, I’m just a nice, ordinary, normal girl. This isn’t the kind of thing that’s supposed to happen to nice, ordinary, normal girls, now is it?
So I took a deep breath and began. Gemma says nothing, just nods silently and waits till I’ve finished.
‘You’ll be okay, you know.’
‘Will I?’
She paused for a beat and I was so grateful to her for at least answering me honestly. But then, Gemma is one of those people who physically gets heartburn when required to lie.
‘I only wish I could say yes.’
* * *
‘And two hearts will beat as one.’
Dawn Madden and Kirk Lennox-Coyningham
Would love you, as one of their dearest friends,
To celebrate their fusion
At Mount Druid,
On the feast of Midsummer, June 21st.
Blessing in the unconsecrated chapel
At two o’clock.
Feasting at The Old Gazebo,
Followed by a tree dedication ceremony on the grounds.
Please don’t RSVP by post, as we believe all paper is wasteful. And know that vegetarians, vegans and all on a gluten-free or lactose intolerance diet will be well catered for.
Organic and unfermented wine freely available.
No gifts please. Donations only, if necessary, to the National Forestry Society.
Accommodation isn’t a problem at Mount Druid. But please let us know if you’d prefer a Mongolian yurt, a shepherd’s hut or a self-catering cottage (running water available here. And eco-loo facilities).
(This invitation has been printed on 100% recycled organic paper and no trees were harmed in its manufacture.)
* * *
Jo and Dave
Cordially invite you
To celebrate their marriage
On fifteenth of February
ST MARY’S CHURCH, 2.45pm sharp, for a prompt 3pm start.
Dress code: strictly black tie, floor length dresses for ladies. Absolutely no cocktail dresses please.
Reception to follow at the Radisson Blu hotel punctually at 7pm.
Full wedding list available at Brown Thomas (no off-list gifting permitted).
Kindly note:
1 Coaches will be on hand at the church to transport guests to the hotel. Please clearly tick the box below if you require transportation.
2 All coaches will leave the church punctually at 4.30pm. This is essential in order to facilitate an on-time arrival at the hotel.
3 Kindly RSVP before December 31st if you have any dietary requirements. Please note, this is essential.
