Last Bite of the Cherry
Monica Sommers, during counselling sessions with depressed Rosaleen Westlake, is reminded of her own tumultuous past. Aged seventeen, she too fell in love with a man to be a huge influence in her life.
At last Cap d’Antibes. Unerring, Will found their quaint little hotel . . .
‘You specifically asked for a double-bed?’ Monica said.
‘Ahhh, bliss.’ Sitting on the side of what looked like a comfortable modern divan, Will undid his boots and kicked them off, then flung himself backwards, bouncing as he landed flat on his back. He closed his eyes. ‘No road winding in front of me.’ A few seconds and he sat up looking concerned. ‘I’ll see if we can swop for singles, shall I?’
She turned away to pull open wider the tall window, push back shutters, lean over the wrought iron balustrade, breath in warm Mediterranean scents, wormwood, rosemary and pine. Their room overlooked a secluded garden vibrant with scarlet geraniums, magenta bougainvillea, and white jasmine. To her left, an awning shaded a terrace where the hotel guests could sit and eat. Swivelling round, she inspected their room, white walls, white linen, white-matt-painted armoire, dressing table, except the white wasn’t white. In early evening, the room shimmered shades of pale apricot, its shadows tinged amber.
She looked across at Will. He was watching her, wary. Wet with sweat, his curls clung tightly to his head, his face flushed with heat, beads of perspiration glistened on his upper lip. He was beautiful.
‘There’s a small hotel . . .’
Softly, she sang the opening lines of a song she remembered from one of her father’s old 78’s.
Will’s smile of relief only made him more beautiful. She rushed over, and pushing him backwards, threw herself onto him. He responded to her kiss with such hunger, she was taken by surprise.
An except from Last Bite of the Cherry by Mags Cullingford.
Other Books by the New Romantics 4
- An Englishwoman's Guide to the Cowboy by June Kearns
- Tall, Dark and Kilted by Lizzie Lamb
- The Hollow Heart by Adrienne Vaughan
Follow New Romantics 4 on Twitter. https://twitter.com/CullingfordMags
Last Bite of the Cherry spans thirty one years in Monica Sommers’s eventful life, beginning with a traumatic incident in September 1969 when she is aged fourteen, and ends in September 2000 when she dares to hope she may have one last bite of a cherry.
Last Bite of the Cherry is available on Amazon as a papaerback and ebook below.
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“A thoroughly good read, not your average romantic fiction: an unusual pretext. Well-rounded characters, love against the odds; backstory and plot beautifully interwoven, twists and turns towards a very satisfying ending. Heart-warming and engaging from start to finish, Margaret Cullingford’s debut novel has wide appeal.”
J. Stanton (Amazon.co.uk Review 22 May 2013)
“I loved Last Bite of the Cherry. Intelligently written with great depth and strong characterisation. The three interwoven love stories kept up a fast pace which made it very hard to put down. Margaret Cullingford’s debut novel is thoroughly enjoyable and I’m waiting for her next one.”
Kate Jackson(Amazon.co.uk Review 16 February 2013)