It
was our 9 year wedding anniversary on Thursday - another special event celebrated under
lockdown. We spent the morning
trying to remember where we had been for each one.
Beautiful Sienna for the
first... a British seaside for the second? Was it two years ago that I was 8 and a half month pregnant and we moved
into an empty flat and had a picnic on the carpet?
We pieced the memories together. For each one
I'd made an effort to make a personalised card. There had been collages and
paintings, pop-ups and puzzle cards. Not this year, though.
As
I settled down to put Sol to sleep in the evening, I thought: next year we'll
do things properly. Next year we'll celebrate the birthdays, father and
mothers' day, and anniversaries that had quietly passed by during confinement.
Sol
was quietly snoring. I replaced the side of her cot and left her room.
As
I passed by our bedroom I noticed my flowery dress had been laid out on the
bed. There was a note beside it that said: Put
this on and follow the signs! :)
Feeling
a mixture of uncertainty and excitement, I did just that. On the back of the
front door, another Post-It read: This
way to Sitges!
Sitges
was where we got married. Friends and family had come from all over the world
to join us for a party in a beautiful rustic villa. There had been sun and rain
and thunder. There had been moving speeches, salsa dancing and rum in the hot
tub.
Along
the corridor outside the flat, there was another note with an arrow. I headed
up the stairs, my smile growing with every step. This way to London. This way to Mallorca.
I
reached the apartment on the top floor. It belongs to a Swedish couple who use it for holidays. The key was in the door. Clearly my husband
had asked them a favour.
Candles
glowed on the steps up to the terrace. I picked up another Post- It. Up the stairs for a taste of our future!
My
husband was waiting for me at the top with a bottle of champagne and a table
laid out for dinner. His happy guileless grin was the same one I'd fallen for
twelve years earlier in a bar in Camden Town. He hadn't needed to wait until
next year to make things special.
It
was perfect. It was love in the time of lockdown. It was an anniversary I wouldn't
forget.
It
was also a little windy so after our meal we cuddled up under a blanket and
beneath the full moon we listened to old songs and laughed and reminisced.
And
we toasted to love and imagination and our future together.
We
also toasted to my new novel Tipping Point!
Finally, I can share it.
TippingPoint is inspired by my love of multi-character storytelling, and books by Liane
Moriarty and Deborah Moggach. The e-book is out now and the print book will be released next month, lockdown permitting.
It goes a little something like this:
George
and Ellen have retired to sunny Mallorca. Social butterfly Ellen is itching to
make yacht-owning friends while George's heart is set on an isolated farmhouse
in the country. In fact, now that they're no longer living busy London lives,
they're beginning to realise they have very different ideas of happiness.
Private
investigator, Salva, specialises in cases of adultery. That's why it's
particularly embarrassing that he didn't realise his long-term girlfriend has
been cheating on him. He has no time to nurse a broken heart since his family
are the victims of a property scam they urgently need him to solve.
Robyn
Chase is giving talks on her self-help book No More Toxic Relationships - 7
Years, 7 Lessons. She's finding it awkward being a relationship guru when her
own boyfriend is avoiding her.
The
sun is shining in Mallorca and everything looks beautiful. But the residents of
one particular apartment block are about to discover it all might be too good
to be true.
Note: For those who would rather not buy from Amazon, please get in touch to buy direct. In the future, I hope to have a smooth direct sales system in place! Thank you.
Note 2: No, you're memory isn't failing you! I did change the title last minute from Melting Point to Tipping Point!
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