In Just One Day

Helen Mcginn

Description

Everything can change – In Just One Day

Flora has always adored her brother Billy. Born just eighteen months apart, their childhood was spent like two peas in a pod – no one could separate them. Now, as adults, they remain the best of friends. And as Flora is immersed in family life, Billy is always there to lend a hand.

But, in just one day, everything changes.

In just one day, Flora’s life falls apart.

In just one day, Flora has to learn how to live again.

From the nostalgia of seaside Britain to the breath-taking beauty of Venice, in tears and laughter, join Helen McGinn for this emotional, uplifting and joyful story about love in all its guises. But above all, this is an unforgettable story of one little girl and the brother she adored.

Helen McGinn has written a novel to recommend to all your friends, perfect for fans of Elizabeth Noble, Cathy Kelly and JoJo Moyes.

Praise for Helen McGinn:

'Escapist, warm, witty and wise' Daily Mail

'This is a lovely uplifting book that transported me away, firstly to the beautiful city of Rome and then to gorgeous Cornwall. It’s a moving and emotional story of families in all their messy wonderfulness, of people losing one another, and then coming together again - sometimes in unexpected ways. A hugely enjoyable family tale,it was exactly what I wanted to read at this time.' Louise Douglas

‘This Changes Everything is the perfect tonic. An uplifting, forget-about-everything-else read that I couldn’t put down. Romantic, emotional and page-turning, Helen McGinn’s debut novel can’t fail to cheer you up!' Zoe Folbigg

'I loved reading this book. I needed escapism - don't we all need escapism right now - and it gave me Rome, Cornwall and a family who immediately felt like old friends. I took it to the bath, to bed and had finished it within 24 hours. It was the perfect antidote to tough times.' Victoria Moore The Daily Telegraph

Sujets

• Vie de famille
• Relations familiales
• Événements Familiaux et Traditions
• Événements Familiaux et Traditions
• Soutien psychologique et conseils familiaux
• Mashups
• Activities
• Holidays
• Siblings
• Humorous
• Bereavement
• Women
• Friendship
• Contemporary history
• Dating
• Romantic Comedy
• Sibling
• General officer
• Woman
• Italy
• My Last Duchess
• The Women
• City Life
• General
• Holiday
• Grief
• Contemporary
• Family Life
• Romance
• Venice
• Death
• Fiction
• Europe

Informations

• Publié par: Boldwood Books
• Date de parution: 05 août 2021
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781800483620
• Langue: English

Extrait

In Just One Day


Helen McGinn
For my sister, Alex, and my brother, Tim.
Contents



Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36


Book Club Questions

Questions With Answers From Helen

Acknowledgments

More from Helen McGinn

About the Author

About Boldwood Books
1

There was nothing Flora loved more than a good wine atlas. Well, apart from an actual glass of the stuff, obviously, but when it came to studying the subject of wine, she could get lost in a book of maps for hours. And given the current state of the wine shop – not a single customer in sight – she did indeed have all the time in the world to pore over the contours of the hills of the Côte-d’Or or get lost, on paper at least, in the vineyards of Piedmont.
The sound of the bell signalling the door opening made her jump. She quickly closed her book and shoved it under the counter.
‘Hello, Flora!’
‘Oh, hi, Colin.’ Flora’s heart sank a little; then she immediately felt guilty. Colin was a very sweet man, always dressed in matching jumper and trousers, sometimes mustard from head to toe, sometimes red, sometimes blue but never mixed. He was a regular in the shop, visiting perhaps twice a week, each time to pick a bottle of wine. But choosing that one bottle involved a lengthy chat, and much of that was Colin telling Flora how much he knew about wine rather than an actual conversation. Flora thought maybe he was just a bit lonely, and if coming in to talk wine to her meant that he wasn’t, just for a short while, then she was happy to help. Even if her mind often wandered over to her mental to-do list as she listened.
‘How are we today, Flora?’ Colin beamed at her, brushing down the front of his – today, light blue – jumper over his round tummy.
‘Very well, thank you, Colin. So what are you in the mood for, wine-wise? What’s on the menu tonight?’ That was the other thing with Colin: he knew everything about cooking, and would recount in detail how each element of the dish was sourced, then cooked.
‘Tonight I’m pushing the boat out, Flora. Tonight,’ he paused for dramatic effect, ‘I’m making pie-yay-yah.’
Flora looked at him quizzically before remembering that he took on the country of origin’s pronunciation of words for added effect. ‘Ah, paella! How delicious…’
‘Exactly, how delicious. And let me tell you the secret of a great pie-yay-yah.’ Another pause.
Flora racked her brains. ‘The saffron?’
‘Oh, no, my dear. The ingredients are the easy part. The secret is in the socarrat .’
‘Carrots in paella?’ Flora thought back to the last time she’d eaten paella, ready-made and hastily heated up from Marks & Spencer. She didn’t remember it having carrots.
‘No, not carrots. So-kah-raht. It’s the lightly toasted rice at the bottom of the pan. It sort of caramelises and goes crunchy. And there are certain ways of getting the crust.’ He looked at her over the counter. ‘Shall I tell you the best way?’
Just then the doorbell went again. Saved by the bell, thought Flora. ‘Mack, you’re back!’ She greeted him a little too enthusiastically. ‘I’m so sorry, Colin, I’m going to have to go. But I’m sure Mack would love to know your paella secret.’
‘Your what?’ Mack hung his coat up on the wall behind the counter and turned to face them both. His thick white hair stood up at crazy angles, half-moon glasses perched on his nose with bright blue eyes twinkling behind them.
‘Pie-yay-yah. It’s what I’m making tonight, Mack.’
‘Seafood or traditional recipe?’ Mack fixed Colin with a stare over the top of his glasses.
‘Er, seafood.’ Colin was suddenly a little less verbose.
‘Well then, you’ll be needing a bottle of this to go with it.’ Mack walked across the shop to a shelf on the other side and reached down for a bottle. He turned and held it up.
‘Rosé? Really? I’m not sure I…’ Colin took the bottle. ‘What is it?’
‘Spanish Garnacha, from Navarra. Just the right balance of fruit and freshness, not so heavy that it’ll drown out the flavours in the dish, but with enough weight to match it. Made by a lovely producer – he farms organically and makes the best paella I’ve ever eaten.’ Mack walked back over to the counter.
Colin studied the bottle. ‘Well, if you say it’s worth trying, I’ll give it a go. I’m not really a rosé man, to be honest, but…’
Flora busied herself stuffing her books into her canvas tote bag and picking up her handbag. ‘Mack, if you don’t mind I’ve got to run.’
‘Yes, of course, Flora. I’ll see you tomorrow.’ Mack started wrapping the bottle in tissue paper for Colin.
‘How did it go?’ Flora asked Mack quietly as she passed.
‘I’ll tell you in the morning. See you then.’ He smiled at her, clearly trying his best to make her think there was nothing to worry about.
‘Thank you kindly, sir.’ Colin took the bottle from Mack. ‘Bye, Flora, see you next week.’
‘Yes, and you can tell me how the paella went. And what you thought of the wine…’ She smiled at him. No doubt Colin would be an expert on rosé by then.



‘Is that you, Flora?’
‘Hi, Mum.’ Her mother, Kate, looked up from Flora’s sofa, the floor of the small sitting room covered in books and toys. With her flowing red skirt and multicoloured cardigan, she looked like a fabric rainbow.
‘Oh, darling, you do look tired.’
‘Wow, thank you…’ So soon, thought Flora. Her mother usually left it at least a couple of minutes before getting a dig in. Flora had been up late the night before, studying. Again.
‘Sorry, darling, I just mean… I worry about you taking on too much. What with the shop and everything.’
Flora suspected what really bothered her mother was the fact that she worked in a shop. ‘Mum, how many times do I have to explain? Having a job that fits in, most of the time, with school hours is a godsend. It’s not like I have to commute for miles and I’m not stuck in an office for hours on end. Not to mention that I’m doing something I really love.’
‘But, darling, don’t forget the children need you, too.’
‘Oh, Mum, please don’t do this now. I’m there for them most of the time . And Johnny is really supportive, so I don’t see what the problem is.’ Flora knew that one mention of Johnny and her mother would zip it. Kate adored Johnny. ‘Anyway, thank you for picking the kids up. Normally, they’d go to Tilda’s after school today, but one of hers is sick.’ Tilda had been one of the first friends Flora had made when they’d moved to the area. She lived five minutes away and, with both of them working and having children roughly the same age, they helped each other out as much as they could.
‘Oh, anytime. You know I love seeing them.’
‘Where are they, anyway?’ Flora looked out through the French windows into the garden but there was no sign of the children. She suddenly clocked how quiet it was.
‘Upstairs, I think. They went to go and clean something.’
As if on cue, water started to slowly drip from the corner of the ceiling onto the cushion next to Kate.
Flora looked up. ‘Oh my God! What have they…?’ She was halfway up the stairs by the time Kate stood up.
Flora ran into the bathroom to find water overflowing from the sink, cascading onto the old wooden floorboards and pooling in the corner by the bath. ‘Pip! Tom!’ Flora shrieked, feeling both relief that they were clearly fine and fury that they’d been up to no good. She turned the taps off and threw as many towels as she could get her hands on onto the floor.
‘We’re in here!’ Pip called. Flora raced to Pip’s room to find her sitting in her wigwam with Tom, their faces lit up by the light of a screen.
‘Where did you find the iPad? You know you’re not supposed to help yourselves. And what have you done in the bathroom?’
Pip looked horrified. ‘Oh, Mum, I’m so sorry. We were trying to clean Tom’s comic. He’d drawn on it and wanted to rub the pen off. So we tried to wash it but it wouldn’t come off so we… we… then it started to fall apart in the sink…’
Tom stood up. ‘But it’s OK, Mama, because Granny gave us this to watch instead.’ He held out the iPad. ‘I’m really sorry.’ Tom swiped his blond hair with his other hand, his enormous brown eyes looking up at her.
‘Oh, for God’s sake… well, that was clearly a stupid thing to do, to wash paper in the sink. Come on, Pip. You should know better.’
‘I’m really sorry, Mum. I’ll go and clear it up.’ Pip looked up at her mother, her brown eyes peering through her thick dark fringe.
‘No, I’d rather you went downstairs and helped tidy up, and we’ll say goodbye to Granny, too.’
Kate appeared at the door. ‘Well now, you two. What were you doing up here?’
Flora bit her bottom lip. She was so cross, but she knew it wouldn’t end well if she reminded her mother that the time to really worry was when the kids were quiet for too long.
‘Oh, you li