All You Need Is Love

Jessica Redland

Description

'A cracking read. I loved it!' Nicola May

When you’ve loved and lost, how do you find the strength to let love in again?

Jemma thinks she’s found the love of her life. Scott is everything she ever dreamed of and she can’t wait to begin the next stage of their life together. But just as she is heading for her happy ever after, a shock revelation shatters Jemma’s life as she knows it. Left to pick up the pieces, Jemma's friends and family rally round to help her find the courage to move on.

Sam thinks he has his future all worked out. A thriving career, lovely home and an amazing fiancée. But when tragedy strikes, he finds himself alone, far from everyone he cares about. Did he do the right thing by running away and trying to rebuild the tatters of his life alone?

This is the story of Jemma and Sam. Two lost souls, desperately trying to find closure and happiness. When a chance meeting brings them together a friendship is formed, but the guards are up.

Will it finally be their turn for a happy ever after? Or will the secrets from their pasts prevent them from moving on?

Escape to Whitsborough Bay for an emotional, uplifting story of love and friendship from top 10 bestseller Jessica Redland.

This book was previously published as Bear With Me. 'A delightful read that highlights the reality of many aspects of love, life, loss and illness. Add a huge bear hug of romance and comedy to create a winning formula for a cracking read. I loved it!' Nicola May Praise for Jessica Redland:

'Jessica Redland writes from the heart, with heart, about heart' Nicola May

'I loved my trip to Hedgehog Hollow. An emotional read, full of twists and turns' Heidi Swain

'A wonderful, warm series full of family, friends and romance.' Katie Ginger

Sujets

• Vie de famille
• Relations familiales
• Soutien psychologique et conseils familiaux
• Sea Stories
• Mashups
• Holidays
• Siblings
• Sports
• Women
• Coming of Age
• Friendship
• Contemporary history
• Workplace
• SpongeBob SquarePants
• Romantic Comedy
• Sibling
• Woman
• The Women
• Holiday
• Contemporary
• Family Life
• Romance
• Fiction
• Sport

Informations

• Publié par: Boldwood Books
• Date de parution: 11 mars 2021
• Nombre de lectures: 6
• EAN13: 9781800484467
• Langue: English

Extrait

All You Need Is Love


Jessica Redland
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

OCTOBER

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

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Chapter 48


Acknowledgments

More from Jessica Redland

About the Author

Also by Jessica Redland

About Boldwood Books
To my Auntie Jennifer, a beautiful woman taken too soon.
For all those who are affected by Parkinson’s and dementia, and specifically to Auntie Jennifer’s family with love xx
1
Jemma



Three years ago – 21st May
‘Mum!’ I called up the stairs. ‘Mum! The hearse is here.’ I cocked my head to one side, listening for her reply. Nothing. What was she doing up there? She’d told me forty minutes ago that she was ‘almost ready’ and, as she isn’t one of those women who spends hours teasing one strand of hair into place, there was no reason to disbelieve her. Of all the mornings to take forever, why choose today? Shaking my head, I opened the front door to Mum’s cottage, Bear’s Pad , before Mr Golding, the funeral director, had a chance to lift the grizzly-bear knocker.
‘Good morning, Ms Browne.’ He gave a reverential bow of his head. ‘We’re ready when you are.’
‘Thank you. We’ll be out in five minutes.’ I glanced back towards the stairs. ‘Actually, it could be ten. Do we have time?’
‘Ten minutes is no problem.’
My throat tightened as I glanced past him to the black limousine parked on the sloped driveway and the hearse parked on the road. It was still hard to take in. This wasn’t a day I’d expected to experience for several decades.
I tried not to curl my lip up at the orange and yellow floral lettering arrangement resting against the side of the coffin. I hated it but Logan, my seven-year-old brother, had requested it because his best friend Billy Thomas had apparently told him that people who didn’t have one were mean and that the dead would come back to haunt them. I could have throttled Billy Thomas. Logan also wanted a floral teddy bear to thoroughly protect him against any risk of ghosts but Mum and I had managed to talk him out of that. The deceased would not have been impressed with a bear. He probably would have haunted us for that.
‘Mum!’ I called again after I’d closed the door. Still no answer. Just a lot of clattering and banging.
‘What’s Mum doing?’ Logan looked up from where he was playing with his Lego on the lounge rug. ‘She’s being very noisy.’
‘I’ve no idea, but I’m about to find out. Have you been to the toilet?’
‘Not yet.’
‘Can you do that while I check on Mum? And make sure you wash your hands.’
He put down his Lego and pouted. ‘I always do.’
‘Logan! What have we discussed about telling fibs?’
‘Okay. I promise I’ll wash them. You can smell them if you want.’
I smiled at him. ‘Tempting, but I might pass on that.’
Logan headed past me and through the kitchen, giggling as he made a big show of sniffing at his hands. Happy that he was doing as asked, I kicked off my stilettos and ran up the stairs. I paused for a moment outside Mum’s bedroom listening to the racket, punctuated with the occasional expletive, then pushed open the door and gasped.
‘Oh my God! What’s going on? Mum! Why aren’t you ready?’
Wrapped in a fluffy cream towel, Mum turned to face me and blew a wisp of dark hair out of her face.
‘I only bought them on Saturday,’ she said, as if that explained why half the contents of her drawers were strewn all over the floor.
‘Bought what on Saturday?’
‘Black knickers. An M&S three-pack. But I can’t find them, Jemma.’
‘Where did you last have them?’
She planted her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes at me. ‘Why do people always say that? If I knew the answer, then this wouldn’t have happened, would it?’ She waved her arm across the carnage.
‘The hearse is here,’ I said, equally unhelpfully.
Mum frowned. ‘I thought they weren’t due till 10.15.’
‘It is 10.15. Well, near enough.’
She twisted round to look at her bedside clock. ‘Crap! Why didn’t you call me sooner?’
‘Because you told me you were nearly ready forty minutes ago and because I was busy with Logan.’
‘Logan? Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry, Jemma. Is he ready?’
‘Yes. He’s downstairs waiting. We need to go in about seven minutes. Can you manage without the knickers?’
Her eyes widened. ‘Jemma-bear! Are you suggesting that I go commando to your father’s funeral? I’m not sure that’s appropriate.’
I laughed loudly – also not appropriate for a funeral. ‘I didn’t mean go without any knickers. I just meant without the new black ones.’
‘Oh! That makes more sense. I suppose I’d better. I can’t believe I lost track of time like that. Give me five minutes. Hair and make-up are done. It’s just clothes I need.’ She bent down and plucked a pair of scarlet lacy knickers from the pile on the floor. ‘Sod it. I’ll say goodbye in style.’ She paused as she stared at the knickers in her hands. ‘Do you know what? The last time I wore these was the night Logan was conceived. That was the end of our marriage and today’s the end of everything for him. How apt.’
I didn’t know what to say to that so I closed the door behind me and headed downstairs to check that Logan had washed his hands, hopefully without having to sniff them.
I’ll never forget the day I discovered I was going to have a new brother or sister because it was the day that Dad packed up his stuff and moved out. I’d recently turned eighteen, had finished my A Levels and was working in Mum’s shop, Bear With Me , before going away to university. It was a surprise to overhear her telling Dad that she was pregnant and a greater shock to hear that the baby was his because I’d been aware for a long time that my parents had a marriage in name only.
Growing up, I remembered them constantly arguing but then the arguments seemed to stop. Dad moved into the spare room and they somehow managed to co-exist in the same house while living completely separate lives. Dad acted more like a lodger than a husband or father. He spent all his time at work or the golf club, only venturing home to eat, shower, or sleep.
Dad had worked in a bank since leaving school – a steady, sensible career. Mum, on the other hand, had an amazingly exciting jet-setting career. When I was four, she’d set up a specialist teddy bear shop, Bear With Me , in the North Yorkshire seaside town of Whitsborough Bay where we lived. A genius with a sewing machine, she designed and made a range of jointed teddies called Ju-Sea Bears. Her talent was recognised with a stint as the guest bear artist for some of the leading collectible bear manufacturers. Her Ju-Sea Bears became highly sought-after which took her all over the world to exhibitions and shows. And as if that didn’t keep her busy enough, she valued teddy bears for both a local and a national auction house.
For years – even the ones before they’d moved into separate bedrooms – my parents had holidayed apart, Dad going away with his golfing buddies and Mum and I travelling round Europe visiting bear manufacturers and retailers. Dad hated bears, Mum hated golf, and I was pretty certain they hated each other. I’d therefore never understood why they didn’t just call it a day.
So how had she ended up expecting his baby? What’s that phrase? Grief does funny things to you? It certainly did funny things to my parents. My grandma – Mum’s mum – had sadly passed away during my exams. It turned out that the ‘dodgy tummy’ was actually terminal cancer. Grandma had known that her days were numbered yet she hadn’t breathed a word to anyone. Mum had been very close to her and was devastated that she’d not known how ill she was. A few weeks after the funeral, I was having a sleepover at my best friend, Karen’s, to celebrate the end of college. I’d registered the date too late: Grandma’s birthday. Mum refused to let me cancel and insisted she’d be fine. She’d have a glass of wine and toast Grandma, then maybe design a new bear in her honour. Only the glass of wine turned into a full bottle. She was an emotional mess when Dad arrived home from partaking in a few too many at the nineteenth hole. Surprisingly, he’d been a great comfort. A bit too much of a comfort. The consequences changed everything.
Mum had thought that I was in my room when she told him she was pregnant but I’d been thirsty and was on my way to the kitchen when I stopped dead on the stairs, my jaw dropping at what I’d just heard. I crouched down and peered through the bannister.
Mum was on the sofa but I could only see her legs, not her face. Dad was facing the fireplace, gripping onto the mantlepiece. Even from my hiding place, I could feel the tension emanating from him. He turned round to face Mum.
‘Are you planning on keeping the baby?’ It came across more like an accusation than a question.
‘Of course.’ She sounded surprised that he’d even ask.
His fists clenched in his hair. ‘Despite the fact that we barely have a relationship, let alone a marriage?’
‘It’s not the baby’s fault.’ Mum’s voice was gentle which I knew would rattle him even more.
‘And it’s not my fault either!’
I could imagine Mum raising her eyebrows at him.
‘Look, Jules, you can do what the hell you want, but I don’t want another baby. Ever.’ He pointed an accusing finger at her. ‘If I was to offer you an ultimatum of me or the baby, we both know what the answer would be, don’t we? Which begs the question: why the hell are we still mar