Love Begins at Golden Sands Bay

Georgina Troy

Description

Hold on to that feeling of a holiday by the sea with this gorgeous romance.
'A wonderfully warm, romantic read' Karen Clarke

Bella is happiest running her tiny antique business from the front room of her cottage on the Boardwalk.
To ensure she has enough income coming in, she also rents out two of her bedrooms to paying lodgers.
But she didn't count on having a secret crush on Jack Collins, one of her lodgers and her best friend's brother...
As if life wasn’t complicated enough,her world-travelling mother appears on her doorstep on the same evening that Jack’s ex-fiancée arrives on the Boardwalk determined to win him back.
Bella has a lot of thinking to do and soon discovers that not all gems sparkle.

What readers are saying about Love Begins on the Boardwalk:

‘I absolutely adored this book! …finished it quite late at night but it was definitely worth staying up for! Donnas Book Blog

‘A wonderful book full of friendships and love. Just loved it!' Polly

‘The chemistry sizzles’ Dash Fan

‘Plenty of action, great conversations, kind gestures, laughs all set to a stormy Jersey backdrop’ Gilbster

*Previously published by Georgina Troy as Autumn Antics*

Sujets

• Sea Stories
• Mashups
• Holidays
• Siblings
• World Literature
• Humorous
• Women
• Inglaterra
• 21st century
• Friendship
• Contemporary history
• Workplace
• SpongeBob SquarePants
• Sibling
• General officer
• Woman
• Channel Islands
• The Women
• General
• Fall
• Contemporary
• Family Life
• Romance
• Channel Islands de Californie
• England
• Jersey
• Fiction

Informations

• Publié par: Boldwood Books
• Date de parution: 02 mars 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781804260562
• Langue: English

Extrait

LOVE BEGINS AT GOLDEN SANDS BAY
THE GOLDEN SANDS BAY SERIES - BOOK TWO


GEORGINA TROY
To my son James, with love.
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


Acknowledgments

Author Letter

More from Georgina Troy

About the Author

About Boldwood Books
1
LONDON – OCTOBER

‘What the bleedin’ ’ell are you doin’?’ the rudest celebrity Bella had ever had the misfortune to work with asked, elbowing her in the ribs.
Bella gasped in pain and drew back. ‘If you want it to appear as if my hands belong to you then I have to reach around you. You know that.’
She rubbed her side. It had been a long hour waiting for Megan Knight to have her hair and make-up done to her satisfaction and Bella wasn’t sure how long she could keep her temper under control. She had been a hand model for fifty plus celebrities over the past eight years. The part-time work had been reasonably lucrative and most of the people had been charming, or, at the very least, pleasant. Not Megan.
‘I didn’t expect you to get so close to my face though,’ Megan argued, pouting her enhanced lips at Abel, the weary, thirty-something director of the shoot.
‘It’s a head shot,’ Bella argued. ‘Where did you think I was going to put them?’
She had kept her temper in check until now, but everyone was getting tired and Bella wasn’t sure how much longer she could stand working with this prima donna.
Abel cleared his throat, interrupting her thoughts. ‘I think we all need to take five minutes,’ he said, quietly adding, ‘Maybe grab a coffee, Bella, if you don’t mind. I’d like a quick word with Megan.’
Bella did mind, she had a plane to catch. However, aware that arguing would only delay the shoot further, she nodded and walked away to the small room adjoining the studio where the refreshments had been laid out. She could hear Megan whining to Abel as she poured her coffee.
Bella had watched the reality series over the summer when Megan rapidly won the hearts of the viewers and couldn’t believe that the girl she had thought so amusing on television was actually a complete cow. Bella wondered whose decision it had been on the production team to show Megan in a completely unrealistic light.
She had to hand it to the girl though, she was only twenty-two and her agent had already bagged her a book deal and various advertising deals. Now, after a drastic makeover, Megan needed new professional publicity shots, which required Bella’s hands. Bella rubbed her throbbing temples with her fingertips. The novelty of the job had evaporated within an hour of working with her.
Her pocket vibrated. Wincing, she noticed that she had forgotten to change her settings to mute. She pulled her phone out of her jeans pocket, careful not to damage any of her nails. She went to switch it off before returning to the set, but spotting Jack’s name on the display, glanced at the doorway and quickly answered his call.
‘I have to be quick,’ she whispered, placing her coffee on the nearby table. ‘Abel will want me in a minute.’
‘Lucky Abel,’ he laughed.
Bella couldn’t help smiling at the deep rumbling sound. ‘Stop messing about. What do you want?’
‘Are you back tonight?’
‘I’m supposed to be, but Megan keeps causing delays. Why?’
‘Sacha and Alessandro have invited us to try out a new soup she’s thinking about serving at her café now it’s autumn. I thought you might want to go, save either of us cooking.’
Bella smiled at the mention of her best friend, who also happened to be Jack’s sister. She had never seen her so happy since she and Alessandro had got together a month before. ‘Sounds good.’
‘Shall I come and collect you from the airport?’
‘That would be great,’ she said, excited at the thought of seeing Jack. It wasn’t easy hiding her feelings for him, especially as he rented one of the rooms at her boardwalk cottage, but it was something she had managed to do for years.
Hearing footsteps coming towards the canteen, she added, ‘My plane gets in at about six tonight.’
‘I’ll see you then.’
She quickly ended the call and dropped her phone in her rucksack. Seconds later, Abel burst into the room, pushing the door with such force that it swung open and slammed against the wall.
‘You okay?’ she asked him, even though he clearly was anything but.
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment. ‘That girl is impossible.’
She pulled a face. Looking forward to the meal at Sacha’s café and an evening with Jack, she was past being polite. ‘She is, but you have a shoot to complete and I have a plane to catch. So, shall we press on?’
Returning to Megan’s side, Bella glanced at Abel. ‘Do you want me to kneel next to her again, or do something else?’ Like slap her, Bella thought, giving Megan a forced smile.
‘Nah, the same as before,’ Megan demanded. ‘Just hurry the hell up, I’m meeting me fella in an hour.’
Delighted at this news, Bella knelt and twisted her body, reaching around Megan. She held her hand as lightly against the heavily made up face as she could, trying not to grimace.
It took another forty-five muscle aching minutes before Abel was satisfied with the shots the photographer had taken.
‘Right, we’re done,’ Megan’s agent cheered, holding up her faux fur coat for the girl to put on. Megan grunted a goodbye to the crew and marched out of the building. Bella couldn’t help giggling at the collective sigh of relief that immediately followed her departure.
‘I’ll get going, too,’ she said to Abel, fetching her coat and rucksack.
‘Sorry about today,’ he said, as she reached the exit. ‘Give me a professional any time, most of them know how to behave.’
‘It’s fine,’ Bella fibbed.
‘Safe flight home.’
She smiled and raced out of the studio. The good thing about being a hand model was that she could wear what she liked to a shoot. It also meant being able to wear her favourite trainers, so her feet were always comfortable. She ran to the nearest underground station, smiling as she pictured her cosy cottage on the boardwalk, and Jack waiting for her to return.
2

‘Alessandro? What are you doing here?’ Bella tried to hide her disappointment as she left the departure hall at Jersey airport to find Alessandro waiting for her, instead of Jack.
‘Jack, he have something he must do,’ he said, looking, Bella thought, a little shifty.
She smiled at him and shook her head when he went to relieve her of her bag. Giving him a sideways glance as they walked outside towards the car park, she tried to imagine what had happened. Alessandro and Jack were her lodgers, so it wasn’t as if she didn’t spend time chatting to them both. For some reason though, Alessandro didn’t seem to be his usual relaxed self. ‘Is everything okay?’
He nodded. ‘Yes.’
She didn’t like to be ungrateful. After all, he had taken the time to come and collect her, so she didn’t ask anything further about Jack’s absence. The car doors made a clunking sound as the locks released. They got in and put on their seat belts.
‘It was kind of you to come and get me,’ she said, relieved to be on the island once again. ‘Thanks.’
He smiled at her. ‘Is fine.’
‘Jack said something about a new soup Sacha’s trying out,’ she said, to break the awkward silence. ‘I’m looking forward to it. It’s been a long day and I’m starving, so I hope it’s filling.’
Alessandro turned the key to start the engine and drove off. ‘I’m to take you home,’ he said. ‘We will try the soup tomorrow, maybe.’
She was beginning to feel slightly concerned. ‘Is everything okay with Sacha?’
‘Yes, she is fine.’ He gave her what Bella assumed was meant to be a reassuring smile.
Their plans had changed in the last couple of hours, so something must be amiss. What wasn’t he telling her? ‘Jack then?’
‘He is at your cottage,’ Alessandro answered after a little hesitation. ‘Your day in London, it went well?’
It was obvious that he had no intention of telling her anything. She tried not to show how worried she felt at this turn of events. ‘Not really, but it was good money and I’m back home again. I’m grateful that it’s all over.’
To distract herself for the short journey, Bella told him about her day with Megan Knight.
Alessandro shook his head when she explained how rude the girl had been. ‘And you say, she is only famous since last month?’
‘I know,’ she said, amused by his shock. ‘Imagine what she’s going to be like when she’s had more attention from magazines and photographers.’
‘You have to see her again?’ he asked, indicating to turn into the car park near the boardwalk.
‘No,’ Bella said, relieved to be nearly home. ‘Hopefully not.’
He parked, and they got out of the car. Breathing in the salty air, her mood lifted instantly. She had only been gone twelve hours, but it was heaven to be home. They crossed the road and made their way along the boardwalk to her blue painted cottage, The Bee Hive, halfway along.
The wind had picked up, she noticed. ‘I’ve missed this place.’
‘Is a good place to live,’ he agreed, walking next to her. She liked Alessandro. He was always friendly and kind.
He had probably had a long day working at his gelateria , she thought, as they reached the front door. She grabbed hold of the doorknob, but before she could open it, the door lurched open pulling her with it. Yelling in shock, Bella flew inside and slammed face first into Jack’s muscular chest.
‘Oof.’
Jack grabbed hold of her arms, saving her dignity before she landed in a heap at his feet. ‘Bloody hell, Bella! I didn’t realise you were outside. You okay?’
Bella cleared her throat and pushed her long brown hair back from her crimson face. ‘Um, yes.’ She forced a smile. ‘I’m fine.’
She kept forgetting that she had relaxed her rule about her lodgers having to enter the cottage by the back door, so that they could reach their room without going