Blurb:
A
Treading the Boards Novella
A trip down to Cornwall is just what Ryan Penniford needs to recover from the
daily grind of London life. Ryan and his amateur dramatics society, the Sarky
Players, are traveling to Porthcurno to perform at the stunning Minack Theatre.
Stuart Box has returned to Cornwall after earning his PhD, and is killing time
as he looks for a job back in London. Spending time with Ryan from the Sarky
Players is a great way to take his mind off things.
During their first meeting, sparks fly, but not in a good way, and they must
work to get past their initial hostilities to discover they have great
off-stage chemistry. Stuart soon learns Ryan is not the superficial man people
assume he is, and Stuart likes what he sees. The feeling is entirely mutual.
Pity Ryan is only visiting for two weeks, but both men want to see where this
holiday romance might take them.
for the Rhine, she has left London behind and now lives with her husband and
baby son in Basel, Switzerland. She can often be found with a pen in one hand
and a cup of Darjeeling in the other.
STUART SPLUTTERED as he took a deep breath of sea air. He must’ve been away
from Cornwall for too long if the once restorative powers of the sea made him
sound like he had bronchitis. He lifted his heavy rucksack into a more
comfortable position and set off down the coastal path and away from where he’d
asked his friend to drop him.
No one had thought to tell the weather it was meant to be high summer—the gray
sky threatened rain. The strong, warm wind buffeted Stuart, despite him being
weighed down with the possessions from his now ex-house share. July in Cornwall
could be amazing, but not today. The weather gods must be suffering from a
hangover and were taking out their annoyance on the inhabitants of Porthcurno.
Stuart stepped to one side to let a family of five pass by, the little boy
taking great delight in antagonizing his two older sisters with a constant
barrage of whys.
He should have asked to be dropped closer to the service road to his mum’s
cottage, but he’d been away from the sea for so long and jumped at the chance
for a twenty-minute walk following the coast. He hadn’t factored in the heavy
rucksack on his back or the way the straps might dig into his shoulders. When
would he learn not to romanticize the mundaneness of daily life? Maybe if he’d
got his head out of the clouds, he’d have a job rather than be slinking back
home to do his job-hunting. His PhD in molecular developmental biology was all
very well and good, but it didn’t help his temporary employment chances in the
Cornish tourist industry while he looked farther afield for an academic
position.
As he approached the bar gate across the path to a small collection of
cottages, he saw Malcolm leaning against the gate. “Back again, I see. Big
Smoke too smoky for you?”
Malcolm had been a fixture of the village for as long as Stuart could remember.
The only thing that seemed to change was the extent of the gray hair on his
head and in his beard.
“Not exactly. But it’s always nice to be back by the sea.”
“I dare say you couldn’t have picked a uni farther from the sea if you tried.”
“London’s not quite that bad, Malcolm.”
“Well, your mum’ll be glad to see you. Talks about you all the time.”
“She’s always been one to bore the neighbors.”
Malcolm patted him on the shoulder and opened the gate. Walking toward the
cottage brought back a flood of memories from growing up there and playing with
Malcolm’s cheeky Tibetan terrier. Shirley, Malcolm’s wife, used to spoil him
rotten, making Stuart chocolate chip cookies during their frequent babysitting
stints.
“Your mum’s not sent me deaf yet, lad. Even after living next to her for all
these years. Speak of the devil, ’ere she comes.”
Moments later Stuart was engulfed, not really caring that some people would
consider him too old to be hugged by his mum.
Malcolm chuckled. “Careful there, Fi. You’ll break the lad.”
Fiona pulled away, and Stuart was powerless to stop her pressing a wet kiss to
his cheek. “Nonsense, my little man’s made of sterner stuff. He won’t break
from a mama cuddle.”
Stuart wiped away the bright pink lipstick, knowing complaining would result in
a matching smear on the other cheek. Malcolm waved a good-bye as he headed for
his own cottage. Stuart let Fiona lead him inside.
“It’s so lovely to have you home, Stuart. Even the cat’s missed you.”
“If Sprocket’s missed me, then it’s only because she had one less minion to
open her food.”
$20
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Because Two Men – unique excerpt
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Barbra says
The only vacation I've ever had was a driving trip to Alaska (from Texas) about 17 years ago. That was fun but it was A LOT of driving. It might be nice to have a whole week (2 would be a dream) to relax on a beach and do nothing but swim, read, eat and sleep. 🙂