Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2023 i Take a Break Fiction Feast

Did you have a good holiday in Menorca?’ I asked my neighbour Dee. We’d bumped into each other at the corner shop. She nodded. ‘It was fabulous! Barrie and I stumbled across this gorgeous secluded beach. It was practically deserted, so we had it all to ourselves.’ ‘It sounds like heaven.’ ‘It was like our own little secret escape, Karen. Soft, silky sand, crystal-clear sea, beautiful blue sky, plus peace and quiet. We spent every day there.’ Dee showed me the pics. The sun-kissed cove was indeed lovely and, as she’d said, practically deserted. I didn’t see a single sunbather or swimmer in the photos. My hubby Ian and I were planning a holiday, but we hadn’t decided where to go. This looked perfect! ‘There’s a bit of a catch…

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Sue would have been fine if Gary hadn’t rung at the critical moment. Again. ‘Just wanted to check everything’s OK,’ he said. ‘What?’ ‘Well, you do know how vital it is that this dinner for my boss and his wife goes well. My promotion, if I get it, could involve lots of entertaining. We’ll constantly be having clients round to dinner. You do realise you’re on trial tonight more than me?’ ‘Thank you, darling,’ she retorted. ‘You have told me that 10 times already.’ ‘Oh. How’s dinner going?’ ‘I can’t really tell from the phone in the hall,’ said Sue through gritted teeth. ‘OK, stay calm. Remember we need our best Irish linen tablecloth. You’ll have to iron it.’ ‘I already have.’ ‘OK. And do something with your hair, won’t…

Megan stepped inside her front door and stared in horror. She couldn’t believe her eyes. There was complete and utter devastation. Drawers were flung open, there was a big space where the TV used to be and the DVD player and her iPad had gone from the shelf. Her eyes swivelled slowly to the mantelpiece. Just as she feared, there was no gold clock or silver-plated photo frames… ‘We’ve been burgled!’ she whispered, standing there, stunned. ‘Here, let me see!’ said Geoff, pushing past her, dropping their bags of shopping with a crash. But Megan didn’t hear a thing. She just stood, transfixed as Geoff rushed across to an open drawer and began to ferret around inside it. ‘Geoff, stop it! I don’t think we should touch anything!’ Megan cried.…

Tania brought her mobile into the phone shop. ‘My text messaging thingy isn’t working,’ she explained, flustered, to the bloke at the desk. She always felt flustered in these places, where the staff were usually half her age and probably saw her as a complete fuddy-duddy. ‘I only found out I had an issue when people started ringing to ask why I hadn’t answered their texts,’ she rushed on. ‘Not everyone I know uses WhatsApp.’ The bloke on the desk — his name tag declared ‘Rory’ — said cheerily: ‘Let’s take a look,’ and she passed the phone over. He scrolled through her phone screen, keeping it angled towards her so she could see what he was doing. ‘Ah,’ he said suddenly. ‘You haven’t updated your settings. That could be…

Marissa rummaged through her bag for her house keys, grateful that the day was over. It had been testing to say the least. She worked for a large retail firm in the customer complaints department and the consumers had been relentless in their grievances. ‘It’s because there’s a vowel in the month,’ her friend and co-worker had joked, to which Marissa had rolled her eyes. Letting herself in, she breathed a sigh of relief, before frowning slightly. There was movement upstairs and she heard the shower running. She smiled. Jim, her partner, must have finished early. Hmm. Yes. A nice hot shower together before they sorted the evening meal sounded heavenly. She’d just dump the shopping in the kitchen and put the cottage cheese and stuff in the fridge. They’d…

Sam was just putting the washing away when she heard the crying. She rushed in to Lottie, curled up under her quilt. ‘Darling?’ she asked. ‘What’s wrong?’ She’d started to wonder if his pretty secretary was ‘working late’ with him ‘Nothing,’ muttered her daughter, snuffling. ‘Come on, tell me. It’s those bullies again, isn’t it?’ Lottie nodded. ‘Dad keeps saying I should stand up to them, but I can’t. There’s four of them… they’re so horrible.’ ‘Of course you can’t, darling,’ said Sam, hugging her. ‘I’ll see the headteacher tomorrow.’ ‘That won’t help!’ Sam sighed. She’d tried to complain before. The head had made vague promises about splitting up the bullies, but they still picked on Lottie at lunchtimes and after school. He should discipline them! ‘Well, I’m going to…

Stop checking your phone and give me a cuddle.’ Sally sighed. ‘Sorry, Mike. It’s the first time I’ve been away from home since Dad left. I can’t help worrying about her.’ ‘It’s great that the two of you are so close, but what’s going to happen when we’re married? She’ll have to cope with being on her own then.’ She nodded and reached for her phone. ‘I’ll send her a quick text. Let her know I’m thinking about her.’ ‘Fine. Then we’re going out to dinner. I’m starving.’ As we ate our meal, I could tell Sally was still worried about her mum. She was just picking at her food, which wasn’t like her. It was the first time we’d gone away together since her mother got divorced six months…

Maddie swanned into the house weighed down by carrier bags. Her best friend, Julie was close behind her. ‘Hello, love,’ Maddie called to her partner, Ryan, who was slumped in front of the TV. ‘We’ve had a great day!’ ‘And she’s totally spent up,’ giggled Julie, throwing herself into a chair. ‘We both are.’ Ryan glared at the bags, which all belonged to Maddie since Julie had left hers in her car. ‘And where’s the money coming from?’ he demanded. ‘Do you even need new clothes?’ ‘Technically, people rarely need new clothes,’ admitted Maddie. ‘But sometimes it’s just nice to treat yourself. Do you want to see what I bought?’ ‘Not particularly. And I don’t want to see the credit card bill either.’ ‘I paid cash,’ she said. Why was…

Hi, love, do you want anything from town?’ my mum asked down my mobile. ‘I’m close to that vintage sweet shop you like. Do you want some white chocolate mice? ‘Anyway, I’m outside the bank. I need to move some money around. A nice woman from the fraud department rang me earlier and said my savings were under threat. I need to move the whole lot to a safe account. She wanted me to do it over the phone but I said no, I’ve been told never to do that. She was ever so nice and said we all have to be careful. ‘She told me to go to my branch instead and send a transfer. She said to watch what I say to the cashier as there’s a huge…

Where the heck is it?’ Kate demanded, throwing more pillowcases and fitted sheets on to the floor. She’d reached the linen drawers in her mother’s bedroom. Behind her, it looked like a burglar had struck. ‘It’s got to be somewhere.’ Her sister, Sara, stood with her hands plunged into the wardrobe. She rifled through coat pockets, pausing only to check her watch. ‘Oh no, we’ll have to tidy up. We’re out of time. Mum will be back from bingo in 15 minutes.’ Kate muttered a curse, then started refolding the bedding with great care. Sara, meanwhile, carefully returned jewellery to a drawer, followed by a stack of love letters written by their late father. Once they’d finished covering their tracks, they stepped on to the landing. ‘I don’t care if…

After she’d taken a sip of the wine her husband had brought her, Veronica put the glass down and took her new red dress out of her wardrobe. It was so beautiful. I’m going to look sensational in it, she thought happily, as she held the dress up and stared at it. The fabric was going to cling to her voluptuous curves, and the plunging neckline would show off so much cleavage that everyone in the restaurant would have trouble concentrating on their dinner that night. It will be so good to wear something bright before I have to go back to black again, she thought. As she slipped on the dress, she wondered if she should have got some new black clothes too, while she’d been shopping. But then,…

Victoria stared in awe at the quadruple-layered vanilla sponge with its lemon icing and curd filling. The delicious aroma seemed to permeate her entire apartment. ‘I’ll never be able to eat this wonderful cake on my own’ ‘What an amazing creation, Daniel!’ ‘Happy birthday, sis,’ he said, giving her a big hug. ‘How are you planning to celebrate?’ He asked the question casually but she knew in her heart what he was hoping to hear. Naturally outgoing, he often found it difficult to understand her shyness. What would she say? There was no disguising the truth. She was planning to spend the day on her own. ‘I thought a quiet day would be nice,’ she said. ‘My little balcony garden could do with some TLC. And I’ve got a stack…

So,’ Martin said. ‘Are you going round to Libby’s this afternoon? Only, if you are, shouldn’t you have left by now?’ I was leaning on the kitchen counter, looking at the newspaper. ‘Mmm? No, I’m not going to Libby’s this week.’ ‘No? Got shopping to do?’ ‘No.’ ‘Well… what then?’ I turned to face my husband and smiled. ‘I thought I’d stay here. Watch the match on TV with you and the guys.’ If I’d hoped for affirmation, I was disappointed. Martin looked like he was in pain. ‘Watch the match?’ he echoed. ‘Why would you do that? You have no interest in football.’ ‘Well, I’ve been thinking about that,’ I replied. ‘When I go over to Libby’s, there’s always cake, and she and Jan and I end up eating…