Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2025 i Take a Break Fiction Feast

By the time Shelley realised Karl was peering over her shoulder at the magazine in her hands, it was too late to turn the page. She braced herself for what she knew he was about to say. ‘What are you looking at that rubbish for?’ Karl muttered crossly, before sitting down to watch TV. He could always push her buttons and today was no exception. Shelley tried to keep her voice even. ‘Rubbish? That’s what you call a page advertising beautiful baby clothes and gorgeous baby accessories?’ ‘You know what I mean,’ he said, as he stared at the TV screen, channel surfing. ‘We’re never going to have kids, so why even bother looking at all that stuff? And by the look of those prices, it’s just as well.’ ‘It’s…

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I checked my reflection in the full-length mirror. For a woman in her mid-50s, I was looking good. The dress had fast become one of my favourites, but the only problem was where it had come from. I’d paid £8 for it in a charity shop. Katy, Sharon, Natalie and I had been meeting up every year since we left school. The teachers called us the four amigos. I used to look forward to our annual get-togethers, but not any more. Last year, I came away feeling like the poor relation. I heard the front door open and close. Seconds later came a familiar voice. ‘Are you ready, Trish? It’s time we were going.’ ‘Won’t be a moment.’ I hurried down the stairs to where Aiden was waiting for me.…

Emily prided herself on being a good neighbour. Others might call her an interfering old busybody – and some did, to her face, but she always pretended to be deaf whenever this happened. She knew that everything she did was for the good of others, even if they weren’t clever enough to appreciate it. After all, who was it who set up a local Neighbourhood Watch scheme for the close? It was so successful that, in the first week, she single-handedly caught a strange man furtively slipping away from Shirley’s house in the dead of night, when the poor woman was on her own and vulnerable with her hubbie away. Never mind that he didn’t seem to have any stolen property, and Shirley didn’t want to involve the police. The…

I’d been a member of our local amateur dramatics group for a couple of years when the new couple turned up. ‘Hi,’ the young woman said, as they let themselves into our rehearsal rooms – perhaps better known as the scout hall. The rest of us were sitting in a horseshoe shape on hard, uncomfortable chairs, with our director, Samantha, facing us. We all turned round and everyone else smiled and said hello, but I was too busy gawping. The idea of hanging out with Joel made the future look much brighter ‘This is Joel,’ the new woman said, helpfully. ‘And I’m Alice. We saw the poster in the newsagent’s window and we wondered if you had room for us in your group.’ ‘Please, come in!’ Samantha exclaimed, in a…

It had taken Leanne 10 minutes of coaxing and pleading to get Charlie to sit still and eat his breakfast. He’d just started to bite into his piece of toast, when Leanne’s husband, Andy, came rushing into the kitchen. ‘Gaggy!’ Charlie called, struggling to get off his chair. ‘Hello, can’t stop!’ he cried. ‘Charlie, please sit still and eat your toast,’ begged Leanne. Then she turned to Andy and said, ‘You were back late last night, darling.’ ‘I told you, I had to work,’ Andy said. ‘And before you start complaining, I have no choice.’ ‘I know, I wasn’t…’ Leanne began. ‘But I do worry.’ ‘What, about money? There’s no need, I’m seeing to that.’ ‘No,’ said Leanne. ‘I just worry that we never spend time together any more, chatting…

Kate pulled into the crematorium and parked. She’d been sad to hear that her old neighbour had passed away and, because they’d been good friends, wanted the chance to pay her respects. They’d lived next door to each other for about five years until Kate moved in with her then boyfriend, now her husband. Both Judy and her other half, Pete, had attended their wedding a few years ago. It had been Pete who had given her the bad news. Funny how memories come flooding back. She still remembered how Judy had always offered to water her plants when she went away, and feed Mr Tom, her cat. They’d enjoyed musical nights out too, as they shared a love of Spandau Ballet, and had often attended concerts together to see…

Carly had only just got home from the hospital and settled the twins down to sleep in the lounge, when the doorbell rang. ‘Who can that be?’ she asked Brian, anxiously. ‘Answer it before they ring again and wake the babies!’ But he was already on his way. ‘You have to keep up standards, especially now you have two little ones’ ‘Hello, darling!’ boomed a voice that sent shivers down Carly’s spine. Carly heard Brian whisper something and then he led his mum into the lounge. ‘Oh, just look at my grandchildren!’ Frances cried, bending over the babies. ‘Aren’t they just adorable!’ Carly smiled. At last, she had done something right in her mother-in-law’s eyes. Frances turned to Carly. ‘Twins!’ she said. ‘You knew how to get two babies the…

‘You have to be the centre of attention, Lois. You’ve always been that way’ I suppose I’ve always been a little bit of a drama queen. When I was six and had chickenpox, I lay on the sofa for a week while Mum fetched me slices of fresh peach, and roast-chicken sandwiches with the crusts cut off, as that was all I could manage. Meanwhile Dad had to carry me upstairs to bed. The following year, my sister Penny caught the same illness and continued to live a normally, watching TV, playing with her dolls and eating whatever was put in front of her. ‘But Lois was so ill – she must have had a much worse dose than you,’ Mum told Penny, when they were discussing it years later.…

Portnoy Castle,’ said Dave, cutting the crusts off his toast. ‘It’s soon going to be a five-star gaff when it’s upgraded. Great old place.’ He crunched his toast. ‘All those rolling acres with a lake in the middle, and red deer come down to the edge and drink at dusk.’ ‘Always thought it sounded expensive,’ said Julia, peering online at their leccy bill. What the heck? Were they powering the whole town by themselves? ‘So, what do you think?’ Dave asked. She looked up. ‘About what?’ He sighed. ‘About spending Saturday night at the castle together. I know it’s short notice, but the idea just came to me and I thought…’ ‘What do you think about spending Saturday at the castle?’ Julia gaped at him. ‘Oh, you mean you and…

Melissa woke with a start. She glanced at the clock – it was half-past six, but it was Wednesday. Wasn’t it? She nudged Paul. ‘Paul!’ ‘Mmmm.’ ‘Paul! Wake up! It’s Wednesday!’ ‘Uh?’ ‘Come on!’ said Melissa, sitting bolt upright. ‘Look at the state of this floor! And the lounge is in a terrible mess.’ ‘What?’ Melissa turned to him in exasperation. ‘Josie’s coming round this afternoon! Come on – she can’t see the bedroom like this!’ Paul groaned and tugged the duvet back over his head. Oh, how his sins had come back to haunt him. It had been his idea to get a cleaner. When he’d moaned to Melissa a month earlier about their untidy home – contrasting it to his mother’s spotless house – Melissa had pointed out…

Nadia stared out of the rain-streaked car window and said archly, ‘I assume you know where you’re going?’ ‘You assume correctly,’ replied Kev, peering through the windscreen. The wipers were making a clackety-clack noise that set Nadia’s teeth on edge. This ‘get away from it all’ weekend had been largely Kev’s idea, but she’d gone along with it because she knew they both needed a break. So Kev had hired a cottage deep in rural County Wexford – all log fires and squishy sofas, with a pub only a half-mile’s stroll down the road in the ‘soft weather’. Trouble was, after four hours on a ferry across the Irish Sea, and another two hours driving though the dark night, Nadia reckoned that she and Kev might need a break from…

My husband’s so thoughtful. He buys me gifts whenever I’m feeling down, and he came home with some flowers from the supermarket after I’d failed to get the supervisor’s job. ‘Oh thanks, Gav,’ I breathed as I took them from him. ‘You’re welcome.’ He smiled. ‘I thought they’d cheer you up.’ ‘Yes. They’re lovely,’ I said, hoping the yellow roses would perk up a bit after I’d trimmed their stems and put them in some water. ‘I’m not really that bothered about the job though. I just felt relieved when Maggie told me the news.’ ‘Really?’ Gav frowned. ‘Yes, really. Everybody said I should go for it, but I don’t think I’d be any good at bossing people around.’ Gav laughed. ‘Well, you’re pretty good at bossing me around when…

Sam told me something not long after we met. ‘Somebody tried to kill me. I didn’t see his face, but I’ll never forget his voice.’ It sounded like something out of a thriller, but there was nothing thrilling about the details. ‘I was visiting my parents. One night, after seeing a friend in a country pub, I walked home. A car hurtled round the corner. I thought it would swerve and miss. Only, the driver lost control. I remember flying through the air and hitting the tarmac. The rest is hazy, but I heard a voice – distinctive and with a Scottish accent. ‘“It’s all right, pal,” he said. “I’ll call an ambulance from a phone box, I can be traced through my mobile. I was never here. Sorry.”’ Later,…

I’d been stuck at home, recovering from a virus for more than a week. I was going back to work that afternoon, so I had the morning free. I’d already caught up on all the chores, so I found myself looking out of the window, just like Mrs H who lives across the road. It was so quiet, I was wondering why she bothered, when a removal van pulled up outside. Seconds later, I heard footsteps coming down the stairs. I guessed it was the new tenant of the upstairs flat, so I peeked through the gap in the curtain, just in time to see him emerge. I’d expected students, so I was pleasantly surprised to see a man in his early 50s, tall and quite nice-looking. He spoke to…

Mark tried to ignore her but it wasn’t easy – he hated to see a woman in tears. In the end, it became too much for him to bear. ‘Hold the fort a minute,’ he told his colleague. ‘I’ll be right back.’ He went over to the crying woman and asked if she was OK. She shook her head. ‘I’ve been stood up.’ ‘I’m sorry to hear that. Come and sit down.’ He led her to the nearest sofa. ‘Can I get you something to drink?’ ‘Yes, please. I’d love a glass of water.’ ‘Coming right up.’ He went over to the water dispenser, filled a beaker, then hurried back to where she was sitting. ‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘I need to get back to work. Is there anything I…

Kate’s hands shook as she stared at the pregnancy test. No! The blue line might be thin, but it was definitely there – clear, defiant, life-shattering. It couldn’t be positive, it couldn’t! She felt sick. Her whole world was suddenly turned upside-down. They were cramped enough as it was in this tiny, three-bedroom semi, what with her and her parents and two brothers. How would they manage to fit in a young baby, too? What was she going to do? She wasn’t ready for this. She was only 20 How would she face her mum and dad? What would she say, knowing the problems that lay ahead? What would they say? Suddenly the doorbell rang. Kate sank on to a chair. She couldn’t face anyone. What was she going to…

The children and I are in the front garden, watching for my brother Ryan to arrive. But so far no cars have driven up to our farmhouse. Earlier a plane flew over, casting a small shadow across our garden. And across my heart there was an answering shadow. I’m a bundle of mixed emotions today. Ryan’s plane from Australia arrived in London a few days ago. He and his new wife Claire have been slowly driving up to Scotland to visit us on the family farm. Claire’s never been over here and wants to see the sights. I can’t wait to see Ryan again. But will he have changed? And how will I get on with my new sister-in-law? I couldn’t afford to fly over for their wedding in June.…