The Perfect Escape: Romantic short stories to relax with

‘No. No, you don’t have to do anything until we’ve talked, Moira. Where are you going? How long are you going for?’

Guilt dragged her shoulders towards the tiled hallway floor. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘Is that all you can say?’

‘That’s all there is to say.’

‘Don’t do this …’

‘I don’t have a choice!’ she yelled. ‘This place smothers me, Jim! I can’t breathe, can’t think, can’t do anything! I don’t know who I am anymore …’

‘You’re my wife. And their mother …’ Jim pointed through the open doorway towards the three small, forlorn figures at the end of the garden path, ‘or had you forgotten that?’

‘None of it matters, don’t you see? This isn’t who I am, Jim! It’s not what I was destined for.’

‘But they need you—,’ he stepped forward, placing his hand on her birdlike wrist, ‘—I need you …’

Her eyes met his and the coldness of them made him draw back.

‘But I don’t need any of you.’

She brushed past him and walked out of the house.

As Jim’s universe began to implode, a taxi door slammed and the shock of three young screams shattered the calm of the quiet suburban street …

*

‘I am Princess Poppy and I have a magic bird called Cassandra who can talk,’ Elsie grinned proudly at Daisy, who beamed back, ‘… and a puppy called Spot.’

Jim shrugged as Daisy’s face fell. ‘Sounds like a good compromise to me, darling.’ He sat back in his armchair, pride blazing within him as he watched his daughters performing their latest masterpiece for their beloved grandmother.

How far we’ve all come.

He saw Daisy, strong, confident, her character already suggesting the beautiful young woman she would one day be; Guin, independent and full of energy, refusing to compromise and proud to discover her own way through life; and little Elsie, remarkably resilient at such a young age and developing a sense of humour that would no doubt serve her well in the future.

My beautiful family…

Whatever lay ahead of them, Jim Maynard was confident he and his girls would be fine.

‘… and they all lived happily ever after. The End!’

THE END

Four for Home is the story of a relationship that comes to define one man’s life. I wanted to look at how love can bind and break people – and how life’s unexpected twists and turns bring us to places we never imagined.

Jim Maynard is a central character in my novel When I Fall in Love – and this is the story of his incredible journey from young traveller to devoted father of three. I hope you enjoy it!

An exclusive extract from When I Fall in Love will follow the short story, drop me a line and tell me what you think.

You can chat to me on Twitter @wurdsmyth, join the lovelies on my Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Miranda-Dickinson/151177097525 and see my blog and vlogs at my website: www.miranda-dickinson.com.

Looking forward to meeting you!

Read on for an exclusive extract of Miranda Dickinson’s novel, When I Fall In Love: (#ulink_473a286e-54c0-5131-bf47-d7faf89fb832)

CHAPTER ONE

Not supposed to be like this

‘Excuse me, miss?’

Elsie Maynard looked up from her half-crossed-out shopping list to see the hulking figure of a security guard blocking her way. ‘Hi. Sorry, I’m in a bit of a rush, actually, so if you’ll just …’

‘I’m going to have to ask you to come with me, please.’

This was the last thing she needed today. Not only had her lunch break been delayed by forty-five minutes by a particularly persistent wafer-cone salesman but also, in her haste to complete all the shopping tasks on her list, she had left work without her umbrella just as the heavens opened. And now this …

‘I’ve told you, I don’t have time to stop.’

The huge security guard gave a world-weary sigh and clamped an enormous hand rather too heavily on her shoulder. ‘I must insist, miss. I believe you have goods you have not paid for, so if you will just accompany me back into the shop, please …’

What on earth was this man-mountain on about? Of course she had paid! What kind of person did he think she was? Incensed at the very notion, Elsie opened her mouth to protest, when a new voice interrupted her.

‘Hey. Can I help?’

He was young, arguably handsome, with dark brown hair and green eyes. Everything about him gave the impression of someone in complete control: from his neat haircut to the well-cut suit and overcoat he wore, together with the fact that, frustratingly, he was apparently immune to the large splats of rain Elsie could feel soaking through her too-thin work uniform and tights. Over his shoulder Elsie caught sight of a blonde-haired young woman dressed in a turquoise and black Fifties diner waitress outfit, looking as if somebody had just tipped a bucket of water over her head – and her heart sank as she realised it was her own reflection in the shop window.

Mr Impervious-to-Rain’s smile would probably have been welcome, were it not for Elsie’s sneaking suspicion that he was enjoying the sight of her, bedraggled, flustered and now squirming with embarrassment on the steps of the high street chemist’s.

‘I’m fine, thank you. It’s just a misunderstanding …’ she began, but Mount Kilimanjaro had turned his attention from her to seek solidarity with the recent male addition to the street spectacle.

‘She hasn’t paid,’ he confided, pointing a thick finger at the haemorrhoid preparation and earwax softener in Elsie’s hand, ‘for those items.’

Oh. My. Life. In her fury at being accused of theft, Elsie had completely forgotten the two quite possibly most embarrassing items in the whole world that she now held. But of course she had paid for them! Hadn’t she?

The young man suppressed a smile and Elsie felt her stomach lurch again as cold raindrops permeated her collar and began to run down the back of her neck. ‘I’m sure it’s just a small misunderstanding,’ he smiled affably at the gargantuan unsmiling man still gripping Elsie’s shoulder. ‘Look, here’s twenty quid. Can’t be any more than that, can it?’

A brief glimpse of softness flashed across the security guard’s steely expression. ‘Well …’

Sensing his opponent weakening, the young man’s smile eased wider. ‘I imagine you see this kind of thing every day, huh? Lunchtime shoppers, brains left at the office, so many shiny things to buy that they make one tiny slip of judgement …’ He turned the whiteness of his sincerity on Elsie, a move which may have been intended to comfort but had the directly opposite effect. ‘I mean, this girl seems very lovely and not really your average shoplifter, eh?’

The steel returned as Mountain Man surveyed her. ‘Takes all sorts.’

‘I’m sure it does, officer. But, trust me, I see all manner of felons in the course of my job and I can spot a wrong ’un a mile off. This, sir, is not one of them.’

This? Despite the help obviously being offered by the smartly dressed stranger beside her, being referred to as an inanimate object was a step too far for Elsie. ‘Now hang on a minute …’

Her planned tirade was halted by a raised, gloved hand and a look that threatened dire consequences if she defied his gesture. Fuming, she dug her drenched heels into the pavement and glared at him.