New
Beginnings at the Little House in the Sun
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The
tea is in a pink tin with a label tied to the handle which says, ‘Drink me in
emergencies only….and making phone calls after consumption is not advised.’
Unfortunately,
she ignores it..
She switched the kettle on and gazed out of the window over the
gardens. ‘This was never mine,’ she said to Aphrodite who was brushing around
her legs, purring. ‘I was always going to move out. It’s just now I have to
move out. Soon.’ Pouring the boiling water into the cup, she looked down at the
cat. ‘But you’re coming with me. I hope you’re happy about that.’
The steam brushed her face as she took the tea to the balcony and sat
down. It’s fine, she thought. It’s fine. It’s really fine. Just
pushed things forward a bit. She took a sip and closed her eyes. I’ll be
more proactive about looking for a house to buy now then. I’m not going to
worry Luis about this … he’ll only panic with the farmhouse in the state it’s
in at the moment … I’ll see if Kathy can come with me to look. Or Stephano.
Carlos or Ignacio might … This is delicious, this tea is.
She took another sip and felt a relaxing warmth spread itself around
her body. Aphrodite jumped onto the sofa and began to curl herself up, so Alice
decided to join her. With every sip her muscles relaxed and a smooth calmness
seeped over her. She lay down on the sofa opposite the cat and closed her eyes.
‘In the morning I will feel fabulous,’ she muttered.
The room was dark when she heard her phone ring, the moon illuminating
the floor from the open windows onto the balcony. Music drifted in from one of
the apartments below, and she could hear happy chatter from the garden. Alice
wondered whether to even bother to get up. She was so comfortable. So relaxed. Why
try? Why change? This moment, this very moment, she thought, everything
is perfect.
Could be Luis, whispered the voice in
her head, woozily. Could be Luis, the love of your life.
‘Luis,’ she said so loudly it woke up the cat.
She rolled onto the floor and tried to stand, but her legs felt like
butter and she knew they would never support her weight, so she continued to
the bedroom on all fours. By the time Alice arrived at the bedside table, the
phone was silent. Leaning against the bed, she picked it up. ‘It was Luis,’ she
shouted to Aphrodite who had followed her in and was watching from the doorway.
‘But he didn’t leave a voicemail. Oh dear. Oh dear … oh dear … am I slurring my
words? I’d better not call him or he’ll know I’ve been on the tea.’ Alice
laughed at her own joke, then sighed. ‘I’ll send him a message.’
Ola! How are you? I am well. I
am here with the cat. The thing is this … and I’m not in a panic about it AT
ALL. But you know, once all is said and done, we will be fine. I’m so looking
forward to getting together and sorting it all out. How are things where you
are? How is? We will have an ADVENTURE! Can’t wait to see you. Then she added a unicorn
emoji by accident and as she tried to delete it, she accidentally added a sun,
then a smiley face, a glass of wine and a potato. So she gave in, pressed kiss
five times and sent the text, dropping the phone as she did so.
‘Did I do it properly, Aphrodite?’ she asked as the cat jumped on the
bed. ‘Better check.’ She picked up the phone and scrolled down to see, but her
eyes wouldn’t focus, and the room was very dark. ‘God, I’m sooooooo tired,’ she
whispered. ‘But it’s Luis, the love of my life. I must send it.’ Stabbing at
the phone with her thumbs she tried again, placed it on the floor and climbed
onto the bed. She was asleep in seconds.
Alice almost bounded out
of bed the following morning, full of energy and feeling upbeat about
absolutely everything.
‘Mary was right about that tea, Aph,’, she almost sang. ‘I feel fabulous.
Even your horrible cat food smells okay today.’ Alice spooned it into the pink
cat bowl and switched the kettle on. ‘Common or garden tea today, though.’
Aphrodite ignored her and began to eat noisily.
‘I’d better switch my phone on. I remember turning it off in case I
sent any messages. And the instructions were specifically not to use the
phone.’ She laughed. Alice took her cup back to the bedroom and removed her
swimming costume from the drawer as she waited for the phone to come back to
life.
Shall
I have a swim before or after breakfast? she wondered, picking
the phone up to check the messages that had come in overnight.
You’ve
been drinking Mary’s tea again! And don’t panic about what? All going okay here
(apart from my sister, obvs). Will call you this eve. Love you. L xx
Alice giggled. ‘I must have sent him a message under the influence.
Whoops!’
Then she read one from Kathy.
Meet
me at the salon at 11. I have a break then. What the bloody hell was that all
about? Don’t panic about what? P.S. I haven’t laughed like that in a while.
Kathy xx
Another message, this time from Ignacio, appeared.
I
showed this to Carlos and we feel you have found some of Mary’s very, very
strong tea, which Frank warned us all about. Panic about what? I and C :)
Alice put her head in her hands and sighed. ‘Oh. Dear. I didn’t follow
the instructions and sent it to everyone.’ Then she laughed again and pulled on
her swimming costume. As she was walking out of the door, the phone pinged
again.
An
adventure would be most welcome. SP.
Who
on earth is SP? she muttered, walking into the lift. As she arrived on the ground
floor, she remembered.
New Beginnings at the Little House in the Sun
Follow your yellow brick road ....
Alice Dorothy Matthews is on the road to
paradise! She’s sold her house in London, got rid of her nasty ex and arranged
her move to Portugal where friendship and romance awaits. All that’s left to do
is find a place to call home.
But Alice’s dreams are called into question when
complications with friends, work and new relationships make her Portuguese
paradise feel far too much like reality.
Will Alice’s dream of a new home in the sun come
true?
New
Beginnings at the Little House in the Sun is published by Ruby Fiction and
available in e-book and audio on all major platforms smarturl.it/1s3mic
It’s
the second in the Portuguese Passion series of books, the first of which is The
House That Alice Built
You
can find out more about Chris Penhall on www.chrispenhall.co.uk
Follow
her on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChrisPenhallWriter
On
Twitter: @ChrisPenhall
And
on Instagram: christinepenhall
Author
Bio –
Chris Penhall won the
2019 Choc-Lit Search for a Star competition, sponsored by Your Cat Magazine,
for her debut novel, The House That Alice Built. The sequel, New Beginnings at
the Little House in the Sun was published on August 25th 2020.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChrisPenhall
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChrisPenhallBroadcasterWriter
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