Emily also had challenges of her own. Her OCD tendencies still reared their controlling head, and the anxiety she’d struggled with all along hadn’t simply disappeared now that she was finally happy. But again—small steps, early days. Progress. She loved Owen, and her mum as well as her dad, her friends and her job, and of course her kitten. Life, for the first time ever, felt full. Full of busyness, hope, and joy.
“Emily, this is marvellous,” Harriet exclaimed as she strode towards Emily. “Really it’s a million times better than our usual boring old fete. How have you managed it all?”
“I had a lot of help—”
“I think I’ve done just about everything—the only thing left is a sample dance with that new teacher. She’s a gorgeous Amazon. She intimidates even me.”
“Even you?” Emily teased. “Her name is Belinda and she just moved to Willoughby Close last week. She lives in number two.”
“I had no idea! I’ve been so busy with the kids and work and everything… Well, now I’ll have to try the dance class. I’ll give her a proper Willoughby welcome.”
Emily watched, smiling, as Harriet strode off again, towards her new neighbour, who was teaching a couple of kids how to jitterbug. She was a gorgeous Amazon—at least six feet tall, with long, wavy hair and blue-green eyes and what Emily would call a full, generous figure. Despite her height, or maybe because of it, she was incredibly light on her feet.
Emily hadn’t yet had a chance to get to know her properly—the last few weeks had been completely consumed by the fundraiser—but she looked forward to making a new friend.
“I’d say this is definitely a success.” She turned in surprise to see Owen walking up to her. He slid an arm around her waist and she leaned her head against his shoulder.
“I thought you’d be busy all night.”
“I left Darren in charge.” His second-in-command had gone in as partner on the pop-up pub venture, and they were considering buying another van and expanding the enterprise. “You must be exhausted.”
“I am,” Emily answered. She’d been working sixteen-hour days for the last week, supervising all the set-up and other last-minute details. “But I’m happy.”
“So am I.” He wrapped his other arm around Emily and drew her more snugly against him. “Very happy.”
A sudden squeal erupted from the top of the Ferris wheel, and Emily looked up to see Olivia and Simon grinning from the highest car on the wheel. Olivia was holding up her left hand in triumph.
“I think,” Emily said, “Olivia and Simon have just got engaged.”
“So it would appear.” Owen sounded both wry and pensive. “And Ava’s expecting…but I suppose you’ve already heard?”
“Of course I have.”
“I wonder who will be next with the big news,” he mused. There was a smile in his voice and Emily leaned back against him as she smiled too.
“I suppose,” she said thoughtfully, “we’ll just have to wait and see.”
“That we will.”
They hadn’t talked about those big questions yet, but sometimes Emily felt they didn’t need to. Life was unspooling like a golden thread, shimmering with promise. She wasn’t afraid of what it held, or what uncertainty or challenges might lie ahead. Not now. Not with Owen, and her mum, and her friends.
Not when everything was right with the world.
“Come on, you two!” Harriet called from the makeshift dance floor where she was gyrating rather wildly. “Let’s do the lindy hop!”
The End
Read Belinda’s story next, and catch up with all of your old friends, in Christmas at Willoughby Close
Want more? Check out the first Willoughby Close book, A Cotswold Christmas!
Buy now!
If you enjoyed Welcome Me to Willoughby Close, you’ll love the next books in….
The Return to Willoughby Close series
Book 1: Cupcakes for Christmas
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Book 2: Welcome Me to Willoughby Close
View the series here!
Book 3: Christmas at Willoughby Close
Coming November 2020!
Book 4: Remember Me at Willoughby Close
Coming January 2021!
More books by Kate Hewitt
The Willoughby Close series
Book 1: A Cotswold Christmas
Buy now!
Book 2: Meet Me at Willoughby Close
Buy now!
Book 3: Find Me at Willoughby Close
Buy now!
Book 4: Kiss Me at Willoughby Close
Buy now!
Book 5: Marry Me at Willoughby Close
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The Holley Sisters of Thornthwaite series
Book 1: A Vicarage Christmas
Buy now!
Book 2: A Vicarage Reunion
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Book 3: A Vicarage Wedding
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Book 4: A Vicarage Homecoming
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About the Author
After spending three years as a diehard New Yorker, Kate Hewitt now lives in the Lake District in England with her husband, their five children, and a Golden Retriever. She enjoys such novel things as long country walks and chatting with people in the street, and her children love the freedom of village life—although she often has to ring four or five people to figure out where they’ve gone off to.
She writes women’s fiction as well as contemporary romance under the name Kate Hewitt, and whatever the genre she enjoys delivering a compelling and intensely emotional story.
You can find out more about Kate on her website at kate-hewitt.com, on Facebook and on Twitter.
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