Conditional Love

by Cathy Bramley

Genres: Contemporary Romance; Humor & Satire; Romance

Synopsis

What surprises might life have in store for you?

A takeaway, TV and tea with two sugars is about as exciting as it gets for thirty-something Sophie Stone. Sophie's life is safe and predictable, which is just the way she likes it, thank you very much.

But when a mysterious benefactor leaves her an inheritance, Sophie has to accept that change is afoot. There is one big catch: in order to inherit, Sophie must agree to meet the father she has never seen.

Saying 'yes' means the chance to build her own dream home, but she'll also have to face the past and hear some uncomfortable truths...

With interference from an evil boss, warring parents, an unreliable boyfriend and an architect who puts his foot in it every time he opens his mouth, will Sophie be able to build a future on her own terms — and maybe even find love along the way?

A totally charming, modern love story for fans of Katie Fforde, Carole Matthews and Trisha Ashley.

A Random House UK audio production.

Release date: March 21, 2019

Publisher: Orion Publishing Group

Print pages: 288

Sample

New beginnings are in full bloom…

Seeking a fresh start, fresh air and a fresh attitude, Tilly Parker takes on a plot at Ivy Lane allotments, hoping for some peace and quiet. But the friendly community has other ideas, and gradually draw Tilly in to their cosy world. As the seasons pass, will Tilly learn to stop hiding amongst the sweetpeas and let people back into her life – and her heart?

Available in ebook now

Three friends, three wishes, and a few tiny white lies…

Straight-talking Jo Gold says she’s got no time for love; she’s determined to save her family’s failing business. New mother Sarah Hudson says she’ll do whatever it takes to make partner at the accountancy firm. Bored housewife Carrie Radley says she just wants find the confidence to wear a bikini in public.

The unlikely trio meet by chance one winter’s day, and embark on a mission to make their wishes come true by September. Easy. At least it would be, if they hadn’t told just a few white lies…

Available in ebook now

Sometimes the life you want isn’t the one you need…

Freya Moorcroft is happy working at the café round the corner from Ivy Lane allotments, but a part of her still misses the rolling hills of her childhood home. So when she hears that Appleby Farm is in financial trouble, Freya must summon up all her creativity and determination to help the aunt and uncle who raised her, and turn things around for the farm. Freya knows that love, not money, makes the world go round – but will saving Appleby Farm and following her heart come at a price?

Available in ebook now

It’s time to live in the moment…

Holly Swift has just landed the job of her dreams: events co-ordinator at the beautiful manor home in the heart of her village. As Holly falls in love with the busy world of Wickham Hall – from family weddings to Christmas grottos – she also finds a place in her heart for her eccentric colleagues. But life isn’t as easily organised as a summer festival – can Holly learn to let go and live in the moment?

Available in ebook now

What’s your recipe for happiness?

Ever since she lost her best friend and baking companion two years ago, Verity Bloom has lost all her love for cooking. But an opportunity to help with the opening of a new cookery school lands her right back in the heart of the kitchen – and with great ideas brewing, new friendships bubbling and a sprinkling of romance in the mix, Verity finally begins to feel like she’s home. When tragedy strikes, can Verity find the magic ingredient for the Plumberry School of Comfort Food and write her own recipe for happiness?

Available in ebook now

Secrets, surprises and second chances are on the menu

When Rosie Featherstone offers to help her beloved Italian grandmother out at the Lemon Tree Café – a little slice of Italy in the rolling hills of Derbyshire – she soon finds herself falling for her new way of life. But even surrounded by the rich scent of espresso, delicious biscotti and juicy village gossip, Rosie can’t quite move on from the secret that haunts her. When disaster looms and the café’s fortunes are threatened, can Rosie help herself and her nonna achieve the happy endings they deserve?

Available in ebook now

Life isn’t as simple as baking the perfect pie…

Hetty Greengrass is the star around which her family orbits. But when her daughter Poppy chooses her aunt as her inspiration for a school project, Hetty is left full of self-doubt. Her biggest talent – baking deliciously moreish pies – has always been limited to charity work and the village fete, but Hetty boldly enters a competition to find the best local produce, to make her daughter proud. But life isn’t as simple as producing the perfect pie, and as cracks begin to appear in her marriage and shocking secrets come to light, Hetty must decide where her priorities really lie…

Available in ebook now

It’s the perfect escape… until her old life catches up with her

Nina has always dreamed of being a star. Unfortunately, her agent thinks she’s more girl-next-door than leading lady – and after a series of very public blunders, Nina is forced to escape London and the paparazzi. But she soon learns that more drama can be found in a small Devon village than on a hectic television set. And when a gorgeous man – and his adorable dog – catch her eye, it’s not long before showbiz starts to lose its appeal. Will Nina return to the bright lights, or has she met her match in Brightside Cove?

Available in ebook now

I woke up on the floor, wedged between the bed and bedside table. My hip bone was bruised, my skin was mottled with cold and I had pins and needles in my arm. Painted across my face was the smug smile of a woman who hadn’t got much sleep the night before. Getting up was a priority; I was freezing and I really didn’t want Marc to wake up and find me down here.

It took a full thirty seconds of grunting, shuffling, inelegant flailing of limbs and a carpet burn to my right buttock to wriggle free. Not a pretty sight.

I sighed with pleasure at the slumbering, golden-haired Adonis taking up the entire width of the mattress. He looked so peaceful. He was certainly a deep sleeper; he hadn’t even woken up when he’d pushed me out of the bed.

Silently, I opened the drawer, took out the card I’d lovingly made for him with my own fair hands and slid it under the pillow. Then I slipped back under the duvet and perched on the edge, savouring the heat from his perfectly honed body. I propped myself up on my elbow and gazed at him.

It was Valentine’s Day and I had a boyfriend.

I couldn’t help grinning.

Last year – and the year before that, come to think of it – I had been single and I’d had to hibernate for a full twenty-four hours until the dreaded day was history and I could stop feeling marginalized by society. In fact, since Jeremy a few years ago – I shuddered at the memory of my controlling ex-boyfriend – I hadn’t let anyone get close. But Marc was different.

He and I had been together for nine months and last night was the first time that he had stayed over. I’d invited him to before now but he had a stall on Sneinton market and usually had to get up for work really early and said he didn’t want to wake me. But last night he’d said he didn’t have to be there until nine, so he might as well stay. How romantic – to choose Valentine’s Day as the first time to wake up next to me!

Right, let’s get the party started.

I coughed lightly but there was no response, not a flicker of his golden eyelashes.

I coughed more sharply and this time he stirred and stretched, threatening my precarious position on the edge of the bed, and I grabbed hold of his arm.

Oh, those biceps!

‘Morning, princess.’ He yawned and gave me an almighty slap on the bottom.

I knew this was his idea of being affectionate but it was hardly the most romantic wake-up call. I replied with my own delicate yawn, and smiled in what I hoped was a ‘Sleeping Beauty awakened by a True Love’s Kiss’ type manner.

He picked up his watch, swore under his breath and swung his legs over the side of the bed.

I flopped onto my back and pulled the duvet up, enjoying the extra room in the bed. Also enjoying the view of muscles rippling across chest as he pulled his jeans up over firm thighs. What a man!

Oh no, I was a bit slow on the uptake there, he was getting dressed! That wasn’t first on my agenda of love.

Marc looked down at me, his face suddenly serious. Oh my giddy aunt! He was working up to something.

He cleared his throat. ‘Sophie, we need to talk.’

He sat back down on the bed and reached for my hand. Darting eyes, heavy breathing, serious face … If I didn’t know better, I’d have thought he was going to propose. Hold on a mo – it was Valentine’s Day, what if …?

‘Wait!’ I yelled, making Marc flinch.

If he was going to propose, I didn’t want to be lying on my back like an invalid. I pushed myself up to a semi-sitting position and rested my arms on top of the duvet.

Oops! Never flatten your arms against your body. It adds at least thirty per cent to the surface area of each limb. I read it in Heat magazine in a feature on how to look good in photos.

I raised my arms off the duvet and smiled brightly.

Marc frowned. Poor love; this sort of thing must be so nerve-racking. Shame really, in this day and age all the stress shouldn’t be loaded onto the man. Still, the woman usually ends up organizing the wedding, so it sort of evens itself out in the long run.

‘Sorry! You were saying?’ I nodded at him encouragingly.

Marc exhaled and gazed at me with his baby-blue eyes. That was the look of love. Right there.

‘There’s no easy way to say this, princess, but …’

What the fudge?

I gasped, but the nerves-induced accumulation of saliva in my throat created a strangled sort of gurgle. My spit went down the wrong hole and I started to choke. Not attractive, nor in the least bit timely.

Marc, determined to finish now he was on a roll, carried on slashing my newly minted dreams of married bliss into ribbons, while simultaneously slapping me on the back. Hard.

By the time I had found the wherewithal to hold my hands up, beseeching him to stop, he had all but finished his ‘Dear Sophie’ monologue.

The message had been clear, but what had he actually said? Straining to hear over my own ear-splitting wheezing, I had only caught one or two words. I must have misheard; I thought he used words like ‘different things’, ‘boring’, ‘freedom’ and ‘nice’.

He backed away from my single bed, from me and from our relationship towards the bedroom door, holding onto my fingers until the last possible second. It was quite a poignant moment: if I hadn’t been puce and completely hoarse, I might have said something profound. But other than to wail ‘Why? Why?’ at him, words completely failed me. So I stayed silent, doomed to for ever hold my peace.

He winked and was gone.

Happy chuffin’ Valentine’s Day.

‘Zombie-like’ was the best way to describe my mood at work over the following ten hours. At my desk in the advertising department for The Herald, Nottingham’s daily newspaper, I barely registered the banter of my colleagues or my overflowing in-tray. My hands simulated typing on my keyboard, but in reality I was simply going through the motions and I avoided the phone all day.

The bus ride home, normally quite an ordeal, was comparatively therapeutic. At least I didn’t have to talk to anyone.

It was shaping up to be the worst Valentine’s Day of my entire life. What was I saying – ‘shaping up’? How could it possibly get any worse? By the time my flatmates had rallied round me this morning, Jess making soothing noises and placing a mug of sweet tea in front of me and Emma threatening to cut off Marc’s balls and feed them to the squirrels, I had already pronounced the day an unprecedented disaster.

I was determined not to cry again. And that was no mean feat seeing as the evening commuter bus I was on appeared to be packed almost entirely with smooching couples and women with huge bouquets of flowers, cruelly serving to ram home my new single status.

Facebook! I was going to have to update my relationship status to ‘single’. But not today; I couldn’t face the humiliation of declaring myself single on the international day of love.

I shook my head, still struggling to comprehend what had happened this morning. I’d been convinced that today was the day that Marc would reveal his true feelings for me. Well he’d certainly done that. Be careful what you wish for, as the saying goes.

All my Valentine’s Day dreams were in tatters. I thought of the little nest egg that I’d been building up for years, waiting for the right time, the right person to settle down with. I’d begun to think that Marc could be that person. Not that we’d ever discussed a joint future, although he did once ask to dip into my savings to get a new business off the ground and we were both in our early thirties, I’d assumed it would just happen one day; it was only a matter of time.

With a sigh, I shifted the dream of having my own home to the back burner, along with my other abandoned dreams; the property market was no place for single, first-time buyers at the moment – far too risky!

At my bus stop, a group of people – in twos, obviously – jostled against me as I tried to disembark. I was barely clear of the last step when the bus trundled off through a puddle, sending a spray of black slush up the back of my tights.

Marvellous.

How could snow – so white, so pure, so beautiful – turn so vile in only a few hours? It was clearly a metaphor for a love gone sour. I huffed up the steps towards home, feeling forlorn and uncomfortably wet.

The Victorian house we lived in had long ago been split into flats. I let myself in and flicked through the mail on the communal post shelf. No scented envelopes, huge bouquets of flowers or small square boxes with ‘To Sophie Stone – love of my life’ on them, then? No? Thought as much.

Tears welled up in my eyes and I brushed them away. Actually, why shouldn’t I have a good cry? I was sad, might be properly sad for weeks, come to think of it. I loved Marc, he was so big and strong and unpredictable. Emma would say that this was a reason not to love him but he was exciting and I was going to miss having that excitement in my life.

For a moment, I considered sliding down the wall to the floor and succumbing to my sorrow. But it looked draughty and very public, far better to get home and let my lovely flatmates cheer me up.

I began the ascent to flat four, sniffing the air hopefully on the off-chance of catching any tantalizing aromas even though it was my turn to cook. Nothing. I waggled the key in the lock and pushed my way into the tiny hall.

‘Oh, babes, are you OK? I’ve been worried about you all day.’ Jess threw her arms round me, crushing me to her bosom.

‘I’m fine.’ I swallowed hard, lying through my teeth, and pulled back to examine my plumptious flatmate.

Jess narrowed her eyes. ‘Sure?’

I nodded. ‘Why are you wearing a toga?’

‘It’s not a toga, it’s a chiton,’ she replied, releasing me to perform a twirl in front of the hall mirror. ‘I’m doing Ancient Greeks with Year Five.’

Despite my crushing melancholy, I managed a smile. Jess was a born teacher and always threw herself whole-heartedly into every topic. And even in an old sheet she looked fabulous.

‘Ah, of course it is, I can tell now.’ I grinned. ‘You look great, Jess.’

‘Thanks, babes!’

Right, food. I left her measuring the circumference of her head with a piece of string and made my way into our uninspiring kitchen.

The fridge revealed nothing much except a pack of Marc’s chicken breasts. I always liked to keep high-protein food in for him in case he popped in for a snack after the gym. They were slightly grey and slimy and was I imagining it, or did they have a stain of abandonment about them? I sighed loudly and dropped them in the bin.

There was nothing else for it; it would have to be ‘three-tin surprise’. Not my favourite; in fact, no one was fond of it. I had gleaned all my culinary talents from my mother; it hadn’t taken long. She was to cooking what Heston Blumenthal was to hairstyling: a total stranger. This particular concoction was like playing Russian roulette with your taste buds and suited my mood perfectly.

‘Come to Auntie Em!’

I turned to see Emma holding her arms out. With her overalls, stripy T-shirt and long red plaits she looked like an over-sized Pippi Longstocking.

I dived into her arms, buried my face in her neck and felt tears prick at my eyes for the umpteenth time.

‘How are you doing, kiddo?’ she murmured.

‘Oh Emma, I’m just … I can’t … you know.’

‘Yeah, I know,’ said Emma, soothingly.

I knew her tongue would be bitten to shreds with the effort of not blurting out, ‘I told you so.’

She had never been a huge fan of Marc and I was grateful that she hadn’t started another character assassination tonight; I didn’t have the energy.

Emma had been my best friend since college. She had been doing an art foundation course and I was studying A-levels.

She had been taller, louder and brasher than me at sixteen. I had been hovering timidly on the edge of college life until she plucked me out of the shadows and tucked me under her wing. I had stayed there ever since.

Now she was a self-employed silversmith with a studio in a trendy part of Nottingham. The stuff she designed ranged from contemporary fruit bowls through to intricate one-off pieces of jewellery. Ironically, the only jewellery she wore was a shell she’d found in Cornwall while surfing, threaded onto a piece of leather.

‘I forgot.’ Jess bounded into the room, her auburn bob now adorned with a headdress made from bay leaves stuck to a bra strap. ‘A letter came for you.’ She placed an envelope reverently on the kitchen table. ‘It looks important.’

I abandoned the quest for tins immediately, my heart beating furiously as I grabbed the envelope. Perhaps all was not lost, perhaps …

‘It’s from a firm of solicitors,’ said Emma, reading the franking label over my shoulder.

My heart sank and then immediately leapt up to somewhere just below my throat.

Solicitors?

Why did I automatically feel guilty even though, as far as I could remember, I had done absolutely nothing wrong? It was the same when I passed through the ‘Nothing to Declare’ channel at the airport; I would blush, let out a high-pitched giggle and start making jokes about the two thousand cigarettes in my bag. I don’t even smoke.

‘Hey! You don’t think Marc has done something dodgy, do you, and implicated you in it?’ said Jess, wide-eyed.

Emma gave her a sharp look. ‘Of course not, it’s probably something nice. Go on, open it!’

‘Yes,’ I said, trying to think positive, ‘it could be um …’

Emma nudged Jess and winked. ‘I know. It’s a restraining order from Gary Barlow’s people!’

Jess giggled and they linked arms, started swaying and launched into the chorus of ‘A Million Love Songs’.

Despite my nerves, I couldn’t help smiling. The two girls were more than flatmates; they were sisters, Jess being the elder by two years. I loved them both dearly and they treated me like a third sister, which in practice meant that they both mothered me and teased me mercilessly.

I prodded Emma in the ribs. ‘Hey, leave me alone. I haven’t written to him for ages.’

We shared a smile and I turned my attention back to the letter in my hands.

‘Oh my Lordy,’ I continued. ‘Listen to this: “Dear Miss Stone, Whelan and Partners have been appointed … blah, blah, blah … writing to inform you that you are a beneficiary in the last will and testament of Mrs Jane Kennedy. Please contact this office at your earliest convenience. Yours, blah, blah, blah …’

I plopped down into a chair, dropping the letter onto the table. The sisters picked it up and looked at it.

‘Bloody hell, Sophie!’

‘A mystery benefactor!’ squealed Jess. ‘How exciting!’

‘Well, whoever she is, I think this calls for wine.’ Emma darted to the fridge and poured three large glasses while I reread the solicitor’s letter.

Jess sat down next to me at the kitchen table and patted my hand. ‘There you go, you see. The day might have started badly, but this letter,’ she tapped it with a sharp pink nail, ‘might be the beginning of a whole new adventure.’

‘Exactly,’ said Emma, holding up her glass. ‘Cheers!’

Just then Jess’s stomach gave an almighty rumble. ‘Ooh, excuse me! Who’s cooking dinner?’

I didn’t reply. I was still staring at that letter. More to the point, my brain cried out, who’s Jane Kennedy?

The lift doors at The Herald clunked apart and I scanned the second floor, which housed my department. Excellent. I was the first person to arrive; I could faff around at my desk and make a personal call undisturbed for a few minutes.

I pressed the button marked ‘tea’ as I passed the drinks machine and it churned out a cup of scalding grey sludge. Wincing from the heat, I scurried over to my desk. While the computer was starting up, I checked my phone. Again. Still nothing from Marc.

My heart literally ached from missing him so much. Texting him had always been part of my morning routine. I was still staring at the screen, willing a message to appear, when a sharp voice cut into my wistful thoughts.

‘Huh! Glad to see at least someone is at their desk.’

Donna Parker, head of The Herald’s advertising department, strode across the office, her trademark platinum hair lighting up the dim room.

‘I hope you’ll be more focused today,’ continued Donna, pausing briefly at my desk. ‘You were a complete waste of space yesterday.’

I swallowed nervously. Harsh but true. To be honest, I was surprised that she had noticed any difference. Let’s face it, I was never especially enthusiastic.

I started to shuffle a pile of papers on my desk and laughed gaily. ‘Oh yes, Donna, I’m completely on top of everything. I’ve been here ages already.’

Donna raised a perfectly arched eyebrow and bore her skeletal frame onwards to her office.

I watched her go and let out a sigh of relief. On top of the new neat pile of papers was the envelope from Whelan & Partners, reminding me why I was in early: I needed some time off urgently. Receiving that letter was one of the most curious things that had ever happened to me. It had kept me awake for most of last night and I was desperate to get to the bottom of this Jane Kennedy mystery.

I contemplated my approach; Donna never really approved of people taking any time off, no matter how important the excuse was, and judging by her mood this morning, my request wasn’t likely to go down well at all.

Coffee. That would soften the blow. I scuttled back to the drinks machine and this time selected the brown sludge labelled ‘Cappuccino’.

Donna was in her late fifties and rumour had it that she had clawed her way up from secretary in a time when the newspaper industry was almost exclusively male, lunch was two pints in the Nag’s Head and you couldn’t see from one side of the room to the other through the smoky fug. It would be fair to say that relations between Donna and us, her long-suffering team, didn’t always run smoothly. Part-time administrator Maureen referred to her as Cruella de Vil. Graphic designer Jason said she was an acid-tongued, bullying witch who did nothing except wine and dine advertising clients over long lunches. I wasn’t quite so disparaging, although I did see their point. There was a touch of The Devil Wears Prada about her, but I did admire her steely glare – I could never keep it up like she did, day after day.

Knocking and poking my head round the office door failed to draw a response so I coughed and stepped inside, desperate to deposit the hot cappuccino as quickly as possible.

‘Coffee?’ I placed the scorching-hot liquid on the desk in front of her.

Still no response.

‘Donna, there’s been a death in the, er …’

The boss stared at me unblinking. Where was the death exactly? Family? Family friend? Friend’s family? I wished I’d rehearsed this properly; I was floundering already.

I tried again.

‘Someone close to me has died and I’ll need some time off this week to sort out the will and everything.’

It wasn’t strictly the truth, but I could hardly say I needed time off to see to the affairs of a complete stranger, could I?

‘Oh no!’ muttered Donna, pinching her lips together.

‘Thank you, it has come as a complete shock,’ I began. That bit was certainly true.

‘The restaurant supplement is due to go to print on Friday, we’ve still got five slots to fill and the main sponsor is quibbling about his space allocation. This is terrible timing, Sophie, terrible … If it’s absolutely unavoidable,’ she added sourly, ‘keep it brief and you’ll have to make up the time.’

She fixed me with her beady eyes and flicked her head, indicating that our impromptu meeting was over. I escaped from her office gratefully, punching the air as soon I was out of sight. Success! Even if it did mean working late for the rest of the week. I dropped into my chair and reached for the solicitor’s letter.

Five minutes later I had booked an appointment with Mr Whelan of Whelan & Partners for the following day. I sat back and breathed a sigh of relief; only another twenty-four hours and all would be revealed …

The following afternoon a smiley female receptionist ushered me through to a small office.

‘Mr Whelan will be with you shortly,’ she whispered in hallowed tones, as though I’d been granted an audience with the Pope. She pointed to a chair, swivelled round on her court shoes and left.

I smiled in thanks at the back of the woman’s head.

My nerves were jangling and I pressed my lips together to prevent myself from whistling tunelessly. I dropped my handbag on the floor and clasped my hands together. The desk in front of me was large and old-fashioned with an inset leather blotter and one of those brass reading lamps with a green glass shade. Haphazard piles of manila folders obscured most of its surface. Behind the desk was a run of bookcases stuffed to the gunnels with lever-arch files. Whoever Mrs Jane Kennedy was, she had certainly picked a very untidy solicitor.

In the centre of the desk lay an open file. I shuffled forward to the edge of my seat and managed to read my own name at the top of the page. I inched . . .