The Café
Birds
Alicia Hope
Similar in style to The Break by Marian Keyes, this upbeat small-town novel tells of friendship, secrets, and second chances as Paige and her friends confront conflicts that echo our
own struggles and triumphs.
Ready to immerse yourself in a story that tugs at
the emotions and inspires ... hope?
Then here's how it opens....
Chapter
One: The Flock
CLICK.
The line went dead.
Paige stared at the phone as though trying to see her husband’s
frowning face at the other end of the call.
That loud noise before the line dropped out, what was it? A mortar
attack?
Had hostilities resumed?
Was Rick alright?
Biting her lip, she slumped back in her chair, stomach lurching.
Please don’t let those be
our last words to each other. I didn’t
get to tell … remind … him how important he is to me, and how much I miss him.
No, she’d been too busy taking umbrage at his words ... ‘I’m glad your girlfriends keep you company when I’m away, babe,
but I’m not really interested
in hearing their life stories.’ Frustration had deepened Corporal Rick Connor’s
gravelly voice. ‘And I know you’re only talking about them to avoid answering
my question.’
At her silence he’d blown a long-suffering breath. ‘I asked when
you’re going to admit this business venture of yours is a failure, and call it
quits.’
Her snarky, ‘Wow, that’s some vote of confidence. Thanks so much for the
husbandly support,' had earned her an exasperated sigh that whooshed along the phone line and into
her ear. Heavy breathing, but not the thrilling kind like in the early days of
their romance.
Look how far we’ve come –
fallen? – since then.
While her thoughts had drifted off, his hadn’t.
‘Well what do you want me to say, Paige? That you should
keep flogging that dead horse, and to hell with the money it’s bleeding?’
Oh, how she hated that emotionless, Corporal Connors-like tone
he’d taken to using with her lately. Like she was one of his troops.
‘No, Rick.’ She had swallowed her resentment but couldn’t keep the bitterness
out of her voice. ‘That’s not what I want you to say.’
‘Then what, Paige? What?’ Another sigh. She’d imagined him raking
fingers through his closely cropped dark hair. ‘Because I have no id—’
Then the explosion, and....
CLICK.
Silence. The fraught, stomach-knotting kind.
Slowly replacing the receiver, she bent her head to drag a hand
over her lightly freckled face.
A face he used to describe as elfin.
Oh, Rick.
She swallowed a sob, then replayed his often repeated admonition in her head ... 'Don't panic, babe. Phone reception while on
deployment is always dicey, so don’t assume the worst if communications are lost.'
Pursing her lips, she blew the pent-up air from her lungs, wiped
her eyes, and sat straighter.
Dwelling on negative
thoughts could send an army wife crazy. What I need right now is some
spirit-lifting company.
She glanced at her watch.
Four fifteen pm.
Good timing.
Reaching for her mobile phone, she sent off a hasty text message.
* * *
Want to continue reading? The full novel is available in ebook and/or paperback from all good retail sites, by clicking here.
And here's what one reviewer had to say about it:
'You've
... orchestrated an entire suburban menagerie of drama, friendship, and
hidden pastries! I mean - five women, each with their quirks, secrets,
and (possibly imaginary) romance ... you've basically created a reality
TV show that doesn't need cameras, just readers ready to sip cappuccinos
while chaos unfolds!'
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