Winter Wishes at Swallowtail Bay

About the Author

KATIE GINGER lives by the sea in the south-east of England, and apart from holidays to very hot places where you can sit by a pool and drink cocktails as big as your head, she wouldn’t really want to be anywhere else. Winter Wishes at Swallowtail Bay is her sixth novel. She is also the author of Spring Tides at Swallowtail Bay, Summer Strawberries at Swallowtail Bay, Snowflakes at Mistletoe Cottage and the Seafront series – The Little Theatre on the Seafront, shortlisted for the Katie Fforde Debut Novel of the Year award, and Summer Season on the Seafront.

When she’s not writing, Katie spends her time with her husband and two kids, and their dogs: Wotsit, the King Charles spaniel, and Skips, the three-legged Romanian rescue dog. (And yes, they are both named after crisps!)

For more about Katie, you can visit her website: www.keginger.com, find her on Facebook: www.facebook.com/KatieGAuthor, follow her on Twitter: @KatieGAuthor or sign up to her newsletter here: http://bit.ly/3gbqMS0

Everyone LOVES Katie Ginger

‘So beautifully written. It made me want to move house right now and set up by the sea!’

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‘A hilarious romantic comedy that left me with a big smile on my face’

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Also by Katie Ginger

The Little Theatre on the Seafront

Summer Season on the Seafront

Snowflakes at Mistletoe Cottage

Spring Tides at Swallowtail Bay

Summer Strawberries at Swallowtail Bay

Winter Wishes at Swallowtail Bay

Winter Wishes at Swallowtail Bay

KATIE GINGER

HQ

An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd.

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

First published in Great Britain by HQ in 2020

Copyright © Katie Ginger 2020

Katie Ginger asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

E-book Edition © October 2020 ISBN: 9780008380571

Version: 2020-09-10

Table of Contents

Cover

About the Author

Everyone LOVES Katie Ginger

Also by Katie Ginger

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Chapter 1: October

Chapter 2

Chapter 3: November

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17: December

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Epilogue: Christmas Eve, One year later

Acknowledgements

Extract

Dear Reader …

Keep Reading …

About the Publisher

For Matt and Magda,

Welcome home!

Chapter 1

October

The assistant yanked the changing-room curtain back with such vigour, the shiny metal pole it hung from nearly flew off the wall. Out strode Cat, Nell’s best friend, in an exquisite off-the-shoulder fairy-tale princess wedding dress. The ivory bodice clung tightly to Cat’s petite frame and the enormous skirt puffed out in a series of cascading ruffles. In the warm orange lighting of the boutique Cat’s skin took on a dewy glow.

Nell’s hand flew to her chest, pressing on a heart that was over-flowing with love. ‘Oh my gosh, Cat, you look incredible. Like an actual movie star at the Oscars. It’s just beautiful. Isn’t it beautiful, Brenda?’

‘It’s lovely, darling,’ Cat’s mum replied, ignoring Nell’s over-enthusiasm and speaking directly to Cat. ‘But please tell me you’re going to dye your hair back to blonde before the wedding? It’ll look much better in the photographs.’

Cat hitched the dress to walk to the pedestal, then stepped onto it, allowing the dress to fall from her fingers so she could see herself in the 360-degree, floor-to-ceiling mirrors. Within seconds, the assistant placed a pair of high-heeled shoes in front of her. Cat stepped into them and, brushing her fingers down the skirt, turned left and right, watching the fabric float around her. ‘I hadn’t really thought about my hair. I was going to keep it pink.’

With her mouth pursed in disapproval, Brenda’s face contorted even further, and Nell stifled a giggle. The phrase ‘a bulldog sucking a wasp’ came to mind. Nell waited for her to ask about the eyebrow and nose piercing too. There was no way Cat was going to remove those for her wedding day. She’d worn them every day since they were done one drunken evening at university, and Nell was glad. Cat was pretty amazing as she was, there was no way she should be any different on her wedding day.

Brenda picked lint from her expensive tailored skirt. She wasn’t the type of woman to dress in jeans and oversized thick woolly jumpers. She wore a matching lilac tweed skirt and jacket with a cream blouse underneath. Her blonde hair, heavily streaked with grey, was coiffured into a helmet that daren’t move for fear of being attacked with even more hairspray. Not a strand was out of place and neither was her lipstick.

Since Kieran had proposed on Cat’s birthday at the start of October, Brenda had been more than a little excited about her daughter’s upcoming nuptials but was sometimes surprised at the choices Cat made about her big day. Nell wasn’t. Cat had always been down to earth and had her own individual style. Secretly, Nell hoped she wouldn’t change the hair colour she’d had for the last few years. Out of all the colours Cat had tried (orange had been particularly disastrous) pastel-pink suited her best.

The only bridal shop in Swallowtail Bay sat at the furthest end of town, in a small, cobbled side street full of boutique clothes shops. They were lucky to have every type of shop in the bay from delis to chocolatiers and homeware stores. There were art galleries, cafés and restaurants, and on top of this, the town was blessed with spectacular scenery from the rolling green fields on the edge of town, to the long, arcing coastline with a pebbly beach and promenade where you could walk and enjoy the seasons by the sea. Nell especially loved Christmas in Swallowtail Bay when the town became like somewhere from a movie; shop doors were decked with Christmas wreaths and all along the promenade strings of fairy lights glittered off the surface of the water. October was virtually Christmas as far as Nell was concerned, but she was resisting the urge to get out the Christmas tree just yet for fear of annoying what few guests she had booked in. Maybe after Halloween she could get it out and go nuts.

Normally, Nell would have walked through town, enjoying the sights and smells of Swallowtail Bay, but this morning with the wind ringing an autumnal tune and the rain coming down in heavy sheets, they’d driven as near as possible so as not to damage any of the gowns with sopping wet hair. When they’d arrived, they’d been stripped of their thick winter coats and glasses of prosecco were shoved in their hands. Well, in Nell and Cat’s hands anyway. Brenda had preferred a cup of tea, which she’d been pleased to see was served in a white cup and saucer – no mugs in sight. Cat and Nell had then snuggled on a sofa while Cat described the types of dresses she wanted to try and the colours she liked. Brenda had also made her opinions known, but then, she couldn’t help but do otherwise. After that, and with Cat and Nell giggling like schoolgirls at the fun of it all, the actual trying on had begun.

Nell couldn’t wait until it was her turn to do something like this. She was more than a little excited at being Cat’s maid of honour, and at hosting the wedding at Holly Lodge, her boutique hotel newly licensed for wedding ceremonies. She considered what type of dress she’d have. Something with a long train and the softest fabric. That was an impossibly long way off for her as there wasn’t even a sniff of a new man in her life, but it would happen eventually. For now, the excitement of watching Cat was more than enough for her.

‘What do you think of that dress, Cat?’ she asked, but Nell already knew the answer. As beautiful as the dress was and as gorgeous as Cat looked in it, her eyes weren’t sparkling.

She swished again. ‘I’m not really sure—’

‘But it’s divine,’ Brenda chimed in. ‘You look like a princess.’

‘I’m not sure I want to look like a princess, though. I don’t know if it’s really me. I always pictured myself in something a bit different. Something pretty but less … dramatic. Not your normal wedding dress attire.’

‘Anyone would think you want a suit.’

‘Now there’s an idea,’ said Nell, and she and Cat shared a mischievous flash of eyes. ‘You could have a theme wedding! Vicars and tarts—’

‘Harry Potter?’ Cat suggested. ‘You know how much I love Harry Potter.’

‘Gangsters and molls?’

‘Yes!’ Cat replied enthusiastically.

‘Girls!’ Brenda screeched, then tried to cover it with an indulgent glance.

‘Or,’ Nell continued, enjoying the moment too much to let it go, ‘as it’s Christmas you could dress up like Mrs Santa and Kieran could be Mr Santa and we could all be little elves!’

‘Great idea, Nell.’

‘Don’t be silly, darling,’ Brenda chided, but the slight twitch at the edge of her eye showed them she was actually worried by this one.

‘Only kidding, Mum, but I’m still not a hundred per cent sure about this dress.’

‘What sort of thing would you like to try?’ asked the sales assistant, earning a glower from Brenda. The poor girl looked slightly terrified. Luckily, Nell had grown immune to Brenda’s evil-eye stare, having received so many of them over the years.

‘I think I’d like something vintage. Not actual vintage, obviously, I don’t think we can afford that—’

‘Of course we can afford it.’ Brenda’s high tinkling laugh was directed at the assistant. ‘But why pay an extortionate amount for second-hand when you can have something new and exquisite like this?’

‘I love those long gowns from the 1930s with all the beading and sequins—’

‘Sequins?’ Brenda squawked. ‘This isn’t a Seventies disco, Catherine.’

‘Or something shorter, like from the 1950s.’

‘You can’t wear a short wedding dress!’

‘I know exactly what you mean.’ The assistant nodded vigorously. ‘And I know just what will suit you. We’ve got some gorgeous dresses that I can picture you in already.’

The assistant sped away to some racks at the front of the shop and Brenda followed swiftly behind. Nell and Cat watched them both go and as soon as they were out of earshot, Cat said, ‘Help me out of this dress, will you? It’s absolutely killing me. It’s like being in a back brace.’

Nell followed her into the changing room and began to undo the dress. ‘Won’t the assistant tell me off for getting my grubby hands all over it?’

‘It’s either that or I faint.’

‘Then I don’t care if she tells me off.’

It took a minute to unfasten all the hooks and undo the corseting but then she was free. Cat relaxed and leaned against the changing-room wall in mismatching bra and knickers, sipping prosecco. Nell too enjoyed the feeling of the bubbles popping on her tongue and the insides of her cheeks.

‘Did you like that dress?’ Cat asked, completely at ease in nothing but her undercrackers. The heating was on in the bridal shop and with the glow of a mid-morning prosecco they were both perfectly comfortable.

‘It was beautiful, but I could tell from your eyes you weren’t blown away by it.’

‘I just want to be comfortable on my wedding day. I want to look nice too and of course I want Kieran’s jaw to drop when he sees me—’

‘Which it will because he loves you and you’re gorgeous.’

‘But I want to feel nice as well. I don’t see why I can’t have both. I mean, getting married at Holly Lodge feels perfect. I think my wedding dress should feel the same, shouldn’t it?’

‘Definitely.’ Nell pushed her long blonde hair back over her shoulder. ‘I mean, I don’t know anything about getting married, but that’s how I’d want to feel.’

When Cat had heard the news that the hotel was now licensed to host weddings, she and Kieran had insisted on having their whole day there. Nell had been beyond grateful and had been clear it wouldn’t bother her in the least if they decided to go somewhere else, especially as this would be her first one, but they were not to be dissuaded. The only hitch was, they’d set a date with terrifyingly short notice. Eight weeks from today to be exact. Just thinking about it made Nell’s stomach tense with worry, and it was already a bit fluttery with the excitement of the day and the glass of prosecco they’d drunk while choosing the first few dresses.

Adding weddings to her business was a pretty natural step considering Nell loved all things romance to a slightly manic degree. She loved seeing people happy on one of the most important days of their lives and the prospect of being instrumental in making that happen had forced her business plans forward, even when life had become difficult. Since the opening of the Langdon Mansion Hotel, a giant plush, swanky place with a ballroom and lounge bar, business had, unfortunately, fallen off a cliff, but indulging her love of love, Nell had decided to branch out into weddings in an effort to diversify her earnings. Cat and Kieran were having a Christmas wedding and as far as Nell was concerned, there was nothing more romantic than that. Refusing to let her thoughts linger on her business’s failing finances on such a joyous occasion, Nell instead mentally replayed the moment in 27 Dresses when Katherine Heigl tries on all the bridesmaids’ dresses showing them to James Marsden. It was one of her favourite moments in the film.

‘Earth to Nell. Earth to Nell, this is your friend Cat calling.’

‘You should definitely have both,’ she said quickly, picking up their conversation where she thought it had left off. She had a habit of wandering off into her own world. ‘And it’s your day, so you should have the dress you want. If you wanted an Eighties-style, giant, pink taffeta dress with a bow on the bum, huge puffy-out shoulders and a matching parasol, that’s what you should have and sod everybody else.’ Nell ran a hand over her heavy fringe making sure it wasn’t sticking up. The wind had whipped her hair into a full-on Eighties rock god style on the way to Brenda’s car, but nothing stopped her loving the colder weather. In summer, when the sea was calm and clear, the air carried a freshness and the scent of flowers. Now, the air was crisper and cleaner, and when the tide crashed onto the shore it filled your nose with a salty sting if you were brave enough to walk along the beach.

‘Did you hear anything I just said, Nell?’

‘Yes! I was listening. Anyway, that “this is your friend calling” was more like them doing the scores in Eurovision.’

‘Yeah, I know.’ Cat giggled and took another sip of her prosecco. ‘Isn’t Graham Norton just the best.’

‘He certainly is. Let’s have a toast to Graham Norton.’ They clinked glasses and Nell savoured the taste as it swirled around her mouth. ‘Just in case I misheard you, what did you say?’

‘See, I knew you weren’t listening.’ Cat studied her friend for a moment. ‘Were you imagining that bit in 27 Dresses when she opens her closet and shows James what’s-his-name – the cute one – all the dresses, then she tries them on.’

‘No.’ Nell’s cheeks began to burn, and she turned her attention back to the bubbling prosecco in her hands.

‘Yes, you were.’

‘Wasn’t.’

‘Was too.’

Nell met her eye and it twinkled with the excitement of the day. ‘Maybe a bit, but I couldn’t help it. It just popped into my head.’

‘You know that film off by heart and every other romcom ever made. Oh look, they’re coming back. Mum’s giving me the death stare for being in mismatched bra and pants. I bet she says something. Just wait.’

Brenda tottered after the assistant who had a number of exquisite dresses over her arm. From Nell’s position, she could see a pale rose-pink, floor-length 1930s gown with beading on the top and a long skirt of some wafer-thin material that floated as she walked towards them. At the bottom of the pile, there was a gorgeous 1950s ivory tea dress made of a heavily laced white fabric, complete with petticoat. Judging by the way Cat’s eyes brightened as she craned her neck to see, Nell had a feeling that was the one she would go for.

The sales assistant hung the dresses on the hooks around the wide dressing room. ‘I’ve double checked, and these are all available within your tight timescale. Which one shall we try first?’

They were all beautiful and totally different to the fairy-tale gown Cat had just tried on, and to the plain fishtail halter-neck before that, and to the one before that Brenda had insisted on which had long sleeves and looked like it should come with a wimple. Unsurprisingly, it didn’t suit Cat’s petite frame in the least and she looked like she was off to play Maid Marian. But it hadn’t been as bad as the other one Brenda had made her try on which was wider than the three of them put together and made Cat look like one of those old-fashioned fairy toilet roll covers.

‘That one,’ said Cat, pointing to the 1950s tea dress, gravitating towards it. ‘It’s gorgeous.’ The soft, lacy fabric slid through her fingers. She was captivated and Nell felt her chest burn with excitement.

Nell shuffled out of the room to give Cat some privacy but couldn’t help hearing Brenda whispering, ‘I told you to wear matching underwear, Catherine. Surely you have some?’

Cat mouthed the words ‘I told you so’ at Nell as Brenda stepped out of the assistant’s way and the curtain was closed in front of them. Nell had to bite her lip to stop the laughter escaping.

Moments later, Cat appeared in the dress and high heels the assistant had provided her with earlier. She skipped onto the platform and her face was aglow with joy. Just from the way she held herself, shoulders back and head held high, Nell could see this was the dress for her. She waited for Cat to speak.

‘This is it. This is the one. I love it.’ Her eyes were misting. ‘It’s perfect. Absolutely perfect!’

Nell felt tears sting her eyes and she and Cat looked at each other. ‘You look so beautiful, Cat. And I love it with your pink hair. You look amazing. Oh, come here.’ Nell ran forwards and Cat hopped off the pedestal to hug her best friend, both of them laughing and crying and fluttering their eyelashes to try and stop the tears from ruining their mascara.

‘She does look beautiful, doesn’t she?’ said the assistant enjoying the moment as much as the two best friends. Nell backed away from Cat and retook her position in the centre of the room to look at the dress again, while Cat’s gaze shifted to her mum.

Brenda’s fingers were pressed to her lips, but it was impossible to decipher what her expression meant. ‘It’s very nice, Cat, but don’t you think it’s more the type of thing someone would wear to a registry office wedding?’

‘So? What’s wrong with a registry office wedding?’ asked Cat. ‘If that’s what someone wants for their day, then they should have it and get hitched wearing whatever dress they want.’

‘Yes, but it’s not quite as …’ She searched for the right word. ‘Glamorous. Can’t you try on that ruffled one again?’

‘The last one?’ Cat asked, her voice tightening a little.

‘Yes. I mean if you insist on that 1950s one, we can just get you something like that from a normal shop. Those sorts of dresses are everywhere. But that beautiful gown you just tried on made you look so much taller—’

Nell saw her chance to step in. ‘I think the massive heels were doing that more than the dress, Brenda.’

‘Thank you, Nell. Have you told the assistant here that Holly Lodge is hosting weddings? They might be able to stock some business cards for you or something.’

‘Oh yes, Nell’s already been touch,’ the assistant replied.

Nell resisted the urge to stick her tongue out at Brenda. ‘The Love Heart Boutique are coming to the wedding fair I’m hosting, aren’t you?’

The sales assistant nodded.

Somehow, Brenda managed to speak through her gritted teeth. ‘Well, why don’t you go and talk to them about it?’

‘We can chat later, can’t we?’ Nell replied, eager to stay by Cat’s side. As much as she wanted to promote her business, she could do that after she’d dealt with this. Right now, she was too worried about where this conversation was heading. She wanted to be there for Cat for moral support. While she didn’t particularly love the idea of being on Brenda’s bad side – no one wanted to be, but a lot of people ended up there without doing very much at all – Cat was her best friend and the most important thing was that she came away from today with the dress she adored for that all-important moment when she pledged her life and love to another human being.

‘The thing is, Catherine,’ Brenda continued. ‘This is your wedding day, not just a party. You’ll only get this opportunity once—’