Chapter One

S o, this was it. Penworth Bay. Standing at the top of the ramp leading to the beach below, Erin held her hand up to shield her eyes from the sunrise and looked around. To one side, a cliff enclosed the sandy beach, which stretched across towards a lighthouse in the other direction. The early morning sunrise glistened across the blue water, a gentle breeze creating movement across the surface of the ocean.

It was stunning. No wonder Tim had decided to call this part of the world his home. Stepping aside, she sunk to the floor and dangled her legs over the edge of the promenade. Life would never be the same, would it?

Letting her holdall slip from her shoulder to the ground, she gripped the edge of the concrete wall. It wouldn't. She and Tim had known each other since their parents had become school gate friends. And they'd stuck together through all of life's chaos – friendship dramas, exams, their first forays into the world of relationships, job offers, promotions and, more recently, break-ups. Erin didn't know what she'd have done without Tim by her side during her split from Kyle. He'd supported her, been her tub of ice-cream and a chocolate bar hero. As she had for him when his relationship with Susie had endeda few months later.

She ran her fingertip across a dip in the concrete wall. Still, it was good that he was moving on, literally and figuratively. A fresh start was just what he needed. A new adventure to focus on, a new life to build.

Erin sighed. She was weeks away from her new start, too. The next chapter in her life awaited her over in America. Yes, she'd earned this promotion, this opportunity to transfer overseas, and she was determined to make the most of it. Who worked sixty to eighty-hour weeks and took work home? Someone recently unceremoniously dumped by her now-ex-husband, that's who.

Erin turned and watched a group of people walking excitedly across the promenade and walk past her down the ramp onto the beach below. One by one they dropped their bags to the sand, undressed down to swimsuits and trunks and ran into the ocean. Stifled whoops of delight and laughter filled the air as the group ventured further into the water.

She grinned and stood up. She was early. Still had a couple of hours until her new boss was expecting her. Well, her boss for the next four weeks, anyway. Now that would be weird. She'd only ever had one boss since leaving school, had worked her way up through the company in a whirlwind of sweat and tears. It would be strange answering to someone other than Kyle. In a good way. A very good way. It hadn't been easy answering to Kyle since their marriage ended.

Kicking her sandals off, she let her feet sink into the damp morning sand before slipping her oversized jumper over her head and wriggling out of her skirt. Yes, even though she was thankful that she and Kyle worked in different offices in different parts of the city, she looked forward to having these four weeks of not having to keep checking the diary and quickly rearranging meetings when Kyle's schedule required him to come to the office block she worked in.

Four glorious weeks of not thinking about him and how to avoid him in the world of work as well as around the city. Even though she'd been the one to give up their once favourite haunts - favourite bar to drink at, places to shop and the coffee shop with the biggest choice of syrup flavours - from time to time she still found herself running into him. Or more accurately, catching sight of him out of the corner of her eye and quickly changing direction.

Bundling her clothes into a pile next to her holdall on the sand, she pulled the short vest top she was wearing lower and walked into the ocean, bracing herself for the all-encompassing cool of water not yet warmed by the summer sun.

As the water lapped around her ankles, she walked faster, her heart rate increasing and the adrenaline pumping with each step she took until she was completely immersed, only her head above the water. Closing her eyes, she leaned backwards and brought her legs up.

Lying there floating, she listened to the chattering and giggling around her. She hadn't been wild water swimming in almost a year, not since she and Kyle had split. The fact that his sister, her ex-sister-in-law, went to the same lake spot, had somewhat marred it for her. Not that she didn't like Cathy anymore. She did. She just wasn't quite sure what Kyle had told her about the breakup and as much as Kyle wasn't on her list of favourite people, he was still on her list of people she cared about and she didn't want to make life awkward for him or Cathy.

As she noticed the sea emptying, she swam back to the beach, her feet quickly finding the sand beneath the water. Now, that had been the perfect start to her time down here and a start to the day she hoped she could work into her daily routine.

Stooping down, she pulled a towel from her holdall, grateful she'd thought to pack one despite assuming that towels would be provided with her accommodation. It was a habit she'd picked up from her mum and had always brought at least one towel on any holiday she'd taken. A habit Kyle had always scoffed at but had served her well today after this impromptu wild swim. But now she really should head up to the bakery which would be her home for the next four weeks and see if she could grab a shower before opening time. She glanced up at the promenade and the row of shops positioned opposite the beach. The question was what time it opened and whether the owner, Elsie, would be awake yet.

Erin looked across to her right, where a couple were drying off. ‘How great was that?'

‘Honestly, it was a bit too cold for us.' The woman shivered.

‘Oh, that's what I love about it. It really wakes me up.' After pulling her oversized jumper over her wet top, Erin wriggled into her skirt and nodded up towards the promenade. ‘I don't suppose you know what time the bakery up there opens, do you? I've come to volunteer there, but I don't want to start hammering on the door and wake my new boss up.'

Grinning, the woman finished towelling her hair dry before shoving her towel in a large canvas bag. ‘Elsie, the boss, is already awake, baking in the kitchen with Teresa. We're heading that way now. Why don't you come with us? It's my last day there today.'

Ah, and there was the catch. The bakery had a high turnover of staff. ‘Really? Do I need to be warned about something?'

‘Not at all. I was just volunteering there, like you. I'm starting my new job tomorrow.' The woman took her partner's hand as they all walked across the beach towards the ramp leading up to the promenade. ‘You'll love it there. You can't beat the bakery family.'

She relaxed. ‘Well, that's a relief. I'm Erin. Nice to meet you.'

‘I'm Layla and this is Graham.'

‘Lovely to meet you both.' As the bakery came into view, Erin smiled. She was really looking forward to these few weeks, especially now that Layla had reassured her the bakery was a good place to volunteer.