It was all Nigella’s fault really.
‘Enzo! Enzo!’ I try and call into the cold, crisp early morning. I pull my dressing gown around me and allow myself just a moment to listen to the silence that Christmas morning always seems to bring, and breathe in the familiar salty sea air. I look over the bay, the waves gently lapping their way up the shore, and a soft mist sitting just above the surface. Around the bay of Swn Y Mor, the houses are nestled into the hillside around the town with the church at its heart. Soft yellow lights are appearing in bedroom windows as the world begins to wake up on another Christmas Day. Just like me this time last year, before my entire future was whipped away, when Ben told me in the new year he’d met someone else and was moving out.
Enzo had been a Christmas present from Ben to me. A small bundle of fluffiness, that maybe he felt helped to ease his guilt, knowing he was leaving. I had to move out of the house too, but I love my little cottage here. A fisherman’s cottage looking out over the bay, in the middle of a row, just big enough for me and Enzo, although when he wags his tail he knocks everything flying around him. Next door, on one side is a family second home and the other side the cottage is rented for holidays. I can see the lights on in the kitchen as I creep out into the dark morning calling Enzo’s name, as quietly as I can.
‘Enzo! Where are you?’ I shiver, pulling my dressing gown around me. ‘I need to get to work! I’m going to be late at this rate!’ I reach the gate. He must have opened the gate on his own when I let him out first thing. He’s clever like that. He puts his paw in and shakes the gate until the latch jumps up and he’s out.
Denne historien er fra January 2020-utgaven av Womans Weekly Fiction Special.
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Denne historien er fra January 2020-utgaven av Womans Weekly Fiction Special.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
The Perfect Gift
The change to their Christmas plans was a shock, though it could teach them a lesson…
Christmas Is Coming
With all the mess, noise and disruption, she was seriously struggling to embrace the festive spirit
The Generation G-App
It was a lovely idea, but surely there was no way the project would become a successful reality?
The Christmas Tree
The cottage had no festive cheer, but could Jennie create the impression of Yuletide joy before it was too late?
We All Stand Together
If the plan failed, Joan wouldn’t be the only one having an unhappy Christmas
The Christmas Robin
Presents to buy, food to cook and a tree to decorate – could she create the perfect day?
Maudie's First Christmas
With all her dreams of a family Christmas dashed, it seemed that Ruth would have to adjust to a very different festive season this year...
Friends Like You
Leah was about to find out what sort of people she’d had in her life all these years…
Breaking Point
She hoped her children would start to compromise soon, or they were in for a distinctly frosty festive season
A CHAT WITH... Sarah Morgan
Well-known for her heart-warming family tales, Sarah Morgan’s latest novel is packed full of love and laughter. Here, she reveals how she comes to craft her characters and she gave her new release that sprinkle of festive magic...