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A Season of Hopes and Dreams
Lynsey James
A heart-warming romance about hopes and dreams, perfect for fans of Carole Matthews, Milly Johnson and Cathy Bramley.A season of second chances…It’s been a difficult year for Cleo Jones. The car accident that crushed her leg didn’t just destroy the village baker’s dreams of becoming a dancer, but crushed her confidence too. And recovering from that has been harder than healing from any number of broken bones…But this season is going to be different. Life is turning around for Cleo! Maybe it’s the invitation from her childhood bully to their high-school reunion that’s shocked her out of a ten-year slump. Or joining Carb Counters and finally starting to shed the weight she’d piled on during her recovery – or maybe it’s catching the eye of her gorgeous personal trainer!Whatever the answer, this is going to be a feeling she never forgets… watch out world, Cleo Jones is finally fighting back!Praise for Lynsey James'I loved that Lynsey made me so invested in the characters. They all have their quirks and their flaws; they made me laugh, they made me cry and they made me want to scream at my Kindle. Fantastically real.' – Jenny in Neverland‘A feel-good contemporary romance with a difference. Lynsey’s writing style kept me captivated, right to the very end.’ – Reviewed the Book‘Just the Way You Are is a beautiful little story with an ending that was sublime.’ – Book Addict Shaun‘A breath of fresh air. Lynsey James has a flare for writing captivating characters, and has produced wonderful novels.’ – Into the Bookcase‘This charming story is heart-warming, witty and romantic!’ – Rae Reads‘It was a wonderful festive tale absolutely perfect for this time of year!’ – Becca’s Books‘I loved this book and finished it in two days, it is very much unputdownable!’ – Whispering Stories‘An enjoyable summer read’ – The Belgain Reviewer‘A lovely read, which would be perfect for some light holiday reading.’ – Portobello Book Blog
A Season for Second Chances…
It’s been a difficult year for Cleo Jones. The car accident that crushed her leg didn’t just destroy the village baker’s dreams of becoming a dancer, but crushed her confidence too. And recovering from that has been harder than healing from any number of broken bones…
But this season is going to be different. Life is turning around for Cleo! Maybe it’s the invitation from her childhood bully to their high-school reunion that’s shocked her out of a ten-year slump. Or joining Carb Counters and finally starting to shed the weight she’d piled on during her recovery – or maybe it’s catching the eye of her gorgeous personal trainer!
Whatever the answer, this is going to be a feeling she never forgets… watch out world, Cleo Jones is finally fighting back!
A heart-warming romance about hopes and dreams, perfect for fans of Carole Matthews, Milly Johnson and Cathy Bramley.
Also from Lynsey James (#ulink_521ceacf-89e7-5da7-b6ed-20afee011a27)
Just the Way You Are
The Broken Hearts Book Club (Luna Bay Book One)
The Sunflower Cottage Breakfast Club (Luna Bay Book Two)
The Silver Bells Christmas Pantomime (Luna Bay Book Three)
A Season of Hopes and Dreams
Lynsey James
ONE PLACE. MANY STORIES
LYNSEY JAMES was born in Fife and is an incurable bookworm. A careers adviser at school once told her writing wasn’t a “good option”, so Lynsey has tried a little bit of everything, including make-up artistry, teaching and doing admin for a chocolate fountain company. Now, she finally has fulfilled her dream and is writing full-time. When not writing, eating cake or drinking tea, she’s daydreaming about the day Matthew Gray Gubler finally realises they’re meant to be together. It’ll happen one day… Follow her on Twitter at @Lynsey1991 (http://twitter.com/@Lynsey1991)
I’d like to thank my lovely family – Mum, Dad, Kyle, Gran and Dixie – for always being there, always being supportive and believing in me every step of the way.
My gorgeous best friend, Jen. “Some girls know all the lyrics to each other’s songs” and I couldn’t be happier that we know the lyrics to each other’s. Thank you for being my life counsellor, Netflix partner in crime, all-seasons friend and everything in between.
Jodie, you’re absolutely awesome. Without you tagging me in Friends memes, my life would be a lot darker. Mexican Day will always be ours.
Aoife, thank you for helping to bring Scott Robinson to life. I’ll be in touch about your cut…
Andi, aka the other half of Team Cheerleader. It’s thanks to you that I have enough book ideas to keep me going until I’m eighty! You’re always so lovely and positive, and help me see the good in myself when I can’t.
Victoria, this is our fifth book together and I can’t thank you enough for giving me the opportunity to share my stories with everyone.
Sarah, thank you so much for being a wonderful agent. This is our first book together and I can’t wait to create more stories with you.
To the super-secret writing group, you are all superstars and I feel so lucky to know such a talented, supportive bunch of people.
To everyone who’s bought, read and hopefully loved my books: THANK YOU SO MUCH. I couldn’t do this without you all.
This book is for everyone who’s ever felt a little bit like Cleo. Keep chasing your dreams and remember that you are always enough.
Contents
Cover (#u08ea40e6-a4f7-5ec6-b4f1-a432666dec3c)
Blurb (#u574affa0-b37d-5443-9130-2f7509cd6096)
Book List (#ulink_a2dd11da-5c72-56c1-bf63-6b5bd24a61c5)
Title Page (#u691c7928-4e78-5d50-a7a0-7ea5fde8b41c)
Author Bio (#u6b0f55a5-8394-574b-a38f-eaea03403ee1)
Acknowledgements (#uc08bda40-c4ed-55c5-9820-6c900874322a)
Dedication (#u84a31e86-95e1-5d44-a033-aa1918567df5)
Chapter One (#ulink_c8dff785-335b-5145-ba1f-d3f067f92a52)
Chapter Two (#ulink_f955fa02-ea37-5dfa-aef6-cfeb4631e550)
Chapter Three (#ulink_ea2639c2-22a9-5eaa-89ab-c5406629551e)
Chapter Four (#ulink_5f858f6f-2c0d-50e5-a067-4a654ec44040)
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Excerpt (#u1d35a1c6-f0cf-558c-843c-d344dc0b5469)
Endpages (#ub8f18cf6-699f-56ea-bab6-12c7e2de9d9a)
Copyright
Chapter One (#ulink_ea30c19a-a209-5580-afeb-129a6b987906)
The story I’m about to tell you starts with the clatter of a letterbox.
My letterbox, to be precise.
I spring up from the sofa as soon as I hear it. Today will be the day, I say to myself, the day everything finally falls into place. I race down the hall to the front door, almost slipping on the wooden floor, and gather up the post waiting for me on the doormat. I excitedly flick past all the boring stuff like gas and phone bills until I reach the letter I’m looking for. In the top-right-hand corner are the words Little Stars Dance Studio.
Yes, yes, yes!
I slide my finger under the flap, but pause before opening it. This could be the moment my biggest dream is about to come true and I’m not sure if I’m ready. Are you ever really ready for the big moments in your life?
I close my eyes for a second and visualise the words I want to see: we’d like to invite you for an interview. Those eight words will bring me a step closer to teaching dance, like I’ve always wanted to do. It’s the umpteenth trainee position I’ve applied for, but I have a good feeling about this one. It’ll let me study for my teaching qualification while building up my experience and earning money. It’s my dream job.
There’s only one way to find out what the letter says. I rip it open and unfurl it, my insides jumping with anticipation. I have a good feeling about this letter and although I’ve had the same feeling with so many others, I’m hopeful that this time will be different.
Except it isn’t.
In just a few seconds, my dream of being a dance teacher is dashed once again. It’s another “thanks, but no thanks” letter.
Ouch.
There’s an old song that goes a little something like this: every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.
It’s hard to remember that when you’ve just been rejected from your dream job, though.
I heave a deep sigh as my eyes scan the letter again. Key words and phrases jump out at me: lack of experience, stronger candidates, good luck with your future endeavours. I’ve seen them all before, but that doesn’t mean they hurt any less this time round.
Dear Miss Jones,
On behalf of Little Stars Dance School, I’d like to thank you for taking the time to apply for our Trainee Dance Teacher vacancy. Unfortunately, we are unable to progress your application any further at this time. This is a challenging, dynamic role and we felt that other candidates offered stronger dance backgrounds. Also, your lack of teaching experience may mean you’re not suited to such a demanding role at the moment. It might be an idea to build up your experience before applying for further roles. Good luck in your future endeavours.
Yours sincerely,
Lynne Penman
With a heavy heart, I shove the rejection letter into my desk drawer and throw my head into my hands. Although Little Stars is the latest in a long line of dance studios to turn me down, I can’t help feeling deflated. With every “thanks, but no thanks” rejection I get, my dream of being a dance teacher moves that little bit further away. A tiny spark of hope rises in my chest every time I send off an application, as I allow myself to believe this latest job will be “the one”. The optimism may seem strange, maybe even silly, but it’s been my dream for so long I can’t give up on it. Sadly, this time, as with all the other times, it wasn’t meant to be.
For now at least, it seems I won’t be Cleo Jones, dance teacher extraordinaire.
*
You know the saying “misery loves company”?
Well, it was practically made for my mum.
I go over to my parents’ house to fill them in on my latest dance school rejection and, from the moment my eyes meet my mum’s, I can tell she’s dying to say “I told you so”. She’s perched on the sofa with her patented “I told you so” expression firmly in place: arms folded, brow furrowed and a disapproving look in her beady blue eyes.
‘Let me guess,’ she says with a heavy sigh, ‘it was another no.’
I swallow back the tears threatening to completely engulf me, and manage a nod. ‘How’d you guess?’
At this point, most mums would envelop you in a hug, offer you a cup of tea, and tell you everything’s going to be OK. Not my mum, though: instead, she folds her arms, furrows her brow and shakes her head.
‘I said it wasn’t a good idea to apply for any more dancing jobs, didn’t I? I said you were wasting your time, and now look! You need to give up on being a dance teacher, Cleo; it’s obviously not going to happen and you know why.’
She fixes me with a pointed look and I take a sharp breath inwards. ‘I know, Mum. You don’t have to remind me about my accident every five minutes. I was in a car crash and I broke my leg in two places; I’m not likely to forget that, am I? Remember what the doctor said, though: teaching’s still an option, I just can’t dance professionally.’
She rolls her eyes and mutters something about my burying my head in the sand and refusing to face facts. I bite my tongue and ball my hands into fists as I try to keep my cool. Mum’s known how to press my buttons for the last twenty-six years. Our eyes lock and the tension crackles and hisses between us. Sooner or later, one of us will snap.
Just as things are about to get heated, Dad ambles into the living room, bringing his trademark cheerful disposition with him. It’s a welcome relief from the tense atmosphere developing between Mum and me.
‘Everything OK?’ he asks. His smile falters a little when he sees my face. ‘Oh dear, another no for the dance teacher job then?’
Before I can answer, Mum jumps in. ‘What do you think? Of course it was a no! She hasn’t danced since that bloody accident; who’s going to hire her? She needs to give up and find something else she wants to do.’
