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Christmas at the Comfort Food Cafe
Debbie Johnson
‘Full of quirky characters, friendship and humour, you will devour this engaging and heartwarming novel in one sitting’ – Sunday ExpressBecca Fletcher has always hated Christmas but she has her reasons for being Little Miss Grinch. Now, though, she can’t avoid her version of ho-ho-hell – because she’s travelling to the Comfort Food Cafe to spend the festive season with her sister Laura and her family. She’s expecting mulled wine, 24-hour Christmas movie marathons and all kinds of very merry torture.Little does Becca know that the Comfort Food Cafe is like no other place on earth. Perched on a snow-covered hill, it’s a place full of friendship where broken hearts can heal, new love can blossom and where Becca’s Christmas miracle really could happen – if only she can let it…What readers are saying about Christmas at the Comfort Food Cafe:‘Like a mug of hot chocolate with marshmallows – warm, melting your heart and cheering’ On My Bookshelf‘A treat to read at anytime of the year, but even more perfect with Christmas approaching’ Books and Me‘Full of friendship and village community spirit, beautiful scenery, romance and fun’ Bookworms and Shutterbugs
Christmas at the Comfort Food Café
DEBBIE JOHNSON
A division of HarperCollinsPublishers
www.harpercollins.co.uk (http://www.harpercollins.co.uk)
HarperImpulse an imprint of
HarperCollinsPublishers
1 London Bridge Street
London SE1 9GF
www.harpercollins.co.uk (http://www.harpercollins.co.uk)
First published in Great Britain by HarperImpulse 2016
Copyright © Debbie Johnson 2016
Cover images © Shutterstock.com (http://www.Shutterstock.com)
Cover layout design by HarperCollinsPublishers
Cover design by Alex Allden
Debbie Johnson 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.
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and Pan-American Copyright Conventions.
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written permission of HarperCollins.
Ebook Edition © September 2016 ISBN: 9780008205881
Version 2018-02-15
PRAISE FOR DEBBIE JOHNSON (#u96bb0d1d-ccc5-57a2-8c19-a4bcd4afde83)
‘Full of quirky characters, friendship and humour, you will devour this engaging and heartwarming novel in one sitting’
Sunday Express
‘A lovely, emotion-filled, giggle-inducing story’
Milly Johnson
‘Everything I hoped it would be and more’
Becca’s Books
‘My new favourite author’
Holly Martin
‘Fans of Paige Toon will enjoy this beautiful story’
Erin’s Choice
‘Funny, raunchy, and heartwarming…Buy it. Read it. Tell your friends about it’
Hello Chick Lit
‘I’ve got nothing but love for this amazing novel and its author’
Spoonful of Happy Endings
‘I laughed, screamed in frustration and felt the truly happy feeling that you get when you turn the final page of a great story…Bridget Jones eat your heart out’
Lisa Talks About
‘A beautifully addictive read’
Reviewed the Book
Table of Contents
Cover (#ucd65fbd5-a09b-5433-8924-66035d1d253b)
Title Page (#u4a7ae735-d1ee-589f-b977-35463d93520a)
Copyright (#u7c071551-601a-573a-901a-022ad70ba7d0)
Praise for Debbie Johnson (#u1ea3fc43-1bae-5be6-b275-66bd70abd665)
Author Note (#ub9a0fbac-0c1f-558d-a0be-3e5ff8f907fe)
Part 1: Christmas Past: the Fletcher household, Manchester (#uf8e3d61d-8d67-51d9-bb67-b95fee6f0837)
Chapter 1 (#u5ff616a3-9327-5af5-b148-074cd403d39d)
Part 2: Christmas Present – Dorset (#u2d98ed13-0918-592b-b22f-77aebdfaddb6)
Chapter 2 (#u676b926e-7163-532e-a4a8-b5fe65ae3da5)
Chapter 3 (#u61891b4a-4071-565a-9604-e7683d5a3f31)
Chapter 4 (#u1cd493a5-f94f-5005-adfb-6b8740ddf7f3)
Chapter 5 (#ud8d789ac-5c8a-59f8-b971-270ab42bb1fc)
Chapter 6 (#u0003eee3-6572-5179-b7d2-9813f34294db)
Chapter 7 (#u417870d9-b2df-5d6f-9497-f4b65fc40ff4)
Chapter 8 (#u33362d95-4190-5e75-a662-b60c34725967)
Chapter 9 (#u9b34ad68-1f50-5ecd-b02c-694d0b8b01bd)
Chapter 10 (#ubf058caa-f93b-5a0a-98a3-2457b2242d9a)
Chapter 11 (#uc103ab2c-9423-5035-9bea-7ea524104c64)
Chapter 12 (#u04d2b1ed-b0b0-5c1b-bd1f-6aa01a3cc809)
Chapter 13 (#ue0564893-005c-5c89-87c8-6f58058656e7)
Chapter 14 (#u215347d1-0eab-5aa5-9d5e-878a101cc920)
Chapter 15 (#u0aecc83e-bb85-5567-92f0-8f720394d86c)
Chapter 16 (#u4e8ccc0a-1ad4-52a3-adbe-4ed2f3cc029f)
Chapter 17 (#u66a8cd33-42d3-5dc8-87a2-0665ec4661aa)
Chapter 18 (#u0b900e7e-8bf4-5a62-963f-23dec2fffb89)
Chapter 19 (#u17faa65c-bd01-5bf7-9622-be39a27d3394)
Chapter 20 (#u8b512ecd-7c3b-5c7f-b564-22b80a81064e)
Chapter 21 (#ue76f04b4-b6a7-53ea-8b9f-51004f7c99e6)
Chapter 22 (#u666094ee-36f0-518f-bd6d-b3b152018561)
Chapter 23 (#u03aeb698-6fc5-561b-8b7d-8d3362bfd00f)
Chapter 24 (#uc61aa1d4-256b-57f0-a3c6-33cd61a3db15)
Part 3: Christmas Future? (#u49fef8ae-06d2-5562-a055-8e3747ab1792)
Chapter 25 (#u77a83d9f-7001-5531-86f0-e863c896de48)
Chapter 26 (#uf9170e1e-c49c-5045-a3f7-565525f0b8fa)
Debbie Johnson (#ub02521d0-16c8-551e-b058-bc4cbc281ed7)
Also by Debbie Johnson (#u46076da6-80d3-5fdb-95c9-304c7575913b)
About HarperImpulse (#u5d65328f-8b08-5b2f-baaf-81e9c82da122)
About the Publisher (#uab3ab750-00c6-50d4-8127-0fa5212f8a29)
Author Note (#u96bb0d1d-ccc5-57a2-8c19-a4bcd4afde83)
For those of you who have already read (and hopefully enjoyed!) Summer at the Comfort Food Café, the majority of the characters in this latest book will be familiar to you. Old friends, even. For those of you who haven’t, don’t worry – this one will still make sense. At least, that’s the plan! While summer at our beautiful beachside café in Dorset focused on the story of Laura and her children, Nate and Lizzie, and was told from Laura’s perspective, this story is told by her sister, Becca. We only met Becca via phone in the first instalment, but she was always one of my favourite characters – I hope you enjoy meeting her in person, and seeing the Comfort Food Café through her very different eyes. Becca’s not always as easy to love as Laura – but she’s always fun!
PART 1 (#u96bb0d1d-ccc5-57a2-8c19-a4bcd4afde83)
Chapter 1 (#ulink_fdd692d3-39ee-5a04-9a2d-e10c3d31fb65)
December 25, 1987
Fizzy, the Twinkle-Eyed My Little Pony, is a rare and beautiful creature. She has a turquoise body and pink eyes and a silky-soft flowing mane. Fresh out of the box that morning, straight from Santa, she should be galloping across the matching My Little Pony duvet cover that is spread over Laura’s single bed.
She should be neighing and singing and giggling with her friends, Applejack and Lily and Starflower the Rainbow Pony.
