BELINDA JONES TRAVEL CLUB
presents
SUNLOUNGER 2
COPYRIGHT
Sunlounger 2 © Belinda Jones
Cover Design © Samantha Pengelly
Edited by Harriet Bourton
Published by Notting Hill Press
Formatted by Polgarus Studio
All characters and events, other than those clearly in the public domain, are fictitious and any resemblance to any real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
The moral rights of the authors have been asserted.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior permission of the publisher.
DEDICATION
For all the Sunlounger Authors – you are my sunshine!
MESSAGE from BELINDA
Ready for some Beach Read Bliss? We have your summer reading sorted here at SUNLOUNGER HQ! 44 sun-kissed stories to spirit you away and make you feel you’ve been on the trip of a lifetime, all without leaving your sunlounger. (Or your sofa or your local café!) That’s the beauty of this short story collection – even if you’re not going further than your back garden this summer you will feel like you’ve had numerous adventures and holiday romances and may even find yourself getting a little tan from all the sunshine pouring off the pages!
This year we’ll take you diving in Grand Cayman, dancing on yachts in Monte Carlo, swanning around Parisienne patisseries and safari-ing in South Africa. You’ll even get to travel into the future – to Havana, Cuba in 2075! (But watch out for that seemingly idyllic Thai beach – the clue is in the story title: YOU’LL BE DEAD BY DAWN!) Yes, we have quite the range of stories this year – you’ll laugh, you’ll cry and you’ll never ever go to a dentist in Santorini. (Read Anna-Lou Weatherley’s dastardly story to find out why!)
As well as 24 authors from the original SUNLOUNGER anthology we have plenty of new scribes on board including Tracy Bloom, Milly Johnson, Alexandra Potter, Janey Fraser, Jo Carnegie, Matt Dunn, Juliette Sobanet, CL Taylor and Jessica Adams from the War Child anthologies.
And if you’ve yet to check out the first SUNLOUNGER collection click away and you’ll discover jet-set stories from Victoria Fox, Alexandra Brown, Abby Clements, Kate Harrison, Miranda Dickenson and many, many more.
QUESTION: How would you like to see your name alongside all these fabulous authors?
Each year we run a competition to discover hot new writing talent. The first year Holly Martin was the winner with ONE HUNDRED PROPOSALS and she went on to be signed by Harlequin’s Carina and zoomed to #5 in the Kindle Chart with her debut women’s fiction title THE GUESTBOOK. You could be next – email us at sunloungerstories@gmail.com for entry details for the SUNLOUNGER 3 competition publishing Summer 2015.
You can also find out more at our special website featuring fun interviews with all the authors as well as a ton of bonus material – basically everything you need to make this your Best Summer Ever!
Website – www.sunloungerstories.com
Facebook: Belinda Jones Travel Club
Twitter: @belindatravels
Email: Sunloungerstories@gmail.com
So there we have it! If you love women’s fiction, romantic comedies, escaping on holiday and sipping cocktails on the beach, SUNLOUNGER is for you!
Enjoy the read! Belinda xx
Contents
JESSICA ADAMS – The Kangaroo Suit
KATIE AGNEW – The Wrong Suitcase
VALERIE-ANNE BAGLIETTO – Pandora & The Music Box
HANNAH BECKERMAN – Hinterland
ROSIE BLAKE – Singapore Fling
TRACY BLOOM – A Costume Drama
LAUREY BUCKLAND – Magic Eight
JO CARNEGIE – The Party Boat
LISA DICKENSON – How To Have Your Best Summer Ever!
POPPY DOLAN – Connecting Flights
CARRIE DUFFY – Partners in Crime
MATT DUNN – Alone in Catalonia
ELLA FAIRLIE – Days of Miracles & Wonder
JANEY FRASER – The Hotel Room
SOPHIE HART – Artistic Flair
EMMA HEARD – In Bruges
PERNILLE HUGHES – Midsummer Madness
MOLLY HOPKINS – Summer Secrets & Surprises
TONY HORKINS – The Star Man
MARGARET JAMES – The Best Gift Of All
MILLY JOHNSON – You Don’t Bring Me Flowers
BELINDA JONES – Capri Blue
LUCY LORD – Trading Up in Tuscany
CHRISSIE MANBY – Going Nowhere
LOUISE MARLEY – An Accidental Proposal
HOLLY MARTIN – Beneath The Bay Bridge
MARTEL MAXWELL – Anything Else
NIGEL MAY – A Lost Night In Louisiana
CRESSIDA MCLAUGHLIN – Earth, Water, Fire & Air
ROISIN MEANEY – A Blood Lily From Moses
KIRI MILLS – Currywurst Convert
NICOLA MORIARTY – Chances Are
ALEXANDRA POTTER – Dreams of Pushkar
WENDY RIGG – Like A Waterfall
TALLI ROLAND – Sandals & Sangria
RUTH SABERTON – The First Last Dive
JULIETTE SOBANET – The Paris Journal
KATIE STEPHENS – Soaring Hearts
CL TAYLOR – You’ll Be Dead By Dawn
JO THOMAS – Bride Comes Before A Fall
STEPHANIE WAHLSTROM – The Accidental Bridesmaid
ANNA-LOU WEATHERLEY – The Dentist
JULIA WILLIAMS – In Paris, With You
The Kangaroo Suit
***
Jessica Adams
DESTINATION: Tasmania
Amanda stared at the dining table. Apple pie. Home-made apple cider. She had come to Tasmania to pick apples on her aunt and uncle’s farm for the summer, but she had not expected to eat them every day as well. Maybe they did it to save money, she thought. Or perhaps they were just mad. She didn’t know her mother’s brother very well. He and her aunt had emigrated when she was a baby.
Amanda knew it was wrong, but she was dying to go home. After two months in Tasmania, she was too hot, too bored and too hungry, largely because of the apples. This part of Australia was so backward – even the pregnancies in Eastenders were nine months behind. Her holiday so far had involved standing on a ladder, picking fruit and wondering if she would ever save enough money to see the rest of Australia.
Amanda sorted out the morning post in the empty house – her aunt and uncle had taken a horse to the vet. There was nothing for her. It was Valentine’s Day and no miracle had yet occurred. When she heard a knock at the door, she wondered for a minute if it might be an enormous surprise bouquet – but instead she found herself staring at a gigantic koala. Or rather, someone wearing a fluffy koala suit.
‘G’day, I’m collecting for the Forests Society. Would you like to help save the forests?’ The koala, who was male, shook a bucket, covered in stickers.
‘What forests? Tasmanian forests?’ Amanda asked, then wished she hadn’t.
The tall koala reached into his rucksack and produced a pile of brochures.
‘It sounds as if you’re not from here. Maybe I could tell you about it.’
Amanda stared as the koala took his head off and placed it on the doormat.
The man inside was about her age, sweaty, blon
de and tanned. He looked like a student. He took deep, grateful breaths of air then wiped his face with his paw.
‘It must be hot in that koala suit. Do you want an apple juice?’ Amanda asked.
‘Fan-bloody-tastic,’ he said, not sounding like a marsupial at all.
The koala introduced himself as Josh while Amanda looked in the fridge.
He was a good talker, she realised. No wonder the Forests Society had put him on commission to get donations out of people. He even had a card machine.
‘I can give you some spare change but that’s all,’ Amanda shrugged. ‘Sorry.’
‘No worries,’ Josh said, giving her a big smile. ‘I’m a bit skint myself.’
‘I might just take this off,’ he suggested, peeling off his damp koala suit. Underneath he was wearing cut-off jeans and a University of Tasmania rowing T-shirt. They both reached for the apple juice at the same time and bumped hands.
Amanda noticed a Chinese tattoo on his arm. He was so not her type. She had not come to Tasmania to look for love but, still, it had been hard to resist hoping.
‘We all dress up as different animals,’ Josh explained. ‘I’m the koala, my girlfriend is a kangaroo.’ He assumed a serious voice. ‘Deforestation hurts us all.’
Amanda wondered what his girlfriend was like. Probably just like him.
‘What part of England are you from?’ he asked.
‘London,’ she replied. ‘I’m at the University of London. I’m on a gap year.’
‘By the way, I think my girlfriend’s having an affair,’ Josh said, drinking the juice.
‘Who with?’
‘The possum. I don’t know his name. He’s got a possum suit. He’s a wanker.’
‘What makes you think they’re having an affair?’
‘She forgot Valentine’s Day,’ he shrugged. ‘And I saw them on a hay stack.’
‘Do you realise you’re the first person under fifty I’ve met so far?’ Amanda said.
‘Yeah. You’re in the sticks out here. Come to Hobart. You can meet my friends.’
‘I can’t drive,’ Amanda said. ‘There’s no bus.’
‘I’ll give you a lift now if you like,’ Josh offered. ‘I’m coming back later.’
‘Oh. Well, OK, then. Thanks.’
Josh picked up his koala head and costume and they walked to his car. It was orange with a snapped-off aerial and several Forests Society stickers.
‘So why are you out here?’ he asked, as he moved brochures off the front seat.
‘My aunt and uncle offered,’ Amanda replied. ‘Mum paid for my air fare.’
‘Sweet,’ Josh said, as the car wobbled out of the driveway and onto the highway.
‘I’m trying to earn money to get to Sydney. Or Melbourne,’ Amanda said.
‘Yeah,’ Josh tapped the side of his nose. ‘Shopping. Girls need to shop.’
Amanda frowned. He supposed he had her down as some London shopaholic whose life revolved around shoes and blue cocktails. Annoyed, she pulled her ponytail out and snapped the elastic band hard around her wrist.
‘Actually I want to go to Sydney to see the art galleries,’ she said.
‘Art? Is that what you do at uni in London?’ Josh asked, opening the window.
‘Nope. I’m doing economics. But I like modern art.’
‘How come you’re broke if you’re doing economics?’ Josh grinned.
Amanda ignored him and pulled her hair back into a ponytail again.
‘I’m flirting with you,’ Josh reassured her, patting her on the knee. ‘Relax.’
‘Only because your girlfriend the kangaroo is having an affair with the possum.’
‘Look!’ he interrupted her, pointing through her window. ‘Cows getting laid!’
Amanda rolled her eyes.
‘Pity we can’t just go for it when we feel like it,’ Josh said, ‘in a paddock.’
Amanda was not an economics student for nothing. She was used to doing calculations in her head and she was doing them now, about Josh. On the plus side he liked her. It looked like he might split up with the kangaroo. He had a car and he could drive her around. On the minus side, he had piles of laundry all over the back seat, a tattoo on his arm – and her virginity was too precious.
Amanda was not the only girl in her group of friends in London to remain a virgin, but she was the most determined to wait until she found love. Caught between university and the real world, she was aware that this might be unrealistic.
‘There’s a protest on in Hobart at eleven o’clock if you want to come,’ Josh said.
‘What are you protesting about? The forests? The animals? Or just life?’
‘Ha. Anyway, a few of us are going to the pub later. If you feel like it.’
‘Are you going to drive me home when you’re over the limit?’ Amanda warned.
‘Well you can always stay with me,’ Josh smiled. ‘Just a suggestion.’
A police car appeared in the rear-view mirror behind them, honking furiously.
‘They’re waving at you,’ Amanda yelped, trying not to panic. ‘Josh! Stop!’
‘I know, I know,’ he slowed down, sighing. ‘I was arrested on a demo last week up near Strahan. I wondered when they’d find me. Bugger. That’s a $30,000 fine I don’t have. I might even have to go to jail if I can’t pay it. Which means I will.’
Josh edged the rusty orange car onto the side of the road and turned the car radio on. As they heard Coldplay, Amanda suddenly realised who Josh reminded her of. A taller, tanned, scruffier version of Chris Martin. As the police stopped a few metres behind them, Josh reached for her hand. When he pulled her head gently towards his and kissed her, Amanda felt herself giving in.
‘If I’m going to go to jail then I want to kiss you before I go,’ he whispered.
Then a policeman rapped sharply on the window and Josh opened the door, to discover that he was over the speed limit and cameras on the bridge just behind them, back near the amorous cows, had recorded them. He got out of the car to fill in a form, while Amanda licked her lips. He tasted of oranges and herbs.
Coldplay were replaced by Fleetwood Mac on the radio and Josh got back in the car, shaking his head.
‘So that’s 150 bucks and three demerit points. But they didn’t recognise the car number plate,’ he grinned. ‘So I’m not going to jail any time soon.’
He squeezed Amanda’s hand again and she tried not to notice his tattoo.
‘I’m going back to England at the end of the month,’ she explained, as he drove slowly and carefully into Hobart.
‘That’s OK, I’m probably going away myself. Up north. With my girlfriend.’
‘If the possum hasn’t gone off with her,’ Amanda said, trying to sound casual.
‘That bastard!’ Josh joked, pulling a face and putting his hand back on the wheel.
He parked the car at Salamanca Place, the only part of Hobart Amanda knew. Following him into a dark pub with fans on the ceiling she tried not to mind too much when she saw a kangaroo outfit draped on a chair, near a blonde woman.
‘Hello, baby,’ the blonde woman said, hugging Josh. She was short, her hair in plaits.
‘Hello, baby,’ Josh replied while, stricken, Amanda checked her phone.
A Japanese woman came up to them and a group hug followed. Amanda twitched.
‘This is Marcia,’ Josh introduced the woman with plaits ‘and her partner Rosie.’
‘Your girlfriend’s gone, Joshua,’ the blonde woman sighed. ‘I’m so sorry. She left the kangaroo suit. No note. I don’t suppose you know anybody who’d be interested, though? Someone who wants to save some virgin rainforest?’
About the Author
Jessica Adams is the author of several novels for Black Swan and a team editor on the Girls' Night In and Kids' Night In series in aid of War Child.
She is a Contributing Editor at Cosmopolitan and the online astrologer for Harper's Bazaar.
Website: www.jessicaadams.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/@jessicacadams
Girls Night In anthology benefitting War Child: www.girlsnight.in
Visit www.sunloungerstories.com to discover more about the authors and their story destinations.
We have everything you need to make this your best summer ever!
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The Wrong Suitcase
***
Katie Agnew
DESTINATION: South of France
Lara stood shivering on the damp pavement, with her coral-tipped, toe-ringed toes turned towards each other slightly, as if they were trying to escape from the rain. Her gold thong sandals were waterlogged and their shine had been dulled by the grime of a particularly soggy June day, even by West Country standards. Her long blonde waves had clumped into damp ringlets and stray wisps of fine hair clung to her wet cheeks like cobwebs. She wasn’t wearing a jacket. She wouldn’t dream of such a thing. Whatever the weather forecast said, she was far too optimistic by nature to ever bother with outerwear once the May bank holiday had passed. Neither did she appear to own an umbrella. In Lara’s world, the sun was always just about to burst out from behind the clouds. It was why she always refused to check the weather on her phone. She thought she could will the grey skies to turn blue.
‘Gorgeous dress,’ said Tash, from the relative shelter of her open front door. ‘Although you do realise it’s completely see-through when it’s wet!’