In The Stars Part I, Episode 5: Taurus

By Debbie McGowan

The time has come to face up to what the future holds;
Andy steps up to the biggest challenge of his life; George breaks the bad news to Oliver;
Eleanor makes no bones about her feelings and kicks up a storm.

* * * * *

‘Taurus’ is the fifth episode of In The Stars. For those readers unfamiliar with the series, ‘Capricorn’ (episode one) re-introduces the main characters, so you could pick it up from here and perhaps catch up with the previous books later.

In The Stars explores the day-to-day lives of The Circle—nine friends from high school, now it their late thirties—following them through celebration, loss, illness and life-changing decisions.

Each episode covers the period of time indicated by the zodiac sign from which it takes its title.

The full novels of In The Stars Part I: Capricorn–Gemini and In The Stars Part II: Cancer–Sagittarius are also available for purchase (paperback/ebook).

In The Stars Part I is season four in the Hiding Behind The Couch Series.

The story follows chronologically from The Harder They Fall (Season Three), Crying in the Rain (Novel) and First Christmas (Novella). It continues in Breaking Waves (Novella) and In The Stars Part II (Season Five).

* * * * *

What readers say about the Hiding Behind The Couch Series:

“The remarkable characterisation in these novels is what makes them for me.”

“This story reminds me of my favorite movies about friendship and relationships.”

“Few authors have explored the depths of longtime friends within a group, or ‘circle’ the way Debbie McGowan has!”

“I have a love-hate relationship with Debbie McGowan’s Hiding Behind the Couch Series. I love to read them, I HATE it when they’re over.”

• Language: English
• Publisher: Beaten Track Publishing
• Release date: Apr 20, 2014
• ISBN: 9781909192652

Debbie McGowan

Debbie McGowan is an award-winning author of contemporary fiction that celebrates life, love and relationships in all their diversity. Since the publication in 2004 of her debut novel, Champagne—based on a stage show co-written and co-produced with her husband—she has published many further works—novels, short stories and novellas—including two ongoing series: Hiding Behind The Couch (a literary ‘soap opera’ centring on the lives of nine long-term friends) and Checking Him Out (LGBTQ romance). Debbie has been a finalist in both the Rainbow Awards and the Bisexual Book Awards, and in 2016, she won the Lambda Literary Award (Lammy) for her novel, When Skies Have Fallen: a British historical romance spanning twenty-three years, from the end of WWII to the decriminalisation of homosexuality in 1967. Through her independent publishing company, Debbie gives voices to other authors whose work would be deemed unprofitable by mainstream publishing houses.

Book preview

In The Stars Part I, Episode 5: Taurus

Hiding Behind The Couch

Season Four

by

Debbie McGowan

SMASHWORDS EDITION

* * * * *

Copyright 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018 Debbie McGowan at Smashwords.

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/debbiemcgowan

This book is available in print at most online retailers.

Cover Design by Debbie McGowan

Licensed stock images: usage is not indicative

of the models’ identity, activities or preferences.

Zodiac Illustrations by Emma Pickering

http://www.beatentrackpublishing.com

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

* * * * *

This novel is a work of fiction and the characters and events in it exist only in its pages and in the author’s imagination.

* * * * *

The time has come to face up to what the future holds;

Andy steps up to the biggest challenge of his life; George breaks the bad news to Oliver;

Eleanor makes no bones about her feelings and kicks up a storm.

* * * * *

‘Taurus’ is the fifth episode of In The Stars. For those readers unfamiliar with the series, ‘Capricorn’ (episode one) re-introduces the main characters, so you could pick it up from here and perhaps catch up with the previous books later.

In The Stars explores the day-to-day lives of The Circle—nine friends from high school, now it their late thirties—following them through celebration, loss, illness and life-changing decisions.

Each episode covers the period of time indicated by the zodiac sign from which it takes its title.

The full novels of In The Stars Part I: Capricorn–Gemini and In The Stars Part II: Cancer–Sagittarius are also available for purchase (paperback/ebook).

In The Stars Part I is Season Four in the Hiding Behind The Couch Series. This book is also available as six separate episodes.

The story follows chronologically from The Harder They Fall (Season Three), Crying in the Rain (Novel) and First Christmas (Novella). It continues in Breaking Waves (Novella) and In The Stars Part II (Season Five).

* * * * *

Acknowledgements

Thank you to my wonderful proofreaders, Tracy and Andrea, for your persistence in / insistence on finding and then laughing at my dreadful mistakes, not to mention your extraordinary expertise in all matters, but in particular, those of bingo and health care! The Circle thank you, too!

***

‘Love Hearts’ used with kind permission:

Swizzels Matlow Ltd.

www.lovehearts.com

Excerpts from:

‘The Signs’, by Henry Van Dyke

The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Poems of Henry Van Dyke.

Hamlet, by William Shakespeare.

Reproduced under the terms of the

Project Gutenberg Licence.

www.gutenberg.org

‘Footprints In Your Heart’, by Eleanor Roosevelt;

also attributed as

‘Today is a Gift’, by Laszlo Kotro-Kosztandi.

Further bibliographic information unavailable.

* * * * *

Dedication

For my friends on the flat roof:

we steered a wayward ship,

lost and found God, glimpsed Satan,

didn’t learn a lot of Latin.

And for Powelly, rider on the storm.

Elf people, though, dude. Seriously?

* * * * *

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

Dedication

This Last Night: Sunday 23rd–Monday 24th April

Making Plans: Monday 24th April

Jeffries And Associates: Thursday 27th April

The Best Man: Monday 1st May

Breakstuff: Wednesday 3rd May

Fixing A Hole: Thursday 4th–Sunday 7th May

Madness: Monday 8th–Saturday 13th May

Achievement, Unlocked: Tuesday 16th May

The Story Continues

About the Author

By the Author

Beaten Track Publishing

* * * * *

In the magical universe there are no coincidences and there are no accidents. Nothing happens unless someone wills it to happen.

William S. Burroughs

* * * * *

Taurus

Rejoice, my friend, if God has made you strong:

Put forth your force to move the world along:

Yet never shame your strength to do a wrong.

This Last Night

Sunday 23rd–Monday 24th April

23:59

Andy: So tomorrow’s the big day!

Charlie: Yeah.

Andy: You excited?

Charlie: A little.

Andy: Only a little?

Charlie: A lot. Can’t wait.

00:03

Charlie: It’s been an awesome two weeks.

Andy: Agreed! Hope I haven’t been too miserable.

Charlie: Course not!

Andy: I have, haven’t I? Sorry.

Charlie: Don’t be. You’ve been fun! How are you feeling?

00:08

Charlie: Andy?

00:09

Charlie: Still there?

Andy: Yeah.

Charlie: OK.

00:11

Charlie: I shouldn’t have asked.

Andy: It’s fine.

00:15

Andy: Don’t want to do it.

Charlie: I know.

Andy: Just got to get on with it.

Charlie: Yeah.

Andy: Still don’t want to do it.

Charlie: You crying?

Andy: My words getting wet?

Charlie: Wish I could…

Andy: I know.

00:17

Charlie: But we’ve had fun, haven’t we?

Andy: Yeah. My knees are too old for this!

Charlie: Mine too!

Andy: Still, gave the old snowboard a good airing.

Charlie: True. Dry slopes totally suck.

Andy: Ha. Yeah.

Charlie: And if you need to talk, ever, you know where I am.

Andy: Yeah. Thanks.

Charlie: Promise?

Andy: Promise.

Charlie: OK.

00:25

Charlie: Got to go. It’s late.

Andy: No worries.

Charlie: Got to be up in five hours.

Andy: OK.

00:27

Andy: Thanks Charlie. Take care.

Charlie: You too. Night-night. Sleep tight. x

Andy: Night. x

***

George rubbed his eyes and yawned. Why are you still up? You do know it’s half past twelve?

Yes. Josh wheeled himself back from the computer and indicated to the screen. George crouched down and squinted to read.

Monday, 24th April

Dear Professor Belling,

Many thanks for taking the time to meet with me during the past few months. I am more than satisfied with the outcome of our discussions. To recap what we have agreed:

I will work for the university on a pro rata basis, equivalent to 0.8 of a full-time contract.

My employment will be as a senior lecturer, teaching across undergraduate and postgraduate courses, as pertinent to my academic specialism. I am contractually obliged to continue to contribute to the research excellence of the university.

I will also engage in