Tina's Terror: Primrose Valley, #2

By Rebecca Andrew

At thirteen, Tina had to say goodbye to her best friend and first love, Garrett.

Heartbroken, she thought she may never see him again.

Little did Tina know, fate had other plans.

Seventeen years after he said goodbye to Tina, Garrett is overjoyed to have her in his life once again.

He is powerless to stop the rush of emotions and rekindling of feelings he denied as a youngster.

An unknown threat targets Tina's loved one and she must try it figure it out before someone gets hurt.

After such a long time apart and a surprising reunion, they both have exactly what they want.

But will their happiness be short-lived?

This can be read as a standalone novel - but is part of a series.

This is an adult-only romance, with no cliff hanger.

Recommended readers 18years+ as it does contain some strong language, some violence and adult content.

It does touch on difficult themes.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rebecca Andrew
• Release date: Feb 20, 2019
• ISBN: 9781386939986

Rebecca Andrew

My name is Rebecca Andrew.  I live in the UK with my daughter Hannah.  I have always loved reading so it was only natural at some point I would write my own stories.  I really hope you enjoy my stories.  Keep an eye out for more of my works. 

Book preview

Synopsis

At thirteen, Tina had to say goodbye to her best friend and first love, Garrett.

Heartbroken, she thought she may never see him again.

Little did Tina know, fate had other plans.

Seventeen years after he said goodbye to Tina, Garrett is overjoyed to have her in his life once again.

He is powerless to stop the rush of emotions and rekindling of feelings he denied as a youngster.

An unknown threat targets Tina’s loved one and she must try to figure it out before someone gets hurt.

After such a long time apart and a surprising reunion, they both have exactly what they want.

But will their happiness be short-lived?

Also by Rebecca

Primrose Valley Series

Serena’s Secret

Tina’s Terror

Hope’s History

Charlie’s Concern

Layla’s Loyalty

Rose’s Return

Primrose Valley Collection One (Book 1-3)

Primrose Valley Collection Two (Book 4-6)

Brotherhood Billionaire Series

Francesca

Stranded with the Billionaire

Fling with the Billionaire (coming soon)

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without the written permission of the copyright owner except for the use of quotations in a book review.

Copyright © February 2019 by Rebecca Andrew

Cover Design by Rebecca Andrew

Cover Photo: ID 63876255 © Hrecheniuk Oleksii | Dreamstime.com

This is a work of fiction.

Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

This can be read as a standalone novel - but is part of a series.

This is a romance with a H.E.A and No cliffhanger.

It contains some strong language, some violence and adult content.

It does touch on difficult themes.

The Primrose Valley Series is written in British, English.

Chapter 1

Tina just couldn't work it out. No matter how many times she went through everything in front of her, it didn’t matter, something just didn't add up. It was almost six o’clock on a lovely spring, Friday evening, and rather than heading home to relax and enjoy her night, she was sat in the same chair, that she’d been in since she arrived at the Retirement Centre three hours ago.

Since Tina had arrived at Primrose Valley, she’d been a volunteer at the Retirement Centre, and recently she had taken over doing the majority of the books and paperwork for the place to run efficiently. She had quietly poured through all papers and the numbers just did not make sense. Not to mention, there was so much coffee in her system that sleep would be a long shot once she finally got home.

For once math and logic failed her.

That wasn't something she was used to. Tina had always been excellent at mathematics; it was one of her favourite subjects in school from a very early age. Problems, puzzles, equations were her thing. She had even made it her specialist subject in University during her teacher training. Which was why, for her to sit and not be able to work out what was going on with the medicines that had been ordered and what was in stock, made her uneasy.

She knew for a fact the medicines were ordered every month and the stock on site was kept locked away tight, only brought out when ready to be distributed to the residents.

There were only two choices.

One, someone had messed up on multiple orders which meant the invoices were printed wrong or two, the medicine was being stolen by someone who had access to the pharmaceuticals. That was a massive concern. The medication was expensive and if some were being stolen then there was a real risk that the Retirement Centre could be shut down. But she couldn’t just accuse someone without any proof, she would need to investigate this further and find out what was going on. She could be wrong. She hoped she was.

The Retirement Centre was situated on a large plot of land at the edge of the Valley. The surrounding area was filled with fields, greenery and woodland. There was a large lake that separated the woodland from the grounds, and huge willow trees grew sporadically along the banks. The residents of the centre would sit and watch as deer, elk and other woodland creatures came to graze and drink from the other side of the lake. It was a spectacular view.

It looked so elegant and sophisticated from the front, a pebbled drive led the way from the main road into the grounds and up to the large mansion styled building. Everything was clean-cut and symmetrical. On either side of the main entrance, there were identical fountains positioned on the grass. Each with more pebbles scattered around it.

The inside of the building was very much like a hotel lobby. There was the main reception where guests and visitors had to sign in when coming to see their relatives or inspect the grounds. Potted plants stood in all four corners of the room, beside each one there were a couple of comfortable armchairs. The floor was a simple green carpet, and the walls were a pastel green shade and dotted with still life artwork.

From there you then gained access to the shared rooms.

On the left-hand side of the floor, there was a huge communal area with large bay windows and honey-coloured walls. The windows let as much natural light in as possible, the floor was a beige carpet and there were matching beige curtains bordering each window. Sofas and cosy armchairs in an assortment of colours were scattered around the floor for the residents to sit in. A grand piano was sat in the bottom right-hand corner and there was a TV in the bottom left corner of the room. At the back, there were a couple of tables that were used for board games and other activities. Chess and poker were immensely popular with the residents there, especially the retired lawyers.

To the right, there was a large archway in the connecting wall, which led to a dining area, where they all sat together during mealtimes. Matching tables and chairs were scattered around and could comfortably seat at least six residents per table. Through a set of industrial style door, was the industrial style kitchen. The kitchen was massive, much bigger than an average restaurant. The local chefs helped cook the meals for the elderly, they took it in turns to cook and bake for the residents.

The back half of the building was locked and secured for residents and staff only. This was because it held the medical unit for emergencies, the staff room and the sleeping quarters for each resident; every bedroom had an ensuite bathroom to make sure they had complete privacy.

Just outside the back doors, there was a beautiful garden with an outside decking area. Varnished benches and patio tables with matching chairs were spread out along the deck for when the weather was nice. From the deck, you also saw a fantastic view of the lake and surrounding trees.

To the right, there was a greenhouse where the elderly could care for and tend to plant life and flowers, as well as grow fruits or vegetables. Next to the greenhouse, was a field designed for small outdoor activities like croquette, boules or yoga. A rose hedge went around the entire garden.

Tina loved working here, it was such a beautiful place and enjoyed nothing more than sitting with the residents and listening to old stories and tales of their lives. There was an elderly couple, the Dixon’s, they reminded her so much of her late grandparents that she tended to gravitate towards them whenever she saw them.

Mrs Elise Dixon had been a housewife all her life. She had spent her years raising her two children, and once they were grown and they’d moved away, she’d spent her days spoiling her grandchildren. She was a lovely lady, that had short, white, curly hair and light blue eyes. Considering she was eighty-five she acted like she was still fifty. She loved to garden and spent most of her days in the greenhouse, tending to fruits and roses, whilst her husband played boules for hours with other retired bus drivers.

Mr Bert Dixon, bless him, had been a bus driver all his life. He had just turned eighty-nine and he spent his golden years collecting gnomes, playing boules and making sure his wife had everything she wanted. Many of the stories he told, she thought were fiction, but he told them so well and with so much enthusiasm, that she couldn’t help listening to every single word he said.

They were a beautiful couple with a beautiful family, they made her dream of the kind of marriage and love she wanted out of her own life.

As well as a volunteer she also worked as a teaching assistant at the local high school, Primrose Academy, with her best friend Serena.

They had both lived in Primrose Valley, England, for nearly three years. The time had flown by and she honestly could not imagine living anywhere else, even with everything that went on with her friend.

Her brow furrowed at the thought.

It had been a scary couple of months and Serena had been through a horrendous ordeal. She had been beaten by a local man, all because she dared to help stop a child from being abused by him. Not only that, he then went on to set the school on fire whilst she was trapped within.

Thankfully, she had been rescued, but for a short time, Tina had been convinced she was going to lose another best friend. The school had been moved to the local community centre temporarily whilst it was repaired, they moved back into the school about two months ago.

It had been six months since the attack and Serena had dealt with the whole thing amazingly. She was now happily living with her fiancé and rescuer Ethan, as well as expecting her first child. She was in her third trimester of the pregnancy and she had finally healed fully from all her injuries. The broken ribs and the cheekbones weren’t so bad, it was the right femur that had taken six months to heal. It hadn’t helped that with the pregnancy she was heavier, but with Ethan by her side, Serena was doing very well, she couldn't be happier for her friend.

There was only one other time where she had truly felt this happy in her life. That was when she lived in Portree, Scotland. The place of her youth, most of her old friends and family were still there.

All but one.

She never dreamed she would see her childhood best friend again.

After he moved away, she lost all hope in her heart of ever seeing him again and had tried to avoid all thoughts of him to keep the pain away.

Did one ever get over the pain of losing their first best friend and their first love?

She thought after seventeen years she would be rid of the heartache and pain. How wrong she was.

About seven or eight months ago she had accompanied Serena on a school trip for career week. They had made their way to the local firehouse to see what it meant to be a firefighter.

And there he was.

Her oldest friend.

Her first love.

Garrett O'Conner.

It had been seventeen years since she last saw him, but there he was showing her class around the firehouse and being the usual class clown.

She was ashamed to say she hadn’t recognised him at first.

When she thought back, she couldn't fathom why it hadn't clicked the moment she saw him. Something deep inside had told her she knew him, but she just couldn’t work it out. Her heart had known who he was long before her mind made the connection, with Ethan's help, she had put it together.

He had the same forest green eyes and kind smile she had known all her young life. His short-cropped ginger hair had been longer when they were kids, but it was about an inch in length and all messy on top. He had the same strong chin, the same straight nose and the same cheeky smile that made her weak in the knees. She loved the broad shoulders and lean muscle of his body, even with it hidden beneath his fireman's t-shirt and combat pants, she could see it was there. She couldn't deny, at thirty-four he looked good, he looked even better than he did at fifteen.

Just thinking his name had tingles shooting up her spine and her lady parts tensed up. Even after all this time, it seemed those feelings were still there. Those feelings she thought she had forced out of her young heart had flooded back into her chest the moment they had re-connected.

Unable to cope with the rush of emotion for this man, and the memories she had kept and treasured out of fear of never seeing him again, the night they were reunited, she had cried herself to sleep. The pain was indescribable, and yet she was immensely happy to have him in her life once more.

She could remember every moment