Sunset over Brightwater Bay: Part four in the sparkling new series by Holly Hepburn!

By Holly Hepburn

**PART FOUR in the brand new series from Holly Hepburn, perfect for fans of Cathy Bramley and Katie Fforde**

On paper, Merina Wilde has it all: a successful career writing the kind of romantic novels that make even the hardest hearts swoon, a perfect carousel of book launches and parties to keep her social life buzzing, and a childhood sweetheart who thinks she’s a goddess. But Merry has a secret: the magic has stopped flowing from her fingers. Try as she might, she can’t summon up the sparkle that makes her stories shine. And as her deadline whooshes by, her personal life falls apart too. Alex tells her he wants something other than the future she’d always imagined for them and Merry finds herself single for the first time since – well, ever.

Desperate to get her life back on track, Merry leaves London and escapes to the windswept Orkney Islands, locking herself away in a secluded clifftop cottage to try to heal her heart and rediscover her passion for writing. But can the beauty of the islands and the kindness of strangers help Merry to fool herself into believing in love again, if only long enough to finish her book? Or is it time for her to give up the career she’s always adored and find something new to set her soul alight?

?The brand new series from Holly Hepburn, author of A Year at the Star and Sixpence. Parts one to four in the new series are available to pre-order now: BROKEN HEARTS AT BRIGHTWATER BAY, SEA BREEZES AT BRIGHTWATER BAY, DANGEROUS TIDES AT BRIGHTWATER BAY and SUNSET OVER BRIGHTWATER BAY

Praise for Holly Hepburn

'A fresh new voice, brings wit and warmth to this charming tale of two sisters' Rowan Coleman

'Warm, witty and laced with intriguing secrets!' Cathy Bramley

'You'll fall in love with this fantastic new series from  star of women's fiction, Holly Hepburn' Miranda Dickinson

'Sparkles with fun, romance, mystery, and a hunky blacksmith. It's a real delight' Julie Cohen

'Holly Hepburn has created the most delightful welcome to what promises to be a brilliant series' Kate Harrison

'Warm, witty and utterly charming' Cally Taylor

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
• Release date: Oct 29, 2020
• ISBN: 9781471189029

Holly Hepburn

Holly Hepburn is the author of seven novels including The Little Shop of Hidden Treasures, Coming Home to Brightwater Bay, and A Year at the Star and Sixpence. Follow her on twitter at @HollyH_Author.

Book preview

Chapter One

‘Merry? Are you okay?’

Merina Wilde didn’t turn at her best friend’s words. Instead, she kept her gaze trained on the spire of St Magnus’ cathedral, reaching up towards the still-light night sky even though it was long after nine o’clock in the evening. Behind her stood Orkney Library, its sleek modern design a stark contrast to the centuries-old cathedral that towered over Kirkwall. And, between the bench where Merry had been sitting for the last forty-five minutes and the library, was Jess.

‘I’m fine,’ Merry said, in a voice that sounded nothing like her own. ‘Just taking a moment.’

She heard the tap of Jess’s heels as she crossed the courtyard that had been filled with enthusiastic readers just an hour earlier. Then there was the faint rustle of fabric on stone as Jess settled next to Merry.

‘You’ve been out here alone for the last fifteen minutes,’ she said, draping a jacket around Merry’s shoulders. ‘You must be cold.’

She was, Merry realized, and the observation caused a belated shiver to ripple through her. What she’d mostly felt until now was numbness. It had started the moment she’d looked across the crowded library hall and seen her ex-boyfriend watching her, had gone on throughout his earnest apologies and heartfelt declarations of his own stupidity, and had lasted right up to this very second, when she couldn’t even find the words to reply to Jess. It was exactly how she had felt the night Alex had ended their sixteen-year relationship, back in November, when she’d stared at him with stunned incomprehension as he’d told her he no longer loved her. Except that tonight he’d reversed that painful assertion by saying he’d never stopped loving her. And Merry couldn’t even begin to get her head around the implications, much less figure out what to tell Jess.

‘Thanks,’ she managed, pulling the jacket close beneath her chin. ‘It is a bit chilly.’

Jess nodded patiently, as though a chat about the weather was precisely what she’d come outside for. ‘So, what did the weaselly little prick have to say for himself? No, wait, don’t tell me – I bet I can guess.’ She adopted a sorrowful expression. ‘I’m going with I had to leave you to find myself, but all I discovered was that I can’t live without you, babe. ’

It was such a perfect line that Merry smiled in spite of herself. ‘Isn’t that from one of your books?’

‘Might be,’ Jess said, shrugging. ‘But I reckon that’s the angle Alex took. Am I right?’

There was no point in trying to deny it, Merry thought. Jess had been her best friend for more years than either of them cared to count and she’d been there throughout the devastating aftermath of the break-up; she had a pretty well-formed opinion of Alex’s behaviour, before, during and since. And, on this occasion, she was absolutely bang on the money.

‘Pretty much,’ Merry conceded. ‘He said that when I changed, that made him change too and he lost sight of how good we were together.’

‘Okay, let’s just unravel that…’ Jess frowned. ‘So, what he means is, your mental health issues made him decide he could do better.’

Merry blinked. That was blunt even for Jess. She opened her mouth to object but her friend held up a hand. ‘Don’t argue, that’s exactly what happened. And now that you’re back on your feet, looking smoking hot and with a shiny new movie deal in your back pocket, he’s suddenly afraid you’ve moved on.’ Jess paused and shook her head. ‘I bet he even had the audacity to say he didn’t want to lose you!’

Merry said nothing, because Alex had indeed said he didn’t want to lose her, and Jess slapped a hand against the stone bench. ‘You know who he is? Jasper Bloom, from The Holiday – the mealy-mouthed arse who gives poor Kate Winslet just enough attention to make her hope, but not enough to mean anything. It’s only when she kicks him to the kerb that he goes chasing after her. Sound familiar?’

Another shiver chased its way down Merry’s spine and she felt the dull thud of a headache beginning at the base of her skull. She rubbed the back of her neck and sighed. ‘I know you don’t approve, Jess. But what was I supposed to do – send him away without even listening to what he had to say? He travelled a long way to see me.’

Jess let out a snort of derision. ‘It was his choice – you didn’t ask him to.’

‘No, but that doesn’t mean I can pretend he’s not here.’ Merry paused as another of Jess’s comments came back to her. ‘You’re wrong about the movie deal, by the way – it hasn’t been announced so he doesn’t know it’s even happening. As far as he’s concerned, I could still be struggling with writer’s block.’

And now Jess laughed. ‘Have you looked at yourself in the mirror lately, Mer? You don’t look like you’re struggling with anything. In fact, you look like you could take on the world.’

The words made Merry remember something Magnús Ólafsson had said not long after they had first met, that she reminded him of a Valkyrie. She’d assumed he was joking at first, but once he’d made it clear he wasn’t, she’d gradually begun to feel flattered by the comparison. If only he hadn’t been called back to his native Iceland to nurse his sick mother, Merry thought wistfully. She’d have felt much less unsettled by Alex’s sudden appearance if Magnús had been at her side.

‘I don’t feel like I could take on the world,’ she admitted to Jess. ‘Right now, I’m not even sure I can handle the drive home.’

‘That’s easily fixed at least,’ Jess replied, getting to her feet. ‘I should probably tell Niall his writer is still in residence, anyway – I think he was worried Alex might sweep you off your feet and whisk you back to London.’

A moment later she was gone, leaving Merry to cringe inwardly with embarrassment. Niall Gunn was the link between her and the Orkney Literary Society, who funded the Writer in Residence scheme, and she couldn’t help wondering what he thought of this latest twist in her tangled love-life. Surely none of the previous incumbents had caused this much drama, she thought with another rush of mortification. He’d probably let out a long sigh of relief when her residency finished at the end of July.

Those fears were exacerbated when Niall arrived with Jess a few minutes later.

‘Is everything okay?’ he asked. ‘Jess says you’re not feeling too good.’

His manner was as professional as ever but Merry was certain there was an unfamiliar coolness in his blue eyes. She dredged up what she hoped was a reassuring smile. ‘I’m fine, honestly. It’s just—’ Her voice wavered and she felt the smile slip as an unexpected gush of emotion bubbled up inside her. ‘It’s just been a long and slightly overwhelming evening.’

He nodded. ‘Yes, I can appreciate that. Why don’t I drive you both back to Brightwater Bay? The Mini will be fine in the staff car park – we can sort out collection tomorrow.’

‘I grabbed your bag,’ Jess said, holding up Merry’s battered but much-loved Mulberry. ‘Was there anything else?’

‘No, just that,’ Merry said. She took the bag gratefully before turning her attention back to Niall. ‘There’s really no need for you to come all the way to the croft. I’m sure I can manage the drive.’

‘It’s no trouble,’ he replied, a slight frown creasing his forehead. ‘As you said, it’s been a long evening and it’s my job to get you home safely, so I’m afraid I’ll have to insist.’

And that made Merry feel even worse. Of course, he was just doing his job but seriously, just how much of a liability did he think she was?

As usual, Jess read her mind. ‘You’ve had a shock, Mer. I’d drive if I could but, obviously, I’m not insured for the Mini. Let’s get back to the croft and we can chill out over a glass of whisky and some cheese.’

Weariness washed over Merry again and she realized she was too worn out to argue. What she wanted most was the solitude of the bench that