A Time to Love

By Jen M.C Kelly

The first in a six-part series, A Time to Love follows the lives of Zander Riley and Sarah Smythe. Seventeen-year-old Sarah Smythe has always had an infatuation withthough some may call it a crushtwenty-year-old actor Zander Riley. So imagine her delight when he shows up at her college to help out with the drama departments production of Romeo and Juliet. With auditions for Juliet open to all girls in the college, Sarah and her best friend, Lucy, decide to try out. This is Sarah's only chance to come face to face with the man who makes her heart flutter every time his name is mentioned, but little does she know, he has the same effect on Lucy. Will Lucy sabotage Sarah's chance at happiness?

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Nov 29, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524666125

Jen M.C Kelly

Jennifer Kelly was born on April 1993 in Glasgow, United Kingdom. Her love of writing first came about at school when, prompted to write paragraphs for English class, she would write pages and thus won the praise of her teacher, although it wasn’t until three years ago that she decided to take writing as a career path, and it was this very story that persuaded her. She lives at home in Glasgow with two dogs, a cat, a rabbit, a goldfish, and a hamster, and on rare occasions when she is not writing, she’s an animal activist and much-loved human to her pets.

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

She lay awake staring at him, that still image. She envisioned what it would be like if he was really standing over her bed and not just watching from afar. She heard her bedroom door opening and then a voice woke her from her day dreams.

Sarah come on. It’s time to get up for college.

Her mother’s soft voice spoke.

Relax mum. I’ll be down in a minute.

She was Seventeen years old- as it stood for another two weeks- shoulder length blonde hair and green eyes. Green like the leaves of a Birch tree on a warm summer’s day, someone had once told her that eyes like hers were the rarest but the most beautiful. She looked over to her bedside table where that photograph of him that she’d cut from the newspaper lay still in the frame. She smiled and imagined it again- her in his bed and then giving birth to his child, a gorgeous baby with her blonde hair and his china blue eyes.

Come on Sarah, your toasts going cold.

The impatient voice of her mother sounded again.

Okay, I’m coming.

She shouted loud enough so that her mother would hear her from downstairs and then she turned to face the framed photo of him by her bed.

I’ll see you later sexy.

She said, kissing his image gently. As Sarah approached the bottom of the stairs she could hear the sound of her three siblings arguing, probably over something trivial like who has getting the next slice of toast.

I’m getting it because I have to be at work in an hour.

She heard her older sister Rosie proclaim. There were just over three years between Sarah and her sister with Rosie only four weeks previously celebrating her twenty-first birthday. Sarah always imagined that her sister could be a film star with her flaming red hair and chestnut brown eyes, under the arms of one of the biggest names in the acting world- as long as it wasn’t ‘her’ big name. Sarah’s younger twin brothers, seven year olds Bradley and Bailey were sitting on the chairs opposite their eldest sister, tugging at each other’s clothes and taking it in turns to press each-others heads against the table until their mother got between them and swapped Bailey’s place with their father, she wasn’t sure now if it was Bailey, he and Bradley weren’t identical but they wore the same clothes and had the same dark blonde hair but Sarah couldn’t see if the boy her mother had moved had blue eyes, like her father or brown, like her mother and sister. If his eyes were blue then he was most certainly Bailey. She entered the kitchen and sat down beside Rosie.

Hello darling. Did you sleep okay?

Her mother asked.

Debbie Smythe was forty-three years old, strawberry blonde hair, brown eyes and smooth skin a woman could own. She was in great shape for woman who had carried four children but only given birth three times and Sarah hoped that she could look that great when she got to her mother’s age.

I suppose I did.

Sarah said in reply to her mother’s question, she had slept so peacefully, in fact, she wished she hadn’t woken up.

Her dream about him had been so wonderful; he had been midway through asking her something.

Sarah. I want…

Was all she had heard him say before her brain told her eyes that it was time to open.

So now she was left wondering about what he could’ve said.

Myself and your dad are going shopping for your party invitations later. You can help us deliver them if you want to.

Mum said as she lifted the empty plates from the table and placed them in the sink.

I can’t believe my little girl is two weeks away from turning eighteen.

Her father bleated proudly from his position at the top of the table.

Stephen Smythe, was forty-five and unlike his wife, he hadn’t done as well in the looks department as he had twenty years ago, his black hair was turning grey with age but he insisted it was the many stresses of fatherhood that had brought it on. His eyes were still as breath taking as they had always been, they were her mother’s favourite part of his body and she had always said they were the reason she had fallen in love with him.

Right boy’s it’s eight am now. Go and get ready for school.

Dad told the twins, who jumped from their respective chairs and ran upstairs, into the bathroom to have their daily ‘Tooth brushing war.’

It was never clear exactly what they’d do but the bathroom walls and mirror were always covered in toothpaste residue.

Do you want a lift to college? We’re dropping Rosie off at work anyway.

Mum asked as she lifted the twins’ jacket’s from their peg behind the door.

No, it’s okay. I don’t have to be in until ten.

Okay but remember to lock the door when you leave.

Sarah ran back upstairs to her room and prepared an outfit for her day. For someone who was in her first year of studying fashion design, she wasn’t the best at selecting outfits that matched. It was mid-February and still bitterly cold outside so she chose the thickest pair of jeans that she had as well as a long sleeved blouse and pink hooded cardigan on top.

***

It was fifteen minutes before she heard the sound of the lock turning and then the bathroom door opening. The twins exited.

I made the most mess.

Bradley proclaimed but Bailey disagreed.

No, I made the most mess.

He argued.

Get out of the way squirt.

Sarah said rudely as the younger of the twins stood in front of the doorway, blocking her entry.

Look Brad. Stinky Sarah wants in.

Bailey teased before he and his brother began to take it in turns to wind her up Just move out the way.

She finally shouted before grabbing him by the shoulders and pushing him aside so that he stumbled and fell to the ground.

Ouch!

Bailey yelled theatrically.

We’re telling mum and dad.

Bradley announced as he helped his brother to his feet. Sarah ignored his comment and entered the bathroom.

***

Five minutes later, she was to join the rest of her family downstairs but not before she tied her shoulder length blonde hair into a bun. Soon everyone was ready and waiting.

Sarah, what was going on upstairs with you and the twins?

Dad asked as he held the door open for the family.

Bailey was standing in the way so I moved him aside so I could get in.

She answered as she threw her jacket and bag over her shoulders.

Well please be more careful. He’s only little so his bones are still fragile.

I barely touched him.

She sighed and stepped outside so that her father could close the door.

Well you did it hard enough to be able to cut his elbow.

Dad’s voice had become more firm and serious.

Sarah was in no mood for arguing so just answered back with a simple.

Yeah, whatever.

Dad shook his head and mumbled inaudibly before he walked out and Unlocked the car door for the overly eager twins, who climbed in over the top of each other and even argued about who was sitting at the window side and who was in the middle.

Her mother smiled in her direction sympathetically as she slipped her arms through the space in her jacket.

Honey, is everything okay with you. You’ve not been yourself since Rosie’s birthday party and your father and I are worried sick about you.

Mum touched her daughters face and brushed away the strand of hair that had fallen over her eyes.

I’m fine mum. I’m just tired with all this extra work that I’ve got to do. Look, tell Bailey I’m sorry for hurting him and dad too, tell him I’m sorry for giving him grief.

Mum zipped her jacket up to her neck and kissed Sarah’s forehead before she turned to join her husband and other three children in the car, she waved as Sarah stood at the open door and watched them drive off and round the corner.

She had just closed the door and got back inside when she heard the loud bang coming from outside and had come from the direction her family had just driven in.

CHAPTER 2

Her heart was pounding as she ran back down the street; the sight in front was worrying. The car had become wedged under a skip containing old, battered household furniture which was sitting by the roadside.

Oh no! Please don’t be too serious.

She whispered frantically, upon realising it was the car her parents owned.

She reached the scene of the crash and relaxed a little when she saw the passenger door open and her mother step out. She had her hand placed around the back of her neck and was limping slightly as she tried