Recipes for Love: The Purple Chair, #3

By Bronnie Ware

Gwen is known as someone who listens well and solves problems. Clients pay for her counsel as they sit in the purple chair and untangle their emotions and stories. Word of mouth keeps people coming to her door.

 

But who listens to Gwen? Who helps solve her own problems?

 

As she supports clients to heal, her own life swirls in pain. She is sliding further down. Will she ever learn to take her own advice and who will catch her if she doesn't?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bronnie Ware
• Release date: Feb 19, 2024
• ISBN: 9780645935158

Book preview

Jasmine was the first scent of spring to linger longer than a tease. Gwen noticed how the shift in seasons lifted the mood not only of her clients but also people walking down the street. There were more stops for a chat between them. For her, too. She even received a pleasant greeting from Mark, one of her older brothers, when they passed one day. It was only a nod and a Nice day, but at least it wasn’t layered with the usual aggression.

The branches of the willow tree were almost full of leaves, sagging and swaying in the sunshine. Dandelions surrounded it. Out of habit, Gwen picked one. She paused, not knowing what to wish for. Her mother would never join her at this tree again, so there was no point wishing for that. A dandelion might feel magical, but it couldn’t raise the dead. She wished instead for a growing relationship with her niece, Samantha.

They had spent time together a few times recently, after Samantha’s admission that she wanted to get to know her aunt more. Feeling that relationship bloom while learning to let go of her mother offered a balm to Gwen’s heart, a bit of hope to balance the loss. It also helped Gwen to not feel so isolated in a family too fixed in its ways to change or grow. It was exhausting being the odd one out.

She reflected on how easy it had been living away during her backpacking years and wondered if she would ever move again. She felt such freedom when there was no risk of running into family. She had returned to stay close to her mother, but now that she was gone … the reality struck Gwen again. A part of her still lived in shock that this was her life now, without her mother to share it with.

But there was nowhere else that called. Plus she enjoyed the easy, country pace of Wattledale. It wasn’t too small or too big, and she loved her clinic. Avoiding