L AURA phoned her mother, trying to keep her voice light. “Hello, Mum, I’ve got a bit of news,” she said. “Hannah’s moving in with her boyfriend. “I need to either get a new flatmate, or try to find s

ABBIE Whitrow heard the clang of metal on tarmac. She wondered if something had fallen off the bottom of her car. She had got it from a private seller, after noticing a handwritten ad stuck to its win

It was one of those cool misty mornings when Lucy had no firm idea how she wanted to spend her day. Nothing had leapt to the top of her to-do list when today’s planned coffee morning with her daughter

BRUSHING wind-whipped hair from her eyes, Catriona crouched, scanning the colourful smorgasbord of stones, seaweed and shells on the shoreline. There! Half-hidden under an empty limpet. A cowrie. Gent

ICY sleet hit the restaurant window, making me glad I was in the warmth of the restaurant, until Luca appeared from the kitchen, wearing a frown. “Sorry, bella Bella, we’ve another order for delivery,

A rush of warmth welcomes me as I open the café door. I take a moment to catch my breath, unbutton my coat and look around for Helen. She’s sitting at our favourite table in the corner, and I give her