BOOK SYNOPSIS
Two strangers.
One missed flight.
It only takes a moment to change a life. One year ago Casey Cassidy was happy. She had great friends, a wonderful teaching job and a busy life - until with one missed flight, everything changes.
One year later Casey knows what it means to find that once-in-a-lifetime love people dream of. But when Ben leaves, her heart is shattered.
Left facing a year of firsts without him, piecing her life back together seems impossible. But then a friend offers her a home in rural France. In the solitude and emptiness,
Casey needs to comes to terms with what’s happened and find a way to move forward. She has no idea where that will take her one year later...
Overtaking a group of Chinese tourists wheeling enormous suitcases, I started to walk faster. I was the one who’d left my passport at home. I didn’t need some man I’d never met before offering to help me. But before I could reach the exit, he’d caught me up again.
I frowned. ‘I don’t think so.’
He fell into step beside me. ‘I mean it – with that flight.’ He paused. ‘I’m Ben, by the way.’
I slowed down slightly and my frown deepened. Help me with that flight? Was that a euphemism that even I hadn’t heard of? ‘What do you mean?’ I asked suspiciously.
‘Well, I have a friend who works for one of the airlines. It may come to nothing, but there’s nothing to lose by giving her a call and asking.’ He was remarkably unfazed given how narked I was.
Oh. Right. I got it. A girlfriend. So why was he chatting me up?
‘Why don’t I buy you a coffee?’ He paused again, before adding more pointedly, ‘If you’re not in too much of a hurry? And I’ll call my friend.’
I hesitated, still not sure why a total stranger would go out of his way for me. But as I looked at him, there was just something about him.
Against my better judgement, I felt myself waver. ‘OK.’ He nodded towards the coffee bar by the exit. ‘How about there?’
Reaching the table, I pulled out a chair, suddenly grateful to be sitting down.
Ben stood there. ‘How d’you like your coffee?’
‘Black. Thanks.’
As he walked away, I opened a message from Ellie.
I've just boarded. Hope you're OK. Let me know when you've booked a flight xxx
After messaging her that I was already working on it, I logged in to the airport Wi-Fi and started googling flights to Marrakech tomorrow, but as I scrolled through the availability, my heart was sinking. There was only one flight that had seats left and the price was ludicrous.
Seeing Ben come back, I put my phone down. ‘I’ve checked tomorrow’s flights. The prices are outrageous.’ I tried to mask my disappointment, but I was gutted. ‘I guess I’m going to be staying at home.’
‘All is not lost – yet.’ Putting the tray down, he sat opposite me and passed me one of the cups before getting his phone out. After scrolling through his contacts, he made a call. ‘Hi. Look, I wanted to ask you a favour. I’m with a friend who’s just missed her flight to Marrakech. She’s checked to see what’s available tomorrow, but the prices are crazy. It’s a long shot, but you know you got me that cheap flight to New York last summer? I just wondered if there was any chance you could help.’
All the time he was speaking, his eyes were lingering on me. Then putting his hand over the phone, he muttered, ‘I don’t even know your name.’
‘Casey Cassidy.’
‘Casey Cassidy,’ Ben repeated into his phone. Then, ‘Yes, she’s a friend.’ His eyes were still fixed on mine.
As he spoke, I shook myself. What on earth was happening to me? I didn’t need a stranger sorting my problems out. He was quiet again, then those deep blue eyes swivelled back to mine. ‘She’s asking if you have a valid UK passport.’
As I nodded, I suddenly forgot about the missed flight, about Ellie going to Marrakech without me. Logic had gone out of the window . Instead, as I looked at him, I knew I’d met someone special. Watching him speak, I took in the faded tan, the faint scar on his jaw , the well-worn cotton shirt under a distressed jacket, the way he listened, because these days, so many people don’t.
He put his mobile down. ‘Well.’ He looked pleased. ‘Lexie’s booking you on a flight tomorrow. You’ll be on standby, but she checked the loads and there are five spare seats. With any luck, you’ll be in one of them.’
Opening and closing my mouth, I managed to stop myself saying ‘fuck’ in the nick of time. ‘Thank you. So much.’ I shook my head, dumbfounded. ‘I can’t believe you’ve done this. Please say thank you to Lexie. How much do I owe her? Or you?’
He looked evasive. ‘It’s very little – and I’ll sort it out with her. She owed me a favour. She’s going to send me your booking details so that I can forward them to you – if you give me your email?’ He looked at me questioningly. ‘All you need to do is add your passenger information. Then check in back here at six tomorrow morning. If it doesn’t work out, they refund the ticket. All in all, there’s nothing to lose.’
I stared at him , still not sure why he was doing this. ‘You’ve saved my holiday. Honestly, I can’t thank you enough for this.’
‘Well, let’s hope there’s a seat.’ His face lit up in a smile that reached his eyes. ‘But all in a day’s work. You’re welcome.’ He hesitated. ‘Do you need a lift anywhere?’
Suddenly I remembered the missing passport I still needed to retrieve. ‘What time is it now?’
He glanced at his very nice chunky watch that was clearly expensive, but not ostentatious. ‘Nearly five.’
I tried to think. ‘I guess I’ll get a cab home, then another back here for six tomorrow morning…’ Except Ellie and I had already looked into the cost and they were about sixty pounds each way. As it all stacked up, I could feel my heart sinking again. On my teacher’s wage, on top of the holiday itself, I hadn’t budgeted for two taxi fares.
‘Where’s home?’
‘West Sussex. Near Chichester.’
‘Ah.’ He paused. ‘I could give you a lift if you like . And I’m about halfway between the two, if that’s any help? In Midhurst,’ he added. Then seeing my face, he held up both his hands. ‘Listen, I have a spare room and if it would help, you’re welcome to have it for the night. And I’m a perfectly decent law-abiding citizen. Why don’t you text your friend? Tell her where you’re going. And that I’m dropping you back here in the morning to catch your flight.’
AUTHOR INFO
While working as long-haul cabin crew in her twenties, Debbie trained as a pilot and qualified as a flying instructor. But as the mother of two small children, she wanted a career she could fit around them and started a wedding flower business, Country Flowers. For thirteen years, Debbie created the natural, seasonal designs she became known for to venues throughout the South East.
It was towards the end of this time she started writing, in a notebook in the shade of her garden on her days off, self-publishing three women’s fiction novels, the third of which, Wildflowers, almost but not quite found her a literary agent.
Pursuing her dream of a traditional publishing deal, she went on to write her first psychological thriller, the Sunday Times bestseller , The Bones of You. Four more have followed including the e-book bestseller The Vow, but it’s another long-awaited dream come true that her women’s fiction novels have now found a home with Boldwood.
Social Media Links –
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/debbie.howells.37
Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/debbie__howells
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_debbiehowells/
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/debbie-howells
PUBLICATION DATE: 22nd February 2022
PURCHASE LINK....
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Life-You-Left-Behind-breathtaking-ebook/dp/B09MF3ZKNQ?keywords=the+life+you+left+behind&qid=1637834241&qsid=261-0897284-2989744&sr=8-1&sres=B09MF3ZKNQ,B079F45CWH,B008QXLPM0,B09HP6GRQB,B088N91Z6S,191372817X,0718157834,B003FXCSNQ,B08NRZGDBW,1473692504,B07X3RT3KP,0997264934,1912587408,B07L4R6CWG,1786892731,0718183215&linkCode=sl1&tag=boldwoodblogtour-21&linkId=028970ef443b5fe06c2c640ca233b4c4&language=en_GB&ref_=as_li_ss_tl
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