White Sand by Ashleigh Jameson

This summer, let’s run away from it all. From our worries, and our stress. From the mundane, and the mediocre. Let’s escape, to a place where everybody’s friendly, and joy hangs in the air. A village where new dreams are made, and new adventures await.
I, Natalie Lawrence, have it all: A successful career, a rich husband, and a London penthouse. Designer clothes, and fancy accessories. I have it all, right? Wrong. Sometimes, the perfect life’s nothing more than a mirage. And when my life threatens to spiral out of control, I do what any mature thirty four year old would. I handle it like a responsible adult.
Well, not quite. I pack my suitcase and leg it out of London.
All the way to a place that I’d left a lifetime ago. Pinkleworth. A quaint little seaside village, nestled in the embrace of the beautiful Cornish sea.
With its lush white sand beaches, picturesque hills, and cosy little shops, I feel like I can finally find myself again. Find the real Natalie Lawrence. The girl who had big dreams, and a happy smile.
Instead, I find bloody Ronnie Alistair. Pinkleworth’s very own Greek God. Sounds far fetched, I know. A Greek God? Really? But, we did try to build our very own Big Ben, so there’s really no limit to the kinds of things we’d shamelessly rip off, before proudly calling it our own.
As Ronnie and I grow closer, I feel like I can start to breathe again. To dream again. Life’s good. I mean, it’s smack candy floss in your face then hose you down with raspberry gin good. My life in London quickly becomes a distant memory. A dark secret.
But I soon realise that the thing with secrets is, they’re always waiting to catch up with you. And who’d have thought that I’m not the only one with a past to hide here in Pinkleworth Village?
As I race to keep my new life from spiralling out of control, my past decides to make an unwelcome appearance. It threatens to destroy everything, like a newly impotent bull in a vet clinic.
The question is, am I now strong enough to fight for everything I hold dear? Or will Natalie Lawrence break again?