Extract from Christmas at Carol's by Julia Roberts

Today it's my pleasure to be spotlighting the new Christmas novella from author Julia Roberts, Christmas at Carol's, which is published tomorrow.  Sadly when Julia contacted me I wasn't in a position to read for review so instead I'm sharing with you an extract below.

Carol fell in love with Wisteria Cottage the moment she laid eyes on it and moved in two weeks before Christmas hoping it would be start of a new more positive period in her life. 

On her first night in her new home she discovers an old Christmas card to someone called Annie with a heart-breaking message inside from Jake. 

Although she doesn’t know them, and despite being on a self-imposed dating break herself, Carol begins planning how she can bring them together, while her new neighbour, Sally, is attempting a bit of matchmaking of her own. 

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I’m just about to pile everything back into the box to keep it safe, happy that there is no need for me to spend any money on extra decorations, when I notice that the red I can see beneath the star has handwriting on it. It isn’t the back of the container holding the star, it’s an envelope which, when I pull it free, releases a Christmas card with a picture of two chubby bears framed by a heart. I know I shouldn’t look inside, this card doesn’t belong to me, but I can’t stop myself. The words are heart-breaking:

I’m so sorry. I never meant to hurt you. Please answer my calls and let me explain what happened. My life is empty without you in it. Please, I beg of you, let me make things right. I love you, Annie. You are my world. Without you, I have no reason to go on living. Just give me a chance to show you how much I love you.

            Your Jake xxx

My eyes fill with tears. I’m sad for Annie and Jake and whatever happened to cause their break-up and his outpouring of love. I close the card, slip it into the envelope and slide it back to its hiding place under the Christmas star. I feel guilty for intruding on something so personal but worse as I realise only some of the tears rolling down my cheeks are for them. The rest are for myself; no man has ever felt about me the way Jake clearly felt about Annie.

I don't know about you but I'm intrigued to know more about who Annie and Jake are so am looking forward to reading Christmas at Carol's sooner rather than later.