Say Hello Kiss Goodbye Read online

  Praise for Until the Last Star Fades

  WINNER for ROMANCE

  2019 The Independent Author Network

  WINNER – BEST CANADIAN AUTHOR

  2019 Northern Hearts Awards,

  Toronto chapter of the Romance Writers of America

  3x FINALIST

  2019 Contemporary Romance Writers,

  Toronto Romance Writers, and Las Vegas Writers

  (all chapters of the Romance Writers of America)

  BEST BOOKS OF 2018 – Hypable

  “Delightful contemporary romance [with] a good mix of poignancy and sexy fun.”

  — Kirkus Reviews

  “Hot new material with Hollywood appeal.”

  — The Hollywood Reporter

  “Until the Last Star Fades is an incredibly moving story of love, relationships, and celebrating the time you have… Read this novel and your heart will thank you.”

  — Hypable

  “Until the Last Star Fades is such a beautiful romance…this book has a lot of heart. I cried multiple times.”

  — Ashley Spivey

  “Until the Last Star Fades will make you laugh, swoon & probably cry, but that’s okay. The best books are those that make you feel all the feels and Middleton’s latest is no exception.”

  — Kaley Stewart, Books Etc.

  Praise for London, Can You Wait?

  WINNER FOR WOMEN’S FICTION

  2019 Indie Reader Discovery Awards

  GOLD MEDAL FOR ROMANCE

  2018 Independent Publisher Book Awards

  “A winner for romance fans…with the kind of sweet nothings hopeless romantics die for.”

  — Kirkus Reviews

  “London, Can You Wait? will both break your heart and make it swell. Sometimes in rapid succession, sometimes at the same time. And you 1000% should pick it up and read it!”

  — Hypable

  “A passionate, witty page-turner. Middleton has written a delightful and worldly novel with interesting characters and romantic twists and turns!”

  — Renée Carlino, USA Today bestselling author of Wish You Were Here

  Praise for London Belongs to Me

  HONORABLE MENTION

  Mainstream/Literary Fiction Category

  2017 Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards

  “Middleton’s novel is a love letter to London…Prepare to be seduced by engaging characters, irresistible in their own quirky way, and transported by keen descriptions of the sights, sounds, and tastes of London.”

  — Kirkus Reviews

  Jacquelyn Middleton is an award-winning author. She previously worked in television and lives in Toronto with her British husband.

  Say Hello, Kiss Goodbye is her fourth novel.

  Follow Jacquelyn:

  Instagram @JaxMiddleton_Author

  Twitter @JaxMiddleton

  Facebook @JacquelynMiddletonAuthor,

  or visit her webpage at www.JacquelynMiddleton.com

  Also by Jacquelyn Middleton

  London Belongs to Me

  London, Can You Wait?

  Until the Last Star Fades

  KIRKWALL BOOKS

  USA – CANADA – UK

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Say Hello, Kiss Goodbye

  ISBN: 978-1-9992753-1-0

  Copyright © 2020 Jacquelyn Middleton

  First Ebook Edition, November 2020

  Kirkwall Books supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and allows authors to make a living. Thank you for purchasing an authorized edition of this book – you are supporting writers and allowing Kirkwall Books to continue publishing stories for readers.

  All Rights Reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in, or encourage piracy of, copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Online ‘stores’ hosted by sites like Facebook are not authorized to sell this author’s work in print or ebook—pirated copies purchased from such sellers are not official or sanctioned by the author or Kirkwall Books, and are often missing chapters and artwork; the author receives no compensation for such sales and the reader doesn’t receive the story as the author intended.

  For Zoey,

  Ours was my favorite love story. x

  DEAR READERS,

  Say Hello, Kiss Goodbye is a sexy, contemporary romance.

  Leia and Tarquin’s story is a standalone that takes place in the same ‘world’ as my three previous books. Leia first appears in Until the Last Star Fades while Tarquin shows up in London, Can You Wait? —both as secondary characters.

  Enjoy!

  Content warnings: coarse language, open-door sex scenes, mental health challenges, and absolutely zero references to pandemics*, hand sanitizers, or face masks.

  P.S. I’ve included a glossary at the back of the book to explain a few terms that might not be familiar to all readers.

  Love music? You can find the Say Hello, Kiss Goodbye playlist on my website at www.JacquelynMiddleton.com under ‘Extras’.

  *I write contemporary romantic fiction, and as an author, I’ve made the choice to leave out real-life events that do not serve my story. Case in point, any references to the pandemic of 2020. Living through it has been incredibly difficult, and often, heartbreaking. Friends have lost their jobs, some have lost loved ones. I don’t want to write about it, read about it, or relive it ever again. That’s the joy of reading and writing FICTION; it provides an escape from real life for both my readers and me.

  One

  “If you’re brave enough to say goodbye,

  life will reward you with a new hello.”

  Paulo Coelho

  LEIA

  London, Monday, December 31, 2018

  “Leia? Ley?” A tense voice pushed through the phone. “Is something wrong?”

  A sharp breath caught in Leia Scott’s throat. “Uh…I can’t see a freakin’ thing!” Heart hammering in her chest, she dug her fingernails into the blue straps of the yellow shopping bag biting into her parka’s shoulder, her coat’s waterproof material still speckled with raindrops from the wintery deluge outside. Is it a power outage… or something worse? It is New Year’s Eve—you never know, these days.

  Eyes wild, her glance ran riot through the murky darkness, but the windowless warehouse offered no clues except for the fuzzy hum of the ventilation system surrendering with a whirring gasp. A hard swallow bobbed her throat. “Shit!” she snarled, her curse joining a loud chorus of Fucks and Bloody hells rising around her.

  Flashes of light—cell phones waking up—dotted the dark, illuminating the frowns and creased foreheads of Londoners stuck in the Swedish superstore’s maze of tempting impulse buys. The wine glasses and colorful cushions would have to wait a little longer for that special someone to take them home.

  “Leia, what’s happening?!”

  Ignoring the concerned plea, Leia’s shaky hand skated over a nearby shelf bowed with scented candles, their sickly-sweet aroma of vanilla and waffles teasing her nose, further unsettling her stomach. She gulped a breath, then another. Don’t panic. Being plunged into darkness, unaware of what was happening, unleashed painful memories and long-practiced coping mechanisms, but her heart still raced and leapt into her throat. Whatever this is, I’m getting out of here. Right now.

  “Hold on.” Leia pulled her phone from her ear and swiped the screen, switching o n the flashlight while boisterous comments and an infant’s wail echoed around shelves congested with vases and clocks. I think the emergency exit is over there? Walk slowly. Be careful.

  “Are you okay?” The distant voice in her phone wouldn’t quit. “Ley, can you hear me?!”

  “Oh, shit.” Leia put it on speaker and looked up, swerving around a precarious tower of storage boxes. “Sorry, Sarah. The—”

  “Don’t tell me! They ran out of meatballs.” Sarah chuckled at her own joke. The baby of the Scott family by eighteen months, she always knew how to lighten her big sister’s discomfort.

  “If only.” Leia groaned and fussed with the shopping bag’s straps digging into her shoulder. “No, the power’s gone out. It’s pitch black. There’s no emergency lighting, nothing…” Seeking comfort, she tugged on the hand-knit scarf looped around her neck, a recent birthday gift from Sarah. I’m twenty-six and still get nervous in the dark. “I feel so silly.” She half-laughed. “My heart won’t stop pounding.”

  “It’s not silly. Not after what we…well, you know.” Sarah cleared her throat. “Just remember, Ley: nice…deep…breaths. Don’t let fear win. And don’t crash into anything. I need those plates in one piece!”

  “Yeah, all right!” Leia shook her head, smiling wryly. Typical! Caring one minute, all business the next, Sarah always knew what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to say it out loud, even if it came off selfish or pushy.

  Children’s laughter bubbled up through the dark. “Daddy, does this mean we can have MORE ice cream?” The sweet English accent of the little boy was accompanied by a swell of hiccuppy giggles. Leia couldn’t help but grin.

  Yeah, give us ALL the ice cream. It fixes everything. Well, almost everything.

  “Ooh! Let’s play hide-and-seek!” Another little voice bounced over the candle display, but his boyish glee was interrupted by a gruff shout.

  “Attention! Can I have your attention, please!” A guy illuminated by his own flashlight waved a beefy bicep. Dressed in a blue and yellow polo shirt that strained over his pumped-up pecs, he squinted into the abyss and cleared his throat.

  “Oh, Saz, hang on.” Leia paused beside a bin filled with packets of tea-lights. “They’re making an announcement.”

  The employee scratched his bald head. “The storm has caused a power cut. Our backup generator is now running, and the lights will be back any minute. Until then, please hold tight. We don’t want anyone to fall in the dark, ’kay? Your patience is appreciated. Cheers.”

  See? Nothing to worry about. Leia let out a breath, her eyes adjusting to the dark. She killed her flashlight and returned her phone to her ear. “Did you hear?” The tightness in her jaw eased. “It’s a power failure, that’s all.”

  “That’s a relief.” Sarah huffed. “Honestly, today couldn’t be more of a Monday if it tried. You’re stuck there, Dad’s not back from his run, and Jordan’s hogging the kitchen.”

  “Aw, he’s cooking? Lucky!” Leia shifted sideways, letting an older couple totter past. “Boyfriend of the year, there, Saz.”

  “Hardly. He turned up twenty minutes ago, big bag of smelly laundry. I’ve told him four times to get his machine fixed—”

  “Or it won’t be repaired by New Year’s. I know.” Leia had heard Sarah complain about Jordan’s broken washer repeatedly since she landed from the States ten days ago.

  “If he uses up all my hot water, I’ll kill him. We’ve got appetizers to prepare, dishes to wash—”

  “Sarah, it’s only one-thirty or—something. Why don’t you go to the gym? Burn off some adrenaline.” The two little boys scampered past, one bopping the other on the head with what looked like a stuffed dinosaur. “You’ve got hours before anyone shows up.” Leia sighed. And I thought I was a control freak. Sarah was taking her own rampant perfectionism to a whole New Year’s Eve level.

  “I know, but Dad’s meeting Jordan for the first time, and my work friends are coming over. I need them on side for that promotion—you know what it’s like.” Sarah switched gears, rolling back into Type-A territory. “So, you got everything, right? Tea-lights, two black storage boxes, eight turquoise plates—the deep ones. Like a bowl, but not.”

  Leia yanked on the straps of the loaded bag, deepening its groove in her shoulder. “Yes, Sarah.”

  “They’ll be perfect for the mini portions of ramen you’re making—”

  Yeah, only because you wouldn’t shut up about it. Leia shook her head. I hate cooking.

  “IF you ever get out of there.” Sarah tutted.

  Leia rolled her eyes and picked at the sloppy stitching on the lip of the shopping bag. I should’ve stuck with my original plan, should’ve rescheduled my flight to Italy. No New Year’s Eve party, no sister drama, no fending off guys she wants to set me up with. What doesn’t she understand about ‘I don’t want or need a boyfriend—ever’? She cleared her throat. “Look, you’re the one who said your back was too achy to shop and stuffed an Oyster card in my hand, sending me across London to satisfy your weird Swedish homewares obsession.” I love her and would do anything for her—but sometimes I could gladly give her a slap! “No good deed…” Leia muttered under her breath.

  “Ley…” Sarah’s voice dipped. “I do appreciate it, you know.”

  The store’s lights came alive, albeit dimmer than usual, eliciting relieved ahhhs from frustrated shoppers.

  “Power’s back!” Leia blurted. “I’m near the checkout. I should be out of here soon.” She stood up straight, her words flying without pause. “I’ll text when I’m almost home, okay?”

  “Great! Don’t get lost!”

  Leia scrunched her nose. “I won’t get los—”

  “Oh!” Sarah interrupted. “If you see slippers near the cash, grab me a pair?”

  “Uh, sure. Gotta go!” Leia stuffed her phone in her pocket and stormed through the crowded self-serve furniture warehouse, her black combat boots and long, confident strides outpacing shoppers steering carts loaded with flat-pack bookshelves. She nipped around a cluster of high-backed Poäng chairs where the hide-and-seek boys—twins, maybe seven years old—slouched, waiting for their dad, and past bins boasting discounted Christmas baubles and colorful spatulas. Sarah’s coveted slippers were nowhere in sight.

  Pulling her shopping bag against her hip, Leia reached the checkout first and unloaded her haul onto the conveyor belt. A lanky sales clerk, all oversized eyeglasses and carefully curated man bun, stepped behind the cash register.

  Leia smiled. “Hi, how are you?” She reached into a coat pocket, digging for her wallet.

  The clerk chuckled, revealing a gap-toothed smile. “Good, now the lights are back on.” He logged into his terminal and picked up the product scanner.

  “You and me both.” Leia nodded as he rang up her purchases. I’ll be out of here in no time. Maybe I’ll fit in a swim before Sarah needs me. Behind her, a muffled movie soundtrack grew louder.

  Ugh, the Star Wars theme. Leia wrinkled her nose and pulled out her credit card. Despite being named after one of Star Wars’ most beloved characters, she wasn’t a fan of the movies. Her sci-fi geek parents, on the other hand, couldn’t get enough, and named both their daughters after kickass female heroines, The Terminator’s Sarah Connor the inspiration for their second-born. Of course, Sarah lucked out—nobody asked annoying questions when they heard her name.

  “Hazza! Can’t you text like a normal person?” A posh male accent bursting with playfulness drifted over her shoulder. Leia set down her card and snuck a peek, catching only a blur of white plush—a gigantic stuffed unicorn with a rainbow mane and silver horn—before the store employee claimed her attention again.

  “Dammit!” The clerk chewed his cheek and glared at the terminal’s screen.

  Leia tucked her long blonde hair behind her ear. “I’m sorry?” Something clattered along the floor, hitting her boots: a cell phone.

  “Oh, for fuck’s sake!” the voice behind her muttered.

  Leia turned, fi nding the smiling unicorn bobbing and swaying while the tall guy behind it wrestled with a kids magic kit, a stuffed green dinosaur, and a large shopping bag, its clinking contents threatening to join his phone.

  He needs help. She bent down and her right knee bit back, pinching its dissatisfaction inside her tights. Ow! So stiff. Wincing behind her hair, she retrieved the unicorn wrangler’s phone and slowly stood up, placing the still-talking device in the free hand poking out from the mountain of plush.

  “Here you go.” She half-smiled, her glance jumping from the silver ring on his left thumb to the few days’ growth of brown scruff framing his amused smile. Leia did a double take. Whoa. Flirty dimples, tall, handsome—someone won the genetic lottery.

  “Cheers, love.” The guy’s appreciative grin grew wide and bright, and his green eyes glimmered with warmth as he lifted the phone to his mouth. “Harry, call you back.” He ended the conversation abruptly and reached under his wool coat, stuffing the phone in his trouser pocket. His intense gaze searched her face. “Hey, I’m—”

  “Miss? I’m terribly sorry.” The clerk’s solemn tone yanked Leia back to her purchases.

  “Uh…sorry for…?”

  The clerk grimaced, his eyes darting from his terminal to the growing crowd of shoppers waiting to pay. “Our card system isn’t working. The power cut must’ve screwed it up.”

  A flash of yellow and blue—the store manager—swooped in. “The network’s down. Not just us, most of Tottenham.” He met Leia’s eyes. “We can only accept cash right now.”

  “But…” Leia pursed her lips. “I’m lucky if I have a five-pound note.”

  Jamming the magic kit in his shopping bag, the unicorn whisperer leaned over his fluffy prize. “Hey mate, any idea how long it’ll be down?”

  The manager shook his head. “If you want to wait”—he pointed over his shoulder—“you can grab a complimentary tea or coffee in our bistro, but you’ll have to take your items with you so cash-paying customers can come through.”