Get ready to fall in love with Pretty Beach all over again as the sparkly blue beach town surrounded by water, overlooked by a quaint old lighthouse and filled with wonderful characters welcomes us into its fold as the blossom falls and flowers bloom. 

Juliette Sparkles, resident Pretty Beach midwife fell hook, line and sinker for Luke Burnette and strolled off into a wonderful Christmas after a very lovely kiss under the mistletoe. Now, we catch up with her as Spring begins to warm up Pretty Beach and her dreams of an old house, riding around Pretty Beach on a blue vintage bike and planting a garden all of her own really do start to come true. 

But, as she is surrounded by daffodils and tulips, the ups and downs of the last few years begin to fade and everything is looking ever-so rosy, some tragic news comes her way and she doesn’t know quite how to react and knocks Juliette’s world for six.

As Pretty Beach blossoms and blooms we find out that for Juliette and Luke, the pair who pretty much fell in love from the day they laid eyes on each other, it’s not always quite as easy as it seems.

Will it all work out for Juliette or will things from the past make her realise that there is no such thing as living the dream?

Chapter 1

Juliette Sparkles cut up a carrot, poured a glass of milk, and put it all onto a little white and gold tray, and handed it to Maggie. 

‘Okay darling, we’ll put this by the chimney all ready for Father Christmas, and then we’ll tuck you up in bed,’ Juliette said brightly to Maggie.

Maggie, in her Christmas nightie, reached up and took the tray and carefully carried it into the tiny sitting room. The Christmas tree in the corner twinkled, and Christmas carols played on a tablet on top of the fireplace. Maggie put the tray down by the roaring fire and sat down beside Daisy and they looked at the fairy on top of the Christmas tree. 

‘Kiss Mummy goodnight then, and I’ll take you up and read you a story. A lovely Christmas story for Christmas Eve,’ Daisy said, and Maggie kissed Juliette and held onto Daisy’s hand and skipped off up the stairs to bed. 

Juliette walked into the little middle room between the sitting room and the kitchen. She couldn’t believe what had just happened - all she’d done was go out to get some brandy, and thirty minutes later she’d been standing in the Smugglers under a bunch of mistletoe kissing Luke. Kissing Luke surrounded by the residents of Pretty Beach. And boy were there trombones.

She took her phone out of her bag and opened it up. There were three messages: one from Jeremy, one from Sallie who had no doubt already heard what had happened, and one from Luke. She opened the message from Luke. 

Any chance you can come for a walk with me later on?

Juliette texted Luke back and they arranged to meet out on the beach behind the Orangery. 

Once Maggie was settled in bed, and she’d tidied up, Juliette closed the back door quietly behind her, walked all the way down the path past the summer house, down towards the shimmering lights of the Orangery, and then all the way along beside it until she got to the gate to the beach.

The Orangery lights on the domed roof twinkled in the moonlight and as she went towards the gate she pulled her coat closer to her, looked back into the Orangery and peered in at the huge Christmas tree dazzling to itself in the dark. 

Who would have thought I would be sneaking out late on Christmas Eve to meet a man? Juliette thought to herself. Breathe and calm, breathe and calm.

She reached up and pulled the bolt across the old gate and heaved it open onto the beach.  The waves crashed onto the shoreline as she tied her scarf tighter around her neck against the cold wind coming in off the sea and looked down the beach towards the jetty. 

She walked all the way along to the end until she could see Luke standing on the beach. Her lovely Luke, with the gorgeous eyes, fabulous bottom and out of this world smell. She walked up to him and smiled, and he pulled her into his arms. 

‘I wanted to say more, I really didn’t get a chance to in the pub with all those people there... I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you before, Juliette.’

‘It’s okay. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you make it up to me,’ Juliette joked. 

Juliette looked up at him, and he kissed her gently on the lips.  

‘There’s another reason I wanted to meet up with you before Christmas Day - I guess you’ll be really busy tomorrow and it’s hardly the day you’ll be able to get away,’ Luke said. 

‘Right. What do you mean? You wanted to meet up, for what?’

‘Well, I wanted to give you this,’ Luke said and handed Juliette a small turquoise bag tied with white ribbon.

‘A present, but Luke, I didn’t get you anything.’ 

‘I’m not surprised after what happened,’ Luke said, smiling. ‘I got it before the thing with Karen, and I wanted you to have it tonight.’ 

‘What is it?’ Juliette said, looking at the small, blue velvet drawstring bag. 

‘Open it. I got it before, well, you know, before all that,’ Luke said, standing on the pebbles of the beach in just a jumper with no coat and shifting from one foot to the other. 

Juliette held up the bag and pulled out a tiny box. Yikes, a small box, a small what looked like a ring box, was it a ring? No, surely not. She hoped not - she may love Luke, but there was no way after what had just happened that she wanted a ring. Heck, he’d not even met Maggie.  

Standing on the beach the waves crashing in and out she opened the turquoise-blue box. Inside was a gold necklace with a small gold love heart covered at the front in tiny diamonds. 

‘It’s beautiful!’ Juliette exclaimed, as she took the necklace out of the box and held it up in front of her. 

‘Remember you said no one had ever bought you diamonds?’ 

‘I did say that, Luke. I’m surprised you remembered.’ 

‘Well, now I have.’ 

Juliette turned the little gold heart to the left and right so the diamonds caught the light. 

‘Turn it over and look at the back,’ Luke said and touched her gently on the arm.

Juliette turned the diamond-encrusted heart over and could just about make out numbers and letters engraved on the back. She looked up at Luke, confused. 

‘It’s the geographical coordinates of the Baileys incident,’ Luke said, laughing. ‘When you were crying in the street surrounded by Baileys and Marmite on your socks. That was the moment I knew. The moment I fell in love.’

‘Oh my goodness, that’s so sweet. Thank you so much,’ Juliette said, a tear in the very back of her eyes. 

‘We’re going to need to talk about everything properly once Christmas is over,’ Luke said, grasping onto Juliette’s hand. 

‘Yes, we are. We certainly are. Something like that can’t happen again.’