MIRANDA DICKINSON
Take a Look at Me Now
Copyright
Published by AVON
A Division of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd
1 London Bridge Street
London SE1 9GF
First published in Great Britain by HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2013
Copyright © Miranda Dickinson 2013
Cover design by Caroline Young © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2020
Cover images © Shutterstock.com
Miranda Dickinson asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this ebook on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.
Source ISBN: 9781847562357
Ebook Edition © February 2020 ISBN: 9780007535125
Version: 2020-03-06
Praise for Miranda Dickinson
‘The perfect book to curl up with on a cold winter’s eve.’
Closer
‘A blissfully romantic tale told with all the warmth and wit we’ve come to love from this author.’
Claudia Carroll
‘Oh my heart, this book! What a story. It’s so achingly tender and bittersweet, and a spark of true joy. I adored every page.’
Josie Silver, author of One Day in December
‘An engrossing love story, beautifully written.’
Sarah Morgan, Sunday Times bestselling author
‘Beautifully written.’
Cathy Bramley, Sunday Times bestselling author
‘A love story we can all connect with.’
Woman & Home
‘An absolute triumph!’
Katie Marsh, bestselling author of A Life Without You
‘Absolutely and utterly amazing.’
Laura Kemp, author of The Year of Surprising Acts of Kindness
‘One is one of those books you want to savour.’
Holly Hepburn, author of A Year at Castle Court
‘Romantic, heartbreaking and emotional.’
Cressida McLaughlin, author of The House of Birds and Butterflies
‘A novel about having the courage to love.’
Caroline Smailes, author of The Drowning of Arthur Braxton
‘Emotional story … full of both heart and soul.’
Fabulous
Dedication
For my lovely Bob
Thank you
for believing in my dream,
for keeping my dream alive
and for doing the washing-up.
I love you xx
Epigraph
‘Our brightest blazes are commonly kindled by unexpected sparks.’
Samuel Johnson (1709–1784)
Contents
Chapter One: The day that changed my life
Chapter Two: So long, farewell …
Chapter Three: Pack up your troubles
Chapter Four: Good morning, San Francisco
Chapter Five: Welcome to the neighbourhood
Chapter Six: Down and out in San Francisco
Chapter Seven: Cable cars and seaside jazz
Chapter Nine: Fortune cookies and fate
Chapter Ten: Eat your heart out, Tony Bennett