Holiday dilemma...by Sheila Claydon

 

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I'm going on holiday, well to visit my son and family actually but I've been assured it will be a holiday. In Singapore. So much to look forward to...seeing my nine year old granddaughter again, catching up with my son and daughter-in-law in person instead of on WhatsApp or Skype, spending 3 weeks in the sun in what I've been assured is a lovely holiday destination. What's not to like? 

My dilemma? Finding the right clothes. It's not that I'm short of summer tops, shorts and trousers but they are all geared to a UK summer. With very little humidity and erratic weather, wearing synthetic fabrics is not a problem. Nor, except occasionally, do I have to slather myself in suncream or remember to wear a hat. In Singapore it seems, things are very different.

Added to this is the fact that because I live a mainly coastal/rural life where walking the dog through woodland or on the beach requires the most practical of clothes and shoes, as does gardening or meeting up with friends for a hike, my wardrobe is full of t-shirts, sweaters, jeans, cropped trousers, trainers and hiking boots. These are clothes that are also totally suited to sitting at the computer writing.  There's not a dress in sight although I do have a couple of pretty tops for the occasional party or dinner.

When I was working it wasn't like that. My wardrobe was full of formal working suits, dresses with jackets, skirts, even trouser-suits because it was a career that encompassed a lot of travel and Boardroom meetings. When I retired, however, everything hung unworn in the wardrobe for far too long until, eventually, I passed  them onto a charity shop. Not that they would have been suitable for Singapore anyway as they would have been too warm. So now I have to do my least favourite thing and go shopping to find clothes that I will rarely be able to wear in the UK.  As I have left it so late in the season, however, at least the prices will have reduced, and I'm sure I'll love them when I get them home.

Arabella, my heroine in Miss Locatelli faced the same dilemma. She was a jeans and sweater type of girl when she wasn't wearing motorcycle leathers, so when she suddenly had to travel to Italy to take charge of her grandfather's ailing jewellery empire she had to revamp her wardrobe in a hurry. With her best friend's help she initially managed to get it so spectacularly wrong that it was very nearly her undoing. I loved writing about Arabella's quirky take on things as much as Luca, the hero, did while falling in love with her. I especially enjoyed the fact that their story took me back to the times I visited Florence and saw for myself the elegance of  Italian business women and enjoyed the wonders of Italian food.  It's a book for anyone who either loves or wants to visit Italy.

Arabella knows her audacious plan to save her family’s century old jewelry business doesn’t stand a chance without Luca Enzio, she just wishes he wasn’t helping her because her grandfather asked him to but because he wants to.

 For his part Luca can’t remember when he was last so turned on by a woman and he doesn’t like it one little bit. Apart from being way too young, Arabella is the granddaughter of a client whose relationship with his family is complicated. The right thing to do would be to walk away but his heart has other ideas.

Then her life begins to unravel in a way that affects both of them and suddenly Luca finds himself fighting for his future as well as for Arabella’s heart.

While my small wardrobe revamp will be of no significance to anyone but me, of course, maybe Singapore will affect me the same way Italy does, and feature in my next book. Oh, and there's one other positive. As my new clothes will really only be useful for Singapore I'll just have to go there again!