Blog Tour - 'Vicki's Work of Heart' by Rosie Dean

Rosie Dean brings you another quintessential romance to warm your cockles as the winter draws in! Stay tuned to catch the romantic comedy author visiting blogs-a-plenty over the coming weeks, with reviews, guest posts and a giveaway!

  What if you found yourself stranded at the altar, knee-deep in your absent fiancé’s gambling debts? Vicki Marchant, humble art teacher and jilted bride, seizes her freedom by leaving teaching to paint – in France. It’s her time. Nobody is going to get in the way of her ambition – definitely not a man. Vicki learns two things: some men are difficult to resist, and choosing the right one is not always easy.'
I'm really excited to be part of Rosie Dean's blog tour today and I'm possibly even more excited to share this exclusive excerpt with all of you from 'Vicki's Work of Heart'! I peeled my eyes open and closed them again. Sunlight was streaming through a gap in the curtains. I rolled over to look at my bedside clock, and felt my brain follow a split-second later. Quarter past ten. 
Quarter past ten.  
I pushed myself up on one elbow. Eugh. My stomach was on slow spin and my skull had shrunk. Looking down, I discovered I had gone to bed in my underwear. I scanned the room. On the chair opposite was my handbag but where was my dress? I leaned over the side of the bed, catching hold of my head as I did so. No dress, just a bucket. Thankfully, it was an empty bucket. I sat up and dragged myself over to the wardrobe. My dress and coat were both hanging neatly on the rail. There was a jug of water next to my alarm clock too, which hadn’t been there yesterday. I sat on the bed and poured myself a tumbler-full, which I glugged back.
Gradually, as the fog in my brain started to lift, little scenes from last night began to emerge. And the scene that absorbed me most, showed me making a pass at Christophe. I let out a heavy groan and lay back on the bed. What was that – remorse or excitement? I gulped. It was both. And added to the mix was the apprehension of dealing with him today and tomorrow and… 
I pulled the pillow over my face and moaned.
There was a tap at the door. ‘Vicki, how are you feeling?’
I snatched the pillow down to check he wasn’t in the room. ‘Okay. I think. Sorry, I overslept,’ I croaked.
‘Would you like some coffee?’ 
‘Yes please.’
To my horror, the door opened and he entered, carrying a cafetière and a large mug. I stared at him wide-eyed, swiftly manoeuvring the pillow to cover my body. 
His hair was still damp from the shower, and he wore a pair of jeans with a blue and white rugby shirt. ‘It’s always worse, first thing.’ He moved the jug of water to the floor to make room for the coffee. I watched in fascination, unable to think of anything to say that might not expose me more than I already felt. Slowly, he depressed the plunger on the cafetière and decanted the steaming black coffee into the mug. I studied his capable hands as they worked, noticing the large silver and black watch on his wrist. He offered me the mug. ‘Here, I think you need to flush the alcohol out of your system.’
I tried to sit up but it wasn’t easy. I felt wobbly and was anxious not to flaunt my barely clothed body. Christophe seemed unperturbed and reached out a hand to pull me up. I flicked a brief smile at him and took the mug. Eager to get him out of the room, I said, ‘Thank you. I’ll have a shower. That should do the trick.’
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          Author Bio:   I’ve been writing stories since I was a little girl, when I was especially industrious and produced dolly-dressing books, complete with a typed story, a dolly to cut out on the back cover, and paper clothing with tabs on. I even sold a couple. After growing up, I studied ceramic design – gaining a ‘degree in crockery’ as the man-in-my-life likes to call it, which I once put to good use as an Art & Pottery teacher. Deciding I didn’t want to spend my entire life in the classroom, covered in clay and paint, I escaped to the world of corporate communication, where I wrote training courses and marketing copy. Now I’ve given it all up to write, full-time. When not writing, I love to cook and to read, I even read in the car (talking books) and have notched up countless unnecessary miles as a result. Not one to spend hours in the gym or pounding the pavement, I prefer Yoga and Pilates, which means I can tone and tighten whilst watching TV.   

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