Shani Struthers > Quotes

“When they reached the table, Hannah started to introduce them. “Layla, this is Joe. Joe, this is—”

“We’ve already met,” said Joseph, extending his hand and smiling.

“Have we?” asked Layla, baffled.

“Have you?” said Hannah. This was news to her.

“Yeah, we have,” continued Joseph. “A couple of hours ago. On the road into the village. You tried to kill me, remember?”

“Kill you?” gasped Layla. “You’re the biker? The one I knocked over?”

“You knocked him over?” repeated Hannah in horror.

“I didn’t mean to,” explained Layla quickly. “It was an accident. I was going to tell you about it. I just haven’t had the chance yet.”

Turning to Joseph, Hannah asked, “Are you okay? Are you hurt at all?”

“Well,” he replied somberly, “apart from my right arm, which I’m not sure is going to be of much use to me ever again, I’m fine.”

As Layla’s jaw dropped open, he added quickly, “I’m joking. Really, it’s just a joke. I’m fine.”

“Right, well, in that case,” Hannah continued, “as I was saying, Layla, this is Joseph Scott. Joe, this is Layla Lewis, your would-be killer, next door neighbor, and my best friend. She’s house-sitting whilst Lenny’s in Scotland.”

“Next door neighbor, huh?” replied Joseph, taking a swig from his pint glass. “That could prove interesting.”
― Shani Struthers, The Runaway Year

“12. They had spent a lot of time on the beach, as did everyone for miles around when the sun decided to shine. Theirs was no ordinary beach; it was a gorgeous swathe of golden sand, framed by granite cliffs upon which stood the crumbling walls of an ancient castle. There were caves to explore too, hidden in the cliffs. Children and adults alike would venture deep into them, discovering a dark world that belonged predominantly to birds and sea creatures.”
― Shani Struthers

“Liebfraumilch?” Penny looked at the bottle in horror. “What the bloody hell are you doing buying Liebfraumilch?”
“Did I?” replied Layla, surprised. “Sorry, I wasn’t concentrating.”
Quickly downing the first glass of wine, she advised Layla to do the same. “The next one will be better,” she promised. “By the time we’re on our third, it’ll taste as good as Chablis.”
Penny gulped whilst Layla sipped.
Muttering almost to herself as much as Layla, she added, “Never mind, at least we’ve got plenty of chocolate.”
“Oh, chocolate,” said Layla, one hand flying up to her mouth. “I forgot.”
Forgotten chocolate? Crikey, things were bad.”
― Shani Struthers

“Where are you? Have you arrived yet?” she asked eagerly.
“I have. I’m here and it’s great. I love it.”
“I knew you would!” cried Hannah. “So are you coming down? Help me pull a pint or two?”
“Yeah, sure. Give me half an hour or so, and I’ll be there.”
“Brilliant. See you soon.”
“Bye,” replied Layla, hanging up.
No time for eating then, she’d better unpack the car, sort out the bedraggled mess that she was, and get down to the pub. Start learning the ropes.
Hauling one of the bags upstairs, she went into her bedroom and plonked it on the bed. Before doing anything else, however, she couldn’t resist peering out of the window again, having to imagine Gull Rock this time as the deepening night had hidden it completely. A year, she thought. That’s all I’ve got, a year. Enough time to get over anyone, surely?
Taking in a deep breath then letting it slowly out, she bloody hoped so.”
― Shani Struthers

“You look nice,” he commented, before thanking her for the wine and making his way outside to the porch.
Grateful he had turned away and so couldn’t see her blush, she fussed about in the kitchen for a while, preparing a dressing for the side salad, adding a few chopped herbs as an afterthought. Happy that all was well, she joined him, looking forward to another evening of lighthearted chat.
“I thought we’d eat out here tonight, if that’s okay. It’s a lovely evening. We should make the most of it,” she said as she drew up a chair opposite him.
“Definitely,” he replied, staring out toward Gull Rock.
“Beautiful,” she sighed, realizing too late she was still looking at him as she spoke. Averting her eyes, she added, “The view, I mean.”
“Oh, so not me?” he joked, one eyebrow raised in challenge.
Recovering quickly, she grinned back. “You’re okay, I guess. Not my type, but I’m sure there’s plenty out there who’ll appreciate you.”
“Thanks very much.” He appeared somewhat crestfallen. “I don’t know whether to be flattered or insulted.”
“A bit of both, I think.” She winked, before heading back to the kitchen to bring dinner out.”
― Shani Struthers

“Finding herself on the way to the village center again, she pulled over, intending to negotiate a three-point turn. The cottage was slightly out of the village, so she needed to get back onto the opposite side of the road and go back up the hill. Glancing over Hannah’s instructions again, she swung the car to the right—straight into the path of a motorcyclist.
What happened next seemed to happen in slow motion. The rider tried to stop but couldn’t do so in time, although he did manage to avoid hitting her car. As he turned his handlebars hard to the right, his tires lost grip on the wet road and he flew off, sliding some way before coming to a halt.
Layla sat motionless in her car, paralyzed temporarily by the shock. At last she managed to galvanize herself into action and fumbled for the door handle, her shaking hands making it hard to get a grip. When the door finally opened, another dilemma hit. What if she couldn’t stand? Her legs felt like jelly, surely they wouldn’t support her. Forcing herself upward, she was relieved to discover they held firm. Once she was sure they would continue to do so, she bolted over to where the biker lay, placed one hand on his soaking leather-clad shoulder and said, “Are you okay?”
“No, I’m not bloody okay!” he replied, a pair of bright blue eyes meeting hers as he lifted his visor. “I’m a bit bruised and battered as it goes.”
Despite his belligerent words, relief flooded through her: he wasn’t dead!
“Oh, I’m so glad,” she said, letting out a huge sigh.
“Glad?” he said, sitting up now and brushing the mud and leaves off his left arm. “Charming.”
“Oh, no, no,” she stuttered, realizing what she’d just said. “I’m not glad that I knocked you over. I’m glad you’re alive.”
“Only just, I think,” he replied, needing a helping hand to stand up.
“Can I give you a lift somewhere, take you to the nearest hospital?”
“The nearest hospital? That would be in Bodmin, I think, about fifteen miles from here. I don’t fancy driving fifteen miles with you behind the wheel.”
Feeling a little indignant now, Layla replied, “I’m actually a very good driver, thank you. You’re the first accident I’ve ever had.”
“Lucky me,” he replied sarcastically.”
― Shani Struthers

“A joke’s funny, right? That wasn’t. It’s perfectly okay for a woman to have a sexual appetite, to take the lead now and then. These are modern times, not the dark ages.”
― Shani Struthers, The Venetian

“I howled at the psychiatrists who only ever believed me when I lied.”
― Shani Struthers, Thirteen

“Wapun, listen to your own advice. Drag yourself out of the pit you’ve fallen into. You’ve still got plenty to live for. Please, don’t do this… Like calls to like. You don’t want what this attracts.”
― Shani Struthers, Mandy

“Children shouldn’t play with matches—that was the saying, what”
― Shani Struthers, Mandy

“I remember reading that pirates pulled off a massive heist here in the mid 1800s. It’s quite a story actually, but to summarise, a travelling circus had come to town, and its excited inhabitants flocked to see the show, every last one of them, including the town’s coastguards. Taking advantage of the coast being unusually clear, pirates swooped down on a vessel stuffed to the gunwales with tobacco. They used barges to sail the contraband up the Adur to the village of Beeding, where the booty was soon sold and spirited away. Such was the fury of the King’s Revenue men, all of Shoreham’s coastguards lost their jobs.”
― Shani Struthers, Descension

“The Native Americans have their own take on this. They believe there are two wolves inside us; one is good, and one is evil. The evil wolf is anger, sorrow, regret, greed, and arrogance… I think you get the picture. The good wolf is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, and kindness. Which wolf wins?” Ruby thought for a moment. “The one you feed the most.” Sarah smiled, and it transformed her.”
― Shani Struthers, Rise to Me

“She’d hit someone last night, actually hit him! And all because he’d called her doll. She screwed her eyes shut. Ray was right, the man was an asshole, but thank God he hadn’t pressed charges; the fallout would have been immense. She’d escaped that, at least.”
― Shani Struthers, Mandy

“people aren’t born with a propensity for evil, whatever they become in life, whatever choices they make along the way, perhaps as a result of injustices they’ve suffered, perhaps not, once they were good and that goodness remains at core, even if it does become buried under layers and layers of crud.” Cash raised an eyebrow at this but remained silent. Ruby”
― Shani Struthers, The Haunting of Highdown Hall

“Too late. It is only her sorrow that remains, settling like dust motes in the air.”
― Shani Struthers, Highgate