Hello Dear Readers!
I’ll be posting the next segment of Shifting into Love tomorrow. It’s in a deadlock, so please chime in with an opinion! My stats tell me people are reading, so I know you’re out there 🙂
See you tomorrow!
Author: evelynaster
I love romance, sex and coffee and write about them in my stories. Please check out my newest flame The Beautician and the Billionaire on my blog!
Shifting into Love Part 2
Samantha pulled herself up to her full height, swung her head so her blonde hair fell behind her shoulder and ignored her phone. Her sister had been the one to leave, and if she were making a play for Harrigans now, Samantha would fight it. She shrugged out of the stranger’s grip and turned to greet him, ready to know what he needed—how the bar could serve him.
Her mouth fell open when her eyes met his—brown like rich soil and completely blocking his soul. She had no insight into his desires or needs like she did every other person in the bar. It made her stagger back and balance herself with the pool cue. He reached out and caught her by the elbow too. Her phone quit ringing.
“Hey, are you okay?” he asked. Bangs fell over one eyebrow in a boyish manner, but his voice resonated with deep tones.
Goose bumps flared where he touched her, and she yanked her arm away. “I’m fine,” she quipped. In a calmer tone she added, “Can I get you a drink?”
“Actually, I was wondering who was a good mechanic around here. My motorcycle slowed down on it’s own when we got near the bar and then it just died. I can’t restart it, but I see no obvious problems.” He gave a sideways smile as if he was trying to impress her and said, “I rebuilt it myself.”
The smile made her want to lead him upstairs and forget about the rest of her customers, but she had to figure out what was going on with the bar first. She’d send him on his way and go to the cellar to focus. He was just another man, nothing special—except she couldn’t read him.
She scanned the room, hoping to find a mechanic. She never knew where the bar materialized and always had to rely on Harrigans’ knowledge for any local questions. Sometimes the bar had a phone book, but she’d try the crowd first. Her eyes landed on whom she was looking for, and she frowned. The mechanic was a red headed woman tossing back a beer. She was cute and young and perfectly unacceptable to introduce this enigmatic stranger to. Samantha scanned the room some more, but knew the red head was the only mechanic there.
What did Samantha care? She needed to mend the bond with the bar and not worry about her sex life. “Go talk to her.” She nodded her head towards the mechanic and turned back to the pool game. Her opponent had just missed the nine ball and left her a great shot. She sunk it with ease, winning the game. As the group cheered and jeered, and her opponent racked the balls for another game, Samantha watched the stranger’s easy saunter over to the mechanic.
The mechanic looked him up and down and grinned as he talked. Samantha’s stomach twisted.
Shit. She didn’t have time for jealousy. She handed off her cue and strutted through the bar to the stairs in the back. She descended into the only room that never changed: the cellar. It had casks of liquids, some of which Samantha hadn’t even tried, and floor to ceiling wine racks. In the center were a large oak table and chairs.
She sat in one of the chairs and placed her palms on the table. The room pulsed, weaker than usual. “What’s wrong?” she whispered.
Sometimes they’d get a customer who needed special attention, and Harrigans would be miffed at Samantha until she tended to her, but Samantha had felt no such need in the crowd. The only odd person had been the man with the broken motorcycle, but Harrigan’s had given her no insight into him. She pressed her palms into the table, and the room pulsed again. The bar pushed love and sorrow through her veins. Her guess had been right: there was someone at the bar whose needs Samantha was ignoring.
“Who?” she whispered. “I felt nothing.”
The bar took over her vision and showed her the main room. The red headed mechanic scooted out of her booth and took the boyish stranger by the arm. Samantha’s heart pounded with envy and fear as he led the mechanic to the door. Wait, maybe they were the ones who needed special attention.
She shoved aside her own fear that he would step outside and she wouldn’t see him again to try to sense their need. The woman clearly desired the motorcyclist, but Samantha could still feel nothing from him. “I don’t get it,” she said out loud to the bar. “There’s nothing special about her, and he’s completely blocked to me.”
The couple had almost reached the door when the motorcyclist said something that made the red head laugh. She took her hand off his arm and ran her hand down his back and to his ass, squeezing it.
Inexplicable rage coursed through Samantha. She pulsed her own power through the bar and locked the door just as the motorcyclist tried to push it open. When his fingertips touched the door, Samantha finally felt a bit of his soul—broody and filled with wanderlust. Her own spirit responded by swelling with the urge to travel. She allowed the desire to expand for just one moment before she squelched it as she always did.
The bar needed her to help someone. Her destiny was not one filled with new places, at least places outside of the Harrigans.
Her energy drained out in her effort to keep the door locked. Her phone rang and echoed her sister’s ringtone all around the cellar. If she answered it, the door would unlock and the motorcyclist would be free to leave. She couldn’t figure out why the bar had shown her the couple, when they didn’t seem to be the ones who needed help.
Her phone rang again. Maybe it was her sister who needed help. Samantha asked Harrigans what to do, but the bar remained silent.
What do you think Samantha should do? Answer the phone to see if her sister needs help and allow the door to unlock? Or keep the door locked long enough to get back upstairs and put her sister off one more time?
Shifting into Love
Dear Readers,
Welcome to my second Crowd Chooses Romance! If this is your first time, all you have to do is enjoy the story segment and post in the comment section which decision you’d like Samantha to make. For April Showers, I let the women who posted a vote every time choose an aspect of this story. Thanks to Janet, Shannon and Jeri for your input on the characters and genre!
Enjoy!
Shifting into Love
by Evelyn Aster
The fluctuation almost passed through Samantha’s soul without perception—the emotions of the bar crowd always pervading her and demanding her attention. But as she pulled the cork out of the bottle of wine for the couple that sat before her in the corner, the shift seeped into her lungs like the oxygen entering the bottle for the first time in a century. The smooth jazz music playing throughout the bar crescendoed and dimmed once again—longer than a beat but shorter than a measure.
She paused with the corkscrew in the air to gauge her connection to the bar she tended and owned: the change had been a loosening.
No. She gave her head a slight shake.
It was easy to imagine odd movements in the atmosphere. She put the corkscrew down and picked up a glass, pouring a sip of the maroon liquid into it. The man took it from her—the CEO variety with manicured looks and a tailored suit. He was trying to mend his relationship with the woman next to him. Samantha didn’t know what he’d done wrong—she only knew his sincerity of love mixed with the wine would go far in sewing together the woman’s broken heart.
He sniffed the bouquet and took a sip. When he nodded, Samantha filled the woman’s glass and then finished filling the man’s. The couple drank at the same time, and Samantha watched the hues of a red wave between them, mending the break and making their hearts whole.
The sound of smooth jazz fell away along with the dimmed lights, private booths and floor to ceiling wine racks. The walls and floor waved until classic rock blared out of a jukebox, vinyl booths torn and faded replaced the leather ones, dart boards took over the wine rack area and a pool table with a stained glass light hanging over it took up the center of the room.
Samantha put her hand on her chest and breathed easier. The moment earlier had just been a warning of the change to come—a change that happened all the time like pushing the reboot button on the computer. The pool bar was her home setting—the place she could most be herself.
She walked through the now empty room to the bar in the back with the mirror running behind it. The tight jeans rubbed comfort into her long legs, giving her hips a bit of a sway. She had just enough time for a shot of whiskey before the rowdy crowd arrived; she needed it to take away the lingering unease from the moment before. The bar hadn’t loosened its connection to her; it was as strong as ever. She grabbed a bottle of her best and a shot glass from under the bar. The liquid fired down her throat but refused to assure her that she had imagined the bar distancing itself from her.
She took another shot as a group of men and women entered dressed in jeans and concert t-shirts. They were just here to have a good time—they didn’t require special treatment like the couple had. The second shot of whiskey ran through her blood, convincing her that everything was normal: the bar only had her. They were entwined like lovers in a marble statue; no shift could loosen the bond.
People kept arriving, and Samantha kept the drinks flowing to everyone without ever taking an order. The bar told her what people needed, even if it wasn’t their favorite. A few men in painter’s overalls scoffed at the rum and coke she offered instead of their favorite beers, but after one sip, they quit arguing.
As she sashayed between the bar and the booths, she forgot about the loosening between her and the bar—it had been a mere figment of worry. When everyone had a drink and the bar was filled, Samantha took to the pool table. Her thoughts fragmented when she broke the balls apart, and she felt a rift down her spine as if the bar tried to break from her again. She straightened her back and shook the feeling off again as two balls sunk into pockets. Her opponent whistled and said he was glad they hadn’t bet.
She gripped the cue harder and leaned down again. Outside, a motorcycle engine pulsed its sound into the bar in time with the music. It entered her spine in the slight space the bar had left when it tried to break from her again. Samantha straightened her back without taking a shot. The bar was her home; her better-half; her only love. She had no use for motorcycles and was glad when the engine stopped.
She leaned down again to take her shot and try to woo the bar to complete her again—she knew the bar enjoyed it when her opponent never even got a turn. But right as the cue slid between her fingers, the door swung open and in stepped a man as tall as her slender six-foot height. The cue grazed over the white ball and made a sound that would’ve caused her to cringe, except her heartbeat filled her ears instead.
She slowly stood straight as her opponent laughed, but her eyes were only for the stranger. His unshaven face seemed to match the wanderlust in his eyes and awoke a yearning in Samantha she hadn’t experienced in ages—a yearning for the outside.
When his eyes met hers, the pleasant tingles of new romance played through her body. She turned away from him and the table. She didn’t need this, she didn’t need him. Anyway, he was too young—maybe thirty years to her fortyish. She needed to figure out what was wrong with the bar.
She walked away as if she needed to refill somebody’s drink, but only made it half-way before a hand fell on her shoulder. She knew it was the stranger without turning to look at him. He smelled like musk and motor oil in perfect harmony.
Just when she took a deep breath to steel herself to greet him, her phone rang from her pocket—not just anyone’s ring, but her sister: the only other person with a claim to the bar. The room spun. She didn’t know what to do if the bar was leaving her for her sister. The stranger’s grip steadied her like he was an old friend.
Samantha stood paralyzed with indecision.
What should Samantha do? Escape from the stranger’s grip and answer the phone, or ignore her sister’s call and turn and greet the stranger?
Friday Flirtations
Dear Readers,
The next CCR starts Monday, May 5. The title is Shifting into Love. Please join me and help me write the story!
Evelyn Aster
Friday Flirtations: Next Crowd Chooses Romance (CCR)
Pull up some chocolate and sit a spell. The CCR that I did for the Love, Lust and Lipstick blog hop went so well that I’m going to do another one in May. Three lovely readers cast a vote all three times that I asked for a decision, so I decided to involve them in the next story.
I asked Shannon to send me a name and attributes for the heroine, and I received Samantha: a tall woman who “drinks like a fish and plays pool like a shark.”
Jeri sent me the hero who I think will be the perfect compliment to Samantha: Levi, a scruffy rebel, who rides a 1947 Triumph motorcycle and waxes philosophical after a few beers.
I asked Janet to choose the genre. I knew she was trouble when she wanted me to introduce a brand new character in the middle of April Showers 🙂 So I wasn’t surprised when she gave me a tricky genre: Slipstream. I have never read a slipstream romance, and if you don’t know what slipstream is, the best I can say is it moves in and out of what’s real and what is fantastical. I think the 1947 Triumph motorcycle will be the perfect vehicle to move our heroes in and out of reality.
I’ll let you know next Friday when the story will start. If you’re new to the site, I made a page for April Showers so that you can read it in its entirety.
April Showers Final Part
Dear Readers,
Thank you so very much for all of your comments and subscriptions to my email feed. This is the last day of the Love, Lust and Lipstick Stains blog hop. Be sure to get in all of your entries for the drawing–one of the prizes is a Kindle!
I’m finishing up the blog hop with the final installment in April Showers. I hope you’ve had as much fun reading it as I have had writing it. The vote went to Mark! Please enjoy.
April Showers Final Part
by Evelyn Aster
Mark gripped her arms and said, “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you he’d called. I didn’t think he’d just show up looking for you.”
She squirmed out of his grasp—rain beating down on her face as she looked up at him. “But why? Your job is not to decide who I get to talk to. I make those decisions.”
“Because when I first started working for you, you were on the verge of divorce, and he convinced you to stay with him. Something inside me told me he was going to try to get you back again. And I couldn’t stand to watch it. You’re a smart, beautiful woman and I love you.”
Tessa stepped back. Her mouth hung open and the raindrops fell in. Sure, he’d been flirting with her earlier, but she hadn’t equated it with love. “I, I can’t talk about this right now. Please don’t follow me.” She turned around with his coat still on and ran until a taxi stopped for her.
She sat dripping inside of the cab. One ex-husband and one assistant—she couldn’t help but notice her heart grew cold at the thought of Rick and warmed at the thought of Mark. But it was a rainy Friday night—not the type of evening suited for decisions of the heart. She needed to sleep on it.
#
Tessa sat in flannel pajamas with her feet up on a chair, a cup of coffee on the kitchen table and an e-reader in her hand. The storm from the night before still pattered down on her roof and brought a chill back into her house like Rick had brought turmoil back into her heart. She tried to read the words before her, but her mind gave them no meaning. She always liked the idea of her and Rick together, but the reality never matched it.
A knock at the door startled her. She set aside the e-reader and walked until she could look through the peephole. Crap. It was Rick.
She opened the door and saw he was drenched with a dozen red roses in his hand. The porch roof rattled under the raindrops. She sighed. She didn’t like roses because of the thorns, but Rick thought they were the only romantic flower out there. “What do you want?”
He held the bouquet out and said, “I’m really sorry about the way I treated you. And I’m sorry about last night. If Mark–”
“Leave Mark out of this.”
Rick’s eyes narrowed like he suspected something was going on between them. “I didn’t think I should just show up here and I couldn’t think of any way else to see you.”
“It’s over, Rick.”
Rick dropped the flowers to his side. “Are you with Mark now? I always knew he wanted you.”
Despite trying to keep a straight face, her eyes widened. She’d never thought they were anything but professional. Except Mark had been very caring during everything that had happened—over and beyond even the best assistant. God, she was an idiot. “No, I’m not with Mark. You and I are not good for each other. We should’ve never tried to have children–”
“No, we were great together, and I want children with you.”
“But I can’t have them. And they aren’t a bandage for all the hurt between us. You went too far in the divorce. I can’t be with you again.” She shut the door and leaned against it.
“I love you, Tessa.” He called.
She kept the door shut and stood at it until she heard him walk away. Tears brimmed at the thought of never seeing him again, but she blinked them back.
#
After a shower and lunch, she sat at the kitchen table still trying to read, but the doorbell rang. Damn it. It had better not be Rick again. She stomped to the door and flung it open. A delivery man stood there with a bouquet of spring flowers—purple and pink with raindrops rolling off the petals in momentary beauty. She caught her breath; they had to be from Mark.
The storm finally stopped as she signed for the flowers. She took them and noticed a letter sized envelope in the middle. She set the flowers in a vase on her table and opened up the letter.
Dear Tessa,
Last night is not the way I wanted to share my feelings for you. I imagined something much grander, but the words just flew out of my mouth in panic. If you’re with Rick right now, I wish you well and know that he’s the luckiest bastard in the world.
If you’ve made up your mind to stay divorced, please consider going out to dinner with me tonight. There’s so much I want to say, and I’m not much good at Jane Austen length letters.
Either way, I think our time working together has come to an end. I’ve accepted a job in the marketing department. Of course, I’ll help you transition to someone new, but I think we both know it can’t go back to the way it was, and I don’t want it to. I want us to be so much more.
Please call me,
Mark
Oh, god. He’d finally taken a better job and was moving on. The marketing department was on a different floor; she wouldn’t see him anymore except at Christmas parties. What would she do without their chats over morning coffee, their laughter over lunch and their banter at the end of the day when—her thought ended on the realization that they always talked as if they didn’t want to leave each other to go home at the end of the day. Damn.
She was in love with him.
She dashed out to her living room where she’d left her purse and phone. As soon as the phone was in her hand, she pressed her finger over his number. It only rang once before he said, “Tessa?”
“Mark.” She had no idea what to say.
The pause seemed to go on forever. “Did you get my flowers?”
Tessa hit her palm on her forehead. “Yes, they’re lovely. Thank you so much. I want—is it possible–” Tessa took a deep breath. “I don’t want to wait until dinner to see you.”
The doorbell rang. “Answer your door,” said Mark.
She ran to the front door and slammed it open.
Mark put his phone in his pocket and said, “I stalked the deliveryman here. I didn’t want to wait until dinner either. I take it Rick isn’t here?”
Tessa put her phone in her back jeans’ pocket and shook her head. “We’re through. We’re divorced. I’m done with him.”
Mark held out a hand and caressed her cheek. “I’m sorry I didn’t trust you to make that decision. I just can’t stand not being with you any longer. Everyday I come to work I want to take you in my arms and tell you how much you mean to me.”
Tessa pressed his hand to her cheek and said, “I know I’m a little slow sometimes, but when you said you were leaving me for marketing, I realized how important everything you do is to me. I can’t give up talking and laughing with you. I should’ve realized it a long time ago.”
Clouds broke apart and the sun’s rays shone through. The world smelled as if it had just stepped out of a shower scented with wildflowers. He pulled her to him and said, “The past is done. Let’s move on together and not look back.”
She wrapped her arms around him—her heart beating happiness mixed with anticipation throughout her body. Their lips pressed together, washing euphoria over her. They kissed until the last of the rain dripped off of the porch roof and then went inside to a blissful afternoon in her bedroom.
###
If you enjoyed my off the cuff writing, please buy my new and first release Through the Paintings with a fuller plot and professional editing. You can buy it at Jupiter Gardens, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, ARE, Coffee Time Romance and Smashwords.
April Showers Part Three
For those of you who have just tuned in, I’m running a sort of “choose your own romance” story this week for the Love, Lust and Lipstick Stains Blog Hop. You can read Part One here and Part Two here. Also, remember to enter the Giveaway here.
You guys made it hard on me tonight by having a tie. I decided the important part seemed to be to know what her ex-husband wanted. I hope you enjoy how I wrote the compromise. Please vote at the end, and please pass the link on to anyone you think might have fun with the story!
April Showers Part 3
by Evelyn Aster
Tessa let go of Mark and placed her hands together on top of the table before looking up at Rick. His eyes had the puppy dog look that always made her cave, but not today. “Quit being rude to Mark. If you want to talk to me, just call me. I’m busy right now.”
“Mark’s been screening my calls and you got a new number.”
Tessa tried to stay stoic when he said Mark had been screening his calls. She hadn’t told him to do that. “There’s always Facebook,” she said.
Rick glanced around the table; everyone had fallen silent. “All right then.”
To Tessa’s surprise, he walked away. It wasn’t like him to give up without getting his way. Maybe something was really wrong, but there was no reason he should come to her about it. They had pretty much severed everything about their relationship, and without kids, they never had to see each other again—ever.
People at the table tried to make small talk, but she felt their eyes on her. Her knuckles were white. The waitress came by, and Tessa managed to order a round of beer.
Mark shifted so his arm was stretched out on the top of the booth behind her, but not touching her. “Are you okay?” he whispered.
She took a deep breath and relaxed her hands. “How many times did he call?” she asked in a low voice.
“Once a day since Monday. I’m sorry. I know I was out of line.”
She caught a joke somebody made and laughed at it but was really trying to figure out how she felt about Mark not telling her Rick had called. She needed to have a talk with Mark. Whatever his intentions were, he still should’ve told her Rick had called—in the very least so she wouldn’t be sitting here feeling like someone had slammed a filing cabinet into her.
The waitress arrived with the beers and put a glass of red wine in front of Tessa. “From the gentleman over there,” she said.
Tessa didn’t need to follow where the waitress pointed to know that Rick had sent it, or to taste it to know that it was Merlot. Damn it. She said, “Excuse me,” to Mark but he didn’t get up.
“Don’t go,” he said. “What could he possibly have to say to you that would be to your benefit?”
“I don’t know. Maybe if you hadn’t been screening my calls he wouldn’t be here at all.”
Mark set he’s jaw as if he wouldn’t let her go. “Come to dinner with me tonight.”
“What? I’m sure you realize I’m not happy with you right now. So get up.”
“You deserve so much better than him. Don’t cave into whatever it is he wants.” Mark stood and Tessa scooted by him without replying.
Rick sat alone at a table on the other side of the bar. She rolled her shoulders back and marched over. “What happened to the woman?” she asked.
“Who?”
“The woman I saw you with when I first entered.”
He shrugged. “I have no idea. I didn’t come with her. She had just sat down when you arrived.”
Tessa rolled her eyes—women always flocked to him. “What do you want?”
“Could you please sit down?”
“No. We’re divo–”
“I think I made a huge mistake divorcing you.”
The world fell away—no bar noise or sights. Just his sincere blue eyes remained. She’d cried herself to sleep many nights wishing he would say those words, but now that he had, the flood of forgiveness she’d planned didn’t pour out—it didn’t even trickle. The sincerity in his eyes masked an underlying confidence that she would take him back, and it grated on her.
“That’s it? No apology? Just that you’ve made a mistake? How about, ‘I’m sorry for blaming the miscarriage on you,’ or ‘I’m sorry for demanding ten thousand dollars from you in the divorce proceedings.’ How did your lawyer put it? Something like ‘wasted fertility money because she ultimately rejected the baby.’”
Rick jumped up and tried to take her hands, but she snatched them away. “Tessa, please. I was getting to that. I’m really, really sorry about all of it. I was a world class dick. But it was like you didn’t think the miscarriage affected me at all—it was just you.”
Her body shook in rage. She wanted to punch him. Instead, she said, “You refused to say anything about it. Whenever I brought it up, you changed the topic.”
“Because I couldn’t deal with it. It was so unexpected after everything we’d done to get you pregnant. I was an asshole, and I realize that now. Please give me a second chance. I won’t screw it up.”
The moment surrounded her like a bubble and made her feel suspended out of time. He wanted her back, finally. She’d just been daydreaming about snuggling with him while it rained outside. And now she could have it.
She shook her head and the bubble popped. She could never have the imagined life. To much sadness and pain pushed them apart. “No,” she said. “You’re about six months too late on the apology. And I didn’t deserve the treatment I got in the divorce. We’re through.”
She turned on her heel and walked straight out of the bar and into the rain. She realized for the first time that she still had Mark’s coat on her shoulders. She put her arms through the sleeves and started walking—to where, she had no idea.
Before she reached the light, a hand fell on her shoulder and turned her around.
Who do you want it to be: Mark to console her, or Rick to beg for forgiveness some more?
April Showers Part 2
Welcome Blog Hoppers! This week is sponsored by the lovely ladies at Love Lust and Lipstick Stains. You can click on the picture above to see the list of other blogs on the hop or click on the frog icon to the side. There’s also a giveaway going on at http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/06395848/ . One of the ways you can enter is by following my blog!
For the hop, I’m trying something new that I hope you enjoy. It’s a sort of choose your own romance. Thanks to all the readers who voted on the first part! Tessa is letting go and finds someone unexpected at the bar. Please read part two of April Showers and let me know what she should do next. If you missed part one, it’s here: April Showers Part 1. Â I’ll post the next part of the story tomorrow according to the vote. Keep coming back the rest of the week to see the story unfold as chosen by the readers.
April Showers Part 2
by Evelyn Aster
Tessa dropped his hand and pushed a stray strand of blond hair behind her ear. It was one thing to step out for drinks after several months, and another to start flirting with her assistant. “Thanks for your help,” she said. “I think I’m okay now.”
“Sure,” he said and headed towards the double doors. He didn’t appear to feel slighted or embarrassed so maybe he’d just been being helpful and not flirting at all. Tessa brushed out imaginary wrinkles in her skirt and caught up to him.
She found herself admiring the way his suit fit his shoulders and masked the muscles beneath. He worked out during his lunches, and she’d seen his perfect abs in passing once. Geez. The memory made her blush. She’d still been married when that had happened. She shouldn’t recall it so clearly.
He pushed the door open for her just when thunder boomed as if the lightning had been straight above. The rest of the group jumped and looked up as they stood at the corner waiting for the light to change. No one was paying attention to Tessa and Mark as they walked slowly towards the group. Half-way there, the rain showered down on them with no warning sprinkles.
Mark shrugged off his coat and draped it around Tessa without even asking. She tried to protest. “Oh no, I couldn’t possibly. You’re getting soaked now.” And damn he looked good with the shirt already clinging to his body. She averted her eyes.
“I figure I can’t win in this situation.” His hand slid from her shoulder down to the small of her back before he let her go.
“Oh, and how’s that?” Their knuckles bumped and she had to resist the growing temptation to hold his hand. They were both professionals just heading out for a friendly drink with the rest of the crew after a long month.
“I don’t give you my coat, we get to the bar and you complain to everyone how your assistant is trying to make you sick by allowing you to get soaked. Or, I give you my coat and you complain that I’m trying to be chivalrous and not allowing you to be the beautiful, independent woman you are.”
Tessa gave him a sideways glance when he said beautiful. “Sounds like you need a new boss. I think your deftness at moving through such tricky situations is under appreciated.”
They caught up to the rest of the group right as the light changed. Tessa tried to comb through her wet hair but knew it did no good.
“I could never leave her,” he said.
“Why’s that?”
“She could never figure out my intricate filing system and the company might sue me for malicious intent.”
Tessa pushed him away as they crossed. “You always think you’re so superior. I don’t know why I put up with you.”
“Admit it. You’d be lost without me.”
There was snark in his voice, but a pang of guilt hit her all the same. When they reached the corner, she took his elbow and made him stop with the rain still drenching them. “I don’t think I’ve ever really thanked you for keeping me on track this year. You’re the only one who really knew everything that happened, and it meant more than you know to be able to confide in you.”
He reached out and touched her cheek with his fingertips. “You can always count on me.”
Okay, she was not imagining his sincerity or the slight yearning in his voice as he spoke—both things she’d desired from her ex-husband for so long. She turned towards the bar and said, “We’d better get inside before they’ve decided we’ve washed away. She walked to the door, opened it and enjoyed the blast of bar noise as she entered.
Screens showed sports, a juke box blared music from the nineties and everyone tried to talk over it. Mark stepped behind her and said, “Oh shit.” He took her by the shoulders and twisted her to the right. “There’s everyone in those booths. Looks like Beth is saving you a seat.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” His voice sounded tight.
“Old girlfriend?”
“Something like that.”
Curiosity mixed with jealousy made her turn to try and figure out which woman would be Mark’s ex. She’d never seen pictures of girlfriends on his desk now that she thought of it. Mark kept pushing her towards the table as if he didn’t want her to figure out who it might be. She twisted her head until it wouldn’t go any further and stopped—her feet planted to the ground as if she were part of the building.
Rick sat at a high table, laughing at something the woman he was with had just said.
What the fuck was he doing here?
It wasn’t like they’d drawn out territorial lines on a map, but his office was several blocks down. He didn’t even like Harrigans, or so he’d claimed whenever Tessa had asked him to meet her there after work.
“Just keep walking, Tessa,” pleaded Mark next to her. “He didn’t see you walk in.”
Tessa stood immobile. She wanted to go yell at him to get the hell out, but then she’d look like a real bitch. His head turned and their eyes met. They were light blue, like her own, but he wore the lines of age better. The smile in them changed to sadness. Tessa’s stomach twisted up.
Mark whispered, “Come sit with us. You’ve worked hard for so long. Don’t let him ruin this afternoon too.”
Unable to think clearly, she allowed Mark to lead her to the table. She sat next to Beth, and everyone scooted over to make room for Mark to sit next to her. He took her hand again under the table, and she squeezed it hard. She made herself smile and said, “So what are we drinking today? Beers for everyone?”
Jeff said, “If you’re buying, lets make it a round of their best scotch.”
“I’ll compromise and buy everyone a cosmo, but you have to drink it with your pinky up.” Everyone laughed, and Tessa was unsure how she was even talking with Rick on the other side of the room. Except he wasn’t. He was standing at their table. Mark squeezed her hand.
“Hey Tessa.” His voice was deep with a resonance that always made her ache when they were in bed together.
Everyone stopped talking.
“Hey,” said Tessa without looking up.
“We’re here celebrating closing an account, so why don’t you leave and let her enjoy herself for a change,” said Mark.
“You can call off your guard dog Tessa. I just came here to talk to you. I’ve been waiting for an hour hoping you’d come here. Could you sit at a table with me?”
Tessa stared straight at the table. He could’ve just called if he had something to say. He didn’t need to make a scene in front of her team. But his voice at the end had sounded almost desperate. What could possibly be the reason? She so didn’t want to deal with this right now.
What should Tessa do: go talk to her ex-husband or stay with her coworkers?
Love Lust and Lipstick Blog Hop!
Welcome Blog Hoppers! This week is sponsored by the lovely ladies at Love Lust and Lipstick Stains. You can click on the picture above to see the list of other blogs on the hop or click on the frog icon to the side. There’s also a giveaway going on at http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/06395848/ . One of the ways you can enter is by following my blog!
For the hop, I’m trying something new that I hope you enjoy. It’s a sort of choose your own romance. Read the beginning of the story below and comment on what decision you’d like Tessa to make. I’ll post the next part of the story tomorrow according to the vote. Keep coming back the rest of the week to see the story unfold as chosen by the readers.
April Showers
by Evelyn Aster
Tessa ran her thumb around the indention in her finger where her wedding ring used to be. It should be gone by now along with the hole in her soul that refused to close. She gazed outside her office window and watched the clouds gathering over the skyscrapers for a whopper of an April shower. Lightning lit them up, and a few minutes later she heard a rumble. The storm was still pretty far from her just like any sign of healing.
Her head hit the desk. She should be taking maternity leave now with her first child. She should be gathering it in a bundle of blankets and snuggling next to Rick for Friday night pizza and a movie.
Her intercom buzzed. Tessa sat up and pushed the button.
“Go home,” said her assistant Mark. “Better yet, go get a drink.”
Tessa turned and looked through the window in the wall that divided them. He was five years younger than her with features more likely to be found in a jeans ad than at an office. People always joked that she’d hired him for his looks, but he was the sharpest person she knew. She was frankly flabbergasted he was so content to work as her assistant. She made a face and said, “Do you think anyone would notice?”
“You’re the boss around here. Who cares?”
Tessa rolled her eyes and let go of the button. She preferred to lead by example. Besides, she was pretty much a middle manager. Still, maybe she would. Not the getting a drink part, but the going home early. No one would begrudge her—she’d been working her ass off throughout the whole divorce process.
What the hell? It was Friday. She shut down her computer and wished she’d brought in a rain coat. Since the divorce, she’d fallen out of watching the weather and news—there was too much sadness in her own life to keep up with all the shit going on in the world.
She stepped out of the office and said to Mark, “I’m going home then. You can leave too. We’re not doing–” her voice trailed off as she looked out at several empty cubicles. “Did everyone already leave?”
“Well, we just wrapped up that big account.”
Oh shit. She usually took everyone out for a drink when that happened, but this time she’d just moved on to working on the next account. Stunned at how out of touch she was, she said, “Why didn’t you remind me this should be a happy hour Friday?”
His brown eyes saddened and he said with a seriousness he hardly ever showed “I figured you weren’t in the celebrating mood. I was trying to hint at it just now, but I think I was too subtle.”
She sighed. “I’m sorry. I’ve gotta get with it again.”
He stood up, appeared to want to reach out to her, but stopped himself. “It’s been a rough year for you. I’ve been hoping for signs of your old self, but I know everything has changed.”
Tessa tilted her head and said, “Did they go to Harrigans?”
Mark said, “Yeah, I’m meeting them there when we leave. We might be able to catch them at the elevators. You know how slow they are and everyone just left.”
“Let’s go,” she said. He grabbed his suit coat off the back of his chair and she asked, “I don’t suppose you brought an umbrella?”
“No, but you can have my coat if you need it.”
She shook her head, but smiled at the offer. They jogged through the office. She heard chatter in the direction they were heading and said, “Play along with me.” She turned the corner and glared. The team she led stopped talking. Tessa narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. “Going somewhere?”
The team gaped. Mark stepped around the corner and said, “I tried to talk them out of it, but they just blew me off.”
A man named Jeff who was older but still under her said, “That’s BS. He suggested it.”
Her most recent hire, a woman fresh out of college, blushed and said, “I’m sorry, Tessa. With the Morgan account done we thought–”
“That you could slack off?” Tessa raised her eyebrows.
No one answered. She was a bit surprised how terrified they looked, except for Jeff, and stared at them one by one, enjoying the momentary discomfort she was causing them. But she thought the new girl Lisa might pee in her pants so she relented. Tessa broke into a smile. “It’s fine. I’m sorry I’ve been so out of it recently. The first round is on me of course.”
The group laughed in relief and it was nice to feel like a part of them again—she’d been far too distant. When the elevator finally opened, they squeezed in next to another group leaving early. Tessa ended up standing face to face with Mark, his umber eyes smiling at her. She whispered, “Did you see how scared everyone was? I didn’t know I could have that kind of effect.”
“You cause all sorts of effects,” he whispered back. His stare changed to match the intensity of his words.
Her stomach fluttered and she had to avert her eyes. What did he mean? Heat rose inside her in a way she hadn’t felt in a long time. No, this was wrong, and he probably didn’t mean it the way it sounded. She lifted her eyes to his again, but he’d looked away. A bell dinged and the elevator door opened. She was so flustered as they walked out that she wasn’t careful, and her heel caught between the elevator and the first floor. She tripped, and he caught her by the waist.
“Easy, there,” he said. “You haven’t even had your first drink yet.” His words had returned to their joking inflections, but he held her close to him.
Tessa stood up straight and tried to shrug him off. “Thanks. I guess it’s been so long since I’ve had one that even the thought intoxicates me.”
He let go of her waist, but to her surprise, he took her hand. “It’s time you started having fun again.”
They were way behind the others now. Confusion made her slightly dizzy. She couldn’t decide if she should let go of his hand and keep their relationship strictly professional, or hold onto him and see where it went. He’d been a rock through the devastating events of the year, but she’d never considered being involved with him. Of course, she’d married way too young and hadn’t really considered anyone romantically except her ex-husband.
What should Tessa do? Hold onto Mark’s hand or let go? Leave your vote in the comments below. The decision with the most votes will be written about tomorrow. Come back to see what Tessa has to choose between next!
Friday Flirtation
Dear Readers,
Welcome to Friday Flirtations. This week I’m chatting over at Karenna Colcroft’s blog about settings in romance stories. Please grab a cup of coffee and click on over: Romantic Settings.
