Sweet Saturday Samples - Feb 11

Welcome to Dallas, Texas and a scene from   I.O.U. Sex. In today’s excerpt June has gathered her courage and driven across town to Reid Automotive for what she hopes will be a face-to-face meeting with her former steady. She hasn’t seen Denny since high school, so does she just want her car serviced, or is she after more?

When she walked into the waiting area, she saw Denny standing behind the counter. June's heart thumped in her chest. A surge of panic made her stop and wonder if she could leave before he noticed her. She took a step backwards.

That's when Denny looked up and stared. He seemed puzzled at first, then his smile stretched into an enormous grin. His dark eyes sparkled like the chrome on the hubcaps nailed to the wall above his head.

"I knew it," he said. "June, you called last week, right? After you hung up, I thought 'That sounded like Junie.' " He walked around the counter, hands outstretched.

June smiled—too nervous to speak. She watched her high school love come toward her and a collage of memories collided in her brain.

Denny enclosed both her hands in his. "Gosh, it's great to see you. You look terrific. It's been a long time since I've seen that smile."

June took a deep breath. Her inner voice told her to be calm. After all, he said she looked terrific and seemed happy to see her. "It's good to see you too, Denny. I thought this might still be your garage. I wasn't sure."

"Oh, yeah, I'm still a working man, though my son Marty has taken over most of the business." He nodded toward an open service bay to his left. "You wanted an oil change, right? How about you leave your car here, and we grab some lunch while Marty takes care of it? We can catch up with each other and share some laughs about old times."

June hesitated. This was all happening quicker than she'd planned. She'd just walked in the door and now he wanted to go to lunch?

Then Denny spoke again, disappointment evident in his voice. "Look, I'm sorry. You're probably busy."

Do it, June's mind shouted. "Actually, I don't have anything planned until later this afternoon. I'd love to have lunch with you."

Denny's face lit up with a smile that used to make her want to kiss him senseless. June's face felt warm, and she hoped she wasn't blushing.

Courage, girl. He can't read your thoughts. Everything's under control.

She looked down and rummaged through her purse, glad for an excuse to look away for a moment. "Here are my keys. Mine is the silver Camry." She pointed to the parking lot with a pink-manicured nail.

"Okay, give me five minutes. You can't imagine how glad I am to see you." Denny took her keys, then walked out of the office and into the garage.

June sank onto a vinyl-covered chair, her knees weak. She clasped her hands in her lap to keep them from shaking, but she couldn't stop grinning.

I've done it. I've taken the first step.

What will June do next? And will she find the courage to tell Denny what she wished she’d confessed so many years before?

For Sweet Saturday Samples from more writers, click here: Sweet Stuff

Quotes to Note

I heard this bit of wisdom on National Public Radio several days ago. The late Jay Trachman, host of the weekly "One on One" radio show for more than three decades, was quoted as saying:
"The formula for a happy marriage? It's the same as the one for living in California: when you find a fault, don't dwell on it."


National Public Radio (NPR)'s website: http://www.npr.org/

Teaser Tuesday - Laid Out and Candle Lit

An older character from Laid Out and Candle Lit remembers the early years of her marriage ...

"You thought about it all day ... you couldn't wait for him to get home ... the minute he stepped in the door, you were tearing at each other's clothes ... he couldn't get to you quick enough ... Whew! Damn! I think I need a glass of sweet tea," she said, fanning her face with both hands.
(Page 28, Location 305 on my Kindle)

Laid Out and Candle Lit was a fun, light-hearted romance that I thoroughly enjoyed. Here what Ann Everett's website says about the book: 

What do Sweet Thangs, Orgasm Pie, and murder in Brownsboro, TX have in common?
ANSWER: Tizzy Donovan
Small town girl, Tizzy is a widow, single mother, sister to the county sheriff and known as the local girl who talks to the dead. After almost five years without a man, she's pent up and hot-to-trot, and in small town Brownsboro, the roster of available men is just plain lousy.
When Tizzy discovers a dead body in the cemetery, she quickly becomes a suspect. With each lead placing her credibility on the line, she knows there will be no talking her way out of this one with saucy come-backs and a helping of Better Than Sex Cupcakes.
Texas Ranger Ridge Cooper arrives in town to cut his teeth on his first murder case, and  becomes torn between duty and desire. His job gets a whole lot harder as he works to find a viable suspect other than the sexy woman with a sassy mouth.

Teaser Tuesday is hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• Be careful not to include spoilers! (Make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others.)
• Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers.

To find more Teasers, click here: Teasers

Sweet Saturday Samples - Feb 4

In this excerpt from I.O.U. Sex, June has decided to take the plunge and meet her former steady, Denny, face-to-face by going to his place of business to surprise him. But first she has to prepare….

Showered, buffed, and lotioned, June spritzed perfume over her naked body. I'll wear my most expensive lace bra and panties, she thought, though no one but me will know. They'll give me confidence. She took extra time with her hair, sweeping it behind her ears the way Denny used to like it. Her ex-husband Stan said older women shouldn't wear their hair long, but she still thought shoulder length suited her best. She rejected Stan’s opinion as just one more of his many chauvinistic ideas and wondered why she'd tolerated him as long as she had. The day she and Stan parted, she'd decided to let her hair grow long again, her first act of defiance in years. She leaned in for a closer look in the mirror, pleased that her blonde highlights covered most of her gray.

June went to the closet, wondering what a woman should wear to have her car serviced by an old boyfriend. The thought made her laugh.

That's not something you'd read about in Emily Post.

After trying on and discarding four outfits, she settled on a short denim skirt and a cotton-candy pink T-shirt. Why not accentuate the positive? Her legs were chemically tanned and firm from years of aerobics, and Denny had always liked her in pink. She added silver hoops to her ears and straightened her shoulders for a last look in the mirror. She turned sideways, patting her not-so-flat stomach, frowning at her not-so-perky breasts.

Stan's criticisms nagged: Is that cellulite on the back of your thighs?

Now she answered him in words she'd never spoken aloud. "Shut up, and get out of my mind. I may not be perfect, but for a woman my age, I look pretty damned good."

Then another worry surfaced. What exactly would she say to Denny?

"Hi, it's me. June. I'm a part-time writer, the mother of a grown son, and the survivor of a nasty divorce. Oh, and by the way, I’ve made a pact with Kiki and Peggy, and I’m here to offer you the very thing I wouldn’t do in high school. What’s new with you?”

She decided not to over-think their meeting but to play it by ear instead. After all, this was just an oil change. No big deal.

Yeah. Right.

She grabbed her purse, took a deep breath, and locked the door behind her.

Will June go forward and actually meet with Denny or will she chicken out at the last minute? And what will his reaction be? We’ll continue with June’s story in the weeks to come. Thanks for visiting our Sweet Saturday Sample!


[Note: The foregoing excerpt has been edited to maintain a PG-13 rating.]
Illustration source: "Woman looking at her reflection in mirror," (1918) by Frederic Dorr Steele.  From the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

For more Sweet Saturday Samples, click here:  

Sweet Stuff