Mike Sullivan’s dating Amy, the perfect woman. Everyone says she is, even his best friend, Bill. She urges him to move in with her, and he agrees. To Mike, living together means getting engaged. He’s picked out the ring and is ready to pop the question, isn’t he?
If Amy is the one, why
can’t Mike forget Heather? He’d spent a magical ten days with her on Fire
Island, ten days that changed his life. Then he’d screwed it up. As quickly as
she entered his world, Heather disappeared, blocking his calls, and leaving him
bereft.
That was five years ago. Finally ready to accept the fact that he’ll never see Heather again, Mike’s poised to take the big step -- until a magazine article turns his universe upside down.
SNEAK PEEK OF: Heather & Mike
The One That Got Away
(Echoes of the Heart, #1)
A NEW SERIES - ECHOES OF THE HEART
Second Chance Romance Stories.
New York City,
Upper East Side of Manhattan
Thrusting his hand into
his pocket, Mike Sullivan made sure the little box from the jewelers was there.
Of course, Amy might prefer to pick out her own ring, but she’d been hinting
around about marriage for so long he guessed any ring would be welcomed.
On his way to the hair salon to pick up his girl, his
phone dinged. It was a text saying they had been backed up and she was behind
schedule. Already halfway there, he kept going.
His stomach became queasy. Was proposing to Amy a good
idea? Good, old reliable Amy. Bill, his buddy, had made a case for her. He’d
pointed out how dependable she was, how down-to-earth, rock solid, predictable.
She’d never surprise him with something unpleasant, like screwing around. Mike
gave a short laugh. Nope, Amy would never cheat on him because he doubted
anyone would ask.
It wasn’t that she wasn’t a beauty, though she put out
a lot of effort and came damn close. The woman had no sexual heat, but she was dependable
as hell. He knew, when he got home from work, dinner would be on the table
fifteen minutes later—every single night. As he waited for a red light to
change, Bill’s words echoed in his head.
“What do you expect? Marriage is about give and take. You want someone who’s gonna be there to
raise your kids. Pick ’em up from school every day. Cook dinner. Amy’s an
excellent cook.”
He was right about that. Amy could cook like a gourmet
chef. Mike frowned.
“You’re not still mooning over that flaky chick from
Fire Island, are you?” Bill had asked.
“You mean Heather?”
“Yeah. That’s the one. It’s fuckin’ five years
already. You’ve looked everywhere for her. She’s gone, buddy. You need a
dependable girl, like Amy. Get married. Have a couple of kids.”
“What about happiness?” Mike had asked.
“Much overrated,” Bill had said as he shook his head.
Mike wasn’t so sure. Still, he’d planned to move into
Amy’s apartment. In three days men were coming to stuff his belongings into a
storage locker. His place was pretty well packed up. He couldn’t move in with
her without at least the promise of marriage, could he? A lot of men did, but
not Mike. He didn’t roll that way. Still, marriage meant giving up his dream of
Heather. Was he ready to do that? He pushed her out of his mind and crossed the
street.
When he arrived, he had about a half hour wait. Her
hair had to be perfect. Everything about Amy had to be perfect; her clothes,
her house, he hesitated to put down a glass, even on a coaster, on the coffee
table. So God damn perfect it made him nervous. That was about to come to an
end, once he moved in. “Messy Mike” she’d nicknamed him. He hated it, but she
was right.
Heather popped into his mind. Her shoulder-length
light brown hair hadn’t been perfect. Wind-blown from the ocean breezes, it had
whipped around her face before settling on her shoulders in loose, messy curls.
She’d worn no makeup that he could see, except a little lipstick. Pages of
articles and stories had littered her beach house. There had been nothing
perfect about Heather, except that she’d been
perfect for him.
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