Up for preorder, available now on Google Play. JUST ONE KISS, new romantic comedy! Here's an excerpt.
The
GPS put her within two miles of her destination. Her pulse kicked up.
Impatience pushed her foot down a little harder on the accelerator. Picking her
gaze up from the road, she eased down on the brake as a sleepy little house
emerged from the darkness.
How
thoughtful of Roberta to leave the light over the front door on.
As she signaled for a turn, she frowned to see another car in the driveway.
Maybe Roberta had a spare car? Could she have forgotten about Meg’s arrival
date?
She
pulled up next to a silver BMW SUV. Hmm, maybe Roberta had custody of the house
already?
Meg
opened the trunk and took out two bags. The rest could wait until the morning.
She
jostled Charlie. “Sweetheart. Charlie. Dear. We’re here. Can you get up long
enough to get into bed?”
Meg
prayed the beds were made up already. Charlie mumbled something, rubbed his
face and slid out the door. He stumbled his way up the cement path with his
mother toting the bags right behind him. Meg fished the key from her purse. She
put it in the lock and swung the door wide open.
As
Charlie tripped up the step into the house, the sound of barking, once faint
grew louder. As the boy moved inside, the hound from Hell, snarling, teeth
bared bounded into the room. Charlie and his mother screamed at the same time!
Seeking
escape, Meg fled to the dining room, dragging Charlie behind her. The dog
nipped at the boy. Using all her strength, Meg grabbed him by the waist and
vaulted him onto the table. Then she scrambled onto a chair, then the table
with the black dog close behind.
She
and Charlie clung to each other screaming. The dog jumped, but Meg raised her
foot and kicked its snout. The dog yelped.
“Hey!
Don’t kick my dog!” came a masculine voice.
Meg
looked up. “Call off your dog!”
“Come
here, Coco. Did the bad lady hurt you?” A man dressed only in boxers, followed
by a young boy in pajamas fussed about the dog. The animal calmed down for a
moment before it snarled again at Meg and Charlie.
“It’s
okay, Coco. I don’t think she’s armed.”
“Call
off your dog!” she repeated, only louder.
“I
will, if you tell me what you’re doing breaking into my house.” Despite his
words, the man grasped the dog’s collar and held her at bay.
Slowly,
Meg let go of her son. “You okay? Did the dog bite you?”
Charlie
nodded. “I don’t think so. She ripped my pants.”
Meg
examined the boy’s leg. “Damn. She did. You’ll pay for new pants, mister. And
by the way, what are you doing squatting in my house?”
“Your
house?” His eyebrows rose.
“You
heard me. Keep that beast away from me,” she said, easing her way down from the
table.
“I
paid to rent this house for the entire summer! So get out before I call the
cops.” Rusty frowned.
“Cops?
Please do! I paid to rent this house for the entire summer. This is thirty-five
Pond Road, isn’t it?”
The
man yanked open the front door and checked the number nailed there. “It is. I
have paperwork.”
“You?
I have paperwork, too!”
“I’m
calling the cops,” he said, leaving the room.
“Fine
with me.” Meg folded her arms across her chest. “And take the beast with you.”
“Come
on, Coco. You don’t have to stay here and be insulted.”
“What
kind of dog is it?” Charlie asked.
“Rottweiler,”
the other boy replied.
“I’m
Charlie.”
“Tommy.
Wanna see my room?”
“Don’t
leave my sight. The dog isn’t safe!”
“Aw,
Coco won’t hurt you. You’re with me.”
Despite
his mother’s words, Charlie went off with Tommy.
The
man returned with his cell phone in hand.
“Come
on, Coco,” the boy called, and the Rottie obeyed, following the boys into the
back of the house.
“I’d
like to report an intruder,” Rusty said into his cell.
A bit about the book:
Advised by his son’s
school to up his game as a single parent, arrogant ex-baseball star, Rusty
Reisse, takes a hiatus from his broadcasting career to spend the summer with
his son.
Rusty hopes to bond with
Tommy in rural Pine Grove. His plan blows up when Meg Gunderson, a brainiac
schoolteacher, shows up with her son, claiming the house is hers. When police compare
receipts, they discover Rusty and Meg have rented the same house.
A widow, Meg, schemes
to get Rusty out. He’s equally determined to send her packing. Although a war
of words ensues, the boys become friends. Obligated to share the digs for the
duration, they’re forced to declare a reluctant truce.
While
no longer openly hostile, they still snipe at each other, too stubborn to admit
their growing attraction. When their vacation ends abruptly, will their
chemistry vanish, too, with the summer sun and fresh corn-on-the cob?
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