It Came:)

Word Count: 1765. Better than I expected for today:) Time to stop; help my cranky (hormonal??) daughter with the dishes and watch Law and Order SVU for the first time in over a year!

I received a present in the mail.

"But wait...there was no mail delivery yesterday," I hear you protest. "How could you get something in the mail?"

I'm not sure. Maybe FedEx was working? Anyway, I was walking out the door to run some errands yesterday, and noticed a small package lying on my porch. Inside was the first official copy of my 2nd book, Love Finds a Way.

I was so excited, I carried that book everywhere. My neighbors weren't home; I showed it off to lady behind the counter at Walgreens, when I went to have my black ink cartrige filled. I showed it off to everyone at the nursing home, during the 90 minutes I was visiting with the MIL. And last night when we drove to Martinsville so K could surprise his old scout troop by showing up for elections, I showed it to all adults who happened to walk in the door:)

The response? Very favorable. I had two offers to buy that book; I promised when the other copies arrived, I would hand-deliver theirs. Other people merely said 'congratulations'; my MIL apologized because she doesn't read romances anymore. I cheerfully told her it was okay, and that I was probably better off, since she'd probably disown me for the language and some of the graphic content! She simply pooh-poohed it, and promptly began telling the aids when I was leaving that 'my daughter's book is finally out. She's having a signing on Saturday...'

So here's a few excerpts from Love is Sober, which foreshadows Love Finds a Way. Enjoy:)

“Don’t I need a helmet?” she asked anxiously.
“It’s only a short ride, sweetie. I won’t let anything happen,” he said, strapping his own helmet back on. “Just hold on tight, either to me, or you can hold onto the handles behind your butt.”
Elicia tried both, then compromised with one hand behind her and the other clutching Brent’s waist. She felt a thrill when he took off, then quickly learned to keep her head behind his back when the wind hit her in the face. Brent drove out through the center of town and around some of the neighborhoods and through the park, coming to a stop beside the river.
“Well? What did you think?” he asked, pausing to light a cigarette.
“I loved it!” Elicia hugged him. “I could ride all day!”
“Do you know how to tell a happy biker?” he grinned. Elicia shook her head. “By the bugs in his teeth!” He chuckled when Elicia clapped her hand over her mouth. “Don’t worry, darlin’. You’re fine.”
“Don’t scare me like that,” she admonished him.
“Couldn’t resist.” He crushed out the cigarette. “Okay, let’s go.”
They rode around for a while, and when they returned to the dorm, Elicia recognized a girl from down the hall talking to another biker.
“I know her...her name’s Caitlyn. She lives two doors down from me.”
“Yeah, and the guy’s a Townie from Brookview. He’s in my psychology class.” Brent shook his head. “I’m not that impressed with his girlfriend.”
“Why?” Elicia asked in surprise.
“She thinks she owns him. Hey Todd!”
The tall dark-haired boy looked up and climbed off his bike. “Hey man, how’s it going?”
“Fine. I didn’t know you rode.”
“Yeah. Every spring I’m out on it.” The boys started talking motorcycles, and Elicia and Caitlyn stared at them.
“Have you been for a ride yet?” Elicia asked.
“Not yet. I think he was about to ask me if I wanted a ride, though,” Caitlyn laughed, tossing her light brown hair over her shoulders. “Aren’t you just down the hall from me?”
“Yes.” The two girls got acquainted, and when the boys remembered they were there, offered the girls rides to McDonald’s. Over French Fries and Cokes, they talked some more.
“I’m going to have to find a girl for one of my friends here in about another week,” Todd mentioned. “My best friend’s coming home on leave. What’s your roommate like, Caty?”
“Kind of quiet. I don’t know if she’s really blind date material.” Caty smiled. “Any of your roomies like to party, Elicia?”
“Stephanie does. She’s kind of seeing someone, though.”
“That’s okay; Matt’s the kind of guy women flip over. I have yet to see him leave an airport without one or two women on his arm. It’s uncanny.” Todd shook his head.
“So why do you need to find him someone, if he’s perfectly capable of picking up his own?” Elicia asked.
“Because this time he’s driving home, and from his phone call, he’s mad at his girlfriend.” Todd leaned back in his chair. “So he’s not looking for anything long-term. Just someone to party with for two weeks.”
“I see.” Elicia and Caitlyn both contemplated the problem, not seeing any solutions.
“I don’t know anybody who’d be willing to meet the guy, knowing it wouldn’t develop into anything,” Elicia confided to Caitlyn while they were washing their hands.
“I know. The guy will just have to find his own date.” Caitlyn opened the door and they returned to the parking lot.




Over the next several days, when the weather cooperated, Brent, Elicia, Todd, and Caitlyn went for numerous motorcycle rides. The day Todd’s friend, Matt Slagal, arrived, Todd hosted a party for him, and Elicia decided she really didn’t care for Matt. She liked the party, however, but was careful not to drink too much. Brent, too, clearly didn’t care for Todd’s friend.
“You can tell he thinks he’s God’s gift to women,” Elicia sniffed. “Lord help the girl who falls for him!”
“Caty’s not buying it, either,” Brent said. “If she can lure Todd away from that manipulative bitch, then she’s got my full support.”



. “Remember me telling you about Todd trying to find a girl for his friend?”
“Yeah...who did they sucker into spending time with him?”
“You’ll never guess...Caty’s roommate, Amy what’s-her-name.”
“Really?” Janna opened her eyes in surprise. “She doesn’t strike me as the type!”
“From what I’ve heard, they actually hit it off, but he pulled some sort of stunt...I think he tried to treat her like shit, and she royally put him in his place. Got him to apologize, straighten up, the whole nine yards.”
“Damn...girl’s got more guts than I thought.”
“I know. He went back to California the other day, and I guess Todd’s already said Matt can’t stop talking about her.” Elicia closed her eyes and let her mind wander.
“Do you think it will last?” Janna asked sleepily.
“Are you kidding? ‘Out of sight, out of mind’, that’s what I’ve always heard,” Elicia yawned and rolled over onto her back. “Besides, he’s a womanizer, and guys like that don’t waste their time with someone they can’t dominate.”