I step up to the table as Mr. Merman pulls out a chair for me. Over my shoulder, I see him check out my ass. The humid air has plastered my dress to my skin. With a wink, he pushes in my chair as I flop into the seat.
Men don’t wink at me. But it’s the second time Mr. Merman has, and surprisingly, each time I’ve liked it. Conscious of how close he is and how he lingers, I pull the napkin down to my lap as moisture pools between my legs. Men gazing at me with pure desire isn’t the norm. Most give me brotherly smiles. And as Clayton had so kindly pointed out on more than one occasion—I’m not a ten on anybody’s scale.
Mr. Merman frowns at the seat opposite me as if he doesn’t like the idea of being that far from me. The legs of the chair scrape over the brick pavers as he shifts slightly closer. “I see you got some sun today.”
“Is that all you saw?”
“Nope.” He arches an eyebrow. “Refresh my memory. You are allowed to ask questions, but I’m not?”
He opted to pursue a career his parents considered a hobby.
She would never dare to disappoint her loved ones.
What would you do if you had to choose between passion or family?
Series Order
Book 1 – His Cabbage Tosser – Available in the Eat Your Heartout Anthology Book 2 – Two for Dinner (Releasing: May 2021) Book 3 – HeartBreaker Next Door (Releasing 2022) Book 4 – Hunk Next Door (Available: 2022) Book 5 – HeartThrob Next Door (Available: 2023)
AUTHOR BIO
Rachel A. Smith is a romance addict. She’ll watch any movie and read all the books that have romance in it.
She offers readers stories that are filled with seduction between the sheets: page-turning contemporary romances that make you laugh, sigh, and want more. Check out her debut series, Steam and Giggles.
She also writes historical romance under Rachel Ann Smith.
Serena is determined to build a good life for herself and her twin boys following a devastating breakup. Fiercely independent and prideful, she’s doing everything she can to keep them afloat and not ask for help. That plan works out fine until Mother Nature, crying kids, a car that breaks down, and a sexy Alpha male with enough cockiness to make her swoon, collide and force her to leave her comfort zone.
Khalil has two focuses: his career at the investment firm and enjoying single life. That would be a lot easier if his meddling parents would stop trying to fix him up with high-society locals. He just might get his wish when he stumbles upon an accident and meets the woman who can make him change his outlook and possibly get him to settle down.
Find out what happens when a feisty woman meets her match in the anti-prince charming! Will it lead to a happily ever after?
Until Serena is part of Aurora Rose Reynolds’s Happily Ever Alpha World. If you loved Until December, then you will want to read Until Serena.
Chiquita Dennie is an Author, Award winning filmmaker of 2017 for Best short film “Invisible” and Entrepreneur. Born in Memphis, TN, and a Los Angeles CA native. Her background in film/tv has taught and shaped her passion for writing with her debut romance novel Antonio and Sabrina Struck In Love. Since its debut, fans have embraced the unconventional love story of Sabrina Washington and Antonio De Luca making it a top Best Seller on kindle charts. Find her other works from filmmaking, publishing, and podcasting at the links below. Chiquita is a member of RWA, Film Independent, Women In Film, Women in Media, Alli, and Authors Guild.
Aurora Rose Reynolds and her husband, Sedaka Reynolds, created Boom Factory Publishing to use their experiences to expand and promote upcoming and existing indie authors.
With over five years in the industry, and millions of books sold worldwide, we know what it takes to become a successful author and we will use this knowledge to take our authors to the next level.
“As a successful hybrid author in this ever evolving industry, I know that you’re only as successful as the team that is promoting you!” – Aurora Rose Reynolds
If I’d known he had dimples, I never would’ve agreed to marry him.
Some people are born for parenthood.
Not me.
But I’m about to get it anyway, since there’s no one else who can take care of my wild child baby sister. I’m supposed to be spending my days running a flight adventure company with my best friend, but instead, I’m inadvertently getting myself into trouble, just trying to do the right thing and keep her out of trouble, to the point that it’s clear I cannot do this on my own.
But who else would want to help us?
Turns out, my biggest enemy.
Mr. Tall, Dark, and Cranky just inherited a country, but in order for Amoria to crown him as King—you know, that job they give to people with no more demanding qualifications than flared nostrils, proper manners, and a taste for crumpets—he needs a wife. Now. Obviously the only person he would ask is as irresistible (and desperate) as me.
And I see no better way to prove I’m ready to take care of my sister than to wear the crown of a queen. No one’s ever found fault with royalty, and hey, the job comes with round-the-clock security.
Except in return for helping save my sister, Mr. I’m-Not-Sure-You’re-Even-A-Real-Prince Viktor tells me he needs the teeniest, tiniest favor. You see, he doesn’t just need help saving his crown. He needs help saving his country.
Remember when I said no one ever found fault with royalty? Try asking that question after you see your frazzled face under the front-page headline of a small country’s leading gossip mag…
Hot Heir is a romping fun marriage of convenience romance between a surprise heir and a southern hot mess, complete with the bedroom to end all bedrooms, a run-down alpaca, and that thing with the hot air balloon. This romantic comedy stands alone with no cheating or cliffhangers and ends with a royally awesome happily ever after.
But soothing a terrified, sobbing, otherwise competent woman is not something I’ve often—ever—accomplished successfully, nor have I ever found myself in many situations in which it was necessary.
I stroke her back, and gradually, they both cry themselves out.
Which is good, because seeing a chink in Peach’s armor is bloody terrifying.
“Papaya,” she says, her voice thick and wobbly, “you’re on kitchen duty for the next four weeks.”
“What?”
“And if you get fired by the chef, you’ll be on maid duty. And if you get fired by the maids, you’ll be shoveling shit in the stables. And you don’t get to see Fred until your chores are done.”
I suck in a surprised breath.
Papaya gasps. “You can’t do that.”
“And if you don’t show up for kitchen duty, you won’t be going to Joey’s wedding next weekend.” She swipes at her eyes, which silences any objections I might have to keeping track of Papaya whilst Peach is away for a week. “You scared the ever-loving patootles out of me. I thought you were kidnapped. And instead, you’re here, spooking the daylights out of these poor guards who were trained on an invalid king who couldn’t even get out of his own bed to pee.”
Ah. I’m beginning to see from whom Papaya gets her creativity.
And it hasn’t escaped my notice that Peach is still leaning on me.
My knees are going quite numb from squatting, but I could crouch here for hours if that was what was required to make her feel better.
“You have two choices.” Her voice is growing steadier, more Peach-like. “You do your punishment, and we’ll find you a better outlet for all your creative energy, or we’re going to have one hell of a rough year.”
Papaya scowls. Her tears have also left her. “I don’t like those choices.”
“They’re what you’ve got.”
“I want to go home and live with my daddy.”
Peach’s entire body goes so rigid, I have to stop myself from grabbing Papaya and dangling her by the ankle for being such an ungrateful arse.
“He lost the privilege to keep you.” Peach’s voice wobbles again. “Meemaw and me and Viktor and Alexander and Samuel are what you’ve got.”
An emotion I cannot name blooms in my chest, swells into my throat, and renders me momentarily tongue-tied.
She’s just claimed us all as family.
“Get up. I want that armor shined and sparkling before it goes back where it belongs in the tower study, and don’t you dare give me any lip, or you’ll be shining and sparkling every single suit of armor in this whole entire castle if you so much as think at me wrong.”
I swallow hard, wishing my own voice were not so much more husky than I intend it to be. It seems emotions are going around. “I believe there are fifty more stored in the dungeons, my lady.”
My shirt is damp and cold where the tears from Peach’s cheek have soaked through, I’ve nearly watched a teenage girl outwit and terrify an entire team of guards who were quite ready to maim, if not outright kill her, and I’m playing parent for the first time in my life.
Being a team.
With Peach.
It’s disconcerting at best.
Irresistibly attractive at worst.
I’ve a kingdom to run. There’s no time to fall for my wife.
But I fear it might be too late.
AUTHOR BIO
Pippa Grant is a USA Today Bestselling author who writes romantic comedies that will make tears run down your leg. When she’s not reading, writing or sleeping, she’s being crowned employee of the month as a stay-at-home mom and housewife trying to prepare her adorable demon spawn to be productive members of society, all the while fantasizing about long walks on the beach with hot chocolate chip cookies.
Since leaving school and my hometown, I’ve had one goal: join the crew at Words for Nerds Comics. Grabbing a job at the bookstore across the street is a close second. Who wouldn’t want to spend all day surrounded by books? Add in my new bestie, Simon, and I have everything I need in life.
The last thing I need is to complicate things with a silly crush on my best friend.
Simon Shipp
Geek, introvert, and millionaire.
After selling my app and language program to the government, I was ready to quit my job at the bookstore and focus on programming. Until Amelia walked in with a nerdy t-shirt and killer smile. All thoughts of quitting left instantly. Now she’s my best friend in the world and I’d never do anything to compromise that.
Allie is a mom to five boys, wife, and dog groomer by day. And a writer in the pre-dawn hours. She loves sappy romance, sci-fi, coffee, and anything furry with four legs.
Cover Design: Juliana Cabrera with Jersey Girl Design
Image: Sara Eirew Photography
Georgia I’m surrounded by love, yet have no one to call my own. But then Chase, my new roommate, is suddenly there. He could be the perfect guy for me, if he wasn’t nursing a broken heart. The more time I waste looking for love, the more I realize that what I want has been right in front of me all along. Falling for Chase is the easiest thing I’ve ever done, but fighting for him is the hardest. Because his past isn’t finished with him— not even close.
Chase Love finds you when you least expect it. I was only looking for a place to crash after having my heart ripped out, instead I found someone who turned my world upside down. A girl like Georgia was looking for happily ever after, and so far my life had been anything but a fairytale. I can walk into a burning building without thinking twice, but the spark I feel with her scares the hell out of me. I can’t keep watching her look for someone else—not when I’m falling for her. Just when everything starts to fall into place, I’m reminded just how messy and imperfect life can be. When the smoke clears, it’s Georgia by my side. Life might not be perfect— but our love could be.
*My Kind of Perfect is the third and final interconnected stand-alone novel in the Finding Love series.*
Nikki Ash resides in South Florida where she is an English teacher and mom by day and a writer by night. When she’s not writing, you can find her with a book in her hand. From the Boxcar Children to Wuthering Heights to the latest Single Parent Romance, she has lived and breathed every type of book.
Reading is like breathing in, writing is like breathing out. – Pam Allyn
While reading and writing are her passions, her two children are her entire world. You can probably find them at a Disney park before you would find them at home on the weekends!
No matter what I’m not opening up my heart again, even if he’s great at warming my bed.
Jasper blew out of town taking my heart with him. He swore he’d never come back. Last I heard he was some famous chef in a big city.
Then I’m at the farmer’s market and there he is in vivid color. So, I do what any sane person would do, I throw a kiwi at him and leave.
Then a storm blows in washing out the only bridge off this island and now we are stuck together.
To make matters worse? My chef quits and the only option I have is to bring in Jasper per his mother’s suggestion.
Oh, and my best friend is in a fake relationship with a Hollywood Movie Star, and I just saw Jasper with his shirt off.
Plus our mayor working with some land developer and trying to turn our small town into a major tourist spot that will kill all the local businesses.
How did my life get here?
Can we put aside our differences long enough to work together?
Yes, we can.
I think the better question is can we stay out of bed long enough to stop them?
This is a Steamy, Small Town, Beach Romance. No Cliffhangers. This is Book 2 in the Chasing The Sun Duo. As always there is a satisfying Happy Ever After. If you love steamy romances with insta love, hot love scenes, small towns, and beaches, then this one is for you.
When you’re labeled as a Hollywood Playboy, you can’t do anything right.
I can’t go out for a simple drink without the press having a field day.
And I definitely can’t help my coworker’s wife home when she gets too drunk without the studio threatening my contract.
My manager decides to send me across the country to a small beach town. He rents out the whole Sunrise inn since it’s the off-season, and I’m told to stay out of trouble.
When a steady relationship seems to be the only way to save my career, can I convince Lin, the curvy bombshell inn owner, that pretending to be my girlfriend will be a great PR move for the inn too?
And to make matters worse, a storm washes out the only bridge, leaving us stuck together on the island.
Too bad my heart didn’t listen that this was just a fake relationship.
With my job in Hollywood and my heart at the Sunrise inn, what the hell am I going to do?
This is a Steamy, Fake Relationship, Small Town, Beach Romance. No Cliffhangers.
This is Book 1 in the Chasing The Sun Duet.
As always there is a satisfying Happy Ever After.
If you love steamy romances with insta love, hot love scenes, a bad boy, small towns, and beaches, then this one is for you.
She doesn’t know who she is… or why someone’s trying to kill her.
When hardened mercenary Jared Fraser finds a woman bleeding in the snow outside his remote cabin, he takes her in and patches her up, intending to get her back to her life and out of his as quickly as possible.
But Liberty King is a special case. She shows signs of recent abuse, and she can’t remember who she is – the only hint is a necklace with a name engraved on it.
When three men track her down with hunting dogs, Jared will do whatever it takes to protect her. Then he’ll move mountains to find out what’s locked away inside her head. What he won’t do is fall for her, no matter how much her innocent eyes and sweet smile make him want more.
But when a new danger strikes, Jared realizes that some choices were never his to make…
He was utterly still, a look of concentration on his face. “I need you to get your shoes on. Put on the socks I gave you first. Put your jacket on, too.”
Libby’s heart raced as fear spiked. Jared strode into the bedroom he’d claimed for his own, returning with a sweatshirt that he threw at her. “Put this on over the jacket.”
He dropped a bag on the floor and unzipped it. A moment later he was yanking guns from the interior, shoving magazines into the weapons, and dropping them beside him like his own mini-arsenal. In the distance, the braying dog was joined by another one. And was that a snowmobile?
She didn’t know what was going on, but she did as Jared told her, fear a hard knot in her belly. She dragged the sweatshirt over her head, clawed it down until it draped over her hips. That was when she noticed Jared removing an assault rifle from a case.
It was wicked looking, with a long scope and a tripod that he could unfold to prop it up. The barrel had a lot of holes in it. He glanced at her, his expression grim.
“What’s going on?” she whispered, her throat too tight to speak properly.
“I don’t know, but I mean to find out.” He inserted a huge magazine into the weapon until it snapped into place with an audible click. Then he slung it around his body until it was across his back before bending to pick up the other weapons. Somehow he put several of them on his person. “Do you know how to shoot?”
Libby swallowed. “I-I don’t know.”
He took one of the weapons, dropped the magazine, and held it up. “Pull the top of the gun back toward you. Like this,” he said. He pulled and released a couple of times, then aimed at a kitchen cabinet before pulling the trigger. The gun clicked.
“Your turn.” He handed it to her. It was difficult to pull at first because the top of the gun was tight, but he showed her how to hold it so she could put more muscle behind it. When she had that trick down, she repeated the motions he’d shown her.
Jared nodded. “You just cleared the weapon and dry-fired it. Now you put this magazine in and pull back the slide when you want to fire. Release it and you’ve loaded the chamber. Then point and fire.”
He handed her the loaded magazine and she pushed it into the grip with shaking hands until it clicked.
“Don’t point it at anything you don’t intend to kill. And don’t do it unless you have no other choice.”
She felt like her eyes were huge. “What does that mean exactly?”
“It means that if anything happens and we’re separated, you use that on anyone who tries to hurt you.”
The dogs and snowmobiles were growing louder. She was cold, but sweat popped up between her breasts anyway. “Who’s going to hurt me?”
“Maybe no one. But I prefer to be prepared.”
Libby sucked in a breath. “I’m scared.” Maybe she shouldn’t admit it, but it was too huge a thing to ignore. She didn’t know who she was, other than a name and occupation, but she was pretty sure she didn’t encounter dangerous situations very often. She wasn’t a warrior.
Jared wrapped an arm around her and tugged her against his side. It was unexpected, but welcome. When he dropped a kiss on her forehead, she couldn’t help the shiver of delight that tripped down her spine.
Stupid time to be pleased, Libby.
“I know,” he said softly. “But this is what I do. It’s like winning the lottery, Libby. You happened upon the right guy at the right time. There’s a lot in this world I can’t do, but this is something I’m trained for and highly skilled at. No one’s getting to you without going through me. And that’s not an easy thing to do, I promise you.”
Lynn Raye Harris is a Southern girl, military wife, wannabe cat lady, and horse lover. She’s also the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the HOSTILE OPERATIONS TEAM Ⓡ SERIES of military romances, and 20 books about sexy billionaires for Harlequin.
A former finalist for the Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart Award and the National Readers Choice Award, Lynn lives in Alabama with her handsome former-military husband, one fluffy princess of a cat, and a very spoiled American Saddlebred horse who enjoys bucking at random in order to keep Lynn on her toes.
Lynn’s books have been called “exceptional and emotional,” “intense,” and “sizzling” – and have sold in excess of 4.5 million copies worldwide.
They can resist their attraction . . . until their hearts rocket them across the blue line.
Talk Hockey to Me, an all-new irresistible sports romance from USA Today bestselling author Kelly Jamieson is available now!
Hunter Timing. Hockey careers are made or broken on it, and mine has taken an exceptionally broken road. I’m not a star. I’m a grinder, I work hard, and I’m finally at the point I can put the past behind me and get the fat, long-term contract I deserve.
But my agent—the man who stuck by me through every crash and burn—has had a heart attack. I need another agent now, or my one chance for the good money will slip through my fingers. Kate’s a rookie, but she loves the game like I do, so I pick up the phone. And I wonder if she remembers that one night in Cancun as vividly as I do.
Kate Hockey. All my life I’ve lived it, breathed it, played it. Now it’s my business. As an agent, I’m tied to my phone at all hours, but nothing prepared me to hear Hunter’s voice. The last time I saw him—three years ago—there was a lot of bare skin and horny hormones involved.
I’ve handled it all in my short career—sexism, harassment, being broke, being laughed at. Resisting the attraction between us should be easy. Until it isn’t. And Hunter’s past shakes his confidence hard enough that he could make the worst decision at the worst possible time…
Kelly Jamieson is a USA Today bestselling author of over fifty romance novels and novellas. She writes the kind of books she loves to read–sexy romance with heat, humor and emotion. Her writing has been described as “emotionally complex”, “sweet and satisfying” and “blisteringly sexy”. She likes coffee (black), wine (mostly white) and shoes (high!). She also loves watching hockey. She is the author of the popular Heller Brothers Hockey series, Aces Hockey series, and the Rule of Three trilogy.
When former Navy SEAL West Donovan trades high-stakes missions for the calm of the police department in sleepy Bluelick, Kentucky, he craves peace, quiet, and order. Catching sexy, law-bending Hitchiker Barbie by the roadside in the middle of a rainstorm—literally, she passes out in his arms—raises his chaos quotient into the red zone and leaves him determined to quantify this particular tumbleweed of trouble and send her rolling along her merry way ASAP.
Aspiring singer/songwriter Roxy Goodhart ventures to Bluelick to outrun her latest mistake. It’s a doozy involving a lying ex-manager, a dire lack of funds, and a teensy bit of grand larceny. Landing in the long, strong arms of the local law—a/k/a Officer Donovan—is no way to keep a low profile while she re-builds her ‘L.A. or bust’ fund. Accepting a temporary job that turns out to put her in West’s path every dang day also doesn’t help. Worst of all, the longer she sticks around, the more she wants to stay in West’s arms…forever.
“You’re good.” Now he turned, and she found herself the recipient of his undivided attention. “Really good.”
Oh damn. A compliment, from him, directed right to her softest, most vulnerable underbelly. “You think?”
“Yeah. Your voice is very”—he faced front, rubbed the back of his neck, and sent a sheepish smile to the night—“evocative. The two-tone hair? The NASCAR flag girl wardrobe? They’re just distractions, Roxy. You don’t need them. You’re never going to be run-of-the-mill. Not with your talent.”
West wouldn’t stroke her ego. He had nothing to gain from praising her, which might explain why his words put hazardous cracks in the defenses she’d scrambled to build where he was concerned. Singers, musicians, even songwriters, were a dime a dozen. Did she have anything unique to offer? Was she special? Did she possess the kind of innate gifts—not to mention the smarts—required to live up to the hopes and dreams her parents had held for her? The last few years had sown some serious doubts. Particularly in the smarts department.
Asking the questions out loud handed him way too much power, like paving him a shortcut to her weakest points. She defaulted to what would either push him away or lure him in under terms she could handle. At least, she hoped she could.
She undid her seat belt and leaned close enough to rest her breasts against his arm. He tensed, and the leashed strength in the reaction sent her pulse racing. “My voice isn’t the only talent I could bring to your bedroom.”
His breath stalled and then shuddered out slowly, as if the air around them weighed more than normal. She pushed herself up on one knee and ran her tongue along his locked jaw. A night at Rawley’s left traces on a man—hints of smoke and cocktail waitress layered over the straightforward scent of bar soap she found stupidly enthralling. The combination stirred her senses and sent a flood of salt to the back of her mouth.
The groan that vibrated through his chest was all the encouragement she needed. Lightheaded and ravenous for more, she climbed over the console, straddled his hips, and dropped onto his lap. A thick ridge prodded theV of her thighs, melting her from the inside. This time the groan came from her. “Or here,” she panted, going full steam ahead on a fuel of lust and bravado. “I could show you all my talents right here.”
His hands were everywhere, spanning her waist, squeezing her thighs, and then gripping her hips to drag her closer, grinding her softest parts against parts of him so astoundingly hard the contact alone wrung a moan of appreciation from her. The urgency in his response sent heat flooding between her legs, and she wondered if he felt her go damp through the layers of their clothes.
Big hands sank into the gap at the back of her shorts and palmed her bare skin.
“Christ, I knew it. Traipsing around tonight in shorts one tug away from dropping around your ankles and not a stitch on underneath. Every time you moved all I could concentrate on was this. Squeezing it. Eating it. Owning it.”
USA Today bestselling author Samanthe Beck lives in Kona, Hawaii, with her extremely patient husband, their turbo-son, and a furry ninja named Gander. When not writing fun, sexy, contemporary romance, she’s pursuing her goals of…um… training for the Ironman Triathlon, learning to speak Japanese, soaking up the sun and adding to her drink umbrella collection! Connect with Sam via her website at http://www.samanthebeck.com to check her progress on those goals, or to get the latest on her upcoming books!
In a blink of an eye, I turned her whole world upside down. I messed up and will do anything to make things right. Is there any chance of a happily ever after for a football star and librarian?
Fans of the Boston Terriers Series by Jacob Chance will devour Blitz by A.M. Williams, a light and humorous, enemies to lovers romance.
Blurb
One sexy football player. One sassy small town librarian.
Is there any hope for happily ever after?
Charlie
HEA? No way.
Jasper Sutton is the reason I watched my dream go up in smoke.
I don’t care that he’s ridiculously hot and the night we met was one of the best of my life. The fact that he’s also funny and easy to talk to means next to nothing.
He tore all my hopes to shreds when he bought the old library to turn it into a gym.
I can’t forgive him.
Jasper
Charlotte “Charlie” Drake is something else. And I don’t mean that as a compliment.
She might be gorgeous and sexy, but she’s also headstrong and stubborn.
I get it–I messed up. I didn’t have all the facts and took things too far.
But I’m crazy about her. She’s the only woman who looked past my name and reputation to see the real me. I want to prove to her that I’m serious, I’m sorry, and we could be good together.
What does it take to get over the ultimate fumble and still win the game?
“So,” I said after a few minutes of silence where we each sipped our coffee and ate what was in front of us, “are you vacationing near here?”
Jasper tilted his head, and a smile curled the edges of his mouth. “You could say that. I’m staying with my dad.”
I blinked at him. “And your dad is renting a house near here?”
He laughed. Laughed! “Uh, no. He owns it.”
I blinked at him again. “Oh. Did he move here recently?”
Jasper tilted his head and I caught what looked like surprise widening his eyes slightly. “Do you know who I am?”
I considered his question for a few moments, knowing that if he was asking me that then he was probably someone that was well known around here.
But I was drawing a blank.
Besides my friendship with Ruby and Vicky, I didn’t get out in town too much. I knew people, of course, because of going to events, working in the library, and being drug out to different festivals.
But I wouldn’t consider anyone that I met in that way to be a friend.
“You’re Jasper?” I finally said, not sure what else I should say. My tone was definitely questioning.
He gave one sharp, quick laugh before shaking his head. “I’m Jasper Sutton.”
I stared at him after his declaration. “I’m Charlie Drake.”
If he was going to introduce himself like that, then I could too.
His eyes narrowed. “No, I’m Jasper Sutton.”
I wasn’t sure why he was putting emphasis on his name, but I was also realizing that his name did sound familiar. I just wasn’t sure why.
“Okay…” I said slowly. “Nice to meet you.”
Silence stretched between us before he asked, “You know, the name on the sign coming into town?”
I studied him as I tried to recall the sign. I passed it every day, but I was to the point of not even noticing it anymore.
But I remembered what he was referring to. The Welcome to Spring Hills sign also had a part that said Home of Jasper Sutton on it.
My brow furrowed. “Were you named after someone famous?”
He said nothing for a few moments before he started laughing. Hard.
I shifted in my seat as he laughed, watching as he rubbed a hand over his face and hunched over the table. I wasn’t too sure why he was laughing; I just knew it was at me.
I glanced around the cafe and saw that people were staring at him laughing and grew even more uncomfortable.
Jasper slowly stopped laughing and shook his head, wheezing. “Are you for real?”
“About what?” I asked, though I wasn’t too sure I wanted to know what he was asking. At this point, I wasn’t sure I wanted to be on this date or whatever it was for too much longer.
“You really don’t know who I am?”
I shook my head.
He blinked at me before saying, “I’m Jasper Sutton. The name on the sign is mine. It was put there when I got drafted.”
The drafted statement made me pause, but I couldn’t dwell on it too long because he kept talking.
“You’ve been to the Tasty Freeze? Ever seen the Jasper on the menu? It’s the milkshake they named after me because it’s my favorite. What about the Burger Barn? The Jasper there is my favorite meal.”
I stared at him. I probably shouldn’t have said what I said next, but my mind was short circuiting because all I could think of was the fact that he said he’d been drafted. Drafted for what?
“I thought Jasper Sutton was some old guy that had died in a war sometime.”
A.M. Williams is just a simple girl from the south that found herself living abroad. When she’s not annoying her cat or reading, she’s spending time with her husband and traveling as much as possible. She has a serious case of wanderlust and wants to go as many places as possible while she can. She loves Cheerwine, sweet tea, and North Carolina (eastern style) BBQ as well as those crystal clear waters on the North Carolina coast.
Book Loving Pixies 