JUNE WEEKEND SALE ** DAY TWO ** **99 CENTS**

 

It’s Day 2 of my weekend sale. I’ll be sharing some great 99¢ sales on every genre/sub-genre of romance. So, sit back and browse.

Up for Saturday, Historical (post-Civil War U.S.) Romances and Roaring Twenties Historical (early 20^th Century) Romances.

 

The Loves a Gamble Series (Books 1, 2 & 3)

Her Timeless Gamble – (Sexy) – When Matthew McAlister pulls a nearly-drowned woman from the murky waters of the Mississippi, he has no idea what's in store for him. Or, how easily he'll willingly give up his carefree, love-em-and-leave-em lifestyle for a chance at real happiness.


Kathryn (Kate) Lowell can't believe her bad luck. Or the fact she's somehow been transported from the twenty-first century back to the post Civil War south. Worse yet, into the arms of the one man she grew up hating. The man she blames for her father's recent demise.

Can these two off-kilter and infinitely stubborn individuals fight their mutual attraction? Or, will they give in to the inevitable? And, when the time comes, will Kate choose to stay with Matt in the past, or return to her former life?

 https://books2read.com/TimelessG

 

His Marriage Gamble - (Sexy) - Felicity Beaumont, the rebellious daughter of Louisiana elite devises a plan to move her father’s illegally owned slaves north to safety using the gambling river boat known as the Lucky Lady. Dressed as a young farm boy, she attempts to sell family heirlooms to raise the funds she needs. Short the full amount, she continues her ruse and bargains her way aboard the boat as their chaperone.

Charismatic owner of the Lucky Lady, Jake McAlister doesn’t trust women, and when he discovers Felicity’s subterfuge, he remembers exactly why.

While they find themselves in agreement about helping the free men and women, they are at odds over everything else, including their quickly escalating feelings for one another. When caught between Felicity’s powerful father and the ire of a local judge, they’re forced into a marriage neither wanted.

Can they make the best of a bad situation? And, will gambling on love be a bust or reap them both a happily ever after?

books2read.com/MarriageG

 

The Engagement Gamble – (Sexy-Steamy) - Marshal Zack McAlister has made it his mission to protect the good citizens of Greenville, MS. In particular, one very opinionated and independent lady doctor. The only hinderance to his professional obligations are the dozen or so single women vying for his attention.

Suzanne Martindale, M.D., has quickly become a fixture in Greenville since taking over for her semi-retired predecessor. And, like Marshal McAlister, she’s been inundated with unwanted suitors.

When Zack proposes a fake engagement, Suzanne is reluctant at first and claims in order for anyone to believe they’re actually courting and in love, there has to be chemistry between them.

Zack sets out to prove they can easily fool the people of Greenville into believing their ruse. Will his smooth Cajun charm and steamy-hot kisses do the trick? Or, are they destined to be victims of their own charade?

When outside forces threaten the entire McAlister clan, can Zack keep his family, and his faux fiancé, safe? And, will a life-threatening accident show them anything, even love, is possible if you have trust?

https://books2read.com/engage-g

  

 

The Muse - (Steamy) - Decadence, freedom and illegal activities…

Everything a sheltered debutante in the mid-1920s could want. When Hyde Park socialite Susan Leland meets up with Evan Forrester for the second time, she makes no excuses for their first meeting—an auto accident in which she broke the young artist’s wrist. She finds the handsome Evan both infuriating and intriguing, yet not quite as intriguing as sultry torch singer Holly Winters, a performer at Susan’s favorite supper club.

A chance to make amends…

By posing nude for Evan to paint. When Susan balks, Evan, not wanting to deal with an innocent, sends her away but not before the arrival of his next model, Holly Winters. As Susan’s preparing to leave, the beautiful and talented singer convinces her to come back the next day—so they can pose together.

Will Susan find happiness in the arms of Evan Forrester—or another?

https://books2read.com/TheMuse

 

The Mysterious Mrs. Pennybaker – (Steamy) - In the Roaring Twenties…

A former Hello Girl during WWI, widowed Ariel Pennybaker served her country proudly. She now carries on her late husband’s legacy…a home for the many returning, injured soldiers.

With her year of mourning nearly at an end, she’s had enough of her self-imposed celibacy. It’s time to get back in the game.

A chance meeting with a handsome WWI aviator has her imagining thoroughly naughty thoughts. When a second man walks into her life, her naughty thoughts turn downright decadent. What better way to fulfil her fantasies than by sharing both men’s beds.

As tempting as the idea is, Ariel has a huge secret, one she must protect at all costs. And, it’s possible one or both of her lovers is not what he seems.

https://books2read.com/Pennybaker

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Coming Up on Sunday: Paranormal and Ultra Steamy Contemporary

A Bit About Me

NANCY FRASER—Jumping Across Romance Genres with Gleeful Abandon—is an Amazon Top 100 and Award-Winning author who can’t seem to decide which romance genre suits her best. So, she writes them all.

Nancy has published over forty books in full-length, novella, and short format. When not writing (which is almost never), Nancy dotes on her five wonderful grandchildren and looks forward to traveling and reading when time permits. Nancy lives in Atlantic Canada where she enjoys the relaxed pace and colorful people.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Bookbub

Amazon Author Page ~ Goodreads ~ YouTube ~ Newsletter

Please scroll down and check out the Contemporary and Vintage Romance sales from yesterday.

Nancy

THE VIKING'S WARRIOR BRIDE by Author Mairibeth MacMillan

Notes from a Romantic’s Heart is pleased to welcome author Mairibeth MacMillan to the blog. Her new book, The Viking's Warrior Bride, is available from Tirgearr Publishing and all major retailers.

GENRE:  Historical Romance

Find the full tour list at Goddess Fish Promotions

 

About the Book

Bjorn and Ylva. Two warriors who fight side by side. Two lovers who avoid commitments. But their convenient relationship just got complicated.

Determined to redeem her father’s name through her own brave deeds as a warrior, Ylva has no desire to give that up to be a mother. On the eve of returning home to the Norselands to find a foster family for her child, she is injured in an attack by a mysterious group of mercenaries. When Bjorn discovers her secret, everything changes. He has never wanted a family, his own father’s betrayal has seen to that, and yet he begins to wonder if there is anything else truly worth fighting for.

After a series of attacks by mercenaries on the fort they have been guarding, they’re asked to disguise themselves as traders and travel up the River Clyde to gather information. As they travel the situation grows stranger with every village they visit and Ylva begins to wonder what she is fighting for. All around them they find missing villagers, a mysterious bard and a population unhappy with their king and his choice of allies. When they visit the supposedly abandoned former royal residence at Alt Clut, a mysterious woman and her son stow away on the trade boat, putting all their lives in danger and prompting them to make a final stand but how much are they willing to sacrifice for their future?

The book will be on sale during the tour for 99¢

 

Read an Excerpt

For the past few years, it had been only Ylva, a fact he had admitted to no one — barely even to himself. But somehow, today, he had been a little less sure. The fact that she had not come to find him straight away concerned him, so he’d waited for her to close that final distance between them. Ylva kissed him urgently, pressing her body tightly against his, and he gave thanks that nothing seemed to be amiss. Her kisses were desperate, as if she wanted him even more than he did her. He drew her close, then winced as something dug uncomfortably into his upper thigh.

“Sword,” he muttered between kisses.

“Knife,” she answered, fumbling to slide the offending article further round towards her back. Then her arms were around him again. It had always been like this between them. They could go without seeing each other for a time and then fall back into each other's arms weeks or months later, before leaving each other without a backwards glance. For a warrior, it was the perfect relationship to have.

 

Meet the Author

Mairibeth MacMillan lives on the shores of Loch Long on the edge of Argyll and Bute. While very picturesque, living there seems to involve endless driving and family life currently involves running a taxi service.

She was a drama teacher for many years until, during a career break, she studied for a Creative Writing degree through the Open University followed by a Masters degree in Playwriting and Dramaturgy. Over the years she has had some success with short stories and flash fictions in various competitions, magazines and anthologies. In 2014 she was shortlisted for the New Writer’s Award at the Festival of Romance.

Inspired by the discovery of a Viking fort marked on the Ordnance Survey map nearby, she started working on a series of Viking Romances set in the Kingdom of Strathclyde at the end of the Ninth century. The Viking’s Cursed Bride was the first in a series of books about four Norse cousins as they build new lives far from home.

Mairibeth's Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Amazon Author Page

 

The Giveaway

The author will award a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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It’s been my pleasure hosting this stop on Mairibeth MacMillan’s tour. Please come back again all week for more authors, books, and giveaways!

Nancy

OPERATION CODE NAME: DESERT LOVE by Author Constance Bretes

 

Today, Notes From a Romantic’s Heart, is pleased to welcome Author Constance Bretes to the blog. Constance is sharing her military romance, Operation Code Name: Desert Love. And, me being nosey, I asked her some questions just to get us started.

 

Inquiring Minds Really Want to Know

 

Is your book based on real-life experience or a figment of your imagination?

This particular book is a figment of my imagination. Although I’ve written several books based on some portion of real life experiences.

Is the setting for your book real? If so, have you been there? If it’s fictitious, is there somewhere real that you’ve used as a model?

The setting is real, Afghanistan, Norfolk VA, the military bases,

 

Do you like to read in the genre in which you write? Or, are you adventurous?

I very seldom read in my genre.  I love reading mafia romances, but I would probably never write them.

 

If you listen to music while you write, what are the top three songs on your playlist?

I Love You Always and Forever by Donna Lewis

Feels so Right by Alabama

I’ll Do Anything by, Gordon Lightfoot

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About the Book

Her best hope for survival is the one man she never wants to see again.

Clarissa Maasen is a humanitarian relief worker who’s stationed in Afghanistan. When she and two of her coworkers are kidnapped by insurgents and held hostage, she can only hope that her father, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will send his best men to rescue them—more specifically, Len Roberts of the Delta Force.

The last time Len saw Clarissa, it did not end on good terms. But he will risk his life to rescue this woman who is never far from his thoughts.

Can he rescue her in time? And will they be able to control the passion erupting between them?

Get it HERE

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Read an Excerpt

 

“Can we take a small tour around the city and enjoy the coolness of the evening?”

“Yeah, we can do that.” Clarissa loved fast speeds, and Len seemed to have remembered that. He sped the Humvee on a few roads in Kabul that were open, with no dense neighborhoods. It felt exhilarating to Clarissa. She stood up a few times, holding on to the top of the windshield, feeling the wind against her face, and her hair going wild. After doing a few rounds, Len pulled up at the US Embassy. Clarissa stood in the vehicle before he came to a stop and yelled, “Woo hoo!” The guys standing outside the building turned then gave them the thumbs-up. “That felt so good.”

Len had a lopsided grin on his face. “Yeah. It did feel good. You still want to do that run?”

“Well, yeah.”

Len chuckled. “I’ll meet you back here in ten minutes.”

“Okay.” Clarissa hurried to her room to change. She pulled her messy hair into a ponytail, slipped into a pair of shorts with tassels around the hem she’d just bought, a lightweight top, and a new pair of running shoes and socks. When she got to the steps outside to meet Len, he was already there in his army shorts, doing warm-ups and talking to a couple of guys.

“Hi,” Clarissa said to the two men in army garb who were talking to Len. One guy nodded, and the other said, “Hey.”

“I’ll see you at the heli-pad at eleven hundred hours,” Len said. The two men saluted Len and sped quickly down the steps.

Clarissa looked at her watch. They had an hour to get a run in.

“Are you wearing draperies?” he asked.

“What?” Clarissa laughed and looked at him. He was staring intensely at her shorts. “No. I just thought they were cute.”

Len rolled his eyes. “Hmm. Ready?”

Clarissa did a few body stretches. “Ready.”

They started out slowly. When they came to a street corner, he instructed, “Take a right here.”

She started to turn slightly. “Len…”

She stepped into his path accidently, tripping him. As he went down he rolled himself in a somersault and came back up, standing. “Jesus, Clare, you trying to do me in?”

“I’m sorry, Len. I was just going to ask you something.” They quickly picked up their pace for a few more blocks. She wanted to know when he would be going back to the states, but she was afraid of his answer, so she decided not to ask.

~ ~ ~ 

Meet the Author

 

Constance started writing contemporary romance and romantic suspense fifteen years ago. She was born and raised in Michigan. After working for the State of Michigan for 38 years, she retired. She and her husband moved to Montana and lived in the mountainside of a small town,

There, locked in her office overlooking the mountains, was where this story, Operation Code Name: Desert Love, was written. After living in Montana for three years, they moved to Alabama with her cat, Sunny, who owns both her and her husband. Her hobbies include basket weaving, reading mafia romance books, diamond painting, and fiddling at the piano.

Constance's Website - Newsletter Sign Up ~ Twitter

Amazon Author Page ~ BookBub ~ Goodreads

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That's it for today. However, we'll be back tomorrow with another author, a great book, and a giveaway! Until then stay happy, stay healthy, stay well read.

Nancy

CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY MAGIC by Author Tena Stetler

Today we welcome friend and author, Tena Stetler to Notes From a Romantic’s Heart to talk about her book, Chocolate Raspberry Magic, part of The Wild Rose Press' One Scoop or Two series. As usual, I’m being nosey and asking questions of my guest.

Inquiring Minds Want to Know

Is your book based on real-life experience or a figment of your imagination?

Some real life experience. Wildlife Rescue has always been one of my passions. I’ve been involved with several rescues and sanctuaries for wildlife, parrots, and all kinds of needy animals.

Some is a figment of my imagination. Like the cabin in the story and its secrets and abilities. That stems from a desire to have gourmet meals and a clean house. LOL

Is the setting for your book real? If so, have you been there? If it’s fictitious, is there somewhere real that you’ve used as a model?

Setting is purely fictional, but based on rescues that I have been involved with. Animal rescue is a difficult vocation for those with a soft heart.  Yep, I’d be one of those people. Probably the reason I abandoned my desire to become a veterinarian early on. LOL But the difficult moments are offset by all the good that happens in rescues.

 

What has been the most unusual experience you’ve had that you have written into a book?

We go camping a lot during the spring, summer and fall. It was during this time that we visited cabins built during the gold rush on Independent Pass in Colorado.  Obviously, the prospectors had no idea what the living conditions would be at 12,095 feet in elevation and abandoned the settlement.  However, while we were investigating these cabins, I walked around the back side of one and a whole scene played out in my mind. The longer I stood there, the more characters played out scenes. Then they faded away as quickly as they appeared.  I rushed to our truck and wrote down all I could remember (Always have a pad and pen with me).  I did return to the same spot, but nothing.  My book, Angel’s Unintentional Entanglement was born out of that experience.

 

Do you like to read in the genre in which you write? Or, are you adventurous?

I do read Paranormal Romance.  Also read a wide variety of other genres, the only thing I don’t read is Horror.  With my over active imagination, I create nightmares for myself that keep me up all night. Then my hubby hates when I leave all the lights on in the house at night to make sure none of those nightmares come to life. Silly I know, but…

 

About the Book

Prim and proper Trinity Shiloh is the assistant manager for Salem's Wildlife Sanctuary. She hasn't had much luck in the boyfriend department, but the new employee Paul is different. Deep and brooding she sees something special hidden below the surface. Besides she has secrets of her own.

Paul Thorp is a wounded Special Forces veteran now working in security and computer support. He's fought hard to keep his demons in check and for the first time feels he is ready for a real relationship.

When a fire breaks out at Puffin Cove Rescue, they are called in to help with the recovery and ice cream social fundraiser. Sometimes things are not what they seem, and neither are people. When magic is unleashed, will what they learn bring them closer together or push them apart?

Available on Your Favorite Platform

Read an Excerpt

As Trinity walked through the aftermath of the fire, she lifted the yellow and black caution tape and carefully stepped inside the building. Her gut clenched and that feeling of foreboding washed over her again. The farther she ventured into the burnt building the stronger the gut-wrenching feeling became. Something needs my help. This was a new sensation. She took a small flashlight out of her backpack, directed the beam over the scorched debris, and moved the rubble with her toe. Nothing.

One more sweep of the light and she’d return to the others. Probably not supposed to be here anyway. A weak squawk emanated from the far corner of the building. Picking up a scorched stick, she poked at the debris. A puff of smoke rose as she made her way to where the sound came from. Shining the light into the corner, she saw movement. She knelt down and carefully shifted the charred rubble. Laying on its side, head slightly raised, and using a wing in an attempt to right itself was a small parrot. Its little eyes locked on her for a moment before its head lowered to the ground.

Frantically, she glanced around, but there was no one in sight. How far had she ventured without telling anyone? The structure overhead groaned in warning. No time. “Okay little one, it’s you and me. I don’t have much experience at this, but I’ll do my best.” Shrugging out of her backpack, she unzipped it completely. “I’m going to scoop you up in my backpack and get help.” She didn’t raise her voice to call for help for fear of scaring the poor thing.

Clearing as much debris away from the bird as possible, she scooped up the parrot in her bag. Slowly she stood, so as not to jostle the little creature. Holding the bag gently against her chest, she picked her way across the downed wooden braces, charred remnants of cabinetry, and broken glass.

Meet the Author

Tena Stetler is a best-selling author of award winning paranormal romance with an over-active imagination.  She wrote her first vampire romance as a tween, to the chagrin of her mother and the delight of her friends.

Colorado is home; shared with her husband, a brilliant Chow Chow, a spoiled parrot and a forty-five-year-old box turtle. When she’s not writing, her time is spent kayaking, camping, hiking, biking or just relaxing in the great Colorado outdoors.

Her books tell tales of magical kick-ass women and mystical alpha males that dare to love them. Travel, adventure and a bit of mystery flourish in her books along with a few companion animals to round out the tales.

Tena's Website ~ Blog ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Instagram

Amazon Author Page ~ BookBub ~ Goodreads 

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Thank you so much for stopping by. We’ll be back again tomorrow with another author, book, and more fun!

Nancy

 

EAT YOUR HEART OUT by Author Shirley Goldberg

 

Today we welcome author Shirley Goldberg to Notes From a Romantic’s Heart to talk about her newest release, Eat Your Heart Out, from The Wild Rose Press. Rather than answer my nosey questions, today we’re going to talk with Shirley’s heroine and her good friend.

A Talk with Sunny and Dana

When fellow author Nancy Fraser invited me to guest post, I invited two of my main characters to join me. They didn’t seem all that eager.

“What’s the problem?” I’d been wrestling with words all day. Who needs moodiness from my imaginary beings?

“Isn’t this a tad weird?” Sunny’s voice was taut with attitude.

“Weird? How?” Dana asked.

“We’re characters in books and we’re chatting as if we’re real people.”

“Not so odd.” Dana scratched a mosquito bite. “We’re friends in the books. By the way, my trip to Florida was great. Except for a few mosquito bites.”

“Don’t say anything about who you went with on vacation,” Sunny said. “We don’t want any spoilers. Not everyone has read your book.” She gave Dana a stern look.

“It’s not my book,” Dana said. “It’s Shirley’s book.”

“Don’t quibble,” I said. As if they’d listen to me.

“I guess we should introduce ourselves. I’m Sunny Chanel, the main character in Middle Ageish, Shirley’s first novel.

“I’m Dana, Sunny’s BFF in her book.”

“You have your own book now, though. How do you feel about that?”

“You sound like my therapist.”

“The two of you bicker inside my head all day long,” I interrupted. “It’s unnerving.”

“I’m the one with a therapist, not you.” Sunny stepped around me to confront Dana.

“Remember, no spoilers,” Dana chided.

“Sorry.” Sunny looked embarrassed. “Aren’t we supposed to be introducing Shirley?”

“You start.” Dana gestured with her chin. “Give the readers a heads-up about her background. Why she wrote the book.”

“I’ve always wondered myself.” Sunny looked at me. “You did a lot of online dating and took notes in the ladies room, didn’t you? When you were on a meet.”

“I’ll admit it.” I put my hands up in surrender. My dirty little secret was out. At least they weren’t bickering.

“Let me get this straight. You’re on a date. You excuse yourself to go to the restroom. And take notes in the toilet stall? Seriously?”

“Pretty much,” I said.

“It’s true,” Sunny said. “You wouldn’t believe how many guys I had to do the ole meet-and-greet with to keep the story moving forward. Shirley planned it all in the restroom.” She gave a little sneer. “How romantic.”

“I don’t write books in the toilet,” I protested. “Notes. I took a few notes.”

“We’ve all heard the advice writers get.” Sunny fixed me with a look that said I wasn’t getting away with anything. “Write about what you know.”

“So I’ve heard,” Dana said. “We’re getting off track here. The book is about starting over. Not so easy when you’re a little older. Shirley knows because she started over. She was living in Crete, teaching English. She and her husband ended their marriage.

“Right, sorry about my tirade,” Sunny said. “Shirley moved back to Connecticut and started over.

“We met when you moved from Paris to New Haven and enrolled in the grad program.” Dana crossed her legs and scratched her mosquito bites again. “Just like Shirley.”

“Are you saying the book is autobiographical?” Dana asked Sunny.

“Ask Shirley,” Sunny said. “I think all writing is somewhat autobiographical.”

“My marriage was circling the drain.” No point in denying the similarities in the book to my own life. “Look, relationships aren’t easy. It’s a wonder two people come together, much less stay together.”

“In Middle Ageish, I issue the dating challenge that starts the ball rolling,” Sunny said.

“I made up that dating contest,” I said.

 “Yeah, probably after three glasses of wine.” Sunny looked around the living room. “I could use a glass of wine.”

“Hey.” Dana poked Sunny in the arm. “We’re guests here.”

Sunny gave Dana a look. “Shirley forced me to date. A lot. And broke my heart.”

“No spoilers!” I’d had it up to my eyelashes with my characters. Especially Sunny.

“Dana, you’re the heroine in Eat Your Heart Out. Can you say a little something about––”

“Friendship,” said Dana. “Women. Men. Two foodies. We sauté together, banter, and dance around each other. There’s some serious stuff too. A few issues.”

“Shirley said she writes to make readers laugh,” said Sunny.

They exchanged a knowing look.

“I’d second that emotion, don’t you agree?” Dana looked proud of her song-quoting skills.

The three of us burst out giggling.

About the Book

When a tyrant in stilettos replaces her beloved boss, and her ex snags her coveted job, teacher Dana Narvana discovers there are worse things than getting dumped on Facebook. Even at her age. Time for the BFF advice squad, starting with Dana's staunchest ally, Alex. Hunky colleague, quipster, and cooking pal extraordinaire. But when the after-hours smooching goes nowhere, she wonders why this grown man won't make up his mind.

Actor turned teacher Alex Bethany craves a family of his own and his new lifestyle gives him the confidence to try online dating. Meanwhile he’s sending Dana mixed messages in the kissing department. After a surprising event rocks his world, Alex panics, certain he’s blown his chances with his special person. From appetizers to the main course will these two cooking buddies make it to dessert?

Funny and bittersweet, Dana and Alex’s story will have you rooting for them all the way to dessert.

Amazon ~ Apple Books ~ B&N (Nook) ~ Nook

Read an Excerpt

I yanked open the heavy door and entered the huge lobby, the sounds of merrymaking—clinking cutlery, people talking, a boom of laughter—drifted down from the upstairs restaurant.

How to locate Monty? We should have made a better plan to meet.

And then a pair of blue jeans appeared on the winding staircase, my gaze following the smooth descent. Legs, negative stomach, chest and shoulders, all the way up to the wide grin. Any residual stress from the week floated away and became I’m glad to meet you, glad, so glad.

Better looking than his photo, with a body clearly used to moving. Chores like log-carrying, shoveling snow, maybe some serious foreplay. What was it Noelle said about a good body on a middle-aged man? A guy in shape is like an A+ on an exam. Unexpected and welcome.

“I know you’re Dana,” said Monty, real name Doug, who reached out to me at the bottom of the staircase with a cuddly hug. Despite remembering one of his early negative emails, my body relaxed against his mighty hug.

“Shall we? I’ve staked out a table upstairs. I really wanted a nice environment for our first meet.” His sweeping gesture included the whole of the restaurant, white tablecloths, glittering silverware, homey smells.

“Really nice.” Too early in the evening for giddy, and yet…what was going on? Earlier in our emailing, he’d had misgivings, something about casting his net too wide, afraid we had little in common. He’d had doubts. Is he still doubtful?

At the table we discussed wine, ordered Cabernet, and sat back. “A comfortable silence,” he said, nodding in the direction of my ace-bandaged hand. “What happened to you?”

“Accident. I’ll tell you later.” Not the time to discuss the tough stuff.

“Hope it doesn’t hurt.” He touched my arm. “I really wanted to meet you. And I didn’t want to do it over coffee.” He paused, looked around the place, his gaze taking in the other diners, the piano, the huge floor-to-ceiling fireplace. “Would love to be here when there’s a fire going. Classy. Like you.” He laughed. “I know I’m piling it on a bit thick, but I mean it.”

This man is a charmer, watch out, watch out.

The wine arrived, and he lifted his glass. “To a great evening,” he said. We sipped and he leaned in close. “Stop me if I talk too much. I’m serious. I tend to go on.”

He had a slight accent. Montana. This was what Montana sounded like, broad in some places, slow, but good slow. Montana Monty. “So how long have you been in Connecticut?” I asked.

He told me it had been a long time, but he got to see his parents every six months or so. “They are both in their eighties. I worry about them.” And he asked about my work, so I told him about the two students invited for lunch discussions. “That’s how I came up with my Luncheon Improvement Plan. It’s a warning so my students know they’re a step away from a detention.”

“What did they do?” He was a great listener, leaning close as if we were already intimates, my classroom tidbits amusing and gleaming as lightning bugs.

“They were a source of irritation. For the whole period. Fifty-five minutes. I caught one of the boys throwing spitballs at the girls. Juvenile.”

“I did worse in high school. I would have loved a detention from you.” He made a growl deep in his throat. “Maybe you’ll invite me to your classroom one day?” Then shook his head, mocking himself. “I’m being silly, but I’d like to see you in action.” He stopped, checked my glass. “Hey, let’s have another glass. You’re almost empty.”

I nodded, that giddy feeling again.

“What do you need?” Eyes on my face. “What can I get you?”

A man aware of my needs. Keeping tabs on my needs. Indeed, I needed food to avoid getting too lightheaded, carried away by compliments and the sheer appreciation of my wonderfulness. He touched my arm. “Is this too much, too soon? I get infatuated easily,” he said. “I don’t know why.”

A tingly sensation clear down to my stomach. I excused myself, needing a few minutes of alone time, a little less intensity. Catch him off guard. Noelle’s advice.

In the ladies’ room I threw on lipstick, my thoughts stumbling over territory I’d discussed with Noelle, with Jewel. Even Alex. When you first meet, remember he doesn’t know what pleases you. Let him blab. Listen. Between the lines, the real man will show himself.

Back at the table he took my hand, talked about traveling in Asia, visiting manufacturers for quality control issues—he’d worked many years in the toy manufacturing business. “Let’s stay for dinner,” he said hand on mine. The jazz trio began the lead-in to “The Lady is a Tramp,” the evening proceeding in perfect sync with our mutual mood of wonder and discovery. 

About the Author

Shirley Goldberg is a writer, novelist, and former ESL and French teacher who’s lived in Paris, Crete, and Casablanca. She writes about men and women of a certain age starting over.

Her website offers a humorous look at living single and dating in midlife. Shirley is the author of two rom coms. Eat Your Heart Out and Middle Ageish, both in the series Starting Over.

Shirley’s friends nag her to tell them which stories are true in her novels. Her characters believe you should never leave home without your sense of humor and Shirley agrees.

Shirley's Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Instagram

Amazon Author Page ~ BookBub ~ Goodreads

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Many to thanks to Shirley for bringing her quirky sense of humor to the blog today. Please come back again tomorrow when we'll have a Goddess Fish tour guest, which means--of coures--a giveaway!

Nancy