Taryn Donaghy’s job as an equities trader at a financial services firm is leading her down a dark road. The long hours and the high pressure are taking a toll on her mental health. Taryn knows she needs a change, but she doesn’t know what that change looks like or how to find it.
A chance meeting with Alex Maris, a florist who delivers a flower feature to the office every week, opens Taryn’s eyes and shows her a different path. Alex lives and works on a co-op farm with others like her, a sort of hippie collective of people doing their own thing. It’s hard for Taryn not to be intrigued by Alex. She’s beautiful and kind, and she’s living the blissful and fulfilled life that Taryn is after.
If Taryn doesn’t figure her path out soon she might just break down. Will Alex and her farm show Taryn how to find herself and find the love that’s eluded her for so long?
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Lady Pilot
Captain Elaine Cole is an accomplished and popular commercial airline pilot. She’s spent her entire career bouncing from one airport to the next, and one lover to the next as well. Being a pilot has made it hard for Lanie to settle down and find love, and now that she’s in her forties it’s really starting to wear on her.
When Carrie Haden is assigned as a flight attendant on her route, Lanie feels herself falling for the beautiful younger woman. But Carrie is different than the flight attendants Lanie has been with in the past. There’s something else there—a brighter spark, a deeper affection—and Lanie can’t help but feel that this is her opportunity to finally find the love she seeks.
Building trust and committing to a relationship is difficult for a pilot like Lanie. Could Carrie be the one who finally inspires Lanie to change her ways?
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Hidden Treasures
Looking to leave her troubled past behind her, Annie Arbuckle takes a restaurant job in the northern resort town of Traverse City, far away from everything and everyone she knows. Annie needs change, a break from the party girl life she had in Detroit, and spending summer in this small town of vacationers seems like the perfect way to get her life back on track.
Then she meets Nora Lowe. Nora is a server at the restaurant, she’s gorgeous, curvy, exciting, with a bit of a wild streak. Things don’t always add up with Nora, she often seems to be hiding something, but Annie has a hard time saying no to someone so beautiful and so fun. And that can get her into trouble.
Now, with new love on the line, will Annie be able to avoid falling back into old habits while maintaining her budding relationship with Nora? Or will the mischief and the secrets that Nora clings to push Annie over the edge?
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Chief Executive
Nadia Marek, a graphic designer and account manager at a boutique advertising agency, is about to have her work life flipped upside down. A major competitor has bought her company out and with this shakeup comes the arrival of a new CEO. Nadia’s fears for the future of her job become more complicated, however, when she discovers how attracted she is to her new boss.
That boss is Avery Wool, a confident and strong executive, who has come in to reorganize the company. But Avery appears to have ulterior motives. As the changes begin to take hold, things aren’t always what they seem with Avery. Nadia, however, can’t help but fall for Avery’s advances. She’s a beautiful woman, sultry, powerful, rich… and she has Nadia in her sights.
How will Nadia reconcile her feelings about the corporate takeover with the growing desire she feels for her new CEO? Is the mounting passion between the women for real, or is it all just a game to Avery? Work often takes a backseat when you have romance knocking at your office door.
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Field Day
After getting into some trouble in the big city, Jane Cairns is sent to live with her aunt and uncle on the family farm in southwest Michigan. Jane’s living in a state of arrested development, ambling through young adulthood and finding it difficult to flourish on her own. She just can’t get her act together.
When she meets Sally Harris, a local farmer who works on her family’s cherry orchard, Jane sees in her new friend a responsible young woman who has it figured out. But Sally, too, has her struggles. Where she’s from, it’s hard for her to be herself and be open about her desires.
As they each battle their own issues of identity and place, love begins to flourish for Jane and Sally. But can their budding affection survive a dirty past, a secret relationship, family conflict, and more?
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A Way With Words
Evelyn Driscoll, famed novelist and professor at a small midwestern arts college, is in a rut. It’s been over seven years since her hit book came out, her editor is clamoring for a new manuscript, and life in northern Ohio just doesn’t compare to the literary world she once inhabited. Her love life feels like even more of a mess.
When one of Evie’s graduate students—the beautiful and talented Meadow Sims—admits that she’s got a thing for her professor, Evie feels her lost passion start to come back. Meadow is smart, sweet, and has almost finished a novel of her own. The two must write their story carefully, however, as dating a student could put Evie’s teaching career at risk.
With Meadow by her side, Evie’s inspiration is blooming once again. But can this May-December romance succeed despite the professional consequences?
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An Act Of Love
When Jessica Coleridge arrives in Los Angeles to open her new yoga studio, the only person she knows in town is her old friend Liberty Logan. To Jessica’s surprise, Liberty has become a famous actress on a hit television show. As the friends rekindle what they once had, romance begins to blossom and this reunion quickly evolves into something much more than friendship.
But fame and money begin to play tricks on Liberty, as she’s still naive to her growing celebrity. And with Jessica reentering her life out of the blue, Liberty has a difficult time determining what’s real and what’s just an act. When money and business mix with love and romance, even old friends can find trust to be a difficult proposition.
With love on the line, both women need to figure out who they are and what they want. Can this second chance at love for Jessica and Liberty win out over the trappings of Hollywood, fame, and money?
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An Excerpt: Lady Pilot
Chicago O’Hare International Airport, or ORD for short, was bustling with passengers waiting to board their flights. The airport was a grand construction, with steel girders lining the ceiling and separated by glass windows, morning light shining down into the immense building. As far as airports go, it was quite beautiful. But most people didn’t seem to notice. Most people rushed about, trying to quickly move from security to their terminal so that they could plop down in a seat and wait to board, as though that would get them to their destination faster.
Hanging around Gate B10 in Terminal 1 was a flight crew. They were smiling, chatting, occasionally laughing as though they knew each other well. There were five of them together. One, a man in his late thirties, was dressed in a pilot’s uniform and was leading the group. He was animated and excited, bright-eyed and plucky. This was Stephen Reynolds, the co-pilot.
“I told my boyfriend,” he said with a quick hand gesture. “Play your cards right, dear, and maybe I won’t replace you with a young cabana boy.”
The group laughed along with him. There was Beth, a woman about the same age as Stephen. She had her dark hair pulled back in a tight ponytail, her large chest squeezed into her flight attendant uniform. Next to her was Hugh, a chubby man with dark glasses, spiky hair, and a goatee. And Tanya, African-Am
erican, her black hair straightened and pulled back just as tightly as Beth’s. This group, along with Stephen, was obviously close. But standing with them, almost like an outcast with a smile on her face as though she was just playing along, was a woman in her early thirties with light brown hair worn down. Her uniform conveyed her fitness underneath, along with her curves, but her expression revealed her trepidation.
“C’mon Carrie,” said Stephen, offering this young woman another flourishing gesture with his hand. “I’m hilarious.”
“You are,” replied Carrie, giving Stephen a smile. Stephen rolled his eyes dramatically.
“Where’s Captain Cole?” Tanya asked, shifting the subject. “They look like they’re about ready to open the gate for us.”
“Psssh,” said Stephen. “Probably nursing a hangover.”
The group—everyone but Carrie—laughed.
“Oh, stop it,” said Beth. “We’re lucky to have Captain Cole. And this route, a Chicago to Cancun turnaround, is like a dream. Passengers will be happy and excited on the way there, exhausted and tired on the way back. Captain Cole made this happen for us.”
“Captain Cole this, Captain Cole that,” mused Stephen, twirling a finger in the air.
“Captain Cole is great,” said Hugh. “I’m a fan.”
“Oh!” said Tanya. “There she is now.”
As the crew all looked down the terminal, they saw the captain heading their way. Captain Elaine Cole, or just Lanie to her friends, strutted toward them pulling a wheeled suitcase behind her with a bemused smile on her lips. Her blonde hair bounced against her shoulders with each step, a captain’s hat fitted atop her head. She was shapely yet trim, her uniform unable to obscure her blessings. Lanie was beautiful, sexy and seductive, and she knew it. Even in her early 40s, she exuded a youthfulness that could often get her in trouble.
Lanie approached the crew and released her suitcase. She grinned.
“I told the airline I wanted professionals,” Lanie teased. “But I guess you all will do.”
They laughed at her quip.
“Captain Cole,” said Hugh. “We’re all really looking forward to this assignment. We’re so lucky to get on this route.”
“I’ve been working on it for ages,” said Lanie. “Pleading my case, kissing up to the boss, putting in my time. And here we are,” she said, smiling big as she considered her accomplishment. “Three turnarounds to Cancun a week. The days will be long, but having four days off is going to be so sweet. And I’ll finally get to start living for once.” She laughed.
“I don’t know how you did it,” said Beth. “And we’re so grateful you’ve brought us along for the ride.”
“Captain Cole is the greatest, isn’t she?” said Stephen, cuddling up to Lanie and hugging her.
“You said she was going to come in here hungover,” protested Hugh. Stephen’s eyes widened and he put his finger to his lips to shush Hugh. But Lanie laughed.
“Bottle to throttle is twelve hours,” said Lanie. “Those are the rules I live by. On my days off, well, that’s a different story.”
Lanie maintained an easy smile as she looked over her crew. But when her eyes reached Carrie, she furrowed her brow. Carrie was young and pretty, quite fresh looking, but she also appeared uneasy and uncertain about the group she found herself in.
“You must be Carolyn Haden,” said Lanie. She reached her hand out to shake. “Nice to meet you.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Captain,” said Carrie. She shook.
“It turned out that Peggy’s husband got transferred to San Diego for work,” said Lanie. “So Peggy is no longer calling ORD homebase. And we’ve been assigned Miss Haden, here. Miss Haden, you are very lucky to be among one of the best flight crews to ever fly on AmeriNorth Airlines. I know they look like misfits, but they clean up nice.” The group laughed, and Carrie smiled demurely at her captain.
“I’m looking forward to this assignment,” said Carrie.
Lanie looked over Carrie once again, and her lips maintained a curled smile. Carrie was charming and alluring in her caution. Despite the attraction that Lanie felt for her new flight attendant, she had promised herself that she wouldn’t make that mistake again. No more flight attendants for her.
“I, too, am looking forward to this assignment,” replied Lanie, but addressing the entire crew. “I’m hoping to move past the days of waking up in a different city every morning, unsure where I am exactly. And I feel like I’m getting a bit too old for our little party scene. I’m ready to turn in my keys to all the crash pads and delete a few phone numbers from my phone. We’re going to do this, team. It’s going to be great.”
“I’m just looking forward to a narrowbody full of happy people,” said Tanya. “Look at them all,” she said, motioning toward the passengers sitting near the gate. Despite the early hour, people looked happy and were in good spirits, many already dressed in beach clothes. It was early spring, the snow was just beginning to melt, and not a winter coat could be seen. There would be no use for a coat in Cancun. “Going off to a beach vacation is the best thing ever. Happy passengers make our job so much easier.”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Tanya,” warned Lanie. “We’re bound to get some rowdy people who can’t wait to get hammered until they hit the beach. But I do think we’re in for some fun times.”
A woman in a navy blazer and skirt walked up to the crew and smiled. She was an ANA gate agent and she waited patiently until the crew stopped their conversation and looked her way.
“Captain Cole,” said the woman. “We’re ready for you.”
“Thank you, Sarah,” said Lanie. “All right, gang. Let’s do this.”
The flight crew cheered. They took up their rolling suitcases and, lead by Stephen, began walking toward the now-open gate door. The gate agent standing at the podium greeted each one as they walked through.
The last two to prepare themselves to board were Lanie and Carrie. Lanie wanted to wait for her entire crew to board before she did, and Carrie felt that she should take up the rear as the newest member of the team. Lanie looked to her and smiled gently.
“I know they can be a bit much,” said Lanie. “But they’re a good team. Really good at their jobs. Fun and accepting. I don’t think many people—pilots or flight attendants alike—get an opportunity to fly with such a great crew on such a great route. You got a good gig here.”
“I know,” Carrie said. She smiled. “I’m trying not to take it for granted. I’ve only been a flight attendant for a few years. I lucked out to get an assignment like this.”
“You should send Peggy a very nice gift,” Lanie teased. Carrie laughed.
“Maybe I will,” said Carrie.
Both women stood there for a moment, waiting for the other one to take the lead. After a pause, Lanie widened her eyes and motioned toward the boarding gate with her hand.
“Oh no,” said Carrie. “After you, Captain Cole.”
“You first, I insist,” said Lanie, smiling contently. “And you can call me Lanie.”
“Call you Lanie?”
“Well, yeah,” said Lanie. “I mean, when it’s just us. In front of passengers and the crew, Captain Cole is good. But when it’s you and I, Lanie is what I prefer.”
“Okay,” replied Carrie. “You can call me Carrie.”
“After you, Carrie,” said Lanie, still smiling. She motioned once again with her hand. Carrie laughed softly, she took the handle of her rolling suitcase, and she made her way to the open gate. Lanie paused for a moment and watched her walk off. Dirty thoughts percolated in her head, and Lanie immediately chastised herself.
“New you,” Lanie said under her breath as she now began her walk through the door. “Be good, Lanie. Be good.”
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Trail Blazer Page 17