The Nightingale Diaries
Page 1
Copyright © 2019
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, uploaded or distributed in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotation embodied in reviews.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
The publisher and author acknowledges the trademark status and trademark ownership of all trademarks, service marks, and word marks mentioned in this book.
First edition: 2019
Published in print and electronic formats.
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Others Books By the Author
Infinite Limit
The Three Brother
Eightteen Hours
Pillow Scars
Wild And Dark
The Day Off
The Muse
Delayed Gratification
The Honeymoon
Camp In Shadow
Replay Message
Her Best Moment
Friend And Sister
The Sex Therapist
Acknowledgments
First and foremost, I need to thank my wife, Angie, for letting me spend so much time alone with my characters. It would be easy to get jealous, but you’re legitimately great when it comes to sharing me with horny, make-believe ladies. Yet one more reason we’re so well matched.
I’m also grateful as ever to Shelley Thrasher, who never fails to make the editing process a true joy. If only I could stop overusing clichés and finally conquer the difference between lie vs. lay, maybe you’d feel like you were finally getting somewhere with me. For everyone else at Bold Strokes Books: thank you for the support and the community. It feels good to be part of this team.
And now the obligatory note to my beloved family: Kathleen, the cover may have already tipped you off, but you’ll need to keep your students the hell away from this one, too. Sorry. Maybe next time? Mom and Dad, this applies to you as well.
If ever you can’t help yourselves and choose to read one of my books despite my dire warnings not to, for the love of God, please…don’t make it this one.
About The Author
Author is a USA Today bestselling author. He’s the husband of a rock star, and the father of two young adults, but he’s also been a ballerina, a typographer, a film composer, a piano player, a singer in an all-man rock band, and a voice in those violent video games you won’t let your kids play.
He does his best writing on cruise ships, on his husband’s tour bus, and at home in his sunny garden. Author loves to play medieval matchmaker, transporting readers to a place where the bold heroes have endearing flaws, the man are stronger than they look, the land is lush and untamed, and chivalry is alive and well!
Contents
Copyright
Others Books by Author
Acknowledgement
About the Author
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Appendix
Back Cover
Thanks You For Reading
Before You Start
Again
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BONUS
(You might skip this story as it do not relate to author’s story)
1500 Words Short Story Submitted By Our Reader
Ove is fifty-9.
He drives a Saab. He’s the type of man who elements at humans he doesn’t like the arrival of, as if they had been burglars and his forefinger a policeman’s flashlight. He stands at the counter of a shop wherein owners of eastern vehicles come to buy white cables. Ove eyes the income assistant for a long time in advance than shaking a medium-sized white subject at him.
“So this is this kind of O-Pads, is it?” he wishes.
The assistant, a more youthful man with a single-digit body mass index, appears sick comfy. He visibly struggles to manipulate his urge to grab the sector out of Ove’s palms.
“positive, precisely. An iPad. Do you suspect you may stop shaking it like that . . . ?”
Ove offers the sector a skeptical appearance, as though it’s a exceptionally dubious form of discipline, a subject that rides a scooter and wears tracksuit pants and actually known as Ove “my friend” earlier than presenting to promote him an eye fixed.
“I see. So it’s a pc, sure?”
The income assistant nods. Then hesitates and fast shakes his head.
“sure . . . or, what I suggest is, it’s an iPad. a few humans name it a ‘tablet’ and others call it a ‘surfing device.’ There are awesome ways of searching at it. . . .”
Ove appears on the income assistant as though he has definitely spoken backwards, earlier than shaking the field once more.
“but is it splendid, this thing?”
The assistant nods confusedly. “positive. Or . . . How do you recommend?”
Ove sighs and begins speakme slowly, articulating his phrases as though the handiest hassle right here is his adversary’s impaired being attentive to.
“Is. It. Goooood? Is it an wonderful laptop?”
The assistant scratches his chin.
“I suggest . . . yeah . . . it’s honestly suitable . . . however it's far based totally upon what type of computer you want.”
Ove glares at him.
“I want a laptop! A everyday bloody laptop!”
Silence descends over the two guys for a fast at the same time as. The assistant clears his throat.
“properly . . . it isn’t clearly a everyday computer. probably you’d as an alternative have a . . .”
The assistant stops and appears to be seeking out a word that falls within the bounds of comprehension of the character going through him. Then he clears his throat once more and says:
“. . . a pc?”
Ove shakes his head wildly and leans menacingly over-the-counter.
“No, I don’t need a ‘laptop.’ I need a computer.”
The assistant nods pedagogically.
“A laptop is a pc.”
Ove, insulted, glares at him and stabs his forefinger on the counter.
“you believe you studied I don’t recognise that!”
each other silence, as despite the fact that gunmen have all of sudden realized they have forgotten to supply their pistols. Ove seems on the field for a long time, as despite the fact that he’s expecting it to make a confession.
“in which does the keyboard pull out?” he mutters ultimately.
The profits assistant rubs his palms closer to the brink of the counter and shifts his weight nervously from foot to foot, as greater younger men hired in stores regularly do after they begin to remember that something is
going to take extensively extra time than they'd to begin with hoped.
“well, this one doesn’t in fact have a keyboard.”
Ove does a few issue collectively alongside along with his eyebrows. “Ah, of direction,” he splutters. “due to the fact you have got to buy it as an ‘extra,’ don’t you?”
“No, what I advocate is that the computer doesn’t have a separate keyboard. You manipulate everything from the display.”
Ove shakes his head in disbelief, as even though he’s virtually witnessed the profits assistant taking walks at some point of the counter and licking the glass-fronted show cupboard.
“however I should have a keyboard. You do remember the fact that?”
The young man sighs deeply, as though patiently counting to ten.
“ok. I apprehend. if so I don’t count on you need to skip for this pc. I assume you can purchase a few aspect like a MacBook as an alternative.”
“A McBook?” Ove says, a long way from convinced. “Is that this type of blessed ‘eReaders’ each person’s speakme approximately?”
“No. A MacBook is a . . . it’s a . . . laptop, with a keyboard.”
“okay!” Ove hisses. He seems round the shop for a second. “So are they any particular, then?”
The income assistant appears down at the counter in a manner that looks to reveal a fiercely but barely managed preference to begin clawing his personal face. Then he suddenly brightens, flashing an energetic smile.
“ what? permit me see if my colleague has finished along along with his customer, so he can come and provide you with an illustration.”
Ove assessments his watch and grudgingly has the same opinion, reminding the assistant that some humans have higher sports than stand spherical all day waiting. The assistant gives him a quick nod, then disappears and is derived back after some moments with a colleague. The colleague seems very glad, as humans do once they have not been walking for a enough stretch of time as profits assistants.
“properly day, how am i capable of help you?”
Ove drills his police-flashlight finger into the counter.
“I need a pc!”
The colleague no longer looks quite as happy. He gives the primary income assistant an insinuating appearance as though to say he’ll pay him lower again for this.
inside the intervening time the first income assistant mutters, “i am capable of’t take anymore, I’m going for lunch.”
“Lunch,” snorts Ove. “That’s the most effective issue human beings care about nowadays.”
“I’m sorry?” says the colleague and turns round.
“Lunch!” He sneers, then tosses the sector onto the counter and unexpectedly walks out.
(three WEEKS earlier)
someone referred to as OVE MAKES HIS community INSPECTION
It end up 5 to 6 within the morning while Ove and the cat met for the number one time. The cat without delay disliked Ove in particular. the sensation have end up very a whole lot reciprocated.
Ove had, as everyday, gotten up ten mins earlier. He could not make head nor tail of people who overslept and blamed it on “the alarm clock now not ringing.” Ove had in no manner owned an alarm clock in his whole existence. He awakened at area to six and that become even as he had been given up.
each morning for the almost 4 a long term they had lived in this residence, Ove had positioned at the coffee percolator, using precisely the equal quantity of espresso as on a few other morning, after which drank a cup along with his partner. One degree for each cup, and one greater for the pot—no greater, no lots less. people didn’t apprehend a manner to do this anymore, brew some right coffee. in the identical way as these days no one should write with a pen. because of the reality now it turn out to be all computer structures and espresso machines. And wherein modified into the arena going if humans couldn’t even write or brew a pot of coffee?
whilst his proper cup of coffee come to be brewing, he located on his navy blue trousers and jacket, stepped into his timber clogs, and shoved his hands in his wallet in that specific manner of a center-aged guy who expects the nugatory global outdoor to disappoint him. Then he made his morning inspection of the road. the encompassing row houses lay in silence and darkness as he walked out the door, and there wasn’t a soul in sight. may have recognized, concept Ove. in this avenue no one took the trouble to rise up any in advance than they had to. these days, it turn out to be just self-hired human beings and extraordinary disreputable sorts dwelling here.
The cat sat with a nonchalant expression within the center of the footpath that ran the various houses. It had half of of of a tail and only one ear. Patches of fur have been lacking right here and there as although a person had pulled it out in handfuls. no longer a very stunning feline.
Ove stomped earlier. The cat stood up. Ove stopped. They stood there measuring up to every one of a kind for a few moments, like capability troublemakers in a small-town bar. Ove considered throwing considered taken into consideration one in every of his clogs at it. The cat seemed as although it regretted now not bringing its personal clogs to lob over again.
“Scram!” Ove bellowed, so that the cat jumped decrease again. It in short scrutinized the fifty-nine-year-antique guy and his clogs, then have end up and lolloped off. Ove could have sworn it rolled its eyes in advance than clearing out.
Pest, he notion, glancing at his watch. two mins to 6. Time to get going or the bloody cat would possibly have succeeded in delaying the whole inspection. wonderful state of affairs that might be.
He began marching along the footpath between the houses. He stopped through the website traffic sign informing motorists that they've been prohibited from entering the residential region. He gave the metallic pole a commercial enterprise business enterprise kick. now not that it changed into wonky or some aspect, but it’s continuously first-rate to check. Ove is the form of man who exams the reputation of all things with the resource of giving them a terrific kick.
He walked throughout the parking place and strolled back and forth along all the garages to ensure none of them have been burgled in the night time or set on fire thru gangs of vandals. Such subjects had in no way happened around proper right here, however then Ove had by no means skipped taken into consideration one of his inspections each. He tugged 3 instances at the door control of his very very own garage, wherein his Saab have become parked. much like every other morning.
After this, he detoured thru the visitor parking vicinity, where automobiles may additionally need to simplest be left for up to twenty-4 hours. carefully he stated down all of the license numbers inside the little pad he stored in his jacket pocket, and then compared the ones to the licenses he had stated down the day earlier than. On activities at the equal time because the identical license numbers grew to become up in Ove’s notepad, Ove might possibly move domestic and call the automobile Licensing Authority to retrieve the auto proprietor’s records, after which he’d name up the latter and tell him that he grow to be a vain bloody imbecile who couldn’t even examine symptoms and signs. Ove didn’t virtually care who became parked in the traveller parking location, of path. but it modified right into a query of precept. If it stated twenty-4 hours on the signal, that’s how prolonged you were allowed to live. What would not it's like if virtually every body just parked everywhere they preferred? it is probably chaos. There’d be vehicles bloody everywhere.
nowadays, thank goodness, there weren’t any unauthorized automobiles within the vacationer parking, and Ove turned into capable of preserve to the following a part of his every day inspection: the trash room. not that it changed into clearly his obligation, mind. He had steadfastly adversarial from the very beginning the nonsense steamrollered through via the these days arrived jeep-brigade that circle of relatives trash “needed to be separated.” Having stated that, as quickly as the selection become made to type the trash, someone had to ensure that it changed into truly being done. no longer that all people had requested Ove to do it, but
if guys like Ove didn’t take the initiative there’d be anarchy. There’d be baggage of trash everywhere in the location.
He kicked the containers a bit, swore, and fished out a jar from the glass recycling, mumbled some issue approximately “incompetents” as he unscrewed its metallic lid. He dropped the jar lower again into glass recycling, and the steel lid into the metallic recycling bin.
returned at the same time as Ove changed into the chairman of the residents’ affiliation, he’d pushed tough to have surveillance cameras mounted so they may reveal the trash room and prevent people tossing out unauthorized trash. To Ove’s wonderful annoyance, his idea have become voted out. The buddies felt “slightly uneasy” about it; plus they felt it would be a headache archiving all the videotapes. This, in spite of Ove over and over arguing that humans with “sincere intentions” had not some thing to fear from “the fact.”
years later, after Ove were deposed as chairman of the affiliation (a betrayal Ove in the end called “the coup d’état”), the query got here up once more. the extremely-modern steering group described snappily to the citizens that there has been a newfangled virtual camera available, activated through motion sensors, which despatched the pics without delay to the internet. With the assist of one of these camera one ought to monitor no longer exquisite the trash room but moreover the parking vicinity, thereby stopping vandalism and burglaries. Even better, the video cloth erased itself mechanically after twenty-four hours, therefore fending off any “breaches of the residents’ proper to privateness.” A unanimous preference turned into required to transport earlier with the set up. simplest one member voted in the direction of.