“Aww!” Kat came bouncing over, resting her left hand on my shoulder and her right on Walter’s. She looked back and forth between the two of us, smiling like we were a romantic comedy. “You guys are adorable.”
“Yeah, I might have had something to do with that,” Renee whispered, sneaking up behind us, looking gorgeous in her tight, crimson dress. It was hard to believe she’d just had a baby not too long ago.
I whipped around to face her. “Had something to do with what?” I looked at Walter accusingly. “Tell me that isn’t true.”
He stood silent, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.
“Oh, come on, you’re not glad?” Renee looked at me doubtfully.
Before I could say anything, Walter turned to face Kat. “For the record, I would’ve asked her out anyway.”
I shook my head in disbelief. “When did you…”
“Oh relax,” Renee said. “When I called him to tell him we were buying the house, I just casually mentioned that… since you were both single… maybe he should take you out sometime.”
I glared at her. She batted her lashes innocently, then looked down at her champagne flute.
“Did I mention how happy I am that I can drink again?” She took a sip from her glass, then turned and skipped away.
“Alright everyone,” Dylan announced into the microphone. “This is one of the greatest songs ever written, so if you guys want to grab your date…” He gestured to the center of the yard, where they’d set up a makeshift dance floor.
I recognized the song instantly. It was Jeff Buckley’s “Lover You Should’ve Come Over.” The song that had brought Renee and Dylan together. And essentially, had brought Renee and me together, many years ago. Back in our high-school days.
Walter peered at me curiously, taking my hand in his. “Care to dance, my lady?”
My lips twitched as I reluctantly followed him onto the dance floor. It was impossible to be mad at him. All he had to do was flash one of those cute little smiles and I’d completely forget why I was upset in the first place.
I threw my arms around his neck as he pulled me against him, his musky scent lingering. My favorite smell. My safe haven.
It was funny how, in just six months’ time, someone could become your everything.
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me,” I whispered.
“Like I said, I would’ve asked you out anyway.” He peered down at my mint-green satin dress, his eyes grazing me seductively. “Come on, look at you. How could I not?”
“Yeah, yeah.”
I leaned into him again, thinking about how much had transpired since I’d met him, how much different my life would be if I’d made another decision. I looked around at my friends, drinking, laughing, swaying back and forth to the music. I’d always love California, but here, I was home. I was where I belonged.
Acknowledgements
First, I'd like to thank everyone from my hometown of Rockland, Massachusetts, for the overwhelming amount of support I've received. Words can't even express how much your encouragement means to me, and I thank all of you from the bottom of my heart.
I'd also like to thank all the new friends I've made in Los Angeles in the past five years, some of which helped inspire the new characters in this book. It's incredible how much your life can change in such a short time, and I'm fortunate to have such great people in my life.
As always, I'm extremely grateful to all my friends and family members who have been there since the beginning. My dream never would've came true without all of you by my side.
And last, a giant thank you to the wonderful team at Harper Impulse, for being so amazingly easy to work with. I couldn't ask for a better team.
Also by Rachel K. Burke…
Sound Bites
Rachel K. Burke
I discovered my passion for writing at the age of ten, when my love of R.L. Stine mystery novels inspired me to write my own. Over a decade later, I read my first music-themed novel, and decided to combine my music journalism experience and rock and roll obsession into a book. I live in Santa Monica, California, a few blocks from the Pacific Ocean. When Im not at the beach, I can usually be found perusing rock shows on Sunset Boulevard, shopping, at a yoga class, having drinks with friends, or sipping coffee at home and pondering my latest novel.
For more information on Rachel and her upcoming fiction, please visit www.rachelkburke.com and follow her on Twitter @RachelKBurke.
About HarperImpulse
HarperImpulse is an exciting new range of romance fiction brought to you from the women’s fiction team at HarperCollins. Our aim is to break new talent from debut authors and import the hottest trends from the US, bringing you the very best in romance. Whether that is through short reads for your mobile phone or epic sagas that span the generations we want to proudly publish romance fiction that gets everybody talking.
Romance readers, come and meet the team at our website www.harperimpulseromance.com, our Facebook page www.facebook.com/HarperImpulse or follow us @HarperImpulse!
Writers, we are simply looking for good stories! So, what are you waiting for? To submit, e-mail us at [email protected].
About the Publisher
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Love Bites Page 22