With their history of bad relationships and broken pasts behind them, Craig and Amber prepare to say ‘I Do’ on their happily ever after and to embark on their new life as husband and wife.
Life very rarely runs smoothly though, and the happy couple soon find themselves fighting obstacles and difficulties that will truly test the strength of their bond. Are they strong enough to battle through and come out stronger than ever?
Coming 2014
SILVER LINING PLAYLIST
Music provided a huge amount of inspiration in bringing together Craig and Amber’s story. I would like to acknowledge these artists and their songs. Some are mentioned in the book, others were used to set certain scenes.
Something In The Air Tonight – DJ Antoine and Mad Mark
Turn Me On – David Guetta feat. Nicki Minaj
Night Of Your Life – David Guetta feat. Jennifer Hudson
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For – U2
If You’re Not The One – Daniel Bedingfield
Ready For You – Hoobastank
You Before Me - Hoobastank
Penguin – Christina Perri
Jar Of Hearts – Christina Perri
Start Of Something Good – Daughtry
Falling In - Lifehouse
If I Were A Boy – Beyonce
Since U Been Gone – Kelly Clarkson
Survivor – Destiny’s Child
Wings – Little Mix
Man! I Feel Like A Woman – Shania Twain
Hit The Road Jack – Casey Abrams
Suddenly I See – K T Tunstall
My Fault – Imagine Dragons
I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing – Aerosmith
How Long Will I Love You – Ellie Goulding
Marry Me – Jason Derulo
THE REASON
Book One of the Just Say Yes Series
By Jen Andrews
©Jen Andrews
Coming Soon
Zoey James is in a funk. She has been through more in her twenty-three years than most people have experienced in their entire lives. After her ex-husband tries to take everything she’s worked so hard for, she makes one rule: Never date someone she works with.
When her father’s newly hired mechanic moves into the apartment above their family-run business, Zoey’s lonely life is flipped upside down.
As a teenager, New Zealand native, Andy Tate’s family is tragically killed in an accident, and he is taken in by his aunt and uncle. Andy is pulled away from the only place he’s ever known as home and moved halfway around the world to Northern California.
Ten years and one failed marriage later, Andy finds himself living in a new city, with a new job at James Racing, and living in an apartment next door to Zoey, his new boss’s beautiful and damaged daughter.
After an interesting chain of events over one weekend, Andy and Zoey form an unexpected bond. Andy wants Zoey, and she wants him, too, but even though he’s the only one who can get through to her, she will do all that she can to keep him at a distance and not break her one rule.
Will Andy be the reason for Zoey to start living her life again, or will she continue on her downward spiral until she finally hits rock bottom?
READ ON FOR AN EXCERPT
Waking with a start, and a very sore neck, on the couch late Saturday morning, I realized I forgot to wash all the towels and bedding we had bought for Andy’s apartment. Of all the freaking places for me to fall asleep, and actually sleep through the entire night, it was on my freaking couch!
Note to self: do not drink an entire bottle of wine when you need to get up early the next day!
“Shit, shit, shit!” I grumbled aloud as I hurried down the hallway to the laundry room.
Andy was supposed to arrive later that night, and I wanted to get everything done in his apartment, so I would be gone before he arrived. I wanted to get back home and wallow in my own self-pity for the rest of the weekend. I really, really needed a vacation, or to get laid, as Jess and Sasha liked to tell me. ‘Cause that worked out so well the last time.
It had been several months since I’d even dated anyone, let alone had sex. I actually dated someone for a few months after Rob and I split, but it didn’t work out. I don’t even know why I bothered taking my birth control anymore. However, it did have other qualities I liked, and I just hadn’t stopped taking it.
Maybe I needed a nice one-night stand. On second thought, that hadn’t worked out so well for me either and had happened clear back in high school…and landed me in therapy.
Yep, I’m awesome. Not.
Once I dumped the towels in the washer, I hopped into the shower under the hottest water I could stand to try to ease the kink in my neck from falling asleep on the couch. When I was finished with my shower, I changed into my favorite old jeans, James Racing T-shirt, and my favorite pair of black low-top Converse shoes. My beloved Chucks; I kept, and still wore them, because they were my first-ever new pair of shoes and held great sentimental value to me.
By the time I choked down two brown sugar and cinnamon Pop-Tarts, the towels were ready to go into the dryer. It was already twelve-thirty, and I still needed to go check out the apartment to make sure everything was perfect. I transferred the towels to the dryer, and then tossed the sheets from the bedding set into the washer.
Luckily, I remembered to grab my iPod and my ear buds, so I at least had music to listen to instead of silence. I packed all my cleaning supplies and strolled across the courtyard to the other apartment.
As soon as I walked through the door, I put my ear buds in my ears and cranked up one of my many playlists. I picked one with lots of upbeat music to keep me motivated and shoved my iPod into my back pocket.
Because I was a bit of a neat freak, I checked out the entire apartment to make sure it was spotless. It looked nice for the most part, but I decided to give the bathroom another good cleaning. Dirty bathrooms grossed me out, and I forgot to clean the bathtub and shower when I cleaned the first time. I sprayed the shower wall and tub with some cleaner to let it soak in for a while.
After I re-cleaned the bathroom, I went in and checked the kitchen. The kitchen looked great, so I headed back to the bathroom and scrubbed the shower wall. Once the tub was finished, I was out of there! Fortunately, the kink in my neck had worked itself out from all the scrubbing I’d done, and I was in a good mood.
Getting down on my hands and knees, I started on the bathtub. “Bad Romance” by Lady Gaga came on, so I started singing along aloud.
A few minutes later, the bathroom light went off and immediately came back on. What the fuck? I froze mid-scrub and could feel someone behind me. My heart started pounding in my chest. I was scared to turn around, but what choice did I have?
Slowly, I turned around to face the door, and there stood the most beautiful man I’d ever seen. He was standing in the doorway with a huge grin on his face. His grin lasted about two seconds, and then a strange look washed over his face. His brows furrowed, and he swallowed hard as he stared at me.
What is that all about?
As a wave of a panic came over me, I jerked the ear buds out of my ears. I had no way out of the bathroom except past him.
Sure, he was sexy as hell, but I heard Ted Bundy was too and he was a fucking serial killer! Plus, that weird change in his demeanor kind of freaked me out. He still stood in the doorway staring at me with that look on his face. It didn’t appear that he was going to say anything, so I needed to do something.
“Who are you, and how’d you get in here?” I stammered.
My heart was pounding faster. I was positive that I had locked the door behind me when I came into the apartment. I realized then that he was holding a moving box. He blinked a few times, shook his head, and snapped out of his little trance. He smiled, and it made me feel less threatened.
“I’m Andy,” he said politely, with a very sexy accent. “And you are?”
He looked at me curiously again, and I wondered if there was so
mething on my face or if I’d sprouted horns since morning.
Holy shit, he is sexy. He was golden skinned with amazing blue eyes and wore his short dark blond hair a little longer on the top. He was tall, too; at least six foot two or three. And the beard! Oh my. Well, it wasn’t really a beard, but more like a sexy stubble that was just long enough to be soft.
I stood and took a quick look in the mirror over the sink as I walked toward him. There was nothing on my face and no horns on my head. Thank God!
“Hi, Andy. I’m Zoey James. My dad is Doug, the owner of James Racing.”
Duh, Zoey! He knows who your dad is. Chill the fuck out.
Like an idiot, I held my hand out to shake his, not realizing I was still wearing hideous yellow rubber cleaning gloves. I quickly pulled my right glove off as he extended his hand out to me. It was warm and rough to the touch.
“It’s nice to meet you, Zoey. I’m sorry about turning the light off on you. I tried getting your attention, but you didn’t hear me when I said hello. I didn’t know how else to get your attention without scaring you.”
Did I mention his accent was very sexy? I felt my face flush, and suddenly the bathroom seemed too small.
“Sorry, I thought I would be done in here and gone by the time you arrived,” I said as I squeezed past him and into the hallway. “I’m almost finished.” Damn, he smells good.
Everything felt weird with him in the apartment. Maybe the fumes from the bathtub cleaner had gotten to me. I should have opened the window while I was in there.
Andy followed me out to the living room and set his box down on the floor by the couch.
“I’m sorry. I guess I’m a little early. It didn’t take me as long to pack my truck and trailer as I thought it would. I called your dad, and he told me he would let you know I would be here a few hours earlier.”
I felt my back pockets and found only my iPod. I had left my cell phone at home. “Looks like I forgot my phone. Let me finish the tub, and I’ll get out of your way.”
He grinned again, his blue eyes literally freaking sparkling with amusement. Crap, I could look at him all day long.
“You’re not in my way at all,” he said with a slight smile easing over his face. “It’s kind of nice to have someone to talk to after being on the road alone for the day. Your dad says you live nearby. Is that right?”
“I do. I live right across the courtyard in the brick building.” I pointed in the direction of my apartment.
Seriously? Can he be any sexier? Good Lord, Zoey, you act as if you’ve never seen a nice looking man before. Ok, well I’d seen nice looking men before, but not one who looked like he stepped right off of a Calvin Klein runway.
He was beautiful, sexy, and rugged; masculine. God-like.
Shut up now, Zoey. Jesus Christ, what is wrong with my brain all of a sudden? I’ve gone mad!
His nose was a tiny bit crooked with a noticeable scar across the bridge. It honestly made him sexier. Manly. He was wearing a black jacket, a dark gray T-shirt with some type of design on it, and perfectly fitted jeans; not too tight, and not too loose.
I continued my observation, and when my eyes found his feet, I noticed he wasn’t wearing any shoes! “What happened to your shoes?”
He looked down at his feet and laughed. “They’re by the front door. Kiwis don’t normally wear shoes in the house.”
Yeah, I had no idea what that meant. “Kiwis?” I asked, obviously thinking of the fruit. He chuckled. He probably knew I was thinking of fruit, too.
“New Zealanders refer to themselves as Kiwis,” he clarified.
“I think I’ve actually heard that before, now that you mention it,” I admitted.
Good Christ, he is perfect. He’s probably a dick, though. Men that good looking always were. At least, in my experience they were. Although, he didn’t seem like a dick, so I guess my rule contradicted itself.
Yep, I’ve lost my damn mind and I’m making no sense. I needed to leave.
“I’ll finish the bathroom while you bring in your boxes, and then I’ll come give you a hand. I need to go to my place and get some things for you, too,” I said, feeling my face flush.
He cracked a flawless smile again. “I can’t believe how great this place looks, Zoey. Your dad told me it was a simple apartment with some hand-me-down furniture. I didn’t realize it was going to be this nice. All the paint and furniture is great. I can’t thank your family enough for all of this. I’m happy for the job, and the fact that there was an apartment to rent, too, made this a lot easier for me, since I didn’t have any time to look for a place to live.”
His accent and deep voice literally rendered me speechless. I could sit and listen to him talk all day long. I needed to get the hell out of there, stat!
“Well, go get the tub finished,” he said, as I stood there no doubt drooling while I listened to him talk. “I’ll pack in some more boxes.” He moved toward me, and it broke my train of thought.
“Ok then, sounds good. And you’re welcome…for everything.” I smiled at him nervously, and turned to go back to the bathroom.
I finished with the tub in record time, and then packed up all my cleaning supplies. I was about to head out the door when he walked in. He had put his shoes back on, and I saw they were a worn pair of black Chucks. He was also carrying a guitar case.
“You play guitar?” I asked him, and he nodded. Fuck me. Why was it so hard to keep my damn mouth shut? “I play too,” I blurted out stupidly. Holy crap, Zoey. Shut. The. Hell. Up.
He smiled at me in surprise and did this sexy eyebrow-raising thing. “Really? What kind of music do you play?”
Run, Zoey. Run for the hills! “I play acoustic, too, but not very well. I learn to play whatever songs I feel like singing,” I admitted shyly. “I’m slightly obsessed with Snow Patrol right now, so I’ve learned to play a few of their songs.”
Shut the fuck up, Zoey! I snapped my lips shut, hoping they would stay that way. I bit down on the insides of them, just to make sure. I would make them fucking bleed if I had to as long as they stayed closed.
“You have?” Andy asked, and his gorgeous blue eyes sparkled with intrigue. “I like them, too, and can play some of their songs. I also have an electric guitar.”
Hmmm, what a nice coincidence. He likes Snow Patrol.
“This is the last of my boxes,” he noted. “I’m hungry. Will you go get something to eat with me?”
“Um, sure,” I responded hesitantly. I didn’t want to be rude to my new neighbor and coworker. “I need to head over to my place and change. Why don’t you come with me, and we can get your towels and bedding from my laundry room.”
Deep shit, Zoey… Deep. Fucking. Shit. I’ve gone from running for the hills, to having dinner with him. All within an hour.
Fucking awesome.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
E.J. lives in West London, England, with her partner, son and two cats. Yes, the cats are important. One provides a great source of comfort in those moments when all train of thought is lost and the words just won’t come. The other often halts the writing process with his incessant meowing. But they are her babies.
She has always enjoyed reading, but found it was mostly just a holiday extravagance. Then she discovered a certain worldwide best seller, and that was it, she was hooked.
Friends and family started telling her she should give writing a go and she persistently brushed off their ridiculous suggestions. Then one morning an idea for a story formed in her head. That idea became a paragraph, the paragraph became a chapter, and a chapter became the twenty-four you see in Silver Lining.
E.J. is on one amazing roller coaster at the moment, meeting new and wonderful people, discovering new music gems to integrate into her stories, and learning new skills. She is excited to see where this journey takes her.
If you would like to join E.J. on her journey, please follow or
contact her. She would love to hear from you!
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
DEDICATION
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
SILVER DOVE
SILVER LINING PLAYLIST
THE REASON
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Table of Contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS
DEDICATION
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
Silver Lining Page 28