by Darla Baker
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright
Acknowledgements
Dedication
Marketing
Synopsis
Chapter One Header
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
About the Author
Book Two Seventy Six Falls
Recommended by Darla Baker
EAGLE COVE
THALIA CHASE: SEX THERAPIST BOOK ONE
Darla Baker
2016
EAGLE COVE
THALIA CHASE: SEX THERAPIST BOOK ONE
Copyright © 2016 by Darla Baker
Stone Soup Community Press
3600 East Third St
Dayton, Ohio 45403
StoneSoupCommunity.com
All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Produced in the United States of America.
First Edition: June 2016
Editor: Rogena Mitchell-Jones, RMJ Manuscript Service LLC
Cover Designer: Ann McMan, Treehouse Studio
ISBN-13: 978-1523362202
ISBN-10: 1523362200
PUBLISHER'S NOTE
The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author's rights is appreciated.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Eagle Cove is my first work of fiction. My wife would say it took me twenty years to write it. In reality, I started writing this book in the fall of 2015 when a battle with Lyme disease knocked me off my feet and briefly out of work. Although I could initially only imagine the story in my head between naps, having this story to occupy my thoughts kept me sane as I recovered from the horrible infection.
Special thanks to my beta readers, Carol, Clare, and Jan. Your feedback not only made this a better book but also toughened me as a writer. I'm forever in your debt. I may have a long way to go. But you've planted my feet firmly on the journey.
Thanks to my amazing editor, Rogena Mitchell-Jones. Rogena, working with you on this book has made the editing process the best part of writing. You're talent for talking me off the ledge through this process truly saved this book from certain doom on more than one occasion. I'm proud to call you my editor and my friend.
Last, but certainly not least, thanks to Ann McMan for the beautiful cover. This book needed the talented touch that only you can provide. Book covers are a unique art form unto themselves. Thank you so much for graciously taking on the designs for this series and turning the four separate covers into a single, cohesive story.
DEDICATION
THIS BOOK IS dedicated to Kathryn. Without you, I'm certain I would have been dead before I reached thirty and would have missed the best years of my life.
It's true. It gets better. http://www.itgetsbetter.org
AND OF COURSE, to Carol, my love, my soul mate. There is no way I would have gotten here without you. After twenty years of hearing, "When are you going to write that book?" I can finally answer, "Here it is, honey."
CONTACT DARLA BAKER
DARLA CRAVES HEARING from her readers. You may reach her via any of the following channels:
http://amazon.com/author/darlabaker
https://www.goodreads.com/DarlaBaker
http://twitter.com/dkblinux98
http://www.facebook.com/thalia.chase.dkb
https://plus.google.com/u/0/+DarlaBaker
https://www.youtube.com/c/DarlaBaker
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dkblinux98
http://stonesoupcommunity.com/
[email protected]
AND HEAD ON over to http://askthalia.com where you can have your questions answered by Thalia Chase. If your question is chosen for inclusion in a future book, you'll receive a FREE copy of the book. What are you waiting for? Ask Thalia a question today!
SYNOPSIS
THALIA'S LIFE IS perfect. She has her dream house on the edge of Lake Cumberland in Nancy, Kentucky. She has a thriving sex therapy practice. Her sister has just moved nearby and is handling the daily business of her practice.
She has a tight group of friends who keep her entertained and honest and a seemingly endless supply of ladies to meet her more basic human needs. Thalia has no regrets she's without a life partner.
Or does she?
A rough break-up five years ago left Thalia's heart in pieces. Thanks to friends and family her heart healed, and she was able to find peace and happiness again. But not without scars that have left her unwilling to be vulnerable and exposed again.
When Amara walks into Thalia's practice seeking help for her friend, something ancient and terrifying stirs inside her.
Will Thalia be able to keep their interaction professional or will the allure of "one who will be forever beautiful," as her name suggests, be too much for Thalia and her fragile heart to resist?
Thalia sits down at her desk and scans her inbox. She finds an email intended for her Ask Thalia blog.
Dear Thalia:
I’ve been keeping a secret from my friends and lovers. Something horrific happened in my past. Until recently, I didn’t think it was affecting my relationships. But I’ve had a recent break-up that leads me to believe I won’t find true love unless I come clean. What should I do?
Sincerely,
Broken
CHAPTER ONE
AS THALIA’S LAST client for the morning closes the door behind him, Thalia stands up from her chair and gives her back a therapeutic stretch.
Thalia steps out into the waiting area where René, her sister who is also her office manager, is sitting at her desk checking Facebook. “Is that what I pay you for?” Thalia says as she touches René’s shoulder.
René is Thalia’s younger sister, but only by twenty months. Other than their blue eyes, they are nothing alike.
Thalia is barely five feet tall, and René is a perfect five foot six.
Unlike Thalia, who prefers an androgynous look, her sister does her best imitation of Lisa Douglas from Greene Acres.
Thalia’s hair is a perfect mix of salt and pepper and is spiked into a carefully crafted mess on top of her head whereas René augments her blonde colored strands with a hairpiece the family affectionately calls Cousin It.
“Someone has to make sure you stay on top of your social media presence.”
Thalia rolls her eyes at René. “And I’m grateful you sacrifice so much for the good of my business.”
“Did you just roll your eyes at me?”
“Yes. And trust me—it won’t be the last time. What’s on my schedule for the afternoon?”
“You h
ave three appointments. You’ll be meeting a new lesbian couple at one. They’re coming in for pre-marital counseling. Of course, you know Margret is coming in at two-thirty for grief counseling. And then Genevieve is here at five. I ran into her at the IGA last week. She has a date this Friday.”
“Really? Good for her. Come on then. Let’s get out of here and grab some lunch while we can.”
THALIA AND RENÉ arrive for lunch at their favorite Mexican restaurant and are promptly seated by the hostess. She takes their drink orders and places a basket of chips and a bowl of salsa on the table.
Thalia reaches for the salt and shakes a small amount onto the chips. “I love the cilantro in the salsa here,” Thalia proclaims as she scoops a generous portion of salsa onto the chip. She carefully brings it to her lips daring it to spill onto her crisp, white oxford shirt.
Just as it’s about to land safely in her mouth, the waitress appears at the table with their drinks. The distraction proves to be more than Thalia can manage and a messy blob of salsa lands perfectly on top of her ample bosom.
René laughs, nearly choking on her Diet Coke. “Really? I can’t go anywhere with you. Those boobs of yours require their own separate meal.” And as René is chastising her for yet another meal malfunction, Thalia looks down to find a beautiful, caramel-colored hand holding a napkin, uselessly scrubbing the chunky red stain that has formed strategically over Thalia’s heart.
Thalia touches the waitress’s hand as her gaze follows upward to read the nametag.
“Maria, darlin’. I appreciate the effort, but I’m pretty sure it’s a lost cause.” Maria drops the napkin onto the table as a blush rides up her neck and onto her rosy, plump cheeks.
“I’m so sorry, señorita.”
Thalia pats her hand. “No worries, darlin’. No harm done. You’re new here, aren’t you?”
Maria nods. “Sí. Today is my first day.”
“That’s terrific. We come here a lot. I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of you.”
Maria drops her chin to her chest, a sheepish grin on her face as she picks up the soiled napkin and turns on her heels to leave the table.
A barely audible whisper escapes her mouth. “I should have licked it off of you.”
“Did she just say what I think she said?”
René looks at Thalia as she takes a sip of her drink, the excitement now over, and shrugs her shoulders. “What? I didn’t hear her say anything.”
Thalia, with an exasperated sigh, reaches over and whacks her sister on the forearm. “Why is it you never catch anyone flirting with me?”
“It’s a wonder I can see anything when I’m around your giant ego.”
“She was flirting with me.”
“Sure she was. I nearly cracked up when she tried to clean up your shirt. The poor girl probably blamed herself. You were going to spill it all over you with or without her help. Can we please just enjoy our lunch?”
“I hate that saying, all over you. It makes absolutely no sense. Mom used to say it when we were kids, and the spot would be no bigger than a quarter, just like this one here.” Thalia points to her shirt.
Maria comes back shortly with their order, steak fajitas for two, and Thalia catches Maria’s hands trembling as she places the plates on the table.
René looks up from her food. “I love this booth. Look behind you at the scene carved and painted on the back of your seat. The sun is peaking up over the hills and looking down on the village in the valley below. It just makes me smile.”
Thalia ducks out of the way as René takes out her phone and snaps a picture. “I’m going to post this on Facebook.”
Thalia sits back up in her seat. “Has Derrick decided when he’s going to move here?”
René lived with Derrick in Stone Creek, Arkansas, a tiny town about fifty miles from Little Rock before she moved to Lake Cumberland a little over a year ago. Derrick has lived there all of his life, and he was supposed to come here with her.
“Not yet.” The tone of her voice tells Thalia to drop it.
Maria stops back a few times to refill their chips and drinks. Each time, Thalia catches her eye and offers a quick wink, chuckling as she watches the blush form on Maria’s sweet cheeks.
Now it’s René’s turn to whack Thalia. “You are absolutely rotten. Give that poor woman a break.”
“We better head back.”
René nods and they scoot out of the booth as René reaches inside her purse to fetch her wallet.
“I’ve got this.”
Maria rushes over to take her credit card.
“What time do you get off work today?”
Maria glances around the restaurant and then into Thalia’s eyes. “Three o’clock.”
“How ‘bout meeting me at the entrance to the marina at four, and I’ll take you out on my boat.
“Okay. Sure. Sounds like fun.”
As they walk out of the restaurant and head to the car, Thalia glances over at her sister, a wide grin on her face.
“You owe me. You know that, right? I’m going to spend all afternoon rearranging your schedule while you’re having fun on the lake.”
Thalia laughs and shrugs her shoulders. “It’s a small price to pay for love.”
THALIA ARRIVES AT the marina and parks at the top of the hill near the Lakeside Bar & Grill where she’ll be meeting her friends later.
Thalia steps out of her car, a silver 1984 Chevy Corvette convertible, and watches for Maria, her mind visualizing the fun she and Maria will have this afternoon. An older red Toyota Camry pulls up behind her Corvette, pulling her away from daydreaming.
Maria steps out of her car and walks over to Thalia. “I came straight here from the restaurant and didn’t even change my clothes. I’m not exactly dressed for a boat ride.”
“No worries, darlin’. I have everything you need.” Thalia takes a good long look at Maria, her eyes revealing an equal measure of apprehension and excitement. “So, are you ready to head out?”
Maria nods as she looks down the steep hill they will navigate on the way to the boat.
As they reach the dock attendant’s shack, a red golf cart pulls up beside them. “Hey, Josh. Want to give a couple of pretty ladies a lift?”
He gives Thalia a wink and motions for them to board. Thalia and Maria hop into the cart, and it takes off with a slight jerk.
“You’re here early, Thalia. Playin’ hooky?”
Thalia returns his wink. “How’s business?”
“Weekdays are a bit slow but steady enough. This weekend should be busy with the raft-up. And then there’s the live music, too.”
Thalia nods and reaches into her pocket and hands him a few bills as they arrive at the entrance to her slip.
Thalia opens the side gate of her pontoon boat, the Three Graces, and motions for Maria to board.
“I’ll get her ready, and we’ll be on our way. Just make yourself comfortable.” Thalia starts the engine and then hops back onto the dock to untie the boat and throw the bumpers inside.
She slowly pulls the throttle into reverse and glides out of the slip and out toward Eagle Cove. The cove acquired its name earlier in the season after she spotted a couple of eagles one evening. They would start out perched high up in the trees and then swoop down onto the water and fly back up to savor the spoils of their hunt. She never tires of watching them. Hopefully, they won’t disappoint her this afternoon.
“Come over here and sit next to me. There’s plenty of room.” Thalia scoots over and makes space for Maria on the captain’s bench.
“Sit back and relax.” Thalia puts her arm around Maria and gives her shoulder a squeeze. She then traces lazy circles on her back as they motor down the lake. “Is this okay?”
Maria nods but keeps her head down.
“Do you get out on the lake much?”
Maria shakes her head. “Sí, my uncle has a boat, and we go fishing a couple times a week. He has a small fishing boat, though. Nothing as fancy as this. We fish
for crappies, and I make fish tacos. I can make them for you sometime.”
Thalia takes in a quick breath, knowing it’s time for the talk. “Pfft. This isn’t a fancy boat. Now, some of those cabin cruisers and houseboats, those are fancy.”
Thalia removes her arm from around Maria and averts her eyes. “Darlin’, I’ve gotta let you know… this isn’t the first of many dates to come. I’m a one date only sort of gal. Are you okay with that?”
“Sí, mi Hermana warned me before I left to meet you.”
Thalia’s eyes widen and her stomach knots up. “Really?”
“Sí. But I told her I have needs. And if I want to hook up with you then that’s what I’m going to do,” Maria confesses. “You didn’t think the napkin thing was innocent, did you?”
Thalia chuckles and nods her head. “Well, I was hoping, and I was pretty sure I heard you make a comment about licking the salsa off me.”
Thalia watches the blush consume Maria’s face.
Oh, you have the most adorable, sweet cheeks. I just want to pinch ‘em and sink my teeth into ‘em.
When they arrive at the cove, Thalia maneuvers the boat into a spot just before the waterfall and drops anchor. The afternoon sun is hitting the waterfall perfectly, and the entire cliff lights up like millions of sparkling diamonds. Thalia reaches into a compartment under one of the seats and pulls out two sets of board shorts and rash guards and then throws one set over to Maria.
“I need to cool off. What do you say? Wanna go swimming?”
“Sí.”
Luckily, there hasn’t been a boat in sight since they left the dock. Even so, it’s a bit early in the day for skinny-dipping. Thalia sets up the privacy curtain so they can change with their modesty intact.