YOURS OR MINE
By
D. S. Craver
Yours Or Mine was previously published under
the title, Your Place or Mine.
Yours or Mine
Copyright © 2013 by Diane Craver
All Rights Reserved
Cover Art by Diane Craver
Yours or Mine is a work of fiction. Though some actual towns, cities, and locations may be mentioned, they are used in a fictitious manner and the events and occurrences were invented in the mind and imagination of the author. Any similarities of characters or names used within to any person past, present, or future is coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author. Brief quotations may be embodied in critical articles or reviews.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
About the Author
Books by Diane Craver
Visit Diane online!
5 star Review by Fennel for The Long and Short of It Romance Reviews.
‘Start as you mean to go on.’ Is a phrase I often heard during my childhood, but in Your Place or Mine? Ms. Craver does just that. She starts with an emotional bombshell for her heroine, Sydney Smith, and just keeps on going until the end of this short and tightly written short story.
The meeting, outside a duplex for sale, between Sydney and Blake Smith seems ordinary enough. After all, I bet this wouldn’t be the first two potential buyers piggy-backed on the same appointment. Combine that with immediate physical attraction and both the reader and Sydney are left wondering whether it is a case of emotional rebound after her former lover dumps her twenty-four hours before the meeting.
Ms. Craver pits common sense, caution and family responsibility against feisty impulsive actions tempered with logic and vulnerability. This juxtaposition creates plenty of intensity between her characters. Her sense of place is beautifully depicted as she moves from scene to scene. The story may be brief, but the wordsmith is awesome.
There are several secondary characters all create intense reader connections that range from loving respect to loving aggravation.
It may seems surprising to describe a story as ‘gentle’ when there are several spicy bedroom scenes. But that is just what this story is. So, if you want a quick read to fill in time, or just to curl up in front of the fire as the colder weather closes in, then this is a book for you.
Snippet from Stephanie Burkhart’s 4 star review about Your Place or Mine
“Craver's writing is crisp and spot on. The dialogue is modern and witty. The plot flows smoothly and keeps the reader cheering for Blake and Sydney. The writing alludes to a deeper premise – when you meet the one you're going to spend the rest of your life you just "know. “The story is sophisticated for readers. Craver's love scenes are graphic and tasteful. Overall, "Your Place or Mine" is a nice romantic getaway.”
Dedication
To my husband, Tom, the love of my life.
Acknowledgements
Thank you to my friend, Marianne Arkins, for encouraging me to write a novella. I want to thank two other friends, Cerian Hebert and Autumn Jordon, for their wonderful suggestions in making this novella the best it could be.
Chapter One
Focus, Sydney. Don’t let random thoughts run through your mind. Get a grip. She sighed. It wasn’t going to be an easy task when she’d received a text yesterday from Mark that it was over between them. Immediately, she’d call him and he had the nerve to say, “Don’t you dare write about our breakup in your stupid column.”
First of all, she could write whatever she wanted in her daily column. Okay, he had a point. Why exploit their past relationship in the newspaper? It might help her readers to realize she had the same dating problems as they did, but trashing her old boyfriend might not win her a new guy. Both men and women read her column about dating. A compromise should be fine. She could mention that texting wasn’t appropriate in breaking off a relationship. She wouldn’t use the louse’s name.
How could Mark use the adjective stupid about the advice she bestowed on thousands of readers daily? Well, maybe not thousands, but surely she had hundreds of singles reading her column. According to her editor, her advice seemed to reach a nerve in the singles’ world.
She didn’t get the guy. Tears rushed to her eyes. What was wrong with her? She’d recovered in the past when she had breakups. And there had been several. Sometimes the guy had initiated the breakup, and other times she’d been the one to call off the relationship. But it seemed like Mark and she had a lot in common.
She exhaled a deep breath, trying to calm down. She could go purse shopping to relax. Opening the closet door, she glanced at her collection of purses hanging on a rack. Bad idea. She didn’t want a new handbag to represent another broken relationship. This time she wasn’t going to shop to feel better. Maybe she should follow her own editorial advice and shake her life up by making a positive change.
What should she do? She definitely needed to find another place to jog in the morning. She’d met Mark while jogging in their neighborhood park. Soon they were running together and dating. After less than two months, Mark was done with her. It would be too painful to see him each morning, and she wasn’t about to change her running schedule. If she didn’t jog first thing in the morning, she’d never do it later.
Before Mark had entered her life, she’d considered looking at a duplex house that was below market value. With her inheritance from an uncle, she had enough for a down payment. She could rent one side to her friend, Anna. It'd be great to have Anna around, but yet they'd have their separate places. Anna was due home in a month from Africa, and had wanted to get an apartment with her. She put a lock of brown hair behind her ear, wondering if the house was still available.
Her brother had cautioned her not to wait too long, because at the low listing price it might not be on the market for long. Moving out of her tiny apartment would be great and what better time than now, she thought. Even though the springtime hadn’t proved to be the best season for Mark to fall in love with her, at least it’d be the ideal time to move. If the house was still for sale, she’d give the realtor a call today to schedule a showing for tomorrow.
Smiling, she realized a bigger place would have more room for her purses.
* * *
After Sydney slammed her car door, she walked quickly to the man standing in the driveway, noticing a pale blue shirt covering broad shoulders. He had the bluest eyes she’d ever seen. The female realtor must have sent someone in her place to show the duplex, but she certainly didn’t mind. With his movie-star looks, he must sell tons of houses, she thought. “Hello, I was expecting Karen Patrick but glad you’re here. I’m looking forward to seeing the house.” Or try to, she thought. It might be a bit hard to take her eyes off this hunky realtor to view the house’s features.
He frowned. “I’m here to see it, too, as a prospective buyer. There must a mix-up.”
She raised her eyebrows, surprised that he wasn’t showing her the house. “My appointment’s at two o’clock. Could you have the wrong day? I doubt Karen would schedule us for the same time.”
“I had one at four o’clock but left a message for Mrs. Patrick to see if I could move it up to an earlier time. When I didn’t hear back from her, I called the office. The receptionist said my name was written down for two o’clock.”
“Well, I guess she’s showing it to us together which seems unusual.” She shrugged.
“But I don’t mind.” The brightly colored flowers by the porch got her attention. “I like what they planted. It’s beautiful.”
He nodded. “The duplex has great road appeal. It seems like a normal house on the outside.”
She turned at the sound of a car. “Looks like our realtor’s here.”
Mrs. Patrick quickly parked and stepped out of her car. She wore a beige suit. While watching the realtor, Sydney thought how the realtor looked older than the photo on her house listings. Her phone voice had sounded young when she’d said to call her Karen.
Karen smiled as she walked toward them. “Hello. I’m sorry I’m a little late. A closing took longer than I expected.”
He said, “We were just admiring the landscaping.”
“Actually, the parents have a landscaping business.” Karen extended her hand to Sydney first and said, “It’s nice meeting you, Mrs. Smith. And you, too, Mr. Smith.”
What was going on? Why did Karen think they were a couple? She stared at the realtor. “We aren’t married.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I assumed you were married.” Karen gave them both a puzzled glance. “You two don’t look anything alike to be brother and sister. Did you have different fathers? Or mothers?”
He shook his head. “We aren’t related. Is that why you scheduled us the same time? You thought we were married or related.”
“Aren’t you Blake Smith?” Karen asked, and then turned to Sydney without waiting for an answer. “And you must be Sydney Smith.”
Sydney loved it. How many people got to see a house with a great looking guy? “Hey, it makes sense. We both have the same last name so the receptionist assumed we were a couple. And you can call me Sydney.”
Karen said, “Well, this is a first. The receptionist said the husband called to check on the time.”
He raked his hand through brown hair. “I left a voice mail for you that I wanted to move up the time, but I’m guessing you didn’t get it.”
“I didn’t.” She opened the lock box on the doorknob and gave a nervous laugh. “Well, let’s go see the house.”
Sydney followed Karen with Blake Smith right behind her. Geez, I hope I look okay from the back and don’t have anything sticking to my butt. Once she went out on a date, a sticker price stuck to her ass. How it got there, she never knew. Okay, this wasn’t a date but going out with Blake sometime might be a lot of fun. And she could use a good time after being dumped by Mark. Her self-esteem needed a boost.
“I'll show you the parents' side. The grandmother's babysitting on the daughter's side while she's at work. The layout is identical in both. Let’s start in the kitchen,” Karen said as they left the foyer.
Sydney glanced at the appliances. “I like that the refrigerator, stove and other stuff are all in white. And it’s a cozy room with the breakfast nook.”
“It’s a charming kitchen and by the way, the countertops are granite.” Karen said.
Blake smiled. “I have a son who likes to eat, so this might be his favorite room.”
Shit. He’s married or has been. A family man, but hey, she liked children. “How old is he?”
“Carter’s seven years old.”
“My nephew’s the same age. I’m planning on having him and his sister visit when I get a bigger place.”
“This is a wonderful house. The parents built it as a duplex so the daughter and her children could live on one side.” Karen opened a door to the pantry. “Isn’t this roomy? You can store all your son’s favorite snacks in here.”
Oh, Sydney saw where this was going. The realtor assumed the single woman might not be as motivated to buy the duplex as the guy with a son. She could eliminate the wife from the picture because he hadn’t mentioned her. Plus a wife would want to see the house herself. “I could use the pantry. I’d like to buy items in bulk and save money.”
“You certainly could have a well-stocked kitchen.” Karen pointed to the area beyond the kitchen. “I love the open floor plan. Isn’t the fireplace beautiful? On cold winter nights all you have to do is hit the switch for your gas fire…easier than burning wood.”
Blake gave her a mischievous look. “I bet you wanted to chop your own wood for the fireplace.”
Sydney laughed. “I might have swiped some wood from my brother’s stack.”
Karen walked into the great room and waved her hand at a closed door. “They put an adjoining door here to make it more family friendly for their daughter and her children. But you can keep it locked.”
She shrugged. “The adjoining door is fine with me. If I buy I'm going to rent half of the duplex to my friend, Anna. The rent money will help pay my mortgage payment.”
“That's my plan too. I might want to rent to a guy I work with.” Blake continued, “It'd be a good source of income to have monthly rent money.”
“Let’s go down to the basement.” Karen turned to Blake. “I bet you’ll be interested in seeing the exercise room. The parents are leaving their equipment.”
Do I look like a sedentary person? Sydney wondered while on the steps to the basement.
Karen pointed out a bathroom in the basement before entering the exercise room.
Blake looked pleased as he touched the dumbbells. “I might drop my gym membership if I buy this place.”
She’d show Karen not to overlook her fit body. She hopped on the treadmill and pushed the start button. While running a little faster than she wanted, Sydney said in a loud voice, “I jog daily, but having a treadmill would be great to have on crappy days.”
“I try to jog while Carter’s in school.”
Karen stared at her for a moment. “Sydney, if you’ve had enough running, maybe we could go back upstairs.”
She quickly switched off the machine and before she could stop herself, her body smacked against Blake’s chest. He put his arms around Sydney to stop her from falling. Feeling a bit dizzy, she looked up at him. “Sorry, I slipped when I stepped off.”
“That’s okay. But I think I should tell you that something else slipped.” He gave her a sexy grin while looking at her blouse. “You’re unbuttoned from all that exertion you did on the treadmill.”
She glanced, seeing what Blake saw…the button over her breasts had popped open. Her face felt hot and probably now matched her pink shirt. It must have shrunk in the dryer. She’d noticed the blouse was a bit snug when she’d put it on in the morning.
While buttoning, she mumbled, “Thanks.” She pulled slightly on the shirt, then looked at Karen. “Could we see the master bedroom next? The picture online looked great.”
Karen said, “It’s a gorgeous room.”
As she followed Karen, Sydney thought about Blake’s hard chest. He definitely had told the truth about belonging to the gym. He must work out several times a week to have such a solid body.
Once in the master bedroom, Karen glanced upward. “Notice the tray ceiling and the recessed lighting.” Opening a door, she said, “There are two walk-in closets so neither of you will lack for space.”
Good, she could stop looking at the bed and quit imagining a naked Blake in it. Feeling Blake’s chest had aroused her. Being in this bedroom wasn’t helping her condition. Her body needed cooling off so she was happy to look inside the closets. They were huge. “Wow, this is awesome. So much room for my stuff.”
“Sydney, you’re going to appreciate the master bathroom. It has a garden tub, separate shower,” Karen said. “And the other side is exactly the same dimensions for the bedrooms.”
After following Karen, Sydney stopped by a fancy chair in front of the mirror. “I can sit here to put my makeup on. How nice.”
With his hands resting on the counter between the double sinks, Blake said, “I can’t get over how big the bedroom and bathroom are.”
Blake was absolutely correct. If she had a husband, it’d be perfect, but she might as well face it. This place might be too much house for her. What if Anna didn't want to rent the other side? She glanced at him. “It’s defin
itely bigger than where I live now.”
“Don’t forget the price is $50,000 below market value.” Karen touched her necklace. “Wait until you see the deck off the bedroom. I doubt you two will be able to tear yourselves away.”
As they left the bathroom and walked through the bedroom, Blake chuckled. “Hey, Sydney, you won’t need to use the treadmill. You’ll get enough exercise just walking through here a few times a day.”
The door opened to a deck overlooking a wooded lot in the back of the property. A breeze ruffled her hair. She took a deep breath, enjoying being outside. “The view’s incredible. I can enjoy the fresh air and sit out here while I write.”
“What do you write?” Blake asked.
“A column.”
Blake stood so close that his shoulder brushed hers. Her heart raced at his touch.
He arched his eyebrows. “What’s the column about?”
While Sydney hesitated, Karen blurted, “She gives dating advice. She’s good. My single daughter loves her column.”
His blue eyes widened. “That’s great. I’ll be sure to start reading it.”
Sydney was pleased with Blake’s reaction. Mark had laughed when he learned what she wrote and asked, “You get paid for that?”
She’d glared at him and said, “Hey, I work hard on my column. And I write about relationships which obviously are important. They are the foundation of future, deep love between couples.”
After leaving the deck, Karen showed them the other smaller but still roomy bedroom, which was now used as a study.
Sydney said, “I'd like to keep it as a study, but then I won't have a bedroom for my niece and nephew. It'd be great to have them spend weekends here.”
Blake cocked his eyebrows. “How old are they?”
“Jessica’s five and Aaron‘s seven.”
Karen clenched her jaw slightly. “Maybe you could have your study in the basement. Or live on the other side. The daughter has her two girls in the second bedroom.”
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