by A. D. Ellis
“Well, Jo, you and I can be third wheels together, whatdya say?” Kyle offered with absolutely no intent outside of a platonic one.
Josie smiled at him, grateful that she wouldn’t feel like such a tagalong if Kyle was going to be there too. “That sounds like a plan.”
They said their goodbyes and headed outside. Josie had been impressed by Kyle’s motorcycle when she first saw it; it was a beautiful machine and fit his physical appearance perfectly. Her whole life she had wanted to ride on a motorcycle, but that would have never been allowed. She was apprehensive but so very excited.
“I’ve never ridden on a motorcycle before, Kyle. I’ve always wanted to but I have to admit I’m a little nervous.” She ran her sweaty hands down the front of her jeans.
“No problem, riding is easier than driving. I’ve been driving a bike since I was a teenager, I promise I’m an expert, and I’ll be extra careful just for you. Here, you wear my helmet. Ok, I’m going to get on and then you can get on behind me.” She watched as he swung his leg over the machine and sat it up, taking it off of its kickstand. She had to be honest with herself, even though she wanted nothing to do with another man; this man was sex personified; tattooed, gorgeous, scarred, and sitting on a totally bad-ass motorcycle. If she wasn’t such a mess and if he wasn’t struggling and lost, maybe they could have had something. As it was, friendship with Kyle Martin was looking pretty promising.
“Ok, Josie-girl, face the bike. Now put your hands on my shoulders and swing your right leg over the bike. There ya go, you’re a natural. Since there’s no backrest you’re going to need to lean into me and hold on. You can hold on tighter, I won’t break and it may help you feel more secure. Now, let’s practice leaning into the curves. If I lean to the right to make a right turn, you lean slightly as well; don’t fight against the curve. Same thing if I lean into a left turn; just go with it, don’t fight it. You ready?” Kyle fired up the motorcycle and Josie felt a rush of adrenaline flood her veins. Other than coming to this town, this was the first time she’d done something “inappropriate” and she liked it.
Once they arrived at Captain Decker’s house, Josie hopped off the bike and removed the helmet, grinning ear-to-ear. “Kyle, that was the most awesome thing I’ve ever done! Can we go for a longer ride sometime?!” He had to smile at her enthusiasm; the smile almost reached his eyes. Almost.
“Sure thing, Josie. Next warmer day, you, me, and the bike; we’ll go wherever you want. Actually, Jo, I was wondering if I could talk to you about something. Do you have a minute?” Kyle looked a little nervous and unsure of himself.
“Yeah, Santa isn’t coming to visit me and Uncle Robert isn’t even home yet, so let’s go on the porch.” Once they were seated, Josie waited for him to speak.
Kyle appeared to be having an internal struggle with himself. “Okay, here’s the deal; I’ve been thinking about what we talked about. I can’t or won’t talk about the bad shit that brought me here, at least not right now. I’m still fighting pain and demons, but I feel better here than I’ve felt in a long time. I want to stay; I can’t keep living with Audrey and Jeremiah. I want a place of my own, and I want to set up a tattoo shop in town. I know you want your own place as well. Maybe I’m prying but I get the feeling that you’ve got some stuff going on in your past as well; no need to talk about it until a time when you feel up to it. But, I was wondering, since we’re friends looking for the same thing, if you’d like to look for a place with me? We could be roommates. Whatdya think?” Kyle’s deep dark chocolate eyes looked up at her with his question.
“Kyle, I think that’s a wonderful idea! I trust you completely since you’re friends with Jeremiah; I know Audrey would have said something already if she didn’t trust you as well. But, can we look at houses first? I’d really like to get something where we both have a bedroom and then maybe we could use a third bedroom as a studio.” At his questioning look she shrugged, “I like to paint. Or, I used to like to paint, and I’d like to try it again. I also do scrapbooking so a studio/office space would be perfect. If we can’t find a house in our price-range, we can switch to apartments. I have quite a bit of money saved even though I’ve not been working. We should sit down right after the holidays and work out a budget. Oh my gosh, I can’t believe how exciting this is!” She blushed now, realizing just how worked-up the bike ride and his suggestion had her.
Kyle laughed at her enthusiasm. “Well, Josie-girl, I think you’re still a little jazzed from your first motorcycle ride; but I’m glad that my suggestion is so exciting. I consider you a friend and it’s good to see you letting loose a little bit. Day after tomorrow, let’s sit down and run some numbers and start our search.” He leaned in to hug her, and Josie hugged him back.
**********
Kyle and Josie brought in Christmas with their new friends and family. Smiles were forced at times; tears from past hurts shone in their eyes; their hearts worked hard to convince the two that moving on and loving wasn’t in their future. But their future did hold family and friendships and promise. That would have to be enough. For now.
Kyle Martin and Josie Decker—
Their stories will be told in Loving Josie, A Torey Hope Novel.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the Decker/Morgan/Jordan families!
Butterscotch Pie
This is the author’s mother’s recipe which she has been using since 1970.
This is a bottom crust only pie. The author adores this pie, although she would rather eat it with no meringue topping. You CAN make this pie with store-bought pie crusts, but the homemade kind makes it even better!
Pastry crust:
This recipe will make two bottom crusts for two pies
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup shortening (author’s mom uses lard instead and it’s much better!)
5-7 tbsp ICE cold water
Sift flour and salt together; cut in shortening with pastry blender till pieces are the size of small peas.
Sprinkle 1 tbsp water over part of the mixture.
Gently toss with fork; push to side of bowl. Repeat until all is moistened.
Form into a ball for each pie
Flatten on lightly floured surface by pressing with edge of hand 3 times in both directions.
Roll from center to edge til 1/8 inch thick
Fit pastry into pie plate, trim ½ to 1 inch beyond edge, flute/pinch edges.
Prick bottom and sides well with fork (if filling and crust are baked together, don’t prick; in this recipe you SHOULD prick the bottom and sides with a fork)
Butterscotch Filling
¾ cup brown sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour OR 3 tbsp cornstarch
¼ tsp salt
2 cups milk
3 slightly beaten egg yolks
3 tbsp real butter
1 tsp vanilla
In saucepan, combine sugar, flour, and salt; gradually stir in milk. Cook and stir over medium heat till bubbly. Cook and stir 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
Stir small amount of hot mixture into yolks; immediately return to hot mixture; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add butter and vanilla. Pour into baked/cooled pastry crust. Spread meringue atop pie and bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Cool.
Or, omit meringue and serve with whipped cream (to prevent skin from forming on top of filling, put waxed paper directly on top of hot filling).
Meringue
3 egg whites
½ tsp vanilla
¼ tsp cream of tartar
4 tbsp sugar
Beat egg whites with vanilla and cream of tartar till soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, beating till stiff and glossy peaks form and all sugar is dissolved. Spread meringue over hot filling, sealing to edge of pastry. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes or till meringue is golden Cool.
Acknowledgments and Thanks
This book is all because the readers didn’t want to leave Torey Hope; to
be honest, I didn’t want to leave either! My readers asked for stories about the older couples; they asked for more stories from Torey Hope. So, I let my imagination grow some stories and I’m so pleased with what developed.
I think readers will really love Josie and Kyle’s story. Available now! Loving Josie, A Torey Hope Novel
In a surprising twist of events I didn’t see coming, A Torey Hope Novel Series will continue in 2015 with the four boys (Decker, Sawyer, Zach, and Kendrick). The boys grew up in Torey Hope, went off to college, and now they are coming back home. I’m excited to see where these stories go and meet the boys all grown up.
I would be remiss if I didn’t thank my faithful readers. My Beta Readers and The Ellis Elite Street Team; you cheer me on, pimp me out, and keep me writing. I love you all!
Also, to my IEZ girls, I couldn’t do this without you. No joke, I would have quit already if it weren’t for you. I love you all! Twirl and flourish ladies!
Thank you to all of my readers, new and old! If you read For Nicky and Because of Beckett, please leave a review on Amazon; if you enjoyed Christmas in Torey Hope, please leave a review on Amazon. I ask this for two reasons. One, I love reading reviews from satisfied readers. Two, good reviews are an author’s lifeline. You don’t need to write a novel, just a few words about what you liked in the book.
Thank you to my family and friends who are probably sick-to-death of all the work I put into writing these stories. I appreciate your patience with me so much.
Connect with the Author
I’m pretty sure if you’re reading this novella you’ve already read the first two books and hopefully have contacted me to let me know you liked them. If that’s not the case, PLEASE DO SO! I love hearing from readers! So, send me an email, tweet me, LIKE my Facebook page, send me a friend request, whatever you want; just please contact me so I know someone else liked my stories!
[email protected]
www.facebook.com/adellisauthor
www.twitter.com/adellisauthor
Search A.d. Ellis Author (that small d is my friend request page, the uppercase D is my author “LIKE” page—you can do either or both!)
If you like Goodreads, find me there (I’m not on there much).
Or you can add me to your circles on Google+ (ADEllisAuthor)
Loving Josie
A Torey Hope Novel
A.D. Ellis
www.facebook.com/adellisauthor
Copyright © 2014
Copyright © 2014 by A.D. Ellis
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof
may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever
without the express written permission of the publisher
except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Cover, spine, back by
Kari Ayasha
www.facebook.com/CoverToCoverDesigns
Table of Contents
Introduction
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
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Epilogue
Note from Author
About the Author
Acknowledgements
Connect with A.D. Ellis
Notes
Recipes
Introduction
I had no intention of writing this story, it had never even crossed my mind. But when loyal readers wanted more Torey Hope after For Nicky and Because of Beckett, I started thinking about how the story could continue and I absolutely fell in love with Kyle and Josie. I have to say that there’s a little paranormal twist in this story that I NEVER saw coming since I’m not much of a paranormal fan. But the twist came to me while I was writing and it worked so well that I couldn’t help but include it.
I hope you love the newest residents of Torey Hope! I’m madly in love with this town, these families, and these characters. These stories prove that life isn’t always easy but the love and support of family and friends makes it a little easier.
Thank you for reading!
“'Tis better to have loved and lost
than never to have loved at all.”
Alfred Lord Tennyson
“Don’t cry because it’s over,
smile because it happened.”
Dr. Seuss
“Hey man, you coming over tonight? I feel like beatin’ your ass in some basketball.” Jeremiah Jordan laughed and clapped his best friend, Kyle Martin, on the back as they headed out the doors of their high school.
“Hiya, Izzy. You ever gonna leave this loser and come see what it’s like to love a real man?” Jeremiah laughed as Kyle put him in a headlock and Izzy elbowed him in the gut. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding!” Jeremiah broke free of his friend’s hold and grinned at the two of them, thinking of how perfectly matched they were; like bookends, they complemented each other so well.
“I know, I know, you two are perfect for each other. I’d never try to break that up. Plus, if you were with me, Izzy, you’d have to pine away for me when I leave for the military in a couple months. This way you can comfort Kyle when he cries over me abandoning him.” He jumped out of the way as Kyle grabbed for him again and Izzy giggled over their antics. “Now, now boys. Jordan, you know I’m too much woman for you to handle.” She grinned at Jeremiah as she teased him and tucked herself under Kyle’s arm.
The two young men had been friends for quite a while. You couldn’t get much different than Jeremiah Jordan and Kyle Martin. The only thing they had in common was that they were both good guys at heart.
“Seriously, both of you, I want to spend as much time together as possible. We should just enjoy our time being stupid teenagers and having fun before everything changes.” Jeremiah spoke in a more somber tone to his friends.
Kyle and Izzy, recognizing their friend’s apprehension over leaving soon, hugged him close between them as they walked down the sidewalk away from school and toward the freedom of their weekend. The three of them knew that changes were coming; life was all about changes. But, like most, they just didn’t realize how life-altering some of those changes would be.
Josie Decker
“Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising which tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires courage.”
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
I’ve never felt loved, not one single moment in my life, until I arrived in Torey Hope. Every memory I have, from the beginning of my existence, is one of being a bother, an afterthought, and a hassle, disposable. I was only good for the positive gain in social status for others, and when I disappointed again and again, I was pushed aside time after time. Then I knocked on my Uncle Robert’s door and I knew love and acceptance for the first time in my life.
My name is Josie Decker. I’m the unwanted child of Richard Joseph and Corinne Ruth Decker. My father, a business mogul, married my mother for two reasons. First, she was already a highly successful business woman in her own right. Her connections would be good for him; his connections would prop
el her much higher in the business world. The second reason was that, in addition to the business world, they were both very high up on the social ladder. The wedding of Richard and Corinne Decker was the event of the year in New York; everyone who was anyone clambered to be invited or at least involved in some way. My parents weren’t just high society in New York; they rubbed elbows with billionaires and movie stars out in Los Angeles as well. Even in Tokyo and London the name Decker was associated with wealth and success.
Getting pregnant with me was a tragedy in the eyes of both of my parents. Richard and Corinne did not love each other; they didn’t dislike each other, but they were in the marriage only for mutual status climbing and gratification. I’m not sure how they got pregnant with me; in my entire life I never saw a loving touch between the two of them.
The story that was told to me several times over the years was that Corinne had an IUD so she never suspected her early pregnancy symptoms could have been what they were. She was six months along when she finally had to admit that the IUD had failed and she was expecting. Richard was furious with her; how could she let this happen? They couldn’t be saddled with a child if they were going to continue their climb up the business and social ladders. Corinne lashed back that he was just as much at fault; she was devastated at what this would do to her body, her career, and her social standing.
They attended a secret appointment with a doctor they knew from their social circles. Their hopeful idea to terminate the pregnancy was dashed when it was confirmed how far along Corinne was in the pregnancy. My mother told me numerous times over the years that she should have just admitted her symptoms to herself earlier so she could have terminated me. Yeah, love you too, Mother. Seriously, what type of person says that to their child?