And when he looked at her, he still saw his angel.
Excerpt: Sweet Reunion
THE HOPE FALLS CHRONICLES
Available Now
As Amanda moved the bite-size chicken pieces and chopped vegetables around the sauté pan in front of her, her head swam with conflicted emotions. Was it always going to be this way? If Justin did decide to stay and run the adventure resort with her, was her consciousness going to forever exist in such a state of unbalance?
Karina, Sam, and Lauren had gone to visit Karina's grandmother, albeit reluctantly. They hadn't wanted to leave Amanda alone, but Amanda had insisted, coming just short of physically shoving them out the door.
“I need to get my head on straight!” she had told them, “The only way I am going to accomplish that is with some serious soul searching and contemplation. And, barring that, a little 'come to Jesus' meeting with myself. Trust me! An hour alone will do me a world of good. I'll make dinner, and be a whole new woman by the time you get back.”
So, the rest of the Fabulous Four had departed amidst skeptical expressions and admonitions to call if she needed anything.
And now Amanda was by herself, cooking and contemplating, and not a whole lot seemed to be moving forward. She had started out feeling confused and vulnerable, and that was squarely where she still found herself. It didn't help that she had had ZERO hours of sleep the night before! Maybe it was time to try the 'come to Jesus' meeting.
She heard a knock at the back door which led into the kitchen, and turned around to see the very source of her confusion and angst standing there, his handsome face framed in the glass pane of the exterior door like a finely wrought portrait.
A tremor ran through her from head to toe, but she quickly reminded herself that she could not show him her weaknesses. She again thought of her sleepless night, and noticed how well-rested he looked. She couldn't let him see she was coming apart at the seams!
No, she was only going to show him a completely strong and together facade. She quickly pasted a smile on her face, striving for as natural an expression as possible, but truthfully not even caring if it came off as slightly artificial – as long as her face didn't betray the roiling emotions just below the surface, it could look as plastic as a mannequin's for all she cared.
She crossed to the back door, opened it, and stood aside, inviting him in.
“Is this a bad time?” he asked as he entered.
“Not at all,” she assured him. “The girls went down to see Karina's grandmother, and I'm just cooking some dinner.”
“How is Renata doing?” Justin inquired.
“Oh, you know Renata. As indefatigable as ever. I think she'll outlive us all, and be working on twelve different community projects as she does it.”
“She's a rock,” Justin agreed, “Karina's lucky to have her.”
“True. All of Hope Falls is lucky to have her, when you think about it. So, what were you up to today?”
“Oh, just cleaning out the bunkhouse and getting it habitable. It brought back a lot of memories of living there.”
“I bet.” Amanda said, and sitting between them, making the air electric, was the unspoken memory of the last time they had been in the bunkhouse together. The last time they had seen each other at all.
She quickly turned back to the stove and focused her attention on the chicken sizzling in the pan.
Justin moved behind Amanda, close. So close that she could feel his ragged breath on her neck and in her hair. The nearness of him paralyzed her. Her vision swam and her body felt on fire, and he wasn't even touching her.
“Amanda...” he said, his voice husky with emotion, with regret. With desire? Was that just wishful thinking on her part?
“Amanda...” he started again, and then trailed off again.
Slowly, so slowly that she almost couldn't tell if she was really doing it or if it were only her imagination, she turned her face up to his. She could barely breathe. Their mouths were less than an inch apart, and their eyes were locked on each other. She felt as if she would melt on the spot, or possibly explode.
“Yes?” she whispered. With the one small scrap of awareness of her surroundings that she had left, she realized that her breathing had grown ragged as well, as if in answer to Justin's.
“I...” he started, then took a deep breath and tried to begin again, “I just...”
And then, displaying a sense of timing so horrendous that it belied the flawless sense of rhythm she possessed which was one of the factors which made her a brilliant musician, Karina called from the front door, “Yoo hoo! We're home
Amanda drew in her breath sharply as Justin retreated across the kitchen, but couldn't manage to access her vocal chords to summon a response. She heard Karina's voice calling as she came down the hall, “Did you hear me? Lucy, I'm home!” she hollered in her best Desi Arnaz impersonation.
Amanda looked up as Karina entered the kitchen and shook her head to clear it, but realized that the truth of what had just happened must have been written all over her face when she saw a sly smile spread across Karina's face. “Lucy, you've got some 'splaining to do,” she grinned, drawing out the impression.
“What?” Amanda asked, doing her best to maintain an innocent expression as Lauren and Samantha entered the kitchen behind Karina.
As soon as Lauren laid eyes on Amanda's face, she rushed over and took the wooden spoon out of her hand, taking over the job of sautéing the chicken and veggies. “Oh my goodness, Amanda! I knew we shouldn't have left you to cook dinner for all of us right now. Seriously, go grab a water, sit down and relax. Your entire face is flushed, you're getting overheated.”
Karina continued to grin her evil little grin, and added an eyebrow waggle for emphasis. “Oh, yes, it is quite hot in here, isn't it? Very, very hot. On a completely unrelated note, by the way, how are you today, Justin?”
Other titles by Melanie Shawn
THE HOPE FALLS SERIES
Sweet Reunion (#1, The Hope Falls Series)
Sweet Harmonies (#2, The Hope Falls Series)
Sweet Victory (#3, The Hope Falls Series)
Home Sweet Home (#4, The Hope Falls Series)
Snow Angel (#5, The Hope Falls Series)
Snow Days (#6, The Hope Falls Series)
THE CROSSROADS SERIES
My First - Jason & Katie (Book.1,The Crossroads Series)
My Last - Riley & Chelle (Book 2, The Crossroads Series)
My Only - Alex & Jamie (Book 3, The Crossroads Series)
My Everything – Seth & Amber (Book 4, The Crossroads Series)
RED HOT PRIVATE EYE SERIES
Scandalous (Vol. 1, Novella Series, )
Friction (Vol. 2, Novella Series)
THE HAPPILY EVER AFTER SERIES
One Sweet Day (Hope Falls Edition, Novella)
About the Author
Melanie Shawn is the writing team of sister duo Melanie and Shawna. Originally from Northern California, they both migrated south and now call So Cal their home.
Growing up, Melanie constantly had her head in a book and was always working on short stories, manuscripts, plays and poetry. After graduating magna cum laude from Pepperdine University, she went on to teach grades 2nd through 8th for five years. She now spends her days writing and taking care of her furry baby, a Lhasa Apso named Hercules. In her free time, her favorite activity is to curl up on the couch with that stubborn, funny mutt and binge-watch cable TV shows on DVD (preferably of at least eight seasons in length - a girl's gotta have her standards!).
Shawna always loved romance in any form - movie, song or literary. If it was a love story with a happy ending, Shawna was all about it! She proudly acknowledges that she is a romanceaholic. Her days are jam-packed with writing, being a wife, mom aka referee of two teens, and indulging in her second passion (dance!) as a Zumba instructor. In the little free time she has, she joins Melanie in marathon-watching DVDs of their favorite TV programs.
They have joined forces
to create a world where True Love and Happily Ever After always has a Sexy Twist!
You can keep up with all the latest Melanie Shawn news, including new releases and contests, at:
http://melanieshawn.com
and
http://facebook.com/melanieshawnbooks
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