Sammy in Italy (Single Wide Female Travels #2)

by Lillianna Blake

  I raised an eyebrow. “If you’re so sure, then why do you look so worried?”

  “If you have any trouble, just call me.” She patted my hand. “Enjoy your last night in Venice.”

  “Thank you for everything, Isabella.”

  When she walked away I looked at Max. “That was a little strange, don’t you think?”

  “Don’t worry about it, I’m sure it’ll be fine—just like she said.”

  As we left the venue my cell phone rang. I didn’t recognize the number.

  “Hello?”

  “Hallo! This is Erik!” The jovial voice in my ear made it sound like he was shouting.

  “Erik? I’m sorry, I’m not sure if you have the right number.”

  “Samantha?”

  “Yes, this is Samantha.”

  “Then I have the right number. I’m looking forward to meeting you in Amsterdam tomorrow.”

  “There must be some kind of mix-up. Usually my contacts are women.”

  “No mix-up. I can wear a skirt if you like.” He laughed loudly.

  I looked over at Max and raised an eyebrow. “No, that’s fine. I’m looking forward to meeting you too, Erik.”

  “Wonderful. See you tomorrow.” He hung up before I could respond.

  “Who was that?” Max laughed. “I could hear him laughing.”

  “He’s my contact for Amsterdam. Erik.”

  “Erin?”

  “No, Erik. It’s a guy.”

  “Huh. I thought it was going to be all women?” He shrugged. “I guess this should be interesting.”

  “Very.” I bit into my bottom lip.

  Live in the moment, Sammy, live in the moment. I tried, but I couldn’t help but wonder exactly how I was going to get along with the boisterous Erik in Amsterdam.

  I took a deep breath and cleared my mind. I was still in Venice, with the love of my life, and I was going to make the last few hours count.

  “Uh, Max?”

  “Yes?” He looked over at me.

  “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” I gazed into his eyes.

  “I think I might be.” He drew me close to him and returned my heated stare. “In fact, I know I am.”

  I leaned close and kissed him. He returned the kiss.

  The moment we broke apart, we spoke at the same time.

  “Gelato!”

  “Yes!” I laughed. “There’s always time for gelato.”

  Dear Reader,

  The Single Wide Female and B.I.G. Girls Club books are written for every woman out there who has struggled with their weight, self-esteem and any number of issues that we all face as we work to become the best versions of ourselves that we can be.

  They are meant to be light-hearted and fun, but I do hope that they will inspire you—to REALLY live your life to the fullest, loving yourself completely as you do so.

  If you enjoy Sammy in Italy, I’d appreciate it if you would take a moment to leave an honest review here:

  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A7UT7G0

  And…

  I have a FREE book for you!

  Wanna know what inspired Sammy to write her bucket list? Visit my website below and get your complimentary copy of “Sammy’s Big Plan!”

  LilliannaBlake.com

  Enjoy!

  Sincerely,

  Lillianna

  P.S. Also be sure to see the previews following this page for two additional free books that you can download at Amazon. :)

  Please enjoy the following preview for

  Sammy in Holland (Single Wide Female Travels, Book 3)

  Chapter 1

  I fiddled with the corner of my ticket. With the flight delay it was a bit of a wait. Max stirred in his sleep but didn’t wake up. I took a deep breath and looked down at my ticket again. I couldn’t quite figure out what had me feeling so nervous.

  After I’d spoken on the phone to Erik, my contact in Amsterdam, I did wonder what was in store for me. All the other stops on the book tour had been hosted by women. It wasn’t as if I didn’t like the idea of a man hosting me. I just wasn’t sure what to expect.

  The PA system came to life and announced the boarding of our flight.

  “Max.” I patted the top of his knee. “The plane is leaving.”

  “Aw, I just fell asleep.”

  I raised an eyebrow but decided not to point out that he’d been snoring on my shoulder for at least a half hour. He sleepily gathered our luggage. The flight itself was already scheduled to leave late, but the new delay had us arriving well after midnight.

  It wasn’t a very crowded flight, which gave us the opportunity to sprawl out in our seats. Max looked over at me.

  “Are you ready for Amsterdam?”

  “I’m looking forward to it.” I smiled.

  “You know, I did a little research about the place. Did you know that certain things are legal there?” He grinned.

  “Oh, that kind of research.” I laughed. “Yes I did know that in fact.”

  “So?”

  “So what?” I raised an eyebrow.

  “When in Amsterdam…”

  “No way.” I shook my head. “The only thing that would likely lead to is me getting a very bad case of the munchies. That’s the last thing I need to do after our gelato tour.” I laughed, but I was definitely serious about wanting more food control in my life. “I did some research too. I’m looking forward to riding bicycles everywhere. That should give me the opportunity to work some of Venice off.”

  “No more motorcycles?” Max pouted.

  “Not this time. It’ll be Sammy powered.”

  Max glanced away for a moment. “I’m not sure it’s such a good idea. You might get too worn out.”

  “I don’t think so.” I shook my head. “I’ll be fine. I’m actually dying for some physical activity.”

  “We walked a lot in Venice. I’m sure we could find some trails to hike in Amsterdam. Or maybe some other kind of activity.”

  “But biking is so much fun. Besides, that’s how everyone gets around there. We won’t be able to avoid it, so we might as well enjoy it.”

  Max glanced away.

  I could almost imagine I heard him wince, and when he turned back around toward me, he was frowning.

  “Okay, I guess that’s what we’ll do then. I’m going to get a little more sleep.”

  I waited for him to rest his head on my shoulder again, but instead he propped his head against the window. I opened my mouth to protest, but his eyes were already closed.

  He must be more tired than I thought. I stifled a yawn, realizing that I was tired as well. I closed my eyes for what I thought was just a moment.

  When I opened my eyes again, the flight crew was busy preparing for our descent. It seemed like no longer than a minute, but it must have been much longer. I looked over at Max, whose head was still propped against the window. Before I could wake him, he opened his eyes.

  “Finally, we’re here.”

  “Didn’t you sleep?”

  “A little.”

  I kissed his cheek. “I’m looking forward to exploring Amsterdam with you.”

  “Me too.” He grabbed our luggage from the overhead compartments and we headed off the plane.

  It was easy to navigate our way through the airport, but when we reached the door it occurred to me that I had no idea whether or not Erik had sent a car for us. I also didn’t have a clue or an address to where we were staying.

  I checked my phone to see if I’d missed any texts or calls from him while we’d been in the air. There wasn’t even an e-mail.

  “We can find a taxi, I’m sure.” Max held the door open for her.

  “To where, though? I have no idea where we’re supposed to be staying.” I heard the stress in my own voice as I listened to the ringing of the call I’d made. When Erik’s voicemail picked up, my heart sank. I gritted my teeth.

  “Hi, Erik, this is Samantha. We’re here at the airport. I’m not sure where we’re supposed to be staying
or how we’re supposed to get there. If you can give me a call back right away that would be great.” I hung up the phone and sighed. “What if he’s sleeping?”

  “Hey, don’t worry.” Max rubbed the length of my arms. “We’re capable of finding our own transportation and a place to stay.”

  “But it shouldn’t be like this. He should have someone here—the same way that all of our other hosts have had arrangements made for us. If he can’t get this straight, then what will the book signing be like?”

  “Well, give him another call. If he doesn’t get back to us, I say we find our own way and connect with him after the sun is up.”

  “Okay.” I dialed Erik’s number again. Once more it went to voicemail. I didn’t bother to leave another message. “Well, that’s that. It looks like Amsterdam is going to be a flop.”

  “None of that, remember? We’re leaving the stress behind us.”

  “Ugh. Max, you’re so right.” I planted as big kiss on his lips, then smiled. “This can be an adventure. I’ll look up what nearby hotels might be good for us to stay in.”

  “I’ll see what I can do about getting us a taxi.”

  A few minutes later we were on our way. Maybe my contact was sound asleep in his bed somewhere, but I looked forward to discovering Amsterdam anyway. It was nearly dawn and not yet light enough to see much of what we passed, but Amsterdam seemed to have an energy of its own—hopeful, light and full of potential.

  End of the preview.

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  Please enjoy the following preview for

  To Love Again (Forty and Free, Book 1)

  (currently Free at Amazon)

  Chapter 1

  Every wrinkle met its match with the firm pressure and glide of her palm. Even though there were very few wrinkles in the shirt, Nicole was determined to make sure that there were none. Her hand trembled as she swept it over the next wrinkle.

  How was she ever going to accept the idea that her children now had another mother in their lives?

  She glanced over at the suitcase beside her. It was piled up with more clothes than any ten-year-old girl could possibly need for a two-week trip. But Nicole needed for everything to be there. In the back of her mind, she recognized her attempt to prove that she was, and had always been, a good mother—but that didn’t stop her from smoothing out the last wrinkle.

  She set the folded shirt into the top of the suitcase and stood up from her daughter’s bed.

  So much had changed in the last year in unexpected ways. Perhaps—as some of her friends claimed—she should have seen it coming, but she didn’t. Divorce had hit her like a freight train and plowed right through her happily ever after.

  Only—if she was being honest with herself—it hadn’t been exactly happy, not towards the end, anyway.

  She walked out of her daughter’s room and picked up a pile of laundry that sat outside her twelve-year-old son’s door. She wanted to make sure that it was clean before she packed it. Since he seemed incapable of actually putting his clothes in his drawers these days, she just gathered all of the clothes from the floor to wash them.

  As she walked down the hall to the laundry room, framed photographs—hung exactly two inches apart—stared back at her. There was the photograph of her ex-husband, Jack, as he cradled Jordan the day he was born. Beside it, another photograph of Jack, with Melody in his arms.

  Once they were happy—she was sure of it.

  At the very top of the rows of photos was the wedding portrait. With eager smiles and much smaller waistlines, the shiny faces in the photograph looked foreign to her, as if they were people she’d never met.

  She reached up and loosened the frame from the hook on the wall. It wasn’t right to have it there—not when he was so obviously moving on.

  She dropped the laundry off and carried the photograph into her room—what used to be their room.

  The moment she sat down and sunk into the familiar give of the mattress, tears stung her eyes. She looked at the picture for a long moment. It was really over now. There was no special cement to put together what had broken many years before, and the fantasy that there might be was gone too.

  While Jack had been falling in love, she’d been struggling to deal with the notion of being forty-two and alone. While he was considering adding new babies to his life with his young bride, Nicole was thinking about menopause and whether or not to dye her blonde hair, which had began to sprout silver streaks of reality.

  Time marched on, and she didn’t know how to catch up.

  Before the tears could begin to flow down her cheeks, she took a deep breath and grabbed her cell phone from the charger on her bedside table. She logged into her new favorite website. It was a support group of sorts, but in reality it was a place for women to be honest—to talk about their fears and their joys, and, most of all, vent about life.

  Forty and Free was a website that she’d stumbled upon while attempting to figure out how to react to her divorce. She enjoyed the sisterhood that she felt there and the lively debates. As her heart ached, she typed out a message to post. It detailed her ex-husband’s destination wedding, how excited her kids were to be part of it, and how alone she felt because of it.

  When she posted it, she prepared herself for whatever responses she’d get. Within seconds she had messages of support from an assortment of women. What heartened her was the fact that these women weren’t all moms or all newly divorced. Some had been divorced more than once, some had been with their husbands from the time they were in high school and some had never been married. Everyone had their own view of what a relationship should be and no one was shy about sharing it.

  As Nicole sorted through the responses, she received an alert about a private message from one of the women she’d became close friends with, Ella.

  Cielo Spa & Resort! Trust me. Book yourself a room and have some fun. You owe it to yourself to get out of this rut, and see what the world has to offer. It’s the perfect time—with the kids away—to get to know yourself again.

  Ella’s words impacted Nicole more than she would have expected. She typed a quick response to thank her friend and let her know that she would consider it, then she logged out.

  Each message of support reminded her that her life was not over.

  Just like Jack, she needed to find a way to move forward. She picked up the wedding photograph and carried it over to her dresser. With one last look she shoved it into the bottom drawer.

  “That’s enough—enough tears, enough questions—just enough.” She closed the drawer and returned to the laundry room to get the load started.

  No, it wouldn’t be easy, but she was ready to live again.

  There had once been a time in her life when there were more important things than laundry and a broken dishwasher. A spark of eagerness drew a smile to her lips. Like an old but treasured friend, her desire began to resurface.

  For many years the only question in her mind was about what she could do for everyone else in her life. She’d trained herself not to think about what she might be missing out on, or how she might prefer things to be. It didn’t matter what she wanted, as long as her husband and kids were happy.

  That method hadn’t worked out very well. She’d sacrificed her needs, and in the end, her husband wasn’t happy. The family life that she’d expected to have had crumbled, no matter how hard she had tried to hold it together.

  What was left was a lonely soul—long overdue for some real fun.

  Chapter 2

  Gavin Bell leaned forward in his chair so that his elbows rested on his desk while he spoke into the phone. “You’re not making sense to me, that’s all I’m saying. What I’m offering you here is a golden opportunity to launch your brand in a way that wi
ll get the attention of modern consumers. I understand that you promote tradition, and I assure you that we can create a mixture of tradition and modernization that will retain your current customer base as well as gain the attention of many other demographics. So what’s to lose?”

  He pressed the phone closer to his ear and leaned back in his chair. As he listened to his client describe his apprehension, he smiled. He loved a challenge, and more than that, he loved creating solutions. Every time a client gave him a reason to turn down an offer, he enjoyed solving the problem.

  “I hear you, I do. And that’s important to you too, isn’t it? If you agree to this deal, you have Gavin Bell on your side. I respect how passionate you are about your brand, which is why I intend to walk you through every step of the process. You will have a say in everything—before the posters go up, before the commercials get made, before the actors are even hired. This is your baby and I get that. All I want to do is dress it up a bit for you.”

  He looked up at his computer screen for a quick review of the client’s information. He always kept personal notes about the clients on hand so that he could speak to them as friends rather than business associates.

  “Great, Ted. You’re making a wonderful decision, which I can promise you won’t regret. Thanks for taking the time to talk with me. I’ll have my assistant fax you all of the paperwork by the end of the day. Give my best to Karen and the kids.”

  He hung up the phone and pumped his other fist through the air in the same motion. The door to his office swung open and Lance Tavish stepped inside.

  “How did you get here so fast to congratulate me?”

  “I’m not here to congratulate you, Gavin.” Lance pushed the door shut.

  Gavin arched an eyebrow.

  Lance held his shoulders straight and his hands were tight at his sides.

  “What’s wrong? I just landed Ted Bramley. We’ve been trying to get him to agree to a new campaign for over a year.”

  “That’s great. It really is.” Lance narrowed his eyes. “But you’re not supposed to be here, are you?”