Her fiancé and best friend, Satish, mirrored her position on the opposite side of the front door. He tapped his foot and occasionally released a sigh. If a stranger had walked by, he might imagine he was irritated and impatient, but Claire knew better: he was worried about his little sister.
“We shouldn’t have let Sally get a hold of her just as we were about to leave. You know they’ll be gabbing for ages,” she said, smiling over at him, but he didn’t notice while he stared into the distance.
The warm, river-scented air held the promise of summer and made Claire smile. She had been looking forward to a summer alone with Satish without the strains of raising a daughter who was not their own. He had been amazing with Nandita, and Claire had tremendous admiration for his dedication to her well-being, but her constant presence had been hard on their young relationship. They'd even put off their wedding until they could be sure they had done their best by her. Claire loved Nandita like a sister, but it was true that she had a selfish streak—appropriate for her age, but annoying nonetheless. She didn’t appreciate her brother the way she should have, but Claire would never say anything. She would give the girl some leeway because Nandita missed her mother and she knew what that was like.
“She’ll be fine.” Claire crossed to him and lay her body against his, her head on his shoulder. He sighed and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tightly against him; her body lit up and she was acutely aware of every place their bodies connected. It had always been this way between them, and she couldn’t imagine it would ever change.
“Maybe I should have applied for the sibling green card.” He leaned into her hair and pressed a kiss against her unruly curls.
“Don’t start questioning yourself, Satish. You thought long and hard about that option and we both decided Nandita needed to mend her relationship with your parents. I know how hard your father’s rejection has been for you, and she’s too young to understand how important they will be to her in the future. She’s not admitting—even to herself—how your mother’s absence has affected her. You did the right thing by insisting she go back.”
“I thought we had more time—I thought she would get into Princeton. How could she not have been accepted?”
“Who knows, love? It could have been a million reasons.”
Satish pulled her closer and sighed again. “This will be hard on her. She has given up so much. You know what she’s like: she throws herself into things and ignores everything else. She has nothing to fall back on.”
Claire pushed back and looked up at her soul mate. Every day she was struck by how handsome he was. Right now, his chiseled features were fixed in a tight, unreadable expression as his brown eyes overflowed with concern. “You reap what you sow,” she said. “Maybe it’s time Nandita learned there are other things in life, apart from her ambitions. I am sure your mother has struggled without Nandita as much as Nandita has struggled without your mother—it’ll be best for them to have time together before that gap grows too wide. She’ll have plenty of other grad school opportunities once she widens her vision.”
“You’re right, as usual.” He smiled down at her and leaned in for a kiss. As his lips met hers, she pressed up on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his neck. He slid his hands to the small of her back, tucking them under her shirt. The sensation was electric. If only Nandita were staying with Sally tonight, because Claire knew a way to make all of Satish’s troubles float away.
She felt him smile into the kiss. “I’m still giving her the gift,” he mumbled. “I want you all to myself this summer.”
“Get a room!” Nandita called as she headed toward them.
Claire pulled away and laughed at the distinctly American expression coming from the young woman’s lips. The steel street door of the loft always made a giant thud when it closed; the fact that they hadn’t heard it just proved how distracting they were to each other.
Nandita pulled her silk scarf, a Claire’s special edition, over her shoulders. “Home or Maxwell’s?”
Satish raised one eyebrow. “Home, I believe. I don’t think a drink will cure your problems. Do you?” Claire elbowed him in the side. “Sorry,” he said. “Claire and I are going home. If you’d like to go to Maxwell’s, you should go, but I’d like to give this to you now. I think it might cheer you up.”
Satish pulled a long envelope from inside his blazer pocket and handed it to her. “Happy graduation.”
She took the envelope and frowned. “You know I don’t need money, Satish. I have been saving a lot and have plenty to get me through the summer while I figure things out.”
Claire rested her hand on Nandita’s arm. “It’s not money, Nan. Open it.”
She pulled a stack of paper from the envelope and stared at the top page as her eyes filled with tears. “I can’t believe you made me cry again!” she laughed, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. “It’s perfect, guys. Thank you.”
“There are photos of the entire apartment underneath,” Claire said excitedly. “It’s nicer than any apartment I ever lived in at your age!”
“It’s only a two-month lease,” Satish said. “It was supposed to fill the gap between graduation and grad school, but, well, maybe you’d still like to use it.”
“An apartment in Princeton—in Palmer Square, no less—and fully paid up? Of course I’d like to use it, if only to get away from you two lovey doveys. The truth is, you make me a little sick to my stomach.”
She threw herself at Satish, and he caught her, stumbling backward under her enthusiasm. “I’m glad you like it, and I’m very sorry it wasn’t the celebratory gift it should have been. I shouldn’t have brought the Princeton letter—I should have kept it until tomorrow.”
Nandita stepped back, hugging the envelope to her chest, and Claire could see her struggling to keep a happy front. The rejection had hit her hard. “No, it’s fine. I had to find out sooner or later.” She paged through the papers, examining the photos. “You know, forget Maxwell’s. I think I’ll go home with you guys.” She tucked her arm through Claire’s.
Satish patted his pockets and frowned. “Shoot. I must have left the house keys upstairs. Hold on.” He turned and hit the buzzer to reach Tod.
Claire looked forward to getting home. A few years ago, shortly after the fiasco caused by Misty, they had decided to move out of Satish’s apartment in Bridgewater. It was a beautiful place, but too small. One teenage girl had been hard enough, but having the whirlwind that was Misty living with them had illustrated how small the apartment truly was. They’d moved to Hoboken, Satish’s commute be damned, to be near their friends and Claire’s boutique. The adorable row house they had picked on Sinatra Drive was everything she had wanted in a home, and she had spent months making it a true home for Satish. Now it was their sanctuary; inside those pokey little rooms with soaring ceilings, nothing could touch them. Claire understood Nandita’s desire to be there right now.
She patted her hand before realizing Nan’s attention was elsewhere. She was staring down the street at the shadow of a man standing on the corner. Her grip tightened on Claire’s arm.
“Do you know that guy?” Her voice was hushed, and she didn’t take her eyes off the person struggling with the paper machine at the corner. He pulled on the metal handle repeatedly, but it wasn’t budging. Who bought a paper at this time of night? Nandita looked closer and saw through the darkness that, although it looked as if he were attacking the newspaper box, his eyes were actually on them. She felt a chill creep up her arms, giving her goosebumps.
“I can’t see a thing from here, Nandita. How would I know? Why?”
“I’ve seen him before a few times,” she said, shaking her head. “It’s weird, but I think he’s following me or something.”
“He’s following you?” Claire smiled. One of the sweetest things about her little sister was that, despite her apparent strength, she still believed in the boogeyman and monsters under the bed. They’d even had to buy her a nightlight when she�
�d first arrived. “I very much doubt he’s following you, Nan. It’s just a coincidence.”
“I don’t think so,” Nandita said. She pulled at Claire’s arm and they took a few steps in the stranger’s direction.
He released the handle of the machine quickly and headed away from them. As he reached the corner he turned to them and his face caught the light of the streetlamp overhead. Claire got a glimpse of a stunning, dark face and jet-black hair, but then he disappeared.
“Huh,” she said as Nandita stared after him through the darkness. “I guess he didn’t want a paper, after all.”
Read the rest of Uncharted today!
Also by Lisa-Marie Cabrelli
Claire and Satish have perfectly planned lives. They’re about to collide.
Claire’s life is unraveling. She needs this job. But how can she survive when her creepy boss, Nick, promotes her to a role she doesn’t understand, especially when it’s clear he expects something in return? Things get more complicated when she meets the unbearably sexy vice-president, Satish Bhatt. He’s cold, intimidating, and incredibly distracting. Can Claire save her job and her heart, even when lies and sabotage are on the horizon?
The last thing Satish needs is for Nick to saddle him with another one of his floozies. He has more pressing issues on his hands, like a rebel little sister gone out of control. But Claire Black is different… and irresistible. Now everything he’s worked for is threatened, and his secrets are about to be exposed.
Can Claire and Satish hold onto their carefully planned lives? Or will their collision change everything?
Unraveled is the first book in the Jersey Girls series. If you like fast-paced, breezy, chick-lit with loveable characters and a dash of intrigue and suspense that will keep you turning pages, you’ll love Unraveled.
Pick up Unraveled today and discover the secrets that rock Claire's world!
She has rules, "No men, no friends, no distractions." He’s about to make her break them.
Since the day she came close to losing everything, straitlaced Nandita lives by her rules. But on college graduation day her life starts careening downhill. She gets rejected from the graduate program of her dreams then realizes she has six months to leave the country and return to her controlling parents in India. Her worst nightmare. And creepiest of all, she has a stalker. A man with dark penetrating eyes is following her everywhere.
Ravi’s angry about everything. His life is poisoned by secrets. And now his summer has been highjacked by blackmail. He’s forced into a job he doesn’t want involving a breathtakingly beautiful girl he’s too nervous to approach. But could she be the antidote to his poison?
Will Nandita and Ravi break their rules and risk uncharted territory? Or will they follow them and end up right back where they started?
If you like coming of age romance with a little mystery that keeps you turning pages, you’ll love Uncharted. Uncharted is Book Three in the Jersey Girls series. It’s more fun if you read them in order but this book can be read as a standalone.
Find out Nandita’s fate and catch up on the rest of the Hoboken Crew in the thrilling Jersey Girls series finale.
Acknowledgments
To the Water’s Edge crew and all of my friends in The Bahamas (especially Trisha & Candice).
To the Beta Babes…
Developmental Readers: Michelle Dowler, Michelle Marte, Katie Pavey, Megan Hayes, Rita Kunselman, Tracey Jeffries, Ruth Nagele, Lorinda Cartwright
Proofreaders: Gail Ostheller, Karen Meenan (especially for the timely email), Lorinda Cartwright, Ruth Nagele, Barbara Hackel, Kate Schieber & Mary Fouraker
All errors are most definitely my own.
My editor Mikaela and cover designer Mariah
As always - Em and Mark
Copyright © 2017 by Lisa-Marie Cabrelli
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, without prior written permission.
Galahad Press
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Walnut, CA 91789
www.laptoplifelisa.com
Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.
Book Layout © 2017 BookDesignTemplates.com
Unstoppable/Lisa-Marie Cabrelli. -- 1st ed.
ISBN 9781521089606
About the Author
Lisa-Marie Cabrelli is an author, entrepreneur and coach. She lives a laptop life with her husband Mark and is struggling with empty-nest syndrome as her daughter recently left for college. Writing stories keeps her head in the clouds but her feet firmly on solid ground, wherever that ground may be.
She loves to hear from readers!!
www.laptoplifelisa.com/author
[email protected]
Unstoppable: A Sweet Romance (Jersey Girls Book 2) Page 25