We schedule an early get-together at the café on Thursday afternoon. I’m the last to arrive, as usual. A slab of Nutella cheesecake is sitting on a plate in front of the only empty chair at the table. I swear it’s twice the size of a normal slice. These girls …
“Sorry I’m late,” I say as I approach the table. All eyes are on me. Everyone stands up. Before I know it, I’m in the middle a giant group hug.
After a beat, I pull away. “Who do I have to thank for the cheesecake?” I look amongst the girls.
Hannah raises her hand as we all take our seats. “My pleasure. I just …” She lets out a deep breath through pursed lips. “I haven’t cried this much reading a book in the longest time. I’m not one to ugly cry, but with Sing it, Sam, I was a mess.”
“Um, thank you?” I say, and shrug. I guess that means I managed to get the emotions across.
“Sam had me swooning all over the place,” Hannah continues. “It seemed like he didn’t even have to try and he’d send hearts a flutter.”
“Yeah, that’s Sam,” I say and sigh out loud. Was.
“I loved the story,” Janice says, and tilts her head to the side. “I think it’ll have wide appeal, but there’s just one loose end you haven’t tied up.”
“Really?” I ask. What have I left unresolved?
“What about the sheriff?” Janice asks.
I scratch at my chin. “What do you mean?”
“You have to end on a happy tone,” Janice says.
But do I? I know that’s the typical structure of a romance novel—to have a happy resolution, a happily ever after. I thought Sam and I would have that. We didn’t.
“I don’t think I can,” I admit.
“I saw the way the sheriff looked at you at the wake,” Janice says with a wink. “He barely took his eyes off you the whole time.”
“He cares about me. We care about each other,” I say with a shrug.
I opened my heart to Sam like I’ve never done before. I know he’s gone, but wrapping up the story for the sake of a happily ever after, would that be fair to him? I wrote a story. Our story.
Does my heroine stay single forever? No. That would suck. But she’s not looking for a relationship any time soon. Much like me.
“Well, I think your ending was spot-on,” Britt says with a heart-warming smile. “The whole thing was. It’s a fitting tribute to your relationship, and to Sam.”
“Thank you, Britt.” I knew out of everyone, she would understand.
“You portrayed the emotions so vividly,” Hannah says. “I have to admit once I finished, I had a hard time getting out of bed the next morning. It was as if I’d lost my boyfriend.”
“I’ve gotta say, I’m used to writing a fair bit of sex in my novels,” Leonie pipes in, “but with your book, whilst they didn’t get it on that much, when they did it was hot, and jam-packed with emotion.”
My face prickles with heat. I’ve pretty much detailed mine and Sam’s sexy times for public consumption. It’s all a part of our story.
“So, what’s next?” Leonie asks.
I clear my throat and straighten my spine. “I’ll polish it up the best I can, and then I’ll submit it to a few publishers.”
“Ooh, so exciting!” Hannah says. “I can see this one on the shelf already. It’ll be my turn to fangirl you!”
I blow Hannah a kiss. “Here’s hoping.”
Over the next few days, I do a re-read and hone in on the final chapters.
I know in my heart how the story has to end.
Chapter Fifty-Two
Sitting on Ben’s balcony, I stare out to the street where cars stream in both directions. “I don’t know how you can live here, Ben. It’s so hectic.”
“Yeah, well, now I can’t see myself staying here.” He scratches the back of his neck. “I’m gonna try and break the lease agreement.”
“Where will you go?” Please don’t let it be farther away.
“Truthfully, I was toying with the idea of moving back out west. Sam was my focus for so long, and I was really only working in the city because it paid more. I kinda like the idea of working on a property again.”
Air whooshes from my lungs. “No more cranes, then?”
He snorts a breath out his nose. “Can’t say I’ll miss them.” Ben eases back farther into his chair. “What about you? Have you sorted out when you’re going back to work?”
I nod. “Yeah, next week. It’s time.”
“You have a heap of support there, Jane. You’ll be fine. And I can’t wait to hear about what happens next with the book.”
I stare down at the completed manuscript on my lap.
Sing it, Sam
By Jane E. Rhynehart
Ben bumps his fist gently against my shoulder. “Hey,” he grunts.
I look over at him. His cheeks are flushed and he’s flashing his white teeth. It’s the first smile I’ve seen grace his lips in weeks. Several weeks.
“You did it, Jane,” he says, his voice filled with pride.
“Yeah,” I whisper as I run my fingers over the letters S, A, and M on the paper.
I wanna share my book with Sam. So, so much. I can imagine sitting and reading it to him, just like I did with the John Grisham novel.
A tear streaks down one side of my face, soon followed by more. I reach into my pocket and pull out a tissue to mop up the salty trails.
“I’m sorry. I just miss him so much. This grieving crap really sucks,” I say and choke on a sob.
Ben reaches over and grips my hand, his eyes glassy. “We’re gonna be okay, Jane.”
My shoulders drop as I force out a breath. “But how do you know?”
He wraps his strong arms around me, his warmth and strength filling me with courage. After a beat, he leans back and grips my shoulders. “Because we have each other, we have hope, and … ” Ben shakes his head.
A smile tickles at my lips. “And what?”
Ben’s penetrating blue eyes lock on my face. “And we have opposites boy watching over us.”
I laugh.
It’s small at first, more of an attempt to be polite, but soon Ben laughs, and as his smile grows, mine does too.
This is the hardest thing I’ve ever done—and I don’t know what’s next from here.
But that’s the thing about life—it’s not one big love story. I never want to forget—but I want to move forward.
All I can do is hope eventually it will hurt a little less.
All I can do is trust that in my small town, one day, I’ll find big love.
Acknowledgements
The opening scene of Sing it, Sam came to me in a dream … and then Sam wouldn’t leave my thoughts until I started writing this story. Whilst I finished this book almost eighteen months ago, I’m glad I’ve held it back and let it stew and develop in its own juices until it was just right.
A lot of inspiration for this book has come from my writing journey so far, but also from older generations and family who have had an impact on my life and how I see the world. Sing it, Sam also focuses on the tireless work of carers and those working in the geriatric field, of whom I have the ultimate respect for #CarersMakeTheWorldGoAround
As always, a big thank you to my darling husband and kids for supporting me and giving me the time to pour my heart and soul into my words.
Lauren McKellar, I’ve said it many times before, but in case you’ve forgotten, you are one extraordinary lady and a treasured friend. Your friendship, encouragement, and faith in me keeps me going when I sometimes struggle. Your advice and coaching has me striving for continual improvement, and my books are always that much better as a result of your guidance.
Thank you to my wonderful beta readers whose feedback has been instrumental in shaping Sing it, Sam in its final stages. Kayla Kennedy from My Person’s Books—lady, you kept me going on this story like nobody else. I’ve never sent out a book in chapters before for review, but your enthusiasm and need for more words kept me motivated and
invested in giving everything to this book. Without you, it would have taken me so much longer, so thank you!
A big thank you to my awesome betas: David Gobbitt, long-time friend and avid reader; Carrie and Andrea from Hot Tree Publishing (sorry for breaking you, Carrie); and Kristine Barakat from Glass Paper Ink Bookblog—thank you all so much for taking the time to beta read Sing it, Sam when I know how busy life is.
Thank you so much to Ben Ellis from Be Designs for the epic cover of Sing it, Sam. It could not be more perfect!
Thanks to the wonderful peeps at Give Me Books who have been an amazing support in pimping the release of Sing it, Sam, and also to Ena and the team at Enticing Journey Book Promotions for the Sing it, Sam review tour.
Thank you to my family and friends, bloggers, fellow authors, and dedicated fans who have supported me along my writing journey. Thank you to the members of Ryder’s Spark Support Crew. Your continued support and encouragement means the world to me. Thank you for helping me share my work. And, for those new-to-me readers out there, if you’d like to join my group, I’d love to have you!
Lastly, to you, the reader: I am deeply honoured that you chose my story to read. I hope that if you enjoyed it, you’ll tell a friend so they can experience this journey too. If you’d be kind enough to post a review, you’d make this little author’s heart sing.
Jennifer x
BOOKS BY JENNIFER RYDER
Spark Series
Spark
Spike
Strike
Sting
Switch
Tandem
Surfers Way Series
Losing Faith
Like A Boss: A motivational coloring book
Check them out at
www.jenniferryder.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jennifer Ryder is a bestselling romance author with eight titles published to date. She loves to write about boys on dirt bikes, detectives and strong females who aren’t afraid to fight for what they want.
A born and bred Canberra girl, now living on a rural property in New South Wales, Australia, she enjoys the best of city and country. Her loving husband is ever willing to provide inspiration, and her two young cherubs, and sheep that don’t see fences as barriers, keep life more than interesting.
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