CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
"Running Late"
Published in the anthology "Propose To Me" from Satin Romance
Released July 16, 2015
'On her way to meet with her boyfriend, Will, Paige reflects upon their seven-year relationship and prepares herself to be dumped. Meanwhile, Will has something else in mind.'
Available from the following retailers (and more!)
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What reviewers are saying:
"This was an amazing shot story ... I loved their love ... a very sweet romantic story. I kind of loved that moment when they both first met!" ~ Fallen For Books via Goodreads
"I loved the way this story was set up, giving us what seems like the highlights from a long relationship, interspersed with present day events that transpire in a very short amount of time. It really made the story feel more intense for me. Even though this is a short story, it was very easy to see the relationship blossom and grow." ~ Katie @ Just Another Girl and Her Books
Excerpt:
~ Present Time ~
The time on the clock sitting on the nightstand flashed 3:43 PM, taunting Paige and reminding her of her relentless lack of punctuality.
“Shoot!” she cried as she pulled her sweater over her head and grabbed her cell phone from her bed. She was supposed to meet her boyfriend at the coffee shop in exactly two minutes.
For the past few weeks, Will had been acting strange and Paige was starting to worry. She would ask him what was up and he'd just say, ‘Nothing’ and change the subject. They used to spend nearly every free moment together, but lately he was making excuses to get away from her. It felt like he was hiding something.
Logically, she knew she was probably being crazy, but she couldn’t help but wonder if there was someone else. It had been seven years since they’d first met and their relationship had reached a plateau; things had to change one way or another, and she was terrified that he was bringing their love story to an end. She had convinced herself that he wanted to meet her in public so that he could break up with her quietly, somewhere she wouldn't make a big scene.
~ * ~
~ Seven Years Ago ~
“How much?” Paige asked the barista. A stray lock of hair escaped the messy bun she had pulled her long, ash brown locks into earlier, and was now dangling in her face. With a frustrated sigh, she pushed the offending stray hair behind her ear, and struggled to pull her wallet from the book bag she carried, which weighed in at roughly one hundred and twenty pounds of college textbooks.
“No charge,” the barista replied.
Paige looked up from her struggle in surprise, her wallet temporarily forgotten.
“Huh?” she asked, pushing that pesky stray hair out of her face once more.
“You're covered.”
Paige blinked in surprise. “Is this one of those 'pay it forward' things?”
The barista shrugged. She looked around conspiratorially before leaning in to inform her, in a hushed voice, “See the guy wearing the blue hoodie, sitting at the table in the back corner?” When Paige went to turn around, the barista whispered, “Don’t look at him now. He’s watching us. When you walked in I was at his table, refilling his coffee, when he asked me to charge your drink to his card.”
The barista left and Paige casually looked over her shoulder and spotted him instantly. He was watching her. When her eyes locked with his, he glanced down, appearing to be trying to hide his smile.
Paige quickly turned back to the counter and frowned. Did she know him? He didn't look familiar. Paige was pretty sure she'd remember those haunting brown eyes. Of course, Paige was usually running late and didn't pay much attention to her surroundings. She sure paid attention now, though. He was super cute, with short brown hair and a tan complexion. Though his hoodie and jeans covered his body, he appeared to be physically fit as well.
She made her way to the other end of the counter and waited another minute for her drink, her eyes continuously making their way back to the handsome young man.
When her drink order was up, she carefully grabbed the paper cup and held it in both hands, appreciating the warmth after coming in from the chilly, fall weather. She summoned all the courage she could muster, spun around, squared her shoulders and made her way to his table.
“Thanks,” she said, stopping beside him. His focus was on a textbook resting on the table in front of him. Despite his intense focus on the book, she noticed his eyes weren't moving across the page.
He looked up and gave her a shy smile. “You're welcome.” There was an awkward pause before he said, “Would you like to sit down?”