Four
unconventional love stories from popular and bestselling romance authors,
each
with sequels from Turquoise Morning Press.
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‘Til St. Patrick’s Day
by
Holly Gilliatt
For three best friends, one winter will change everything.
Chronically optimistic
Jayne is surprised she’s still single at twenty-eight. But as always for Jayne, there’s hope. This time his name is Gray—a successful,
gorgeous marketing VP that she can’t believe is going out with her. She’s never given up on the belief that the
right man for her is out there. Maybe
Gray could be the one…if she just works hard enough to make it happen.
Her cynical friend Karen
is suspicious of Jayne’s new guy with his model looks and over-inflated
ego. She’s concerned for Jayne, but has
her own relationship to worry about. Not
that anything’s wrong with her boyfriend.
He’s actually perfect for her, which is why she’s terrified. Not sure she can ever fully trust a man
again, she considers bailing on yet another relationship.
Claudia is always there
for her friends, mothering them like the children she craves to have. Happily married, Claudia anxiously awaits the
day her husband finally agrees it’s time to start a family.
‘Til St. Patrick’s Day is
a novel about the depths of friendship and what happens when love doesn’t go
according to plan.
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Excerpt
November
Jayne closed the door behind her and leaned against
it, afraid to even move. She was pretty certain the last four hours had just
been a dream, and if she dared to move or speak or even breathe too deeply—it
might all go away. So she stood silently, desperately still.
When her cell phone blared from inside her purse, she
jumped back, startled. Her heart started pulsating quickly, and she was
relieved that so far, her night seemed perhaps to be real. She dug around in
her oversized purse and grabbed her phone.
“Hello?”
“Hey, it’s me.” Karen. Relief again. It wasn’t some
dream fairy about to snatch away one of the best nights of her life. “Are you
home yet?”
“Yeah, I just walked in the door.” Breathe, she reminded herself. Jayne
pulled off the coat she’d worn to keep out the autumn cold that had begun to
creep into St. Louis. She threw it over the arm of her couch before she plopped
down.
“And? How’d it go?”
“Oh, he’s just…dreamy…” Her voice tapered off as a
stupid grin flooded her face.
“So I take that to mean it was good.”
“No, it was fabulous.” She closed her eyes, visions of
the night running through her mind.
“Give me the rundown.” Karen was always to the point,
one of the things Jayne loved best about her.
“Okay, well, first he took me to dinner in the city.
That new trendy place in Lafayette Square. It was really great inside, and the
food…well, you know how I love food. And it was delish.”
“Did he open doors for you and all that?
“Yeah, yeah he did. It was nice.” All night long, and
now too, she couldn’t believe that Gray Brandt had asked her out. He was
impossibly attractive—wavy black hair, dimples, a ridiculously bright white
smile, and perfectly toned body. She wasn’t sure what she’d noticed about him
first…his captivating bright blue eyes or his six-foot-two Adonis-like body.
“Then what?”
“Then we went to a movie, and afterwards we went
downtown and actually went for a horse-drawn carriage ride.”
Karen groaned. “How cheesy.”
“You are so jaded. It wasn’t cheesy. It was romantic.”
“He was just trying to get laid. Did he?”
“No, but he got a goodnight kiss.” Jayne giggled. “But
I would have done it if he wanted.”
“Well, I guess there’s nothing wrong with a little hot
sex from time to time.” Karen sighed. “But a carriage ride?”
“I liked it. I thought it was sweet and romantic and
touching.”
“Yeah, if it’s your senior prom and you’re wearing a
corsage.”
“Oh, stop. Next time I won’t give you all the details
if you’re going to just belittle them.”
“But it’s so much fun,” Karen said, laughing. “I’m
sorry. I know you like all that shit.”
“Yes, I do. I still can’t believe he actually went out
with me!”
“I can’t wait to see this guy. I mean, he sounds like
the love child of Johnny Depp and Maks from Dancing
with the Stars. If they were gay lovers, and if gay men could procreate
together, that is.”
Jayne couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s actually a
pretty good assessment. And did I ever mention to you that he has the most
beautiful deep blue eyes I’ve ever seen?”
“Only a dozen times or so.”
“Well, he does,” she said, grinning. “So he said he’d
call me tomorrow to make some plans for the weekend.”
“That sounds promising. If you actually hear from
him.”
“He’ll call.”
“I hope for your sake that he does. Well, it sounds
like you had a great time.”
“We really did.” Jayne yawned. “I better get to
bed…it’s late and I have to work in the morning. Some of us have real jobs, you
know.”
“I have a real job. I just make my own hours. Jealous,
eh?”
“Completely.”
“Well don’t be. I worked my ass off on a proposal all
day yesterday and presented it to the potential client today. And I could
absolutely tell he’s not going to do business with me.”
“Why do you say that?”
“I can just tell. He was disinterested, polite but not
friendly, and he didn’t really ask any questions.”
“Well that sucks. Was it a big customer?”
“Decent.” Karen sighed. “But in this economy I’ll take
whatever I can get.”
“You are good at what you do, you’re smart and tough.
Don’t give up—you never know.”
“You’re an eternal optimist, Jayne. It’s what makes
you so lovable and irritating all at the same time.”
“Not sure if I should say thank you or call you a
bitch for that,” Jayne said with a chuckle.
“How about, ‘Thanks, bitch’?” They both laughed.
“Well, I’ll let you go…are we still on for Saturday lunch with Claudia?”
“Of course. See you then, if we don’t talk before.”
“Okay. G’night.”
“’Night.” Jayne hung up the phone, put it on the
charger, and sauntered to her bedroom. Yawning as she pulled off her clothes
and slid a sleep shirt over her head, she crawled into bed without so much as
brushing her teeth. The incessant dripping sound from the bathroom faucet that
normally drove her insane didn’t bother her at all. Unlike most nights, she barely
noticed it.
She was tired and wanted nothing more than to fall
asleep and have dreams of Gray.
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A self-confessed
music, movie and accessories junkie, Holly Gilliatt's passion has always been
writing. Give her an Algebra quiz and she'll curl up in the fetal position. But
throw a test requiring all essay answers her way and she's in heaven. Between
the day job, husband, three kids, two dogs and cat—it’s not easy to find time
to write. So she sacrifices the laundry pile to spin her tales of laughter,
friendship and love. She's proud to call the St. Louis area her home.
Links:
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Giveaway:
These 4 great
authors are giving away a $25 Gift Card to Turquoise Morning Press.
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