Title: Mrs. February
Series: The Calendar Girl Duet
Author: Karen Cimms
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Blurb
Is it possible to find your happily ever after if the past keeps coming back to haunt you?
It took three years, but Rain and Chase finally exchanged vows on a sandy beach as the sun rose over the Atlantic Ocean.
Happiness was theirs. But when jealousy and indiscretion threaten to unravel their tightly knit union, Rain finds herself fighting an elusive adversary -- and loosing.
At first blinded by love, Chase begins to encounter triggers that set him up for a fall. Opening his eyes to the truth is painful, but if he's to survive, it's his only option. Even if it hurts like hell.
Past experiences and present interference have a tendency to distort things, so what we think we see, might not really be true at all.
Sometimes you just need to close your eyes in order to hear what your heart has been telling you all along.
And then let it lead you home.
Mrs. February is the dramatic conclusion to the Calendar Girl Duet.
It took three years, but Rain and Chase finally exchanged vows on a sandy beach as the sun rose over the Atlantic Ocean.
Happiness was theirs. But when jealousy and indiscretion threaten to unravel their tightly knit union, Rain finds herself fighting an elusive adversary -- and loosing.
At first blinded by love, Chase begins to encounter triggers that set him up for a fall. Opening his eyes to the truth is painful, but if he's to survive, it's his only option. Even if it hurts like hell.
Past experiences and present interference have a tendency to distort things, so what we think we see, might not really be true at all.
Sometimes you just need to close your eyes in order to hear what your heart has been telling you all along.
And then let it lead you home.
Mrs. February is the dramatic conclusion to the Calendar Girl Duet.
Excerpt
“Damn, these are good.” Diane snatched another red, white,
and blue Jell-O shot off the tray and squeezed it into her mouth. “I could eat
these all day.” She looked at the empty plastic cup in her hand. “Or is it
drink these all day?”
“Whichever it is, you’ve been doing it. Your tongue is turning black.”
She wiggled her discolored tongue at me. “At least this way, we know where’s it’s been.”
I hip-bumped her and raised the tray over her head as she reached for another. “And that might be my cue to cut you off.”
“Spoilsport.”
I backed into the screen door leading into the yard and nudged it open. “Let me pass out at least one tray of these before you gobble them all down.”
Diane and Wally’s annual Fourth of July celebration had attracted just about everyone we knew. Both of their families were there, and Mom and her latest beau. All of the guys from the race team and their families had come, and even some of the regulars from Blondie’s, most of whom I rarely saw anymore, like Fish. I’d known him for years but had only just learned that the reason everyone called him Fish was because he drank like one. I’d always assumed he liked to fish. Go figure. His real name was Howard, which didn’t suit him at all.
No, Fish’s moniker suited him. He couldn’t hold his liquor worth a damn, and he got drunk faster than anyone I’d ever known. Maybe it was because he never stopped drinking.
“Hey, beautiful. When you comin’ back to work?” he asked.
“I do work. I just don’t work at Blondie’s anymore.”
“That’s ’cause yer old man’s a tight-ass.”
I gave him a benevolent smile. “No, it’s because I have a family to take care of, and I don’t need to work two jobs anymore. Be happy for me.”
He snorted. “Sure. Sure. I jes need someone easier on the eyes. Irena scares the shit outta me.”
He reached for a Jell-O shot, knocking over several others in the process. “Wuz ’is?”
“Dessert. It’s Jell-O layers made with vodka.”
He held the plastic cup to his lips and dug around with his tongue.
“Just squeeze the cup and it will slide into your mouth.” I took one and demonstrated. “See?”
“I know something else I’d like to slide into my mouth.”
Fortunately, I was a lot quicker and a lot less drunk. I took a giant step back as Fish stumbled forward. “Unh-uh-uh!” It was like back in the old days when I had to smile and ward him off. “Better not let Chase see you.”
“Fuck ’im.”
“Don’t you go worrying about that now. That’s my job, babe.” On that note, I scampered off to pass out the rest of the goodies on my tray.
I made a beeline across the yard to where my husband sat with Wally and some of the other guys, watching the kids play with sparklers. Chase held out an arm and patted his knee as I approached. I handed him my last Jell-O shot and took a seat. His arm curled around my waist, holding me into place, and he kissed my bare shoulder. Despite the afternoon heat, goose bumps sprang up along my arm.
“You having fun?” I asked.
“I’d be having more fun if you’d stay put.”
I snuggled in. “Me too, but Diane needs a hand. Once I put the berries on my cake, I’m all yours for the rest of the night.”
“Promise?”
“You play your cards right, and I may even go home with you.”
He rubbed the scruff along his jaw. “We’ll see. My wife’s pretty jealous.”
“Somehow, that doesn’t surprise me at all.” I planted a kiss on his lips before I rose from his lap. “I’ll be back in a little bit. Twenty minutes, tops.”
“I’m going to hold you to that,” he called after me.
“Whichever it is, you’ve been doing it. Your tongue is turning black.”
She wiggled her discolored tongue at me. “At least this way, we know where’s it’s been.”
I hip-bumped her and raised the tray over her head as she reached for another. “And that might be my cue to cut you off.”
“Spoilsport.”
I backed into the screen door leading into the yard and nudged it open. “Let me pass out at least one tray of these before you gobble them all down.”
Diane and Wally’s annual Fourth of July celebration had attracted just about everyone we knew. Both of their families were there, and Mom and her latest beau. All of the guys from the race team and their families had come, and even some of the regulars from Blondie’s, most of whom I rarely saw anymore, like Fish. I’d known him for years but had only just learned that the reason everyone called him Fish was because he drank like one. I’d always assumed he liked to fish. Go figure. His real name was Howard, which didn’t suit him at all.
No, Fish’s moniker suited him. He couldn’t hold his liquor worth a damn, and he got drunk faster than anyone I’d ever known. Maybe it was because he never stopped drinking.
“Hey, beautiful. When you comin’ back to work?” he asked.
“I do work. I just don’t work at Blondie’s anymore.”
“That’s ’cause yer old man’s a tight-ass.”
I gave him a benevolent smile. “No, it’s because I have a family to take care of, and I don’t need to work two jobs anymore. Be happy for me.”
He snorted. “Sure. Sure. I jes need someone easier on the eyes. Irena scares the shit outta me.”
He reached for a Jell-O shot, knocking over several others in the process. “Wuz ’is?”
“Dessert. It’s Jell-O layers made with vodka.”
He held the plastic cup to his lips and dug around with his tongue.
“Just squeeze the cup and it will slide into your mouth.” I took one and demonstrated. “See?”
“I know something else I’d like to slide into my mouth.”
Fortunately, I was a lot quicker and a lot less drunk. I took a giant step back as Fish stumbled forward. “Unh-uh-uh!” It was like back in the old days when I had to smile and ward him off. “Better not let Chase see you.”
“Fuck ’im.”
“Don’t you go worrying about that now. That’s my job, babe.” On that note, I scampered off to pass out the rest of the goodies on my tray.
I made a beeline across the yard to where my husband sat with Wally and some of the other guys, watching the kids play with sparklers. Chase held out an arm and patted his knee as I approached. I handed him my last Jell-O shot and took a seat. His arm curled around my waist, holding me into place, and he kissed my bare shoulder. Despite the afternoon heat, goose bumps sprang up along my arm.
“You having fun?” I asked.
“I’d be having more fun if you’d stay put.”
I snuggled in. “Me too, but Diane needs a hand. Once I put the berries on my cake, I’m all yours for the rest of the night.”
“Promise?”
“You play your cards right, and I may even go home with you.”
He rubbed the scruff along his jaw. “We’ll see. My wife’s pretty jealous.”
“Somehow, that doesn’t surprise me at all.” I planted a kiss on his lips before I rose from his lap. “I’ll be back in a little bit. Twenty minutes, tops.”
“I’m going to hold you to that,” he called after me.
Available on Amazon
About the author
Karen Cimms is a writer, editor, and music lover. She was born and raised in New Jersey and still thinks of the Garden State as home. She began her career at an early age rewriting the endings to her favorite books. it was a mostly unsuccessful endeavor, but she likes to think she invented fan-fiction.
Karen is a lifelong Jersey corn enthusiast, and is obsessed with (in no particular order) books, shoes, dishes, and Brad Pitt. In her spare time she likes to quilt, decorate, and entertain. Just kidding-she has no spare time.
Although she loves pigeons, she is terrified of pet birds, scary movies and Mr. Peanut.
Karen is married to her favorite lead guitar player. Her children enjoy tormenting her with countless mean-spirited pranks because they love her. She currently lives in Northeast Pennsylvania, although her heart is usually in Maine.
"At This Moment" is her debut novel.
Where to find Karen
#MrsFebruary, #CalendarGirlDuet, #KarenCimms, #ComingSoon, #ContemporaryRomance, #SingleMom, #SexyBartender, #SexyMechanic
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