Piper Rayne's Blog - Posts Tagged "piperrayne-excerpt-comingsoon"
My Scorned Best Friend Excerpt
“X, want anything?”
I shake my head. “Nah. I’m heading to the library.”
“Clara?” She smiles.
“Why else would I go?” I laugh and she does too.
“Let me grab you her usual so you can take it over. She’s been working like crazy lately.” The door shuts before I can say anything.
“She’s been busy with the auction, I assume?”
My grandma’s lips purse for a moment. “Well, since you haven’t been here, let me fill you in. Gavin said there’s nothing in the budget for a library extension. Gave her some five-year plan and even then, it would still be a maybe. So, she has the auction and some other fundraisers. The poor girl is fighting for something I’m not sure she’ll be able to pull off. But I’m sure it keeps her from thinking of—” She sips her coffee as though she wasn’t midsentence.
“Grandma?”
“Huh?”
“You were saying something.”
She shakes her head. “No. I just meant the poor girl has been through so much. First her dad lost at sea, her mom dying, her grandma dying, and then, you know.” She nods at me.
“Are you suggesting she lost me?” I point at my chest in disbelief. “Because she gave me up.”
“I’m sure she had her reasons.” She gives me a “tell me I’m wrong” expression.
I shake my head. “Has she told you something?”
She leans forward and pats my leg. “Grandmas know these things. You should talk to Cade. Hear how happy he is with Presley and now little Leighton.”
I crinkle my eyebrows, trying to follow her line of thinking. Maybe her mind is going. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
She raises a shoulder and lets it drop. “It was bound to happen. You each have your own scars from that day.”
My chest tightens. “I should go.” I move to stand, but she pats my knee again.
“It’s okay to love again. Those models you’re dating.” She shakes her head. “They aren’t the ones for you.”
“Giulia and I broke up.”
“Yes, but then I saw pictures of you and another one the other day.”
“That was just a dinner.”
She sighs, finishes her coffee, and leaves money on the table under her mug. “Well then, you go to dinner with the wrong women.”
“Great, thanks.”
She shakes her head at me as though she’s disappointed.
“Clara and I are—were—just friends if that’s where you’re going with this.”
She’s quick to hold up her hands in defense. “Hey, it’s none of my business.”
“Yet you’ve been harping on it since I sat down. Here I thought maybe you just missed me.” I stand and shove my hands in my pockets because damn, it’s cold up here.
She steps up to me and signals for me to bend down. Once I’m in range of her hands, she presses them to my cheeks. “Everyone misses you here, but one person has been lost for some time without you. I think this trip, you need to make amends.
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I shake my head. “Nah. I’m heading to the library.”
“Clara?” She smiles.
“Why else would I go?” I laugh and she does too.
“Let me grab you her usual so you can take it over. She’s been working like crazy lately.” The door shuts before I can say anything.
“She’s been busy with the auction, I assume?”
My grandma’s lips purse for a moment. “Well, since you haven’t been here, let me fill you in. Gavin said there’s nothing in the budget for a library extension. Gave her some five-year plan and even then, it would still be a maybe. So, she has the auction and some other fundraisers. The poor girl is fighting for something I’m not sure she’ll be able to pull off. But I’m sure it keeps her from thinking of—” She sips her coffee as though she wasn’t midsentence.
“Grandma?”
“Huh?”
“You were saying something.”
She shakes her head. “No. I just meant the poor girl has been through so much. First her dad lost at sea, her mom dying, her grandma dying, and then, you know.” She nods at me.
“Are you suggesting she lost me?” I point at my chest in disbelief. “Because she gave me up.”
“I’m sure she had her reasons.” She gives me a “tell me I’m wrong” expression.
I shake my head. “Has she told you something?”
She leans forward and pats my leg. “Grandmas know these things. You should talk to Cade. Hear how happy he is with Presley and now little Leighton.”
I crinkle my eyebrows, trying to follow her line of thinking. Maybe her mind is going. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
She raises a shoulder and lets it drop. “It was bound to happen. You each have your own scars from that day.”
My chest tightens. “I should go.” I move to stand, but she pats my knee again.
“It’s okay to love again. Those models you’re dating.” She shakes her head. “They aren’t the ones for you.”
“Giulia and I broke up.”
“Yes, but then I saw pictures of you and another one the other day.”
“That was just a dinner.”
She sighs, finishes her coffee, and leaves money on the table under her mug. “Well then, you go to dinner with the wrong women.”
“Great, thanks.”
She shakes her head at me as though she’s disappointed.
“Clara and I are—were—just friends if that’s where you’re going with this.”
She’s quick to hold up her hands in defense. “Hey, it’s none of my business.”
“Yet you’ve been harping on it since I sat down. Here I thought maybe you just missed me.” I stand and shove my hands in my pockets because damn, it’s cold up here.
She steps up to me and signals for me to bend down. Once I’m in range of her hands, she presses them to my cheeks. “Everyone misses you here, but one person has been lost for some time without you. I think this trip, you need to make amends.
Pre-order today! https://books2read.com/msbf
The Problem with Second Chances Excerpt
She sits down on the couch, crossing her legs and opening up chopsticks. She grabs a piece of orange chicken and falls back to the couch. “So good.”
I take another piece and hold it up on my fork. “Amazing that even Chicago doesn’t have a Chinese restaurant that compares to Wok For U.”
She points her chopsticks at me. “You’re finally admitting it?”
There’s humor in her tone rather than the anger there usually is whenever we compare our small hometowns to Chicago. In fact, last time we talked about this, she dumped an entire carton of orange chicken in the trash saying it was disgusting.
“I did, didn’t I?”
She narrows her eyes playfully. “I kind of want to hear you say it again.”
I lean in close to her, reaching forward to grab an egg roll. “Wok For U has better food than any restaurant in Chicago,” I repeat, and a smile transforms her face. “Happy?”
“Very.” Her eyes sparkle.
Jesus, it means everything to see that spark back in her eyes, especially knowing I’m the one who put it there.
I take another piece and hold it up on my fork. “Amazing that even Chicago doesn’t have a Chinese restaurant that compares to Wok For U.”
She points her chopsticks at me. “You’re finally admitting it?”
There’s humor in her tone rather than the anger there usually is whenever we compare our small hometowns to Chicago. In fact, last time we talked about this, she dumped an entire carton of orange chicken in the trash saying it was disgusting.
“I did, didn’t I?”
She narrows her eyes playfully. “I kind of want to hear you say it again.”
I lean in close to her, reaching forward to grab an egg roll. “Wok For U has better food than any restaurant in Chicago,” I repeat, and a smile transforms her face. “Happy?”
“Very.” Her eyes sparkle.
Jesus, it means everything to see that spark back in her eyes, especially knowing I’m the one who put it there.
