Jean C. Joachim's Blog: Stories of Love and Passion, page 37

TUESDAY TALES - COURT

Welcome and thanks for stopping by! This is the second to last Tuesday Tales post about Rory and Hack. The word prompt is "court". To read the rest of the story, you'll have to get the book, coming out in January. I appreciate you all following their story and hope you will enjoy the finished book which complete their tales.

                 "THE RESCUED HEART"                            
“Rory? You’re canceling our work?
"Not ours, it’s mine.”
“Of course, of course. You know what I mean.”“If you’re worried about the judge, I’ll go back to court and tell them…”
“I’m not worried about that.”
“Then what?”
Rory’s three friends sat still, listening in and almost not daring to breathe.
“Well…I mean…I won’t get to see you every day. I won't see you at all.”
“Maybe that’s best. After all. You said it. You’re committed, taken. We shouldn’t do…more of what we were doing.” Rory sensed heat in her cheeks. She glanced up to see three pairs of eyes staring at her.
“Oh.”
There was a moment of silence before he spoke again.
"But I really like seeing you every day.”
“You do?”
“Yeah.”
“Even though I give you a hard time?”
“You have high standards, that’s all.”
“And all the names I call Felicia?”
“The highlight of my day,” he chuckled.
Silence again.
“Don’t you want me to come over?”
“I don’t think so. I…I can’t...” Her voice shook as tears burst through her defenses.
“Don’t cry…baby,” he said softly.

“You want me to dictate to you like nothing’s happened? I can’t.”
“So you’d rather say good-bye?”“It’s not a choice.”
“I wish you wouldn’t.”
Silence.
“Goodbye,” she whispered.
“Goodbye, beautiful.”
A sob caught in her throat, then broke through as she closed her phone. She ran to the ladies room.
                                     ****
Over the next month, Rory pecked out the remaining chapters of her book, alone. Every morning when she took Baxter to the park, she kept an eye out for a handsome man riding a bike too fast, but Hack never appeared.
The sharp pain in her chest had settled down to a dull ache. She missed Hack terribly.  Every morning her ears pricked up, listening for the familiar buzz that never came.

****Across town, Hack shaved, getting ready for his dinner date with Felicia. 
Nerves caused him to nick his chin. I’m going to tell her tonight. I have to. Swearing softly, he put on a jacket and tie before heading for her apartment.
“Come in. How about a drink?”  He looked at his watch. “Our reservation at Le Mer Bleu is for seven."
“This’ll just take a minute.
 “What?” He looked up.
“We have to talk.” Felicia began to mix drinks at the bar, then handed one to Hack.
“What’s going on?” Oh, God, she knows. Damn! His nerves kicked up. He took a gulp of his Tom Collins.

“I’ve met someone.” Felicia studied her nails.
“What?” His eyebrows rose. Hope entered his heart.
“A designer. I’m sorry, Hack.”  She took off her engagement ring and put it on the bar. He couldn’t surpress a huge grin. Grabbing her upper arms, he pulled her to him for a quick kiss.
“Thank you, Felicia.” She shot him a surprised and annoyed look as he flew out the door. 
                                  ----------
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TUESDAY TALES - WORD PROMPT - LONG - THE RESCUED HEART

Welcome! Thanks for stopping by. More of Rory & Hack.
"The Rescued Heart"
After two months of working with Hack on a new book, Rory decided it was over. There was no way she could sit there and focus on work after what had happened between them. The pain of being hopelessly in love with someone who didn’t or couldn’t love you back was overwhelming.  Rory’s hand shook as she dialed the vet clinic. When she was told he was with a patient, she left a message.
“Please tell him his debt to me is fulfilled. He doesn’t need to type for me anymore.”
The woman read the message back to her then Rory hung up. I’m not going to cry. Yeah, right.
She sniffled, grabbed a tissue and returned to her computer. She pulled up her manuscript, For the Love of Baxter and after a long sigh, started pecking out words with one hand. The ache in her heart didn’t stop as she was writing her love story, but she didn’t notice it as much. After one scene, she put the kettle on and settled next to Baxter on the sofa, waiting for the water to boil.
             Her gaze fell on her phone, hoping against hope that it would ring. And it would be Hack. And he’d say how much he loved me and how he’d broken off with Miss Splinter. And how he wanted to spend the rest of his life making love to me. But the phone didn’t ring. 
 She poured her tea and almost burned herself when the familiar ring diverted her attention. She dove for the phone, but disappointment fell on her like a thick fog when she read her friend, Bess Stuart's, number in the display.  “Get dressed, we’re taking you out to lunch.”
“We’re the Monday night dinner club, not the Wednesday afternoon lunch club.”
“We agreed this is an emergency and you need food. So get dressed. We’ll be there in fifteen minutes. And no backtalk!” Bess hung up as Rory opened her mouth to protest.
A rueful grin spread across her face. God Bless the Club. She turned on the shower and stuffed her hair in a shower cap. She didn’t hear the phone ringing. After her shower, she only had a few minutes to dress before her friends were buzzing.  No time to check her phone. Bess flagged down a taxi and they headed downtown to La Mer Bleu, for fish, French style.

After two Cosmos, the women were giggling and whispering salacious comments about some of the other patrons. Rory glanced at her phone. Two missed calls. Both from Hack. She gasped. Tears welled up in her eyes as she signaled for silence at the table.
Her hand trembled as she waited for him to answer. 
 To be continued....
 I'm sorry, but this is the last installment of Hack and Rory's story in Tuesday Tales. Their book comes out in January. I'll be posting excerpts in late December. If I continue, the entire book will be posted, in short form, on this blog. So please be patient but don't forget them. Their story is to be coming. Thank you for your interest, I'm thrilled to know their story already has fans.
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A few words from the deck...

I'm back in our little shack in Lake Huntington, aka Pine Grove to my readers. 
I've been traveling and hardly had a chance to breathe. When it came time to pack up to come here, I groaned. Fill another suitcase. Take another car trip? 
But once I got here, I remembered why I love it so much. 

This morning the call of the chickadee made me smile as I sat with computer open, ready to work. 
Next to the goldfinch, chicadees are my favorite small bird.

It's hot up here. No air conditioning. Just ceiling fans. But the humidity is lower and I enjoy the heat. Every now and then a cool breeze blows through. We're drinking tons of iced mint sun tea. 
It's great to see our friends who also have cabins in this little enclave. We haven't seen them but once since last summer. Lots of catching up to do, drinks and dinners to share.

It's taken two days for me to shake exhaustion and feel renewed. Just the sight of DH's thriving garden and a hummingbird made me smile. 
   
We almost missed  the estilbe blooming. Thank goodness we got here in time.
 

This morning at six, I'm up with the gray squirrel, chipmunk, purple finch and chickadee, feeling like writing.

 Our little deck is the perfect place to channel LOVE'S LAST CHANCE and watch the birds. 



Taking time to renew your spirit is so important. As important as chasing the big gray squirrel off the the bird feeder! I hope you're breathing fresh air and taking time to smell the flowers and enjoy life. Thanks for stopping by. 
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TUESDAY TALES - WORD: SUN

Welcome back to Tuesday Tales. We are visiting with Rory and Hack again, but this time, things are heating up. Thanks for stopping by.

THE RESCUED HEART Hack grabbed her shoulder and spun her around. She cringed, prepared for his anger at her presumption. Crap, I kissed him! What was I thinking? Miss Pencil will have my scalp.
Quickly he surrounded her with his arms, pulling her in to him for a real kiss. His mouth descended on hers before she could protest. 
 His hand cradled the back of her head while his tongue insisted on entering her mouth. He pressed his chest against hers igniting a fire inside her. His other arm encircled her waist, pinning her to him. Rory’s eyes closed as her body relaxed while his tongue caressed hers. Her arms wound around his neck and a soft moan escaped her throat. She moved her fingers up the back of his neck. His fingers threaded through her silky hair. The heat of his passion made her knees wobble, but he held her fast.
When he let go, the look of surprise on his face made her giggle. Taken over by his own libido, eh? He stepped back, lowering his eyes as his face turned bright red.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. I wouldn’t blame you if you called the judge and had me hauled in for assault.”
Rory put her hand on his arm and bent down until her eyes made contact with his, which were aimed at the floor.
“Don’t apologize. That was…breath-taking,” she said softly.
“You’re not mad?”
She shook her head. Then he went on, his words pouring out in a rush.
“I mean I’m engaged and I shouldn’t be thinking, let alone kissing or touching or anything, with another woman. And I mean, I need to be faithful to Felicia…we’ve known each other forever and no other woman should…”
But Rory stopped him with her mouth. Her lips closed over his while her fingers got a sturdy hold of his shoulders. She moved her hips against his and pressed. He responded, folding her into his embrace and taking over. His hands caressed her back then one slid down to squeeze her behind. She gave a little squeak at the intimacy. His other hand stroked her hair, his fingers combing through the soft strands again and again.

He kissed her gently this time,
waiting for her to kiss him back. His
lips nibbled on hers, his hands and fingers slowly, sensuously,
seducing her with every touch. She offered no resistance,
encouraging his exploration with her soft moans. When they broke, only ragged breathing broke the silence. They stood looking at each other as sunlight streamed in the windows.“The sun on your hair…beautiful,” he said, reaching for his jacket. “You’re amazing…some man’ll be very lucky to spend his life making love to you. It can’t be me. Dammit. It can’t. I’m committed. I’m sorry. You’ll never know how sorry.” In a flash he was out the door and down the steps, leaving a bewildered Rory on the verge of tears.
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On the road with Sandy Sullivan, PART 2

We arrived at my apartment in time for me to throw a few things in my suitcase before the car service driver pulled up. My husband and son helped the driver load two incredibly heavy suitcases and two boxes into the car. Sometimes I wonder why we don't sell stories on matchbooks.
The driver and I had a lively discussion on how to get to our location. He had a GPS and yours truly shut up before he smacked me in the head. Sandy was smart and sat quietly in the back seat, not taking sides.
After hauling everything up to our beautiful suite, Sandy discovered a broken wheel on her suitcase. That'll teach you to haul 150 lbs. of books in there every week! 

Still, now we had a problem. Noticing a small strip mall behind the hotel, we prayed that we'd find a store with a suitcase before we had to be at the barbecue Saturday at noon.
Checking her facts, Sandy discovered that the barbecue wasn't being held at the hotel, like we thought, but on Jones beach, 15 miles away. We now had no way to get there and two suitcases loaded with books to sell. Grrr. 
The skies looked ominous and we worried about setting out our books drenched by a sudden downpour. A plastic tarp would be good but we didn't have one? 

The room has a kitchen and is nice and bright and sunny. The air conditioning was blasting away, making the room cold enough to keep meat. 


Even Sandy was shivering. We had to call the desk to find out how to regulate it.
We were not battling even .200!  Kim, the lady in charge, arranged for us to get a ride to the barbecue. We knocked off, praying things would look up in the morning. We met the woman and her husband who would be driving us at breakfast. Good. Then we were off to find a replacement suitcase.
 Tramping around the back alley, there were several stores but nothing that looked like it had a suitcase. We did find a dollar store and went in there to ferret out some small bags for anyone who bought more than one book.
Lo and behold! This dollar store carried luggage! Sandy found just the right bag for a decent price. And they had plastic tablecloths for the books, and small bags, as well as candy and even a gold dish!! We were batting .1000!
Returning to the hotel, we packed up our books then the fire alarm went off. We trudged down the stairs and decided to walk to Seven Eleven to get sunscreen while the fire department checked out the hotel. Visions of our books going up in flames danced in my head. But I ignored it.
We bought some supplies, including a little hard lemonade for after the barbecue and returned.
In no time at all, we were in front of the dunes at Jones beach with a delightful group of readers and authors, hawking our books and chatting up the book club members. 

After stuffing ourselves with grilled meats, pasta salads, veggies, cookies. brownies and such, we took a little walk down to the ocean. 
Although we only sold about 15 books between the two of us, we spent a delightful day in the fresh salt air by the ocean, making new friends. This is what connecting with readers is all about.

BTW, I won two gift baskets of books and will be returning with many more books than I had when I left. Please don't tell DH. 

On the Road with Sandy Sullivan

My travels to conferences to reach out to readers continues as side-kick to my publisher, Sandy Sullivan. This trip is in New York, my stomping ground.
 Sandy arrived on Wednesday. We spent the afternoon eating burgers and sitting by the 79th Street boat basin, watching boats on the Hudson River and hunky runners on the path below. It was a delightfully warm and hazy day.

Dinner outside at an Italian restaurant on the corner had us scrambling to get out of the rain. But the raindrops didn't stop us from enjoying a fantastic chocolate fondue and tiramisu! We dried off in the theater and saw the show Chicago on Broadway. Fabulous, as always!




Thursday was the day to get together with other Secret Cravings authors: Carolyn Gibbs, Troy Storm, Karen Cino, Jeanine McAdam, Cathy Greenfeder and Ruth Aleshevsky. Lunch at The Cottage, my favorite Chinese restaurant and dinner at Planet Sushi, my favorite Japanese restaurant.

We were stranded by a huge downpour and rescued by my DH to came, accompanied by Homer and two umbrellas.

Friday was an exciting day as we headed out for Staten Island where our PR person, Karen Cino,  had arranged for us to film an interview on a local Cable channel. Hoping Sandy would get a good view of the Statue of Liberty from the windows of the Staten Island ferry, we were disappointed as hoards of people swarmed on to the boat, plugging up every crevice between our seat and the windows. Alas, we got a brief peek, but the boat ride was still pleasant. Where did all those people come from? Tourist season has begun in NYC.

We had a wonderful time at the studio and filming our hour interview was great fun. Karen provided fabulous food and organized the event down to the most minute detail. Well done, Karen!!

Racing across the river back to Manhattan on a much emptier ferry, we got a stunning view of Lady Liberty -- a great reminder how lucky we all are to live here. A mad dash out to  Long Island for a barbecue today. More on that when we return. This part of the trip has been eventful...a broken suitcase, a fire alarm at the hotel and a few other glitches. Have a great Saturday. I'll return tonight for an update.

New Release - MOVIE LOVERS - Hollywood Hearts, book 4

Each book in the Hollywood Hearts series is a stand-alone as well as part of the series. Meet Grace Brewster and Jake Matthews and read a little of their story. 
A bit about the book


Can revenge turn to regret? Humiliated by a slick producer and her sister’s co-star, Grace uses the Internet for payback. But the scheme turns sour, robbing Grace of the only happiness she’s known since the death of her beloved mother. Can she regain the respect of the man she loves and rebuild her life?    GRACIE BREWSTER 
Under the hot spray, she relaxed even more. Emotion gathered in her and tears flowed. She propped her head up against the tile and sobbed. Checking her phone, she discovered a series of texts from her sister. Cara! Need to hear your voice. But I can’t tell you why. You’ll be ashamed of me. With a badly shaking hand, Grace dialed through a flood of emotion. JAKE MATTHEWS  When she opened the door, there stood an incredible looking young man. He was about six feet two with perfectly trimmed, light brown hair on the short side, light brown eyes, shoulders as wide as a city block, and a smile that dazzled like sunlight. Her mouth hung open.


“You shouldn’t have another one of those.” She reached for the glass.
Jake snatched his drink away from her grasp and raised it high above her head. “I’m a grown man. I’ll drink what I want. Why do you care, anyway? You don’t even like me.”  

He looked so sexy with his hair falling over his forehead and his tie hanging loose, waiting for her to work her magic. ...A small shiver raced up her spine. “Closer,” she motioned.“Don’t have to ask me twice.” He stepped up until his chest was only an inch from hers. She swallowed before reaching up and grasping both ends of his bowtie. A few seconds later, it was tied. “Always wear a tux. It suits you.”
As the kissing got intense, he eased her back down until he was on top of her. Grace wound her arms around his neck then slid her hands into his hair. When he released her mouth, he beganhis gentle assault on her neck.  Tiny kisses from her earlobe to her shoulder made her shiver. Her breath became ragged. He slipped his hand under her top and up her ribcage.   GRACE BREWSTER  Grace couldn’t stop smiling. Best date in years…maybe ever. She was humming as she entered.
Gracie shrunk back, horrified. Jake looked at her, his eyes hard. “Is that true?” She stood silently, her feet riveted to the floor, unwilling to lie to Jake, but unable to admit the truth. 
If you want to know what happens to Gracie and Jake, you'll have to buy the book. It's available here:
SECRET CRAVINGS PUBLISHING Only $4.99

TUESDAY TALES - HAND

HAND


Rory couldn’t sit still. She paced, made tea, forgot to drink it, petted Baxter, fed him breakfast twice.   Conversation with Hack was getting too personal. Don’t admit anything. Nothing! He’s engaged. Do you want to have an affair with him just to watch him marry her? Besides, if he loves her, he couldn’t possibly love you. Want to sleep with you, yes. Love you, no. But he sure is delicious.
She jumped when the buzzer sounded. Rory took several deep breaths, trying to control the runaway beating of her heart. Be cool. Calm. Distant. Yeah, right. Good luck with that.
She opened the door and noticed right away, something was  different. Hack was different. Gone was the scruffy t-shirt and jeans. He wore khaki pants, pressed perfectly, a fresh blue shirt, open at the neck. His scruff wasn’t out of control, but trimmed to just the right length. And he wore a touch of cologne along with a twinkle in his eye and a charming smile. He’s trying to seduce you. Beware! Her pulse kicked up higher. Don’t have a stroke, for God’s sake!
“Going out later?”
“Nope.”
“Dressed up for me?” His face colored. “Didn’t think I’d notice?” 
“Simply dressing better. I mean if I’m engaged to a fashionista, I ought to dress better, right?”
“Did Miss Bread Stick tell you that?” Anger colored her tone.
He shook his head.  “About the other day…”
“Forgotten.” She waved her hand.
“Let me explain.” He tugged her down onto the sofa. “What I meant was…geez, your stories are about plenty of sex but no love. How can they be romances without love?”
“I know but…”
“Let me finish. Your writing is good, but…well…you’re a person who knows a lot about love. They say, write what you know. Not saying you don’t know about sex, obviously you do…a lot.” His blush deepened. “But you also know about love. I see it with your pug rescue stuff.  Write about love…love for pugs…love for people. You can write about that better than anyone, I bet.”
Rory didn’t utter a sound.
Hack laughed. “Not easy to make you speechless.”  She turned toward him, put one hand on each side of his face and kissed him hard.
“Thank you! No one has ever said that to me before. You’re right. Absolutely right. I do know a lot about love.  Let’s get started. Coffee?”
Now it was Hack’s turn to be speechless.
Rory turned away to hide her face. Holy Hell! What did I just do? BACK TO TUESDAY TALES
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MORE OF THE BIG LIE

This story has grabbed some folks. I've been asked to continue it and not wait for Tuesday Tales to roll around again. Besides, Rory and Hack have the next few Tuesday Tales sewn up! If you haven't read the first two installments, scroll down and you'll find them. Here's the next scene from:
THE BIG LIEDale couldn't stop watching the time. Cliff will be here in five minutes to pick up Sylvia. Dale fussed about the shop, washing dishes that weren't dirty and half-listening to Sylvia go on about her wedding twenty years ago. "...I can bring in my wedding picture. Do you have one?""What?" Dale picked up her head."A wedding picture. Do you have one?""Here?  I'm not sure.""Will you bring one in tomorrow if I bring in mine?""Sure, sure." Dale saw a dark SUV pull up to the curb out in front. The driver honked his horn. Bastard! Coward! Afraid to come in and face me. Her mouth set in a grim line. The ice around her heart hardened. Good. I don't want to see you either. 
    Bursting through the strict controls she imposed on her emotions, a flutter in her chest and a slight sting of tears in her eyes stopped her cold.  Betrayer! I don't care about you. You married her. But even as the oft-repeated words in her head, appeared again, she knew they were a lie. 

Suddenly, the unbearable pain in her heart was almost as fresh as when she first found out."Tommy's here. See you tomorrow."Dale managed a wan smile. "Tomorrow, then.""Don't forget your wedding picture," Sylvia said."I won't."Dale helped her friend to the door, then held it open while Sylvia moved slowly toward the car. Dale tried to turn away from the big picture window, but couldn't. Cliff was heading around the back of the car. He opened the door and helped his wife in. When he shut the door, he glanced briefly at the shop window. Their eyes connected and he stopped short. His mouth opened, then closed.
 Dale couldn't keep all her tears in check. One ran down her cheek. She rested  her palm on the glass. Cliff paled as he stood, frozen to the sidewalk. He mouthed the word "Dale?" She saw Sylvia lean out the window and call to her husband. Cliff shook his head for a second before tearing his gaze away from Dale.  When he reached the driver's side, he stopped and looked over the roof of the car at Dale, still in the window. 
Overcome with emotion, she turned quickly and moved to the back of the store. She rested her head against the wall, allowing tears to cascade down her cheeks as she heard the slam of Cliff's car door. When she looked again, his car was gone. If you like this story and want to read more, please leave a comment and I'll continue on with it. Thanks for stopping by.

TUESDAY TALES PICTURE PROMPT - THE BIG LIE

Welcome to my Tuesday Tales picture prompt story this week. We'll be delving into THE BIG LIE again for this one.
 THE BIG LIE – PICTURE PROMPT

Dale Carruthers strolled down Main Street in Willow Falls, carrying a cup of coffee. Taking a break from running her stepmother's  coffee shop, she peeked in the window of Purdy’s antique store. Junk store is more like it. She made a face as her gaze jumped from one dusty object to another.
“Find anything you like?” A female voice said.
Dale turned to see her brand-new friend Sylvia standing there, wheeling her oxygen tank behind her.
“Let me help you.” Dale took the sickly woman by the elbow and walked her back to the shop. She prepared her friend’s favorite coffee, then joined her.  Sylvia was a regular customer. Despite her failing health, she was still an intelligent woman with a quick wit. Dale looked forward to her visits.
“How long can you stay?”
“Tommy’ll be by to pick me up in an hour. That’s about all for today.”
“Have you lived here long?”
“A year or so. Tommy grew up here."
"Tommy? Maybe I know him?"
"Oh, his name isn’t really Tommy. That’s my nickname for him. His last name's Thomas.”
Dale became rigid. Her smile dissolved into a thin line. “Thomas?”
“Right. Clifford Thomas. Some call him Cliff. Do you know him?"
Dale didn’t hear anything after Cliff Thomas’ name. She dropped her coffee mug, which shattered on the floor, spraying her legs with warm coffee. 
"Oh my goodness, are you all right?” Sylvia put her hand on Dale's arm as she sat frozen.
“My, we’d better clean this up,” Sylvia said.
Dale stood up, as stiff as a robot. “I’ll get this.” She retrieved a rag from behind the counter.
“Did you know Cliff?” Sylvia persisted.
Dale nodded, kneeling on the floor. "A little." Her pulse kicked up. Know him? I was in love with him.
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