#YAReaderWeek First Look Friday with Author Lisa Brown Roberts
Thanks Danielle for hosting me for First Look Friday! I’m working on several YA books right now, in various stages of drafting, revising, and editing. Today’s “First Look” is from HOW TO DROP A CLASS (AND FALL IN LOVE), which releases in February 2015 from Entangled Teen. This is the scene where my heroine, Darcy, first meets the hero, Lucas.
“So.” My uncle talked with his back to me, pouring sugar into his coffee mug. “You need cash, and you have some valuable items you’re willing to part with.” He faced me, serene and smiling now. “We might have some other options.”
A tiny lick of hope dashed up my spine. “Really?”
“Sure.” He turned and called out toward the curtains in the back of the store. “Lucas! Come on out here, please.”
There was a clatter that sounded like tools being dropped, and the curtains parted once more. One seriously hot guy emerged, wiping his hands on a greasy rag. He had shoulder-length dark hair that partially hid his face, but what I could see of it was incredible. He was tall. Lean but not skinny, with sinewy muscles evident everywhere I tried not to look.
He walked toward us, grinning. “Yeah, boss? What’s up?”
“Lucas, this is my niece, Darcy. Darcy, this is Lucas Martinez, the best fix-it guy in town. He’s kind of a pain in the ass, but so am I, so it works out.”
They both laughed while I tried not to stare at Lucas like a dog in heat. I clenched my fingers, digging my nails into my palms. Get a grip, I told myself. Snap out of it and don’t act like a dorky twelve-year-old.
I tugged at my ponytail, wishing I’d bothered to at least put on mascara. “Hi.”
“Hey,” said Lucas, and he glanced at Charlie. “Your niece, huh? Cool.” He smiled at me, one corner of his mouth quirking up. His voice was sexy, too. Low and smoky. He perched on the stool next to me. Toby perked up and looked at Lucas, wagging his tail. Lucas leaned over to pet him, then raised his eyes to meet mine.
“Cool dog. What’s his name?”
I forced myself to look directly into his eyes. That was a mistake. They were the most amazing color—or colors. Green, blue, and silver all mixed together somehow, and he had those ridiculously long, dark eyelashes that girls were always jealous of.
“Toby,” I said after a three-second delay.
“So.” Lucas looked at Charlie, then back at me. “What do you need fixed? You don’t look like the kind of girl who shops at thrift stores.”
“Lucas…” Charlie sounded like every teacher I’ve ever known when they used their “stern warning” voice.
Lucas laughed. “I’m just sayin’…”
Just saying what? That I looked like a rich girl who didn’t need help? What did he know about me or my falling-apart life?
Lucas read my face. He put up his hands. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to offend, really. It’s just—”
Charlie shot him a look, and he shut up.
“Look,” I said, “whatever you think about me, I need some money and I need it fast. This is all I’ve got.” I lifted the lid off the hatbox and slid it down the counter toward him. “Can you help me?”
HOW TO DROP A CLASS (AND FALL IN LOVE) by Lisa Brown Roberts releases in February 2015 from Entangled Teen.
Darcy Covington is completely unprepared when her car is repossessed from her elite private school and her new nickname, Repo Girl, goes viral. Used to hiding in the shadows of her larger-than-life infomercial king dad and drama queen best friend, Darcy’s forced into the spotlight when her dad goes AWOL. Can Darcy make a new life for herself and her family on the run-down side of town, decipher the cryptic clues to find her missing dad, and even fall in love along the way?
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Lisa Brown Roberts still hasn’t recovered from the teenage trauma of nearly tweezing off both of her eyebrows and having to pencil them in for an entire school year. This and other angst-filled memories inspire her to write and read YA books about navigating life’s painful and funny dramas, and falling in love along the way. Catch up with Lisa at lisabrownroberts.com, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and Instagram.
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