Not-so-meet-cute

Today is an exciting day!

First of all, I Never Told You is now LIVE on Amazon. It is the newest addition to my Only You series. And it's available free in Kindle Unlimited. That being said... I need your help with something really quick...

For future books, what retailers do you prefer? I made a brief poll with only 5 questions, would you mind answering them before you go? It would help me decide in which direction I should be headed, publishing-wise. And I would love to write the kind of books you want to read. 😊 Take quick survey here.

Now... as an added bonus... here's an exclusive sneak peek of Logan and Jess' not-so-meet-cute 😆

“What can I get you?” a pretty woman behind the bar asked as he took a seat. Though her light brown hair was in a messy ponytail, it suited her. She reminded him of a girl he liked in college. She was on the volleyball team, and it always impressed him how she always seemed to look stunning, even after practice when she was sweaty and not wearing any makeup. 

He finally snapped out of it when the woman placed a paper menu in front of him. 

“Something to drink?”

“The darkest beer you have, please.” 

“Got an ID?”

Logan didn’t look underage, but he didn’t feel like arguing. Or being kicked out of the only restaurant within walking distance from the B&B. He handed her his ID then opened the menu. 

“Butts Road?” She chuckled. “All that money and you couldn’t find a better street name?”

“My grandfather had quite the sense of humor,” he replied, keeping his eyes on the menu. It wasn’t the first time he’d been teased about his address. Growing up on that street was torture. The kids at his private school made sure of that.

“Must be nice,” she added. “Having a grandfather so rich that he could name a street whatever he wanted.”
Logan simply nodded, not wanting to encourage the topic. He wasn’t going to talk about his grandfather to a stranger.

“Specials are on the back,” she said as she started a new cocktail.

Logan’s stomach growled. His last meal had been on the plane that morning. Not that he would’ve stopped his work calls to eat, anyway. It was a bad habit he had yet to break. “What’s your most popular dish?” he asked, deciding he was too hungry to read through all the options. 

“Depends,” the woman said, pouring a cocktail into a glass and sliding it over to a man a few stools down. “What are you in the mood for?”

“Anything without spit in it would be the highlight of my day.” 

When she laughed, it caught him by surprise. Not only did he like the sound of her laughter, but he wasn’t used to being funny. On the contrary, he was mostly known for being serious and uptight. Even though he never liked that reputation, it came with the title. Being the boss didn’t leave much room for humor. Not according to his father anyway.

His grandfather, on the other hand… well, Butts Road said it all. “I’ll just have the platter,” he said, closing the menu and putting it aside.

“Good choice,” she replied, sliding the beer to him with a small napkin, then turning around to put the order in.

“Jesse, sweetheart.” An older woman approached the bar with her silver hair down to her shoulders and handed Jess some cash to pay for her bill. “You tell your old man to hang in there. Those meds feel like poison in the beginning, but it gets better. My Joe puked every day. It’s completely normal.”

“Thanks, Mrs. Elsie.” Jess didn’t seem comfortable with the conversation, but she wasn’t rude to the lady.

“You tell him if he needs anything, anything at all—”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Good. You take care of yourself too, honey. I’m sure it’s been a lot on your shoulders—”

“Jesse!” A man appeared from behind the wall. He must’ve been the cook by the way his apron was covered in food. “You got a call.”

“Thanks, Greg.” Jess looked back at the lady with an apologetic yet relieved expression. “Sorry, Mrs. Elsie. I gotta take that.”

“Of course.” The lady waved it off. “I’ll drop off some mangoes tomorrow.” 

“Sounds great.” Jess already had the phone pressed to her ear by the time the lady Elsie walked away. “Hello?... What do you want?”

Logan shifted his attention back to his phone. She did not seem happy about the call, and it wasn’t any of his business. He was there to eat, not eavesdrop in anyone’s conversation. “I’m sorry, is that a threat?... Really?” She let out a frustrated chuckle like she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Oh, I’ll give your boss an answer by tonight.” She slammed the phone so hard, it echoed in the restaurant. No one else seemed to notice, though. And when she turned around, her eyes landed squarely on him. Logan felt a bit uneasy, not knowing what to do. Should he acknowledge her bad mood or simply play dumb? 

“How much longer on that platter?” he asked, not knowing what else to say. 

“You’ve got some nerve,” she hissed, and he stared at her in confusion. By the time he realized what she was doing, the water hose was aimed at him like a gun, and all he could do was brace himself. A torrent of water shot from the tip, drenching his dark hair as well as his entire upper body. All chatter around him died, and the deafening silence stayed long after she’d stopped spraying him.

Logan opened his eyes and found her glaring at him.

“You tell your lawyer that’s my answer,” she snapped, then turned on her heels toward the kitchen.

Before he could ask her what the heck that was about, she had stomped out of sight. 

When Logan turned around, applause erupted in the room and didn’t die down until he was out the door. His button-up shirt stuck to his chest and arms. He let out a long sigh, shoving his hands into his wet pockets as he walked away. When his stomach growled again, he cursed his grandfather. 

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Well... back to my writing cave. 😉

Until next time,
Be well, be kind.
Jessie