California
Can Wait
by
Marci Boudreaux
Genre:
Contemporary Romance
Reporter
Andrea Davidson isn't running from her mistakes. There's no escaping
the career-ending mess she fell into back home. But she is moving
forward, and is halfway to a new life in California when someone
breaks into her motel room. She's lost her computer and her dignity,
but that's only the beginning of her newest problem: local news
editor Graham Bradley.
Graham
Bradley doesn't know a thing about the newspaper business. A widow
with a promise to keep, he's got more than just his own personal
welfare riding on this small-town paper. The last thing he needs is a
pushy woman with a secret in her past and a vicious red pen throwing
all his mistakes and insecurities front and center on his desk. Faced
with an impossible choice, Graham hires Andi, but hopes she's not
just the last-and maybe worst-in a long line of bad decisions. Saving
the small-town Gazette is the second chance both Andi and Graham
need.
But
with bill collectors calling, Andi's past catching up fast, and the
chemistry between them making work next to impossible, will Andi and
Graham get the second chance they both desperately need? Or will
their demise be the next big headline?
Amazon
* Apple *
B&N
* Kobo
He glanced
through the window to where Donna was sitting at her desk before
leveling his gaze at Andi. Even though the woman was on the other
side of the building, he lowered his voice. “Are you in some kind
of trouble?”
Andi forced
a laugh, an obvious attempt to dismiss his question, but her fake
giggle only made him more suspicious. “Of course not.”
“Really?
Because you had that same look when I gave you tax papers to fill
out, which by the way, you still haven’t done. It was also the look
you had when you said you didn’t want a byline. Now you’re scared
of taking phone calls?”
Any
amusement she’d pretended to have faded, and she stared him
straight in the eye as if warning him to back off. “I’m not
scared of taking phone calls. I just wasn’t expecting one, that’s
all.”
“That’s
all?”
“That’s
all,” she stated firmly.
“Look,
I don’t care what’s going on with you. I just need to know that
you’re not bringing your problems to my doorstep.”
“I’m
not.”
Reaching
around her, he closed the door. “I don’t need any more
complications getting this paper back on its feet than I have
already.”
“I’m
not here to complicate anything. I just don’t want to throw my name
out there when I’m only passing through.”
“Passing
through to where? Where are you going, Andi? Where did you come from?
Why are you here?”
He sighed
when she simply stared at him.
“You
know what?” He shook his head, thinking of how intense the last few
days had been. Not just the frustration they seemed to constantly
spark in each other, but the undeniable attraction he felt for her
that he suspected was not one-sided, as well as his fear of getting
involved with someone who had just as much, if not more, baggage than
he did. “This is a really bad idea. I mean, I don’t even know
what kind of experience you have, and I’m taking your advice,
letting you write for me, and make decisions for my paper.” He held
up a hand to stop her when she started to speak. “I don’t even
know if Andi is your real name because you have yet to give me any
kind of proof of identity. You’ve got this whole secret life thing
going on, and it’s starting to make me nervous. I think it’s time
for you to tell me who you are and how you know what you know about
running a newspaper.”
She stared
him down, seemingly torn. “I obviously have experience. Isn’t
that enough?”
He glanced
through the window at Donna, not really needing to verify that she
wasn’t eavesdropping. She rarely left her desk. He just needed to
not look at the plea in Andi’s eyes.
“I
realize I’m not that great at this newspaper thing yet, but I’ll
get it. I’ve been going to conferences and doing research. I’ll
figure it out. It would be easier if I had someone on staff to show
me, but not if you can’t be honest with me.”
She scoffed
and gave her head a hard shake. “So I have to tell you my life
story to work for you?”
“No,”
he snapped. “You have to tell me that letting you work here isn’t
going to cost me everything I’ve worked for. What kind of mess are
you in?”
“I’m
not in any kind of mess, Graham.”
“Don’t
lie to me, Andi.” He paused, giving her time to confess, but she
simply stood there, silently imploring him with her sad eyes. Damn
it, he didn’t want to fire her, but she was not leaving him any
choice. “Be honest with me.” He hoped using a more gentle tone
would persuade her. “Tell me what is going on with you. Tell me
right now, Andi. Or leave.”
As a teen, Marci Boudreaux skipped over
young adult books and jumped right into the world of romance novels.
She’s never left. Marci lives with her husband, two kiddos, and
their numerous pets. She is a freelance writer appearing monthly in a
variety of local magazines as well as a content editor.
Romance
is her preferred reading and writing genre because nothing feels
better than falling in love with someone new and her husband doesn't
like when she does that in real life.
No comments:
Post a Comment