Live Love Rewind: The Three Lives of Leah Preston by Anne Glynn Page A
Authors: Anne Glynn
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rolled her eyes.
Astrid said, “In 500 B.C., there was this Chinese general named Sun Tzu and he wrote a treatise called ‘The Art of War’. You ever hear of it?”
“Yeah, sure. I’ve heard of it, I never read it.”
“Tzu wrote about the strategy of battle, about defeating your enemies without going into combat. While he was putting his book together, one of his contemporaries, Sun Zu, was interested in a different kind of battle.”
“The Art of Whore,” Leah interjected. Despite herself, a sarcastic edge colored her words.
“He talks about winning love without having to engage in all of the unnecessary bullshit that colors a new relationship,” she replied. “He takes you through the initial steps of winning true love.”
From out of nowhere, Leah heard her own voice echo in her head: I want to find my one true love. That’s what I really want.
“Are you all right?” Astrid asked.
Taking the glasses from her face, Leah rubbed at the corners of her eyes. “Just feeling a little…odd.”
“Look, when I helped you paint your bathroom, you said you owed me a favor. I’m calling it in. I want you to read this book.”
Leah thought about it. In the past, Astrid would never have made this type of demand. Recently, however, she’d become much more outspoken. She’d been acting with more confidence, too.
Her change in attitude had paid off. At work, she’d received the promotion she’d been chasing for over a year and her love life had flowered. In short, she was happy for the first time in a long time.
“Later,” Leah tried. “Once I’ve finished ‘Twilight Tales’, I’ll seriously consider it. After I’ve met my deadline.”
“After the deadline, you’ll find a new excuse. You’ll have another novel to write, then another and another. You said so yourself, it’s one of the curses of being a novelist these days. If a writer wants to pay their bills, they can never get off of the treadmill.”
Leah knew Astrid was right. While there were some days when she loved sitting at the word processor, her joy in being a wordsmith had slowly diminished. The unrelenting grind of the job was the biggest reason why Twilight Tales was so far behind schedule.
Picking up a golden circle of zucchini, she bit it in half. It’s warm, salty taste filled her mouth as she tried to think of another reason not to carry the ancient tome back to her house.
Just looking at the cover, I’ll think of Josh showing himself to me. Knowing I was watching. With Astrid beneath him, wanting me to watch.
I’d rather lose those memories, thank you.
“I’ve read over Sun Zu’s advice so often, I can actually quote most sections,” Astrid said. She placed the book in Leah’s hands. “It’s your turn to do some studying. You have to promise.”
Leah quickly flipped through the pages. The volume was short, so that was a plus. There were illustrations between the chapters, further reducing its length. She could read through it in a few hours.
The pages were so old, she could almost smell the dust on them.
“You’re barely glancing at the pages,” Astrid accused her.
“Whatever.” She clapped the book closed. “When I can, I’ll give it a try.”
“Green paint dripped onto my hair and it took forever to get it out. I expect you to do more than try.”
“I’ll read it, okay? You win.” In the end, Leah decided, it wouldn’t matter. She owned a shelf full of self-help books and not one of them had ever created a lasting change in her life.
Words on a page could never do that.
Chapter Five
“So a few days pass and you’ve already met your dream man?” Leah said into the phone.
“Did I use those words?” Mary Ellen responded. “I said I went to a line dance and struck up a conversation with a good-looking guy. A widowed rancher who, it so happens, knows a few things about genealogy.”
“A cowboy who dances and shares an interest in your favorite hobby? How can he not be
Astrid said, “In 500 B.C., there was this Chinese general named Sun Tzu and he wrote a treatise called ‘The Art of War’. You ever hear of it?”
“Yeah, sure. I’ve heard of it, I never read it.”
“Tzu wrote about the strategy of battle, about defeating your enemies without going into combat. While he was putting his book together, one of his contemporaries, Sun Zu, was interested in a different kind of battle.”
“The Art of Whore,” Leah interjected. Despite herself, a sarcastic edge colored her words.
“He talks about winning love without having to engage in all of the unnecessary bullshit that colors a new relationship,” she replied. “He takes you through the initial steps of winning true love.”
From out of nowhere, Leah heard her own voice echo in her head: I want to find my one true love. That’s what I really want.
“Are you all right?” Astrid asked.
Taking the glasses from her face, Leah rubbed at the corners of her eyes. “Just feeling a little…odd.”
“Look, when I helped you paint your bathroom, you said you owed me a favor. I’m calling it in. I want you to read this book.”
Leah thought about it. In the past, Astrid would never have made this type of demand. Recently, however, she’d become much more outspoken. She’d been acting with more confidence, too.
Her change in attitude had paid off. At work, she’d received the promotion she’d been chasing for over a year and her love life had flowered. In short, she was happy for the first time in a long time.
“Later,” Leah tried. “Once I’ve finished ‘Twilight Tales’, I’ll seriously consider it. After I’ve met my deadline.”
“After the deadline, you’ll find a new excuse. You’ll have another novel to write, then another and another. You said so yourself, it’s one of the curses of being a novelist these days. If a writer wants to pay their bills, they can never get off of the treadmill.”
Leah knew Astrid was right. While there were some days when she loved sitting at the word processor, her joy in being a wordsmith had slowly diminished. The unrelenting grind of the job was the biggest reason why Twilight Tales was so far behind schedule.
Picking up a golden circle of zucchini, she bit it in half. It’s warm, salty taste filled her mouth as she tried to think of another reason not to carry the ancient tome back to her house.
Just looking at the cover, I’ll think of Josh showing himself to me. Knowing I was watching. With Astrid beneath him, wanting me to watch.
I’d rather lose those memories, thank you.
“I’ve read over Sun Zu’s advice so often, I can actually quote most sections,” Astrid said. She placed the book in Leah’s hands. “It’s your turn to do some studying. You have to promise.”
Leah quickly flipped through the pages. The volume was short, so that was a plus. There were illustrations between the chapters, further reducing its length. She could read through it in a few hours.
The pages were so old, she could almost smell the dust on them.
“You’re barely glancing at the pages,” Astrid accused her.
“Whatever.” She clapped the book closed. “When I can, I’ll give it a try.”
“Green paint dripped onto my hair and it took forever to get it out. I expect you to do more than try.”
“I’ll read it, okay? You win.” In the end, Leah decided, it wouldn’t matter. She owned a shelf full of self-help books and not one of them had ever created a lasting change in her life.
Words on a page could never do that.
Chapter Five
“So a few days pass and you’ve already met your dream man?” Leah said into the phone.
“Did I use those words?” Mary Ellen responded. “I said I went to a line dance and struck up a conversation with a good-looking guy. A widowed rancher who, it so happens, knows a few things about genealogy.”
“A cowboy who dances and shares an interest in your favorite hobby? How can he not be
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