there. I hope you come to my party today. But I understand if you don’t. Anyway . . . talk to you later.”
As I stepped onto the pier, a pontoon boat roared toward me. I put my hand over my eyes to cut the sun’s glare, then recognized Ethan behind the wheel. A woman stood next to him.
My heart stopped. He’d brought a date to my party, just like I’d told him to.
Stupid, stupid me.
****
My heart squeezed as Ethan’s boat stopped alongside Noah’s. I wanted to kick myself for telling Ethan to bring a date. Then, I wanted to kick him for bringing one. I couldn’t believe he’d brought Amanda to my party. Wait . . . that girl looked strangely similar to Dana.
No, that was Dana.
Tingles raced through me and, suddenly, I found myself running toward Ethan. Every inch of my skin felt charged, and before I had time to think about what I was doing, I leapt into his arms. Luckily, he caught me.
Holding him as tight as possible, I whispered. “You came.”
“I told you I’d save the date.” His lips brushed my ear, his voice low and gravelly. “Happy birthday, Kristen.”
My heart melted, and I leaned back to gaze into his mocha brown eyes. “I renewed the lease for my practice.”
His brows furrowed. “Good. It’s what you love.”
“You’re right.” I loosened my hold until my feet dropped to the floor, then I leaned into him. “You were also right about how I feel about you.”
The corners of his mouth crept into a smile. “I knew you’d figure things out.”
Tingles vibrated up my spine. “Ethan? I want you to save all your dates for me.”
He gazed down at me, with his simmering and intense look. “Already done, honey.”
“Good,” I said, then pressed my mouth to his.
Epilogue
Later that week, Ethan dropped by my office after work, and hammered a nail into the wall for me. Then he hung up the framed certificate from the Sacramento History Museum’s Adopt-an-Artifact program.
“I still can’t believe you donated to conserve that hat in my name.” I reached my arm around his neck, and gazed up at him. “That’s way too expensive for a birthday gift.”
Tucking a piece of hair behind my ear, he said, “It was for a good cause.”
I titled my head. “True. It’s important to preserve history.”
“I meant seeing you smile.” He leaned down, and brushed his lips against mine. “You ready to head out? Our dinner reservations are for seven.”
“Let me log off my computer first.” I skipped over to my desk, moved my mouse across the computer screen, then clicked on a new email from Career Crush. I gasped.
Dear Kristen Moore,
Thank you for participating in the Career Crush course. After careful evaluation, we have determined that you would be perfect in a career such as:
Marriage & Family Counselor
We hope our class has led you to your dream job!
Sincerely,
The Staff at Career Crush
“Everything okay over there?” Ethan’s voice laced with concern.
“Don’t worry.” I laughed, slipped my arms around my sweet and sexy boyfriend, then curled against his chest. “Everything’s perfect.”
THE END
If you enjoyed spending time
with these characters,
be sure to read Melanie’s story in:
A Twist of Date
(Better Date than Never series, Book #5)
(Coming - August 1, 2013!)
Acknowledgments
Writing a book is an epic test of perseverance, and trying not to freak out (often). Now that I’ve finished Kristen’s story, of course, I want to cry. She was an amazing character to spend time with, so strong on the outside, fragile on the inside, and she had the biggest heart. Thank goodness I can visit Kristen again throughout the series.
I’d like to thank some awesome people, for giving me feedback on my story, and/or letting me pick their brain: Virna DePaul, Kate Perry, Kristin Miller, Parisa Zolfaghari, Veronica Blade, Grace Callaway, Caryn Heath, Karen Scofield, Geoff Hatler, Ann Rego, and Mike
As I stepped onto the pier, a pontoon boat roared toward me. I put my hand over my eyes to cut the sun’s glare, then recognized Ethan behind the wheel. A woman stood next to him.
My heart stopped. He’d brought a date to my party, just like I’d told him to.
Stupid, stupid me.
****
My heart squeezed as Ethan’s boat stopped alongside Noah’s. I wanted to kick myself for telling Ethan to bring a date. Then, I wanted to kick him for bringing one. I couldn’t believe he’d brought Amanda to my party. Wait . . . that girl looked strangely similar to Dana.
No, that was Dana.
Tingles raced through me and, suddenly, I found myself running toward Ethan. Every inch of my skin felt charged, and before I had time to think about what I was doing, I leapt into his arms. Luckily, he caught me.
Holding him as tight as possible, I whispered. “You came.”
“I told you I’d save the date.” His lips brushed my ear, his voice low and gravelly. “Happy birthday, Kristen.”
My heart melted, and I leaned back to gaze into his mocha brown eyes. “I renewed the lease for my practice.”
His brows furrowed. “Good. It’s what you love.”
“You’re right.” I loosened my hold until my feet dropped to the floor, then I leaned into him. “You were also right about how I feel about you.”
The corners of his mouth crept into a smile. “I knew you’d figure things out.”
Tingles vibrated up my spine. “Ethan? I want you to save all your dates for me.”
He gazed down at me, with his simmering and intense look. “Already done, honey.”
“Good,” I said, then pressed my mouth to his.
Epilogue
Later that week, Ethan dropped by my office after work, and hammered a nail into the wall for me. Then he hung up the framed certificate from the Sacramento History Museum’s Adopt-an-Artifact program.
“I still can’t believe you donated to conserve that hat in my name.” I reached my arm around his neck, and gazed up at him. “That’s way too expensive for a birthday gift.”
Tucking a piece of hair behind my ear, he said, “It was for a good cause.”
I titled my head. “True. It’s important to preserve history.”
“I meant seeing you smile.” He leaned down, and brushed his lips against mine. “You ready to head out? Our dinner reservations are for seven.”
“Let me log off my computer first.” I skipped over to my desk, moved my mouse across the computer screen, then clicked on a new email from Career Crush. I gasped.
Dear Kristen Moore,
Thank you for participating in the Career Crush course. After careful evaluation, we have determined that you would be perfect in a career such as:
Marriage & Family Counselor
We hope our class has led you to your dream job!
Sincerely,
The Staff at Career Crush
“Everything okay over there?” Ethan’s voice laced with concern.
“Don’t worry.” I laughed, slipped my arms around my sweet and sexy boyfriend, then curled against his chest. “Everything’s perfect.”
THE END
If you enjoyed spending time
with these characters,
be sure to read Melanie’s story in:
A Twist of Date
(Better Date than Never series, Book #5)
(Coming - August 1, 2013!)
Acknowledgments
Writing a book is an epic test of perseverance, and trying not to freak out (often). Now that I’ve finished Kristen’s story, of course, I want to cry. She was an amazing character to spend time with, so strong on the outside, fragile on the inside, and she had the biggest heart. Thank goodness I can visit Kristen again throughout the series.
I’d like to thank some awesome people, for giving me feedback on my story, and/or letting me pick their brain: Virna DePaul, Kate Perry, Kristin Miller, Parisa Zolfaghari, Veronica Blade, Grace Callaway, Caryn Heath, Karen Scofield, Geoff Hatler, Ann Rego, and Mike