Text Me

Amazon
BookBub
Published by: The Wild Rose Press, Inc
Series: Standalone
Release Date: January 27, 2016
(Please note, all links are affiliate links)
Synopsis
When Erika’s ex becomes her boss less than a year after dumping her by text, she gets desperate to find a date to the corporate Valentine’s dance so he doesn’t suspect she still has feelings for him. Though not a fan of texting for the obvious reason, she doesn’t have much choice but to tap the keypad in order to gain the attention of the only viable candidate from the classified ads.
Grayson made the mistake of listening to his brother a year ago and has regretted what he did to Erika ever since. But his brother’s next suggestion just might be his salvation when he takes out an ad for a Valentine’s date…and Erika answers.
Using a pseudo name and keeping contact to text messages only, Grayson’s plans to make Erika fall back in love with him appears to be working…until the date of the dance draws near, and she pushes a meeting—face to face.
Excerpt
“Dude, you’re like the best looking thing in here. I was starting to give up hope.”
Erika smirked. The shaggy-haired guy flicked his swept bangs away from his face. His baggy cargo shorts and old, worn out, cotton T-shirt screamed surfer boy—or at least a wanna-be surfer boy since this was the middle of Kansas, and Deer Port at that. The only
seashells found here were at a craft store. There wasn’t an ocean for over seven hundred miles.
“Brian Glover.”
She shook his extended hand and sucked in a snicker. “Erika Lyons.”
“I’ve never seen you here before.”
“Nope, first time.” She played with the stem on her wine glass. “Do you come here often?”
God, she had resorted to that line. With only two more “dates” to go after surfer boy vacated the chair across from her, Seven Minutes in Heaven Speed Dating had turned out to be seven minutes in hell—times seven.
Make that eight, with Brian here.
“Yeah, like twice a month.”
Winner, winner, probably won’t even buy me a chicken dinner.
Erika gazed over his bare arms. “Don’t you think you’re a little underdressed for January?”
“Naw.” He settled back in the chair and placed his hands behind his head. The inside of his bicep flexed a sun tattoo. “I’m from Hawaii originally. I’ve got sun in my blood.”
“Oh, I see. So, do you surf much?”
“Yeah, man, all the time.” He closed his eyes, giving her the impression he might fall asleep.
“You awake there, Brian?” She poked her finger in the middle of his sun.
He nodded, his eyes still closed as a smile cascaded across his face. “Yeah, just thinking about catching a wave.”
At least his teeth were straight and white.
“Well, that’s cool. What beach do you go to? It’s not like Kansas is surrounded by nautical life.”
“You misunderstand. I don’t actually surf.” He opened his eyes, leaned up and pointed to his head. “I catch waves in here.”
“Oh.” She took a sip of her wine to hide the roll of her eyes.
Nutter.
“So, what do you do for a living?” he asked.
“I’m an accountant.”
He placed his palms flat on the table like he was ready to push off. “Dude, really?”
“Really, dude.” She nodded and avoided his doe eyed stare. If she glanced back at him, she might laugh in his face.
Brian grabbed the pen by her clipboard and began drumming the tabletop. “Whoa. Totally boring. I’m more of a free spirit myself.”
Her gaze followed the pen up and down as she watched him whack the rim of the table over and over again.
As the speed of the pen increased, so did her head bobbing. She threw her palm across the table and smacked his hand flush against the top. “Could you please not do that?”
“Yeah, sure.”
He tossed the pen to the side, knocking over her glass of red wine with his hand.
The liquid covered the flat surface and dripped off the side, right onto her white pants…in an area where red should not be.
“Geez.” Erika jumped and grabbed her drink napkin, doing her best to dab the stain. Instead, she made it worse. The red seeped in just the right way to make her look like she had menstruated all over herself.
That’s what I get for wearing white after Labor Day.