Excerpt!
Paul walks in, rubbing his eyes. “It’s early, man. What’s with the commotion?”
“This here is Jac, and she claims she lives here.” I point to the room we’re standing in.
“I do live here! I’m not just saying I live here! Well, I mean. I used to live here. I grew up here. My parents live here now. Who are you?” She stares right at Paul.
“Paul Brown, and there must be some mistake. We rented a house from a couple who’s away for the summer. Clearly, you’re not away. I hope you’ll be able to find another place to stay,” says Paul.
Her cheeks are red, and her green eyes look teary. She sniffles. Please don’t cry. She bites her lip and picks at her nails.
“Yeah. You’re right. I probably should find a place to stay. I’m the idiot who thought a surprise visit was a good idea. But I have nowhere to go because my husband left me six months ago, and I had to give up my apartment. And I just really needed to sleep in my bed with the comforter my mom made from all my t-shirts.” She takes a breath. “I can call my brothers. They’ll take me in, but I didn’t want to have to ask them for anything. I wanted to do this on my own. Which doesn’t even make sense because I ran home to the house I grew up in, but I at least wanted to do most of this without anyone’s help. I wanted to prove to them, to myself, that I am ok.” She takes a big sniff and wipes her nose with the back of her hand. “Oh my gosh, I’m sorry. I’ve only just met you and I’ve already jumped up on my emotional soapbox.”
Her speech grabs at my heart, and I want to help this adorable creature.
“Hold on a minute,” I say, turning toward Paul. “Let’s talk about this. It’s her house. She doesn’t have to go anywhere yet.”
“It’s not her house,” he says, with quotes around her. “It’s her parents and we have an agreement with them.”
“Surely we can be gracious until this gets figured out,” I plead.
“Regardless, we’ll need you to sign an NDA,” says Paul and walks out of the room.
“An NDA?” Jac’s eyes get even bigger when she looks at me.
“Sorry about this. He’s kind of a stickler for procedure.” I shrug my shoulders because the actual answer is way more complicated.
“Why is there an NDA and a procedure for me staying in my house?” she asks as Paul returns with papers and a pen before I have to answer.
“Ok. So, these are legally binding. Once you sign, you agree you will not share any information you overhear or anything you see with anyone or discuss it in the future. Any mention of anything you see or hear will result in a penalty and a date in court.”
Her eyebrows arch up her forehead. “Who are you guys? Mafia? Drug lords turning the house into a meth lab?”
“I told you. We’re in tech. No need to worry about your safety.” I glance at Paul, who looks at me and mouths, really?
Julie Farley loves writing books filled with big families, lots of heart, and plenty of laughs. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and four amazing kids. Julie has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame and a graduate degree from DePaul University. When she’s not busy with her family or writing books, you’ll find her watching reality tv…of any sort!
Romance is what Ferry Tales are made of….
Jac
It’s been a not-so-great-year. Divorce. Check.Living on pennies. Check. All I need is a quiet summer back at my childhood home on Greensea Island-sitting on the deck with a glass of rosé, savoring one of Dad’s legendary charcuterie boards, and catching up on all the Sherman Family news. But instead, I find myself in an unexpected conversation with a random British guy in my parents’ kitchen who just casually mentioned he’s rented their house for the summer. My carefully laid out plan has just hit a turbulent wave.
Johnny
She honestly doesn’t know who I am. I can see it in her gigantic green eyes. I didn’t get the oh-my-gosh-you’re-Johnny-Nickel eyes or the swoon here-are-my-underpants look. She’s standing at the end of the kitchen counter, brown hair in one of those cattywampus buns, in an oversized white tee hanging off one shoulder and ripped jeans. Looking hella sexy even if she tried to stab me with a house key when I walked in. I just wonder how long I can keep my identity hidden from her…
And now they’re stuck together…for better or worse!
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Author bio: Julie Farley loves writing books filled with big families, lots of heart, and plenty of laughs. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and four amazing kids. Julie has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame and a graduate degree from DePaul University. When she’s not busy with her family or writing books, you’ll find her watching reality tv…of any sort!
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