Excerpt!
Shane
I’ve learned to live life with my head down, spend my days in the family home living off the income from the bar I inherited from my brother. When I first got out, I wanted to start fresh. To make up for my sins. To clean up my mess of a life. But that’s the thing about making very public blunders in a small town like Belleville—people never forget. Especially when stupid mistakes become a part of your family legacy. With a name like Turner, I couldn’t even get an interview, let alone a job. And having set up a trust fund for my kids with the money from my music days, I had no choice but to accept my brother's offer—part owner of a bar I rarely set foot in.
With one glance at the keypad, I register the glowing M button and lean my head up against the back wall of the elevator, ignoring the one other person inside, not even glancing in their direction.
After today’s visit, I’m in serious need of a drink.
Rowan pretty much told me I was out of time, that by the end of next week my mother likely won’t be breathing on her own. She’s had an inoperable brain tumor for years. I don’t know how he managed to keep her alive all this time, or why he even cared enough to. All I know is that if a fucking angel doesn’t fall into my lap in the next few days, my quest to save the woman who gave me life is over for good.
A hand rests on my shoulder, and I shake it off. I straighten and turn, ready to defend myself, but instantly relax once I see the girl standing next to me. Her hands are held out in front of her, her brow wrinkled as she shrinks back.
I lower my fist, quickly flipping the switch from defensive to sympathetic.
“Coco.” I shove my hands into my jacket pockets. “Shit, I’m sorry. I didn’t...see you there. I—”
“Do you always attack random people in elevators?” she asks, with a hint of a smile.
“Uh.” I shake my head. “No, it’s just...you caught me off guard is all.”
That and practically every physical confrontation I’ve had over the past few years has resulted in a bloody nose or a black eye.
“I didn’t see you.”
“Sorry for scaring you. I said ‘hi’ when you walked in, but it’s like you were in another world.” She smiles a little wider, then leans forward, climbing to her tiptoes as she wraps her arms around my neck. “I haven’t seen you in forever. How are you?”
“Fine.” I stiffly pat her back. “I’m good. And you?”
“I’m good.” She sniffs, nodding a little too vigorously to be convincing. The rims of her eyes and the tip of her nose are a slowly fading red.
My muscles instantly tighten, and I take a small step back. “What are you doing here?”
This is why I hate fucking hospitals. This. Sickness. Sadness. Death.
“Oh, um, it’s nothing. Doctor’s appointment.”
“Oh, cool,” I reply, mostly to myself.
“You?”
I clear my throat. “Same.”
She licks her lips and folds her arms against her chest, hunching over a little.
“It’s been a while,” I say. “Didn’t think you were even still in Belleville.”
“I was in Vancouver for a few months. I go back and forth between Toronto for work. And when I’m in town I’m usually at Ian’s.”
“Ian Cross?” I raise an eyebrow.
She nods, ducking her head.
That’s still happening? What are the chances?
“I'm staying at the house this summer though. If I recall, you’re the one playing the disappearing act.” She smiles. “I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever.”
The elevator slows and I let out a soft sigh. “Mostly keep to myself these days.”
“You look good. Different, but good. More grown up, I guess.”
My gaze travels from her face down the length of her body.
I’m not the only one.
This definitely isn’t the Collette Rose I remember. She’s filled out a little—no more chicken legs and flat chest. Her brown legs are taut and shapely. Even her hair is different. It’s darker now. Almost jet black. Her kinky curls are gone now too. The silky, waves flowing out from beneath the hat look fine, I guess. But definitely not as memorable. Her face still looks the same though, just a little less round and more defined. She’s grown into herself. No longer the girl next door. And it shows.
Collette “Coco” Rose returns to her small hometown for the summer, hoping to repair her turbulent, on-again-off-again relationship. Instead, she finds herself drawn back into the orbit of Shane Turner—the town’s reclusive outcast.
Once a rising musician, Shane has spent the past five years hiding from the world, haunted by past mistakes and cut off from everyone.
When fate throws Coco and Shane together once more, they must confront their shared past—a childhood crush that refuses to fade. As they navigate broken hearts and complex lives, their connection grows into something far more intense than either had imagined.
In this tender and passionate journey, set in the early 2000s, Coco and Shane must decide if they are willing to open their hearts to each other for a second chance at real love.
Author bio:
Lauryn Norwood is an indie author who loves to write and read stories about true love—real love. While she appreciates a good happily ever after, and will always deliver one to her readers, she won’t take you there immediately.
But the journey will always be worth it.
Everything I’ve Ever Wanted to Say is the first Lauryn Norwood publication.
