But the questions that plagued her remained. Who was she? Excerpt from SPLIT DECISIONS ~ Coming June 27th!
This
is an excerpt for a follow up novel to the romantic-suspense bestseller, She Belongs to Me. There are a couple
spoilers, so if you haven’t read the first book, clink here
for more information.
If
you’re still here but missed the first excerpts and want to read the full first chapter, click
here.
Excerpt:
After she dropped the kids off
at school, she headed toward her favorite coffee shop, deciding to attempt some
writing. The Coffee House overflowed with its early-morning caffeine junkies.
The owner, Veronica, caught
her eye from behind the counter. “Mornin’, Jaynee, haven’t seen you in forever.
Kids back in school?”
Jaynee nodded. “Yeah…how’d you
know?” Veronica wasn’t only her barista; she was one of her biggest fans.
Veronica topped off another
customer’s coffee with whipped cream and leaned over the counter. “It’s been
the same for years. I miss you over summer vacations and holidays.”
Jaynee offered a smile. “I
didn’t know you were paying attention. I’ll have the usual,” she requested,
approaching the counter.
“I always take notice of my
beloved clients, in particular those who also happen to be one of my favorite
authors. When are you writing another book?” she asked designingly.
Jaynee shrugged. She
understood what Veronica was after. An opportunity to announce she knew her so
that people would question her. She wasn’t anything special; she’d published six
novels. Most popular authors nowadays had anywhere from ten to a hundred.
Jaynee accepted and paid for
her vanilla latte, hot. It didn’t matter that it was August. She always drank
her morning coffee steaming and her afternoon coffee iced.
While sipping her coffee and
chewing on a muffin, she checked her personal email. A couple of links to her
personal Facebook page, comments on her recent addition of family pictures, and
messages from her mother.
Though her mother had retired
from the entertainment business, she’d retained her stage name, and most of her
five thousand friends were actually fans. Jordan hated when she made comments
on their children’s pictures that strangers could see them, so she’d asked her
to comment in private. Her mother balked, of course, but in the end, agreed.
She knew Jordan wasn’t someone to trifle with.
When they’d first met, her mother
loved Jordan. But after realizing he wasn’t willing to placate her, she’d
turned cold. It didn’t bother Jaynee. She knew her mother’s personality; everything
had always been about her. She tolerated her because she was her mother, and
other than her uncle’s family, she was all Jaynee had. Thinking about her
mother always depressed her. She needed to stop lamenting and write, or she’d be
back where she was yesterday.
The first words were always
the hardest. How to commence. Set a scene? Introduce the main character? Jaynee
knew what she wanted, but not how to begin so she started web surfing.
Without warning, bleakness
saturated her core. Emptiness filled her insides, making her feel as though she
would break down and cry. She Googled inconsequential things: the weather,
recipe ideas, anything to occupy her mind.
But the questions that plagued
her remained. Who was she? What did she
want? Why was she miserable inside when everything in her life was perfect? Why
did she feel as if she were missing a significant part of herself? What more
did she want? She had everything she’d ever wanted.
Deciding to search for an
answer that didn’t exist, she typed her pseudonym, Jaynee Jordan. Pages popped
up indicating her profile, her novels, her picture. Was this her?
Not satisfied, she typed her
married name, Jaynee Monroe. Only a few entries: her Facebook page revealing a
couple of profile pictures, her name as co-owner of Jordan’s company. But mostly
links about the attempted murder and subsequent coma of Detective Jordan
Monroe’s wife. The reminder of the shooting sent a chill through her, but it
had happened almost thirteen years ago, and she’d always been adept at
suppressing painful memories. She’d done it her entire life.
Staring at her laptop, she
realized she was Jaynee Jordan, author of a few novels and Jaynee Monroe, wife
of Jordan. What else was there? What else did she desire?
Until
next time, happy reading!
Carmen
DeSousa
I
love talking about all things books, so please connect with me via one of the
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