And now, a blurb from Star Kissed.
Moonlit Summer Beach Read: A Slice of Summer
Available Friday, July 20th
A dull thudding ache started somewhere behind her right eye and extended outward. “I don’t care who the hell you think you are, mister, but I’ll have you know I’ve been paying rent here for two months, the full rent all by my lonesome. I agreed to take on a roommate when Mrs. Snyder asked. You have some nerve coming into an established home and moving personal belongings and furniture that don’t belong to you around without so much as a second thought. Add on top of your insufferable rudeness when I came home, I’m thinking twice about my agreement to have a roommate.”
The men simply stared at her when she began to massage her temples. “I want my bed back in that room in the next five minutes.”
She picked her way through the mess the men had created, hoping against hope to find a place to sit until she could lie down. For a day that had started out very well, it sure was ending on a cruddy note. She climbed over her bedside table, into the recliner. Ah, eyes closed stopped the rainbow dancing before her them.
“Here. You look like you could use this.”
Helena opened one eye. Her evil, nameless roommate crouched beside the recliner, offering a glass of water, two aspirin and a cold compress.
“Thank you,” she said. Wariness made her cautious, after all, she’d just read this man and his friend not one or two scenes from the riot act, but the entire riot act itself, complete with stage directions.
“I’m Hugh Franklyn. Aunt Tricia didn’t mention I’d be sharing the basement with another person.”
“Helena Read. Mrs. Snyder is your aunt?” She groaned. Sure, on top of being headachey and jobless, she would soon be experiencing the wonderful world of homelessness. She could join the beach bums on the benches that lined the boardwalk. Dig through the garbage cans for some wasteful tourist’s unwanted portion of a hotdog or crumbs of nachos and cheese.
“She is, and I’m pretty certain you and I have been the victims of a matchmaking attempt.”
“Just bury me now,” Helena mumbled. “I’m sure my body will soon realize it’s dead and get with the program.”
Hugh laughed. “It can’t be all that bad.”
“No? It looks to me like you and your friend just ate the last of the food I had between me and starvation, as my final paycheck must now go for one more month’s worth of lodging.”
“I’ll replace your food,” Hugh soothed her. “And for the record, my stepbrother had your room emptied by the time I arrived to call a halt to his idiocy.”
Helena decided he was humoring her, much like one humored an ancient, querulous relative. It only made her headache throb harder. The universe had played a nasty trick on her today, and she was in no mood to be forgiving.
“I’ll give you a list.” She closed her eyes, dismissing the Roommate From Hell. Heh.
“No need for a list, I’m pretty sure he can remember what he decimated.”
Darn. So much for the filet mignons and lobster tail. Helena heard him move away, pause for a moment, then continue on his way. His light chuckle caused goose bumps to rise on the back of her neck. She’d heard that sound before. In her dreams. Ever since she could remember. And now that she’d met her new roommate, she realized who the shadowy owner of the laugh was.
She shivered.
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