Time to wind down the birthday month with a party! I hope you'll join us this Thursday, August 1st, 2024, at 6pm ET on my Facebook page for some fun and (calorie-free!) birthday cake and treats.
We just finished up my family birthday dinner with the boys, so I've had a good birthday. Yummy food, amazing cheesecake (Junior's Cheesecake is fabulous!), and a nice afternoon together. I also now again have a working window on my driver's door--the mechanism gave out the other evening on my way to monthly writing group night, so the boys fixed it up for me today. To be fair, this is the third time they've replaced that part on my 4-door car, so one more door to go. Hahaha! Hopefully the fourth will not be soon.
I'm going to take the rest of the day to just enjoy, but before I go, I have a quick snippet for you this week from Light the Way Home.
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Lucie didn’t argue when Nate refused her help with the dishes. Her insides still quivered from the realization that he was attracted to her.
“I’ll see you in the mornin’, Lucie!” Hayden shouted, hopping on one foot.
She smiled as she put her sweater on. “Yes, you will.” They’d already decided Hayden would join her after breakfast so Nate could cram in a few hours of work before he headed to the hospital to see his dad–and try to get his mother to come home rather than sleep on the less-than-ideal pull-out chair-bed in his dad’s hospital room again.
She wasn’t sure that was a battle he would win, but she understood his concern.
Hayden gave her a quick hug and then ran back to his book in the living room.
“I really do appreciate this, Lucie,” Nate said from where he stood at the sink.
“It’s nothing, Nate,” she said lightly. “Keeps me from having to spend endless hours on job search sites and getting more depressed than I already am.” She kept her head down as she buttoned her sweater up to her chin.
“It isn’t nothing to me.”
His firm, quiet tone snared her attention, and her mouth went dry. The shadows in his brown eyes made her curl her fingers around the edges of her sweater to keep from reaching out.
“I’m not accustomed to asking for help.” He cleared his throat. “I appreciate it.”
She swallowed. “It’s no problem,” she whispered. Dammit–hot, attracted to her, and vulnerable. Shit, that was trouble. She took a slow breath. “I’ll see you in the morning then.” She inched toward the door.
A hint of awareness darkened his eyes, but he stayed where he was. “Good night, Lucie.”
She took two more steps, clearing the doorway to the mud room, and a little relief sank into her belly. Until she heard footsteps behind her.
Within reach of the back door, she whirled. He stood at the open doorway of the kitchen, undisguised desire in his eyes this time. Her heart skipped a beat, and she felt a quick rush of excitement that she tried to squash as he stepped into the mud room. She held her breath as he took another step. One more. Until he stood a foot away, and her breath rushed out.
He studied her face for a long moment, and she wondered what he saw, what he was looking for. Impulsively, she moved closer to him, noting the way his eyes rounded, and she stretched up to brush a kiss on his mouth, lingered for a second, then stepped back.
“Good night, Nate,” she whispered, reaching behind her for the doorknob.
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I hope you'll come over and join us this Thursday evening for my virtual birthday party over on my Facebook page! Some party games, lots of virtual party foods, and maybe some gifts, too. Have a great week, and I'll see you there!
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