I thought you might enjoy a sneaky extract.
Tessa’s struggling with a new job and then there’s Harrison, the architect from upstairs to deal with:
I was saved from responding by Wendy’s appearance at the door.
“There was no-one at reception.” She looked daggers at me. “Harrison’s here to see Patricia.”
“Tess, can you see what he wants to drink and tell him I’ll be with him shortly. I have a couple of calls to return.”
“Of course.”
I walked past Wendy, feeling like a piece of slime stuck under her shoe. She made me feel guilty for being in Patricia’s office talking to Patricia and Kate and yet, they were encouraging me to stay. It all seemed a little about face to me.
“Hi Harrison, how are you?”
Harrison the architect from upstairs looked rather tasty today. If I had have been in the market for a man, which I most certainly was not, then he would have appealed. He looked more casual than our prior meetings, in a pair of stressed denim jeans and a crisp plain white tee which accentuated his tanned skin. The whole outfit left little to the imagination in terms of the muscular body it sheathed. A small tuft of black chest hair peaked over the top of the neck band of the tee shirt, hinting at the treasures lying beneath.
“I’m good.”
He looked more than good.
I cleared my mind of lurking, lustful thoughts and concentrated on the job at hand.
“Can I get you something to drink?”
“Yeah. A flat white would be good.”
Great. I could escape from him in the kitchen.
“Won’t be long,” I promised.
Harrison spent a lot of time down in our offices, working with Patricia on a big development. Part of my job was keeping clients occupied in reception. Keeping Harrison occupied in reception was beginning to become the highlight of my day. A concept which I was becoming increasingly uneasy about.
To my horror, he followed me.
“I thought I could give you a hand.”
“Honestly, that’s not necessary.” Somehow my hands felt as if they have five thumbs. I fumbled with the coffee machine feeling totally self-conscious.
“Well, I should at least be making my own coffee. I’m almost staff I spend so much time down here.”
I tried to concentrate on making the coffee, but Harrison sabotaged my brain cells.
“You are down here at lot.”
“Pat and I work on projects for mutual clients, we have for a few years now.”
The coffee machine had an immediate meltdown and I ended up with a combination of hot water and coffee grounds all over the bench top and all over my hands.
“Shit!”
“It’s got a life of its own, hasn’t it?” he laughed.
I’d turned into a gibbering idiot in front of Harrison the Architect from upstairs.
“It has its moments,” I agreed.
He grabbed a cloth from the sink. “Here, let me help with that.”
Harrison reached around me, so close I could smell him above the warm aroma of hot coffee. He smelled of sandalwood and fresh leaves.
I quickly moved away from him and the coffee machine, disturbed by the response of my traitorous body.
* * *
This is my second foray into women’s fiction. I do enjoy following a woman’s story and watching her come into her own, despite the adversities that life throws in her way.
Neither of these stories are ’traditional’ romance, but there is certainly a romantic conclusion for Tessa in Boquets & Buttercups. Tessa works so hard to recover from the tragedy of her previous life, I think she deserves the happiness she finds in Boquets & Buttercups.
If you haven’t read the prequel, Pushing Up Daisies you might want to give it a read before Boquets and Buttercups is released.
After I’ve finished Boquets & Buttercups, I’m turning my mind to another one of the lovely Pearson brothers. I love these men—gosh, I think I love all the men I write about.
The Pacific Billionaire Vintner is Harry & Grace’s story and I do love them both so much. Harry’s so jaded with life and Hauraki Island and Grace reignites his passion not just for the island itself, but her as well.
As a setting, Spindle Bay and Grace’s family holiday home just give me goose bumps.
My cover designer loves the cover for this book a ton as well. We’ve had some issues wrangling the right look for this book—but I think we’ve nailed it this time!
Back to the word mines for me.
Happy reading.
Lots of love,
Toni xx
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