My newest fiction infatuation is with Everett Evans, Jr. He’s the owner of E.E.R. Tranquility Candle Company. Everett is creative, sensitive, sexy, and smarter than a NASA engineer. He loves to work out with his best friend at the gym and teach disadvantaged youth soccer at the community center.
What’s not to love?
Maya McDonald could give you one very good reason: Everett dumped her for a woman who later broke his heart and tried to break his bank.
There’s a lot more to the story than Maya knows. But will she give Everett the chance to prove himself to her?
When Maya had stomped her way down the concrete steps of the porch and landed on the grass in front of his mother’s prized rose bushes, she whirled around to face him, hands folded tightly across her chest. “Did you know about this?”
Everett settled a few feet in front of her, one foot behind the other, resting back casually, arms at his sides. “You mean this Adopt-A-Senior thing?”
“Yes. Of course.” Exasperation laced her voice and took her sexy low tone up to a higher level.
“Not until recently.”
“But you knew before today?”
He nodded.
She pointed her finger toward his chest. “And you didn’t say anything.”
“When, exactly, was I supposed to do that? When you were ignoring my existence or when you were trying to murder me with dirty looks?”
For a moment her eyes flared with anger. A second later, her body slumped. Her hands moved to her hips and she took three deep breaths before responding. “Okay. Fine. You’re right. Maybe an email would have sufficed.”
Everett couldn’t help but chuckle at the image of him using their company email to communicate their parents’ newfound friendship to her. “I suppose you’re right. But, honestly, I’d rather see you in person, even if you are plotting my demise the entire time we’re together.”
Silence followed his statement. Maya held his gaze, her body still, her mouth open, eyes wide. Obviously, she didn’t expect such naked honesty from him. So he gave her more.
Everett stepped forward, closing the distance between them. “I would love to get to a place where you don’t hate me. Do you think that’s possible?” She didn’t say anything, so he tried another tactic. “It’s been seven years, Maya.” His voice was soft, his face inching toward her, head down to make their height difference less noticeable.
He could hear her hard breaths, see the conflict in her eyes. Slowly, he reached out a hand, heading for her forearm. But before he could get there, a new sound made them both turn.
“I hope you aren’t…” Apparently, Mica had begun speaking before rounding the corner of the house, having used the shortcut to come check on them. He cut off whatever he was going to say when he spotted them so close together, on the verge of something important. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
But it was too late.
Maya took three steps back. Her face hardened as she turned back to Everett. “No. We’re done here.” Twisting on her heel, she marched back into the house, closing the door sharply behind her.
Read about Everett and Maya in “Maya’s Wish” now available for pre-order. Click here to get it at the special introductory price (good through December only).
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