As for Lauren, she enjoyed her life as a student of the theater. She’d even talked with Jeanine about shadowing her in the future, a prospect Jeanine was very much in favor of. Stage managing was a great passion of Lauren’s, but maybe it was time she graduated to director. She had a lot of ideas of her own, and lots of stories to tell.
“Three forty-five, it is.” Lauren shook her head. “Ouch, by the way.”
“Right? Why do they hate me?” Carly stuck out her bottom lip.
“No one hates you. You’re too cute for hate.”
“Oh, I like that idea a lot.” Carly cocked a playful hip. “Do you want to help this cute person finish our bathroom wall?”
“Hmm.” Lauren made a show out of considering the offer. “Only if there is fooling around during and after. I can’t see you in short overalls and not get handsy.”
Carly offered an overly innocent smile. “It’s the very reason I invited you. Follow me.”
Lauren eagerly trailed Carly into their master bathroom, full of tarps, and tape, and paint, and brushes. Oh, my. She and Carly led a fairly exciting and diverse life by most people’s standards, but the mundane moments like these were the ones that Lauren cherished most. She looked forward to lazy afternoons by the much smaller pool in their backyard, gatherings with old and new friends alike, and the quiet of the night, when she could lie with Carly in her arms and know that she was right where she was supposed to be.
“I want spaghetti tonight,” Lauren said, as she painted. “I have no idea why.”
Carly pointed at her with a paintbrush. “Then we shall seek out this spaghetti and make it ours.”
They painted some more with the gentle sounds of Norah Jones playing from the small speaker Carly had set up in the bathroom. Lauren swayed her hips slightly to the music.
“Hey, Car?”
“Yes?”
“I really love you.”
“Good, because it’s not fun being hopelessly in love all by yourself.” They leaned in and exchanged a kiss over a can of paint.
“One more thing,” Lauren said. She pointed just above Carly’s head. “You missed a spot.”
Carly glanced up and smirked. “Still the project manager. You want to grab one of your Post-its and mark its placement?”
Lauren nodded, her heart full. “Lord knows I have enough.”
About the Author
Melissa Brayden (www.melissabrayden.com) is a multi-award-winning romance author, embracing the full-time writer’s life in San Antonio, Texas, and enjoying every minute of it.
Melissa enjoys spending time with her family and working really hard at remembering to do the dishes. For personal enjoyment, she throws realistically shaped toys for her Jack Russell terriers and checks out the NYC theatre scene as often as possible. She considers herself a reluctant patron of spin class, but would much rather be sipping merlot and staring off into space. Coffee, wine, and doughnuts make her world go round.
Books Available From Bold Strokes Books
Femme Tales by Anne Shade. Six women find themselves in their own real-life fairy tales when true love finds them in the most unexpected ways. (978-1-63555-657-5)
Jellicle Girl by Stevie Mikayne. One dark summer night, Beth and Jackie go out to the canoe dock. Two years later, Beth is still carrying the weight of what happened to Jackie. (978-1-63555-691-9)
My Date with a Wendigo by Genevieve McCluer. Elizabeth Rosseau finds her long-lost love and the secret community of fiends she’s now a part of. (978-1-63555-679-7)
On the Run by Charlotte Greene. Even when they’re cute blondes, it’s stupid to pick up hitchhikers, especially when they’ve just broken out of prison, but doing so is about to change Gwen’s life forever. (978-1-63555-682-7)
Perfect Timing by Dena Blake. The choice between love and family has never been so difficult, and Lynn’s and Maggie’s different visions of the future may end their romance before it’s begun. (978-1-63555-466-3)
The Mail Order Bride by R. Kent. When a mail order bride is thrust on Austin, he must choose between the bride he never wanted or the dream he lives for. (978-1-63555-678-0)
Through Love’s Eyes by C.A. Popovich. When fate reunites Brittany Yardin and Amy Jansons, can they move beyond the pain of their past to find love? (978-1-63555-629-2)
To the Moon and Back by Melissa Brayden. Film actress Carly Daniel thinks that stage work is boring and unexciting, but when she accepts a lead role in a new play, stage manager Lauren Prescott tests both her heart and her ability to share the limelight. (978-1-63555-618-6)
Tokyo Love by Diana Jean. When Kathleen Schmitt is given the opportunity to be on the cutting edge of AI technology, she never thought a failed robotic love companion would bring her closer to her neighbor, Yuriko Velucci, and finding love in unexpected places. (978-1-63555-681-0)
Brooklyn Summer by Maggie Cummings. When opposites attract, can a summer of passion and adventure lead to a lifetime of love? (978-1-63555-578-3)
City Kitty and Country Mouse by Alyssa Linn Palmer. Pulled in two different directions, can a city kitty and a country mouse fall in love and make it work? (978-1-63555-553-0)
Elimination by Jackie D. When a dangerous homegrown terrorist seeks refuge with the Russian mafia, the team will be put to the ultimate test. (978-1-63555-570-7)
In the Shadow of Darkness by Nicole Stiling. Angeline Vallencourt is a reluctant vampire who must decide what she wants more—obscurity, revenge, or the woman who makes her feel alive. (978-1-63555-624-7)
On Second Thought by C. Spencer. Madisen is falling hard for Rae. Even single life and co-parenting are beginning to click. At least, that is, until her ex-wife begins to have second thoughts. (978-1-63555-415-1)
Out of Practice by Carsen Taite. When attorney Abby Keane discovers the wedding blogger tormenting her client is the woman she had a passionate, anonymous vacation fling with, sparks and subpoenas fly. Legal Affairs: one law firm, three best friends, three chances to fall in love. (978-1-63555-359-8)
Providence by Leigh Hays. With every click of the shutter, photographer Rebekiah Kearns finds it harder and harder to keep Lindsey Blackwell in focus without getting too close. (978-1-63555-620-9)
Taking a Shot at Love by KC Richardson. When academic and athletic worlds collide, will English professor Celeste Bouchard and basketball coach Lisa Tobias ignore their attraction to achieve their professional goals? (978-1-63555-549-3)
Flight to the Horizon by Julie Tizard. Airline captain Kerri Sullivan and flight attendant Janine Case struggle to survive an emergency water landing and overcome dark secrets to give love a chance to fly. (978-1-63555-331-4)
In Helen’s Hands by Nanisi Barrett D’Arnuk. As her mistress, Helen pushes Mickey to her sensual limits, delivering the pleasure only a BDSM lifestyle can provide her. (978-1-63555-639-1)
Jamis Bachman, Ghost Hunter by Jen Jensen. In Sage Creek, Utah, a poltergeist stirs to life and past secrets emerge. (978-1-63555-605-6)
Moon Shadow by Suzie Clarke. Add betrayal, season with survival, then serve revenge smokin’ hot with a sharp knife. (978-1-63555-584-4)
Spellbound by Jean Copeland and Jackie D. When the supernatural worlds of good and evil face off, love might be what saves them all. (978-1-63555-564-6)
Temptation by Kris Bryant. Can experienced nanny Cassie Miller deny her growing attraction and keep her relationship with her boss professional? Or will they sidestep propriety and give in to temptation? (978-1-63555-508-0)
The Inheritance by Ali Vali. Family ties bring Tucker Delacroix and Willow Vernon together, but they could also tear them, and any chance they have at love, apart. (978-1-63555-303-1)
Thief of the Heart by MJ Williamz. Kit Hanson makes a living seducing rich women in casinos and relieving them of the expensive jewelry most won’t even miss. But her streak ends when she meets beautiful FBI agent Savannah Brown. (978-1-63555-572-1)
Face Off by PJ Trebelhorn. Hockey player Savannah Wells rarely spends more than a night with any one woman,
but when photographer Madison Scott buys the house next door, she’s forced to rethink what she expects out of life. (978-1-63555-480-9)
Hot Ice by Aurora Rey, Elle Spencer, and Erin Zak. Can falling in love melt the hearts of the iciest ice queens? Join Aurora Rey, Elle Spencer, and Erin Zak to find out! A contemporary romance novella collection. (978-1-63555-513-4)
Line of Duty by VK Powell. Dr. Dylan Carlyle’s professional and personal life is turned upside down when a tragic event at Fairview Station pits her against ambitious, handsome police officer Finley Masters. (978-1-63555-486-1)
London Undone by Nan Higgins. London Craft reinvents her life after reading a childhood letter to her future self and, in doing so, finds the love she truly wants. (978-1-63555-562-2)
Lunar Eclipse by Gun Brooke. Moon De Cruz lives alone on an uninhabited planet after being shipwrecked in space. Her life changes forever when Captain Beaux Lestarion’s arrival threatens the planet and Moon’s freedom. (978-1-63555-460-1)
One Small Step by MA Binfield. In this contemporary romance, Iris and Cam discover the meaning of taking chances and following your heart, even if it means getting hurt. (978-1-63555-596-7)
Shadows of a Dream by Nicole Disney. Rainn has the talent to take her rock band all the way, but falling in love is a powerful distraction, and her new girlfriend’s meth addiction might just take them both down. (978-1-63555-598-1)
Someone to Love by Jenny Frame. When Davina Trent is given an unexpected family, can she let nanny Wendy Darling teach her to open her heart to the children and to Wendy? (978-1-63555-468-7)
Uncharted by Robyn Nyx. As Rayne Marcellus and Chase Stinsen track the legendary Golden Trinity, they must learn to put their differences aside and depend on one another to survive. (978-1-63555-325-3)
Where We Are by Annie McDonald. A sensual account of two women who discover a way to walk on the same path together with the help of an Indigenous tale, a Canadian art movement, and the mysterious appearance of dimes. (978-1-63555-581-3)
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To the Moon and Back Page 29
