Whitney in Charge

by Craver, Diane

  Praise for Whitney in Charge

  Review Rating: 5 stars

  Anyone with older sisters is absolutely hooked by this story in the first page. Whitney’s sisters are Waaay too in-charge. They’ve convinced her to do the cruise-thing, but I would have slammed on the brakes at skydiving. Why is she listening to her sisters? Oh, right—the Chinese food take-out. That would do it for me, too.

  Whitney sure isn’t in charge, and you know what is coming next; evil, older-sister matchmaking. Whitney had better take charge soon…

  In case I haven’t made it clear: It’s easy to identify with Whitney, the main character in “Whitney in Charge.” That’s why, when they all run to introduce themselves to the new, hopefully single neighbor, you can only sigh. Then, in some bizarre version of ‘true confessions’ it turns out the sisters are even planning Whitney’s new career. It’s one thing after another!

  Then, when Jack appears (or rather doesn’t appear, but phones) on the scene due to Regan and Shannon’s plotting, you just want Whitney to run screaming. Surely, she can find her own fella. Only, he’s really not such a bad guy. In fact, you find you kind of like him, at least on the phone, as much as you had planned not to. In fact, I started wondering if they were ever going to actually meet…while all the while, of course, the very nice Ben is lurking right outside the door. Decisions, decisions.

  Plausible, funny, and with a few fun surprises, this novella is really entertaining. It’s unpredictable, too.

  ~By Long and Short Reviews

  Review Rating: 5 stars and Night Owl Reviews Top Pick

  Young widow, Whitney Benson, is dealing with quite a bit of emotional baggage at the young age of thirty-one. You see her husband, Rob, was a news reporter who was killed in Iraq. Besides dealing with the tragic loss of Rob, she decides to quit her high paying producer job and move to Cornett, Ohio to tend to her ailing mother who is dying of cancer. Eventually the inevitable happens to her mom and Whitney finds herself trying to deal with two close losses to her.

  Her two sisters decide to take it upon themselves and make it their mission to help Whitney get through this rough time. Not only do they come up with the idea of starting a business venture together, but also they set out to find Whitney a man in which she can move on with her life. This seems like a generous offer and both Shannon and Regan succeed in finding Whitney not one, but two suitors they think she'll love. ...Which of the two guys, if any, does Whitney decide to start a relationship with? Does she ever get to start the business up with her sisters that they had spoken about?

  Ms. Craver has penned another great read that pulls her readers into her story and takes them on an enjoyable ride. I felt so bad for Whitney that she had to face two deaths of people that were close to her. She was definitely dealing with a lot of grief in a very short timeframe. As for her sisters, on one hand I was happy that they were trying to help her through her grief, but on the other hand I felt that they might have been a bit too intrusive in trying to set Whitney up with a prospective long-term relationship. I easily fell in love with both Ben and Jack and I found it hard to decide which one I thought fit Whitney as the best suitor. I couldn't wait to see which one she chose or if she'd decide she wasn't ready for a relationship with either of them. If you're looking for a story that will make you laugh, cry and smile all in the same story, than you have stumbled upon the perfect match for you!

  ~Diane Coyle, Night Owl Reviews

  Whitney in Charge

  By

  Diane Craver

  Whitney in Charge

  Copyright (c) 2012 by Diane Craver

  All Rights Reserved

  Cover Art by Diane Craver

  Whitney in Charge is a work of fiction. Though some actual towns, cities, and locations may be mentioned, they are used in a fictitious manner and the events and occurrences were invented in the mind and imagination of the author. Any similarities of characters or names used within to any person past, present, or future is coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author. Brief quotations may be embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  Dedication

  To Emily,

  An amazing and loving daughter who brings joy and laughter to my life.

  Chapter One

  Whitney Benson put her mother’s walker in the closet. She would take it later to a nursing home for someone else to use. Before shutting the door, she couldn’t resist fingering her mother’s favorite dress she used to wear to church. Whitney leaned against the closed door as tears ran down her face. Mom died three weeks ago, and she still didn’t have a clue what to do with her life.

  Going back to New York wasn’t an option. She’d quit her job to return home to take care of her mother. She never regretted her decision and hadn’t missed the big city. It’d been the right choice to live again in Cornett, Ohio.

  Her heart never could’ve taken staying in New York after her life had been turned upside down with her husband’s death. She’d managed to keep her sanity while being her mother’s caregiver, but now her weak grip on life was gone.

  Her mother’s funeral had ignited a new attack on her soul because Rob’s death once again haunted her with a vengeance. Maybe she was losing her mind. How could she go on with life when her love had died a violent death? Although he’d been dead for twenty-two months, it seemed like yesterday when the network had notified her of his death in Iraq. Then, they’d told her there would be no body to ship home to her. Rob had been blown to bits by a horrible bomb while covering the news. He’d been doing what he loved, but that fact wasn’t any comfort to her.

  Only a month after Rob’s death, her shock deepened with the news about her mother having cancer. Her mother’s illness had given her a purpose to go on with her life. Mom needed her.

  Now her sweet mom was gone.

  With her grief so deep, Whitney never heard the front door open, but she heard her sisters’ voices yelling for her. They’d called her earlier in the morning to see if she’d be home. Regan had explained that they needed to talk. Maybe it was about the house. She could pay rent until Regan and her husband, Casey, were ready to buy it and move in.

  She ran her hands through her dark brown hair. It wouldn’t do for them to see she hadn’t combed it. She wiped her tears with the bottom of her T-shirt, and said in a loud voice, “I’m in Mom’s bedroom.”

  Shannon and Regan entered the room with determined looks. Oh no, what are my sisters up to now? With her being widowed and their mother gone, both felt she needed direction and had told her so more than once.

  “Whitney, we need to talk,” Shannon said.

  “But first, let’s go into the kitchen.” Regan smiled, carrying Chinese food. “I brought your favorite.”

  “And fortune cookies,” Shannon added.

  Well, that wasn’t a good sign. When they wanted her to cooperate with their plans, Regan always thought food was necessary in winning an argument against the youngest sister. Two years ago, she’d been a television news producer for a popular morning program, but those two still treated her like the baby sister. Maybe if she’d had children with Rob, things would’ve been different. Probably not. She’d always be their little sis.

  What plans did they have for her? She loved Shannon and Regan but at times they overwhelmed her. Whitney followed them into the kitchen, getting plates from the cupboard while Shannon made coffee.

  Regan opened up the containers of food. “We think it’s time you get out of the house and do something exciting. Mom would want you to go on with your life. And…” She grinned as she scooped out fried rice. “We thought of something to do for you.”

  Whit
ney shook her head. “That’s not necessary—”

  “Yes, it is.” Shannon put a spoonful of sugar in her coffee. “You quit your job and came back to take care of Mom.”

  “I didn’t mind. Both of you have families, and I didn’t have any reason to stay in New York.” Please don’t mention Rob.

  Shannon carried the cups of coffee to the table. “Regan and I have thought of the perfect thing for you to experience.”

  Whitney broke open a fortune cookie and read from the slip of paper, “You will soon fall in love with a handsome stranger.”

  Shannon thumped Whitney on the back before joining them at the table. “That fortune fits right in with our plans for you.”

  “I think it fits in with any single woman’s hopeful plans. But certainly not mine.”

  “It’s a sign,” Regan said in an eager voice. “You’ll see.”

  “Not a cruise. Remember, I told you I don’t want to go on another cruise.” Several months earlier, they made her go on a three-day trip while both took turns staying with their mother. They had meant well but going by herself and being surrounded by couples hadn’t been much fun. Shannon and Regan were disappointed that Whitney hadn’t fallen in love on the ship. The only available guy she might have been interested in was the recreational director and he was too short.

  “We knew you’d say that, and we’ve heard you say how you’ve done it all.” Regan put a lock of auburn hair behind her ear and cleared her throat. “But we thought of something you haven’t done. It’ll be a thrill of a lifetime.”

  “When we tell you what it is, please don’t say no,” Shannon said. “We already paid for it.”

  Whitney stared at them. “Okay, you have me curious now. What is it?”

  Regan set forks down on the table and mumbled, “Skydiving.”

  Whitney gasped, spilling coffee on her hand. Why in the world would they pay for her to go skydiving? Had they lost their minds? “You can’t be serious. Are you trying to kill me?”

  “You won’t be jumping by yourself. We talked to the owner about signing you up for a tandem skydive for your first jump. You’ll meet fun people.” Shannon patted Whitney’s arm. “And the female-male ratio is good…”

  Regan nodded. “There are more guys than women skydiving. And the men are hot and love any woman who drops from the sky.”

  With raised eyebrows, Whitney asked, “How would you two know?”

  “Of course, we checked it all out before we got it for you,” Shannon said.

  Regan grinned. “Shannon, you’re skipping the best part of our visit. We drooled over all the instructors before we signed you up. I did mention I thought you’d be the most comfortable with Nate.”

  “Why Nate?” Whitney asked.

  Shannon laughed. “Regan couldn’t take her eyes off him. He’s drop-dead gorgeous.”

  Whitney swallowed a forkful of rice. If her sisters were correct and there was an overabundance of men, she knew why. Men wanted to act macho, but how many brain cells did they have to think jumping out of a plane made them tough? That wasn’t fair. Just because she wasn’t into skydiving didn’t mean it was stupid. When had she become so critical? She knew when. After Rob’s death, the optimistic, open-minded part of her died with him.

  “Maybe you two should go skydiving instead of me.”

  Regan shook her head. “No way. We want you to go.”

  “But I’m afraid of heights.” How could they forget I hate flying?

  “It’s time for you to overcome your fear of heights.” Shannon took a bite of shrimp. “We want to go to Hawaii sometime. Remember how we promised Mom we would? Just the three of us.”

  Whitney shrugged. “That’s different. I can fly to Hawaii without doing skydiving first.”

  “I don’t think so.” Regan scooped a heaping spoonful of chow mien onto her plate. “You drove me crazy when we flew to Wisconsin for Aunt Martha’s funeral. You had such terrible anxiety attacks.”

  Why did she have to have such stubborn sisters? The last thing she felt like doing was something stupid like skydiving, but she knew they’d never give up on her. They always thought they knew best because they were older and married. Big deal they were a bit older. Shannon was thirty-nine, and at thirty-four Regan was only three years older than Whitney.

  Shannon nudged Regan, grinning. “Tell her about Jack Hensley.”

  Regan shook her head. “Not a good idea.”

  “Who’s Jack? Another skydiver?” Whitney asked.

  “He’s a paramedic and single. He’s worked with Casey, but Jack’s not a firefighter. He’s not interested in meeting you.” Regan gave Whitney an apologetic shrug. “Sorry. It’s a shame because Jack’s a dead ringer for Chris Pine.”

  Shannon raised her eyebrows. “What did Casey tell Jack about Whitney?”

  “Not enough obviously,” Regan said, “But I’ll—”

  “No.” Whitney put her hand on Regan’s arm. “Don’t say anything. I don’t want to go out with someone who feels pressured.” She grinned. “Although resembling Pine might change my mind.”

  Regan stood. “I’m going to call Casey. Jack and Casey are working this afternoon on summer camp plans for the children who are recovering from burns.”

  “Don’t call,” Whitney said. It’d be embarrassing for her brother-in-law to try again to get Jack to hook up with her.

  With the receiver in her hand, Regan said, “Talking to Jack is no big deal. This way you can see if you have anything in common before meeting on an awkward first date.”

  Whitney shook her head but Regan still went through with calling Jack.

  Shannon said, “You know guys have to think about stuff first before making a move. I wouldn’t take it personally that Jack didn’t immediately want to ask you out.”

  Her throat felt dry so she sipped her water. “That’s true. And it’s not like Jack met me on his own and wasn’t interested.”

  Shannon grinned. “You should thank me that Tim’s nerdy friend isn’t going to call you. I told Tim no way when he wanted to give your number to him.”

  Before she could reply to Shannon, Regan said, “Casey told Jack that you’re beautiful and intelligent. Oh yeah, you love children and might want to help with summer camp. I added that last part.”

  “Thanks, I guess.” Whitney sighed. “Well, nothing like your sister using her influence on her hubby.”

  Regan handed the phone to her. “He’s all yours.”

  She covered the mouthpiece. “I’ll take it in the living room.” After leaving the kitchen, Whitney said hello to Jack.

  “Hi, Whitney. I overheard what Regan said about you volunteering for camp.” He laughed. “Your sister’s sneaky but that’d be great if you decide to help.”

  She liked his deep, sexy voice. “Actually I like her suggestion.”

  “I’ve heard a lot of great things about you from Casey.”

  “I hope he hasn’t bored you too much.” Come on. Casey told Jack that you’re intelligent, think of something better to say. “I should warn you that Regan probably pressured him to tell you about me. I have two wonderful sisters, but they seem to like to decide what’s best for me.”

  “Hey, I know what you mean. My sister is like that.” He groaned. “She never stops and always has someone in mind for me to meet.”

  She was tempted to ask Jack if he really resembled Chris Pine, but decided he might think she was only interested in him for his movie star looks. “Has she introduced you to anyone recently?”

  “Yes, the last one was a divorced friend of hers. She complained continually about her ex…oh, man, I forgot you’re a widow. I’m so sorry. You’ve had a great loss.”

  “It’s okay. And you’re right about divorced spouses.” I can’t talk about Rob to Jack. Quick, think of something to ask Jack. Movies should be a safe topic. “Have you seen any good movies lately?”

  “No, but I like to watch movies.” He paused for a moment. “I’m glad Casey told me about you.” />
  “I see how it is. You paramedics stick together. I guess Casey must think you’re an okay guy.”

  “Of course, I am,” he said and she heard the soft chuckle in his voice. “Could you hold on for a second? A call just came in for me.”

  “I’ll let you go.”

  “I’ve enjoyed talking to you. Is it okay if I call you sometime?”

  “You take your call. And I hope it’s nothing too serious. We can talk more later about camp. I’m glad we had this chat. Bye, Jack.”

  “Good-bye, Whitney.”

  The line clicked dead, and Whitney turned off the handset. She stared at the silent phone, thinking how Jack had a wonderful voice. She walked back into the kitchen and put the phone back on the wall mount. “Jack seems nice.”

  “That’s great!” Regan declared. “I can see you two dating soon.”

  “I don’t know if I want to jump into a date after one brief phone call.”

  “Speaking of jumping, let’s get back to the skydiving topic,” Shannon said. “You know I’m practical. We’ve paid for this, so humor us and try it.”

  Whitney sipped her coffee, wondering how she could convince them their plan was not going to work. Jumping out of a plane was out of the question. Maybe pouring their energies into fussing over her life kept them from thinking how their mother was gone. Mom was never going to be part of their lives again, and making her risk her life wouldn’t change that.

  Shannon and Regan had the right idea trying to get her involved in life again. Even though they drove her nuts sometimes, she needed her sisters more than ever. Without their meddling, she might completely lose her mind. Doing something adventuresome was a possibility. Just not skydiving. But they also needed a purpose to get closure to their mother’s death. All of them should focus on something new and fresh. Maybe working on a project together would be good for all of them, and a great thought occurred to her.

  “Okay this is the deal. I might sometime go skydiving, but first I need you two to consider something I want us to do together. And I’m serious about it. I don’t want to hear any excuses.”