Virtually Yours: A Virtual Match Anthology

by Kait Nolan

  Double thanks to those of you who read to the last page of this story. I'd love to hear from you.

  About Sharon

  Sharon Hughson lives the dream but calls it a job. She writes romance and young adult fantasy. She invites you to enter her story realm and fall in love all over again. Even after twenty-some years married to her high school sweetheart, Sharon still enjoys the hearts-a-flutter rush from a well-told romantic tale. When she isn’t writing, she works as a substitute teacher and enjoys outdoor activities like hiking, biking and reading in a lounger. She resides near the Columbia River in Oregon with her husband and three demanding cats. You can find more of her imaginative tales at www.sharonleehughson.com.

  Virtual Surprise

  By Catherine Lynn

  Heat Level: 1 Flame

  Written and published by

  Copyright 2016

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form.

  AUTHOR’S NOTE: The following is a work of fiction. All people, places, and events are purely products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual people, places, or events is entirely coincidental.

  License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. The ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Chapter One

  Anna Fletcher wasn’t sure she would make it home without throwing up again. This stomach bug had been going around at the office, and it had made its way to her. Hurrying to her car, she tamped down a wave of nausea that threatened to stop her in her tracks, and she rallied on. The insurance office, where she worked part-time for some spending money of her own, was enough to make her sick, anyway, but this was the real thing.

  She barely made it through the front door before things started taking a nasty turn. She rushed to the bathroom downstairs and managed to get to the toilet in time. After she had thrown up everything she’d eaten, she felt a little better. A Coke sounded really good right now, something to settle her stomach.

  She sat at the kitchen table, sipped the cool liquid, and sighed with relief. Maybe this thing wouldn’t last long. Something nudged at the back of her mind, and she frowned. What was it? Then she realized her husband’s car had been in the garage when she pulled in. What was Brian doing home this time of day? Frowning, she started up the stairs. For some reason, she didn’t want to call out to him.

  When she reached the top of the stairs, she heard sounds coming from her bedroom. With a sense of dread, she pushed open the door, which wasn’t closed all the way. Rage washed over her when she saw her husband in a compromising position with one of his personal training clients. In their bed! She rushed over to them with her hands extended like claws, leaned over the couple…and vomited.

  ~*~

  “I can’t believe you threw up on me!” Brian shouted. He was on his own in this fight since his partner in sin had grabbed her clothes and fled.

  “And I can’t believe that’s the issue you want to bring up!” Anna snapped back.

  He looked down at himself in disgust and started the shower. “You know, I thought someone of your upbringing would have a little more class.”

  As he stepped into the shower, she yanked the shower curtain back with such force she ripped half of it off the curtain rod.

  “What the…!” he shouted.

  “You’re saying I have no class? Was it me who was in bed with someone else besides my spouse? You have no idea what class even means!”

  “Would you please get out and let me finish my shower?”

  She looked at the man she’d lived with for five years and realized she didn’t even know him. She’d thought she did, but apparently everything she believed had all been lies. She had been living in a dream world.

  “Stop staring at me and go away, will you?”

  “Go away? Yeah, I think I can do that.”

  Anna closed the bathroom door and went to the closet, dragging out two large suitcases. She opened drawers and grabbed out her clothes, then she moved to the closet. Clothes went into the luggage quickly, with no regard to wrinkles. It wasn’t like her to have no care for her clothing or other possessions. She laughed bitterly when she realized this was how she had defined herself and been defined. Her clothes, her hair, the total package. How shallow it all seemed now. Her job at the insurance office was just something to pass the time and to make a little money of her own. She’d never had a real job, never had to work for anything, really. Who was she, anyway?

  With tears streaming down her face, she lugged the suitcases down the stairs and out the door. She packed them into her trunk, got into the car, and started to back out of the garage. As she was backing her BMW into the turnaround, she heard the front door open and turned to see a barefoot Brian picking his way down the hot walkway.

  “Anna, what are you doing?” he shouted.

  She rolled down her window. “You told me to go away. I’m going away.”

  “That’s not what I meant! Please, can’t we talk about this?”

  She hesitated a moment. Normally, she would give in and do what he wanted. It was so much easier that way. She thought back on all the times he had humiliated her in one way or another. She had forgiven him each time. But this had been the last straw. No more.

  “Brian, you’ll be hearing from my attorney. Don’t try to contact me until then.”

  As she drove off, she realized she didn’t have an attorney. They had an attorney. It was time to change that.

  ~*~

  “I realize California has a community property law,” said Brian’s attorney. “However, there is no community property.”

  “What? That can’t be!” exclaimed Anna.

  Her attorney, Reese Edwards, held up his hand to silence her. “What about the club? Your client may have to sell it to pay Ms. Fletcher her half.”

  “Wait,” said Anna. “There’s money in the bank, so I don’t think he’ll have to sell the club.”

  “You don’t understand, Ms. Fletcher. There’s no money in the bank. There’s lots of credit card debt with just the minimum being paid each month. The club is in so much debt, the bank is about to foreclose on it. The house has a second mortgage on it. In other words, there’s really nothing to split. The only things the two of you completely own are your cars. I propose each of you keep your own cars, if that’s agreeable.”

  Anna looked at her attorney, her eyes widened in shock. “I don’t understand. How could this have happened? I thought we were well off.”

  Brian cleared his throat, and she turned to him. He looked genuinely contrite as he said, “I lost it all.”

  “How?”

  “Gambling. I couldn’t help myself.”

  She sprang from her chair and leaned toward him over the table. “You couldn’t help it? That’s bull!”

  “Calm down, Anna,” said Edwards. “This isn’t helping. There’s nothing we can do.”

  Anna and her attorney walked out of the room, and when they were in the hallway, Anna asked, “What am I going to do?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t know what to tell you, Anna. Is there somewhere you can go, someone you can stay with?”

  Anna turned to him with tears in her eyes and said, “I guess I’ll go back east.”

  Chapter Two

  Anna sat across from her mother in the parlor and sipped tea. She’d only been home two weeks, and she already felt smothered. Palmer, Alabama, named after her great-great grandfather, was an odd little town of fewer than ten thousand residents. The population was split almost right down the middle between wealth and near poverty. Her family was on the upper scale, and her mother was planning a huge party t
o welcome her home. All the pressure made her feel like she couldn’t breathe.

  “Mother, I know you mean well, but I really don’t want a party. I just want some peace and quiet after all I’ve been through.”

  “Nonsense,” said her mother as she fluffed her artfully dyed golden curls. “Getting together with all your old friends will make you feel better.”

  “No, it won’t. I don’t know these people anymore. It’s been eight years since I moved to California.”

  “And now you’re back in the arms of your family, where you belong.”

  “Mother, please, let’s not rehash that. I wanted to make my own life.”

  “And look what you’ve made of it.”

  Anna couldn’t believe what her mother had just said. And yet, wasn’t it true? She went to California to live on her own, then she married a man who brought her right back to the same lifestyle she had been trying to escape. She was weak, and she despised herself for that.

  “I’m your daughter. How could you say such a thing to me?”

  “I’m just being honest, dear. Divorce isn’t pretty, but we can overcome this.”

  “We? This is mine to overcome.” Anna clenched her hands into fists. “And you’re right, divorce isn’t pretty. When I said my vows, I expected it to be forever. Marriage is supposed to be forever.” She took a sip of tea to clear the anger rising in her throat. “Brian ruined all that with his gambling and cheating.”

  “I know, dear. But family sticks together. So we’ll overcome this together.”

  Anna sighed. It was easier to give in to her mother than to fight her. She knew there would be a party, no matter what she said.

  “Okay, Mother, throw your party. I’ll try to be on my best behavior.”

  “That’s the spirit. And this will be a good way to find you another husband.”

  “Mother!”

  ~*~

  Luke Talbot watched the BMW pull out of the driveway of the Palmer estate. He had been installing some new plants in their garden, and he had seen the two women through the window as he worked. Anna Palmer. He couldn’t believe she was back in town.

  Bitterness washed over him. Apparently, nothing had changed. She was still the same spoiled girl who had tried to humiliate him so many years ago. He had barely dodged that bullet. Why did I think someone from her side of town would be the least bit interested in me? His stomach clenched as he remembered those earlier years. He’d always admired her and thought she was different from the other snobs she hung out with. He’d been wrong.

  He shook his head as if trying to jar the thoughts out of his brain. Satisfaction welled in his chest as he looked at the results of his hard work. The rose bushes were about to be in full bloom, and the new portulaca plants looked perfect among the roses. Every house in this upscale neighborhood sported nice lawns and lovely gardens, most of which he took care of. He loved gardening, but it barely paid the bills when his father was so ill.

  As Luke picked up his tools and stowed them in his truck, he thought back to the ad he had seen online when he had been searching for another part time job. There was a brand new app that was in the early stages of use, barely out of the testing stage. It was an interesting concept, although he had never thought he would be suited for such a thing. But it intrigued him.

  He was supposed to find out the results of the test run on Friday, and if he passed that, then there would be the online orientation. This would be good money and something he could do that wouldn’t interfere with his landscaping business. It would be perfect. If he could do it.

  Luke hopped into his truck and drove away from the north end of town toward the south. The closer he got to home, the worse things looked. Most of the houses had peeling paint and unkempt lawns. It made his heart ache. When he arrived home, he took note of his meager yard and garden. He had tried to make something good out of his surroundings, and he had to admit the flowers looked nice, but it was just a tiny part in a desolate whole.

  “Hey, Luke,” greeted his younger sister, Lucy, who was barely out of high school and working long hours as a waitress at the diner. She had apparently just gotten home herself.

  “Hey, Squirt.”

  Lucy put her hands on her hips. “Dear brother of mine, I’m eighteen years old. Isn’t it time you stopped calling me ‘Squirt’?”

  He grinned at her. “Never.”

  They went into the house together, and his dad raised a hand in greeting from his day bed. The oxygen hissed as he took in labored breaths, and Luke’s heart broke for the millionth time as he watched his father waste away.

  “Hey, Dad. How are you feeling?”

  The older man waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. “Same as always, Son, no need to ask every time you come in the door.”

  “Sorry, I just worry about you. Anyway, I have some news. I might be getting another part time job.”

  “Luke, you already work hard,” protested Lucy. “I wish you would let me help with….”

  “Hey, that money you’re earning goes to your college fund, and that’s final. I don’t want to hear another thing about it. Besides, this job will be super easy. I can do it and my other work with no problem at all.”

  “So, what is it?” asked Lucy.

  Luke grinned. “I’m not telling yet. I’ll let you know as soon as I find out if I have the job.”

  “Good luck, Son,” said Bo Talbot.

  “I’m going to need it. I’ve never done anything like this in my life.”

  ~*~

  Anna drove around the north side for a while, but the town wasn’t that big, and she was feeling restless. Making a decision, she headed south until the houses got shabbier, and even the diner and grocery were in disrepair. Sorrow washed over her as she saw that things had only gotten worse on this side of town. It was strange how different things were in this area. It wasn’t that no one wanted to help these people. It was that they were such a proud lot, and they wouldn’t take what they saw as charity. She sighed at the absurdity of it. Why couldn’t they just all work together for a better place?

  She found herself driving down a road she thought she would never take again. Her stomach tied itself in knots as she got closer to his house. The man whom she had never really understood. She had always been drawn to Luke Talbot, and there was a time when she thought she might get close to him. Then he stood her up and wouldn’t talk to her anymore. She still didn’t know what had happened.

  Anna drove slowly by his house, so much different from the houses surrounding it. The other residents seemed to have just given up, but Luke’s house showed signs of hope. The lawn was immaculate, and colorful flowers lined the graveled walkway to the front porch. The paint wasn’t peeling here like it was everywhere else.

  Suddenly, the front door flew open, and an angry Luke stepped onto the porch. His face was a mask of fury as he stared at her. Even now, filled with rage, he was the most gorgeous man she had ever seen. His dark hair fell in waves past his collar, and even though she couldn’t see his eyes from here, she could never forget the steel gray color of them.

  He shouted, “How dare you come here to gloat!”

  What? Why would he say such a thing? Could he possibly still be angry about whatever had made him mad at her all those years ago? Fearing that he would run out to her car and shout at her some more, she pressed down on the accelerator and headed back to safety.

  ***

  Luke was shaking as he watched the little witch head back to her side of town. How dare she come back and flaunt her wealth in this part of town? Had she no shame? He guessed she hadn’t changed a bit. What was her purpose for driving by his house? Since she hadn’t gotten the chance to go through with the humiliation she had planned for him all those years ago, did she want to show him she was still better than he was?

  His hands were trembling as he ran his fingers through his hair. It bothered him that this woman could still get under his skin. As much as he wanted to hate her, his heart still beat fast
er when he thought about her and that day she’d asked him to the town barbeque. If only the invitation had been sincere. If she had only given him a chance.

  He smacked his hand against the support at the corner of the porch. Enough of this. He went back into the house and sat down to the dinner his sister had prepared. These two people were the only ones who mattered. They were his world, and he would do what it took to make things better for them. He just hoped this new job came through.

  Chapter Three

  Anna burst into the house, and her mother frowned at her. “Anna, you weren’t raised in a barn.”

  “I’m sorry, Mother. I was just in a hurry.”

  “I can see that. Manners must not mean a lot over there in California.”

  Anna rolled her eyes. “I said I was sorry. I’m going up to my room for a while.”

  “Dinner’s at seven sharp.”

  Anna sat at her computer and tried to think of someone to email. She felt at a loss because she couldn’t think of a single person she really wanted to touch base with. It was sad to think she had lived in California all that time and never made any real friends, just acquaintances. They were mostly the wives of Brian’s friends. And now her mother wanted to have a party with all her old friends. But they weren’t really friends, either, were they? She had been expected to hang out with the children of her mother’s and father’s social circle.

  She really dreaded this party. But she knew it was going to happen, so she might as well resign herself to it. It was going to be humiliating to have to admit to everyone that she had failed at her marriage. She’d failed at her life.