by Hailey North
“Still think I’m a coward, Jonni dear?” Flynn smiled as he asked his question, knowing she’d been right about him being afraid to move past the shadow of his deadbeat dad.
She shook her head. “Think about my question.” She rose and walked to the side of the pool, where the kids were splashing. “Ten more minutes till dinner,” she said.
“It’s eerie,” Flynn said so that only Cam could hear him. “Sometimes I think Jonni really is a witch. A good witch, of course.”
Cameron took a sip of his beer. “She’s wise beyond her years.”
“Her question made me realize what I need to do, but I’m going to need some time to get it done. I’ll take all next week off. Don’t worry. Things in Nashville are set up and production will be ramping up five weeks from now. Violet’s holed up working on some new songs for the film. You’re going to love her. She’s perfect for Runaway Heart.”
Cameron put down his beer. “Ironic, isn’t it? I’m doing a pic by that name the same time you finally stop running the heck away from life. And love,” he added as Jonni walked back to his side.
Flynn lifted his beer in a toast. “Here’s to True Love trumping Good Times.”
Cameron slipped an arm around Jonni.
She smiled up at him. “In the best of all worlds, the two go hand in hand.”
What in the world had possessed Sami to tell Flynn to wait two weeks? She tramped through the woods, past the newly mended fence, her three dogs rambling about. It was a good thing the summer session had started, demanding she focus. But even her self-discipline wavered at times. She’d open the Introduction to Philosophy book and instead of the text she’d see Flynn’s face, his shock of red hair, and his blue eyes laughing with her.
She should have sent him packing with stern finality.
She should have leapt into his arms.
She should never think of him again.
She should book a flight to L.A., hunt him down, and declare her love.
But she knew better than to do that. Flynn had to make the choice to face his demons and come to her willingly.
Sami called the dogs and turned her pack around, heading back to the apartment.
Another good thing about her class being underway was that it was convenient to drop by Emile and Nathalie’s place. She’d had lunch with them twice. Nathalie would always be Nathalie, but she’d continued to soften a bit. Now that Sami understood her better, her mother’s criticisms weighed on her far less.
At the spot where Ruby had broken through the fence, the dogs gave the ground extra sniffs. “He’s not here,” Sami said. Ruby barked and Shelby lifted her sweet Lab face to give Sami a lick of her tongue across her knees. She stroked the Lab’s head. “He’ll be back,” she said. Ruby barked again and raced ahead, then ran back, circling them, urging them onward. Despite realizing she was foolish to do so, Sami picked up her pace. Maybe he wasn’t going to wait two weeks. Then she suddenly slowed her steps, considering what she would do if Flynn showed up ahead of her requested time frame.
The debate began in her mind all over again and she clapped her hands over her ears. She was sick of thinking.
She hurried from the wooded path out into the clearing.
Ruby was running in circles and barking at a vehicle stopped in front of the garage.
A FedEx delivery truck with its engine running stood there, the driver looking out from behind the wheel at the vociferous Corgi. Sami hurried over. Kyle and William must not be home.
“I can take their delivery,” Sami said, shushing Ruby at the same time.
The driver glanced at a page-size envelope. “Dr. Pepper?”
“Yes, I’m Dr. Pepper.”
The driver handed her the envelope. “No signature required,” he said. “Cute dogs. Noisy, though.” He headed down the drive.
Sami stood there, gazing at the packet. The return address was Marina del Rey, California.
Flynn.
Sami held it between her fingertips, staring at the FedEx envelope as if she could make its contents appear without opening it. Silly her. She headed up the stairs, dogs at her heels. Inside, she crossed to the kitchen island and pulled the tab to open the mailer.
Inside were several sheets of paper. On the first one, in a scrawl she knew must be Flynn’s handwriting, was a note.
These songs are dedicated to you, dearest Doctor Samantha Pepper. Thank you for teaching me that Good Times can’t exist without True Love.
The other pages were sheets of handwritten music. Through misty eyes, Sami carried them to the piano, pushed open the keyboard cover, arranged the bench and sat down. Picking out the melody, she could hear in her head one of the tunes Flynn whistled.
He’d written down his songs.
Ruby jumped up and ran to the door, barking. Of course.
Sami ignored her and played the first two lines again.
A knock at the door stopped her.
She crossed over, shushed Ruby and opened the door.
Flynn stood there, a McDonald’s carryout bag in each hand. “I hope it’s okay I’m early.”
Sami threw the door wide. “It is not simply okay. It’s perfectly wonderful.”
He grinned and stepped inside. Ruby jumped at his ankles. The other dogs rushed over.
Flynn leaned close and kissed her. Sami put her arms around his neck. Then she realized she was crushing the sacks and stepped back.
“Brought lunch,” he said. “Sausage biscuits for everyone.”
Sami laughed and dabbed at her eyes. So much for wondering what she’d do if Flynn returned before the prescribed two weeks.
Flynn carried the sacks to the island. “Dogs, you’ll have to wait a few minutes.” He glanced over at the piano. “You were playing my songs already.” Not a question. A statement. A deep sigh of relief.
Sami nodded. She was having trouble finding any right words to say. So she simply nodded again and then lifted his right hand and kissed his fingertips. “I love your music.”
He put his arms around her. “And I love you.”
She rubbed her face against his chest. “Thank you.”
“Whoa,” Flynn said, “don’t you want to add a few words?”
Sami blinked the tears from her lashes. “I love you, Flynn Lawrence.”
“True love,” Flynn said, and kissed her again. Then he pulled back. “Time for lunch.”
“I don’t think I could swallow a morsel,” Sami said.
“Hmm,” Flynn said, opening one of the sacks and pulling out first one sandwich then another. He closed the wrapper of the last one, then still holding it, knelt on one knee and handed it to Sami.
“For you,” he said. “If you’ll accept.”
Sami unfolded the paper wrapper. It didn’t feel like any sausage biscuit she’d ever purchased. She lifted the ring box hidden in the wrapper and the paper fluttered to the floor. Ruby jumped on it. Sami gazed at the box and at Flynn looking up at her, more serious than she had ever seen him.
She flipped the top back.
A beautiful diamond met her eyes.
“Marry me, Sweet Stuff?”
Sami dropped to her knees. Flynn took her in his arms. “I take it that’s a yes.”
“Yes. A most definite yes. An acknowledgement of positive agreement—”
Flynn kissed her and slipped the ring onto her finger.
Ruby circled around them, barking. Of course.
SERIES INFO
If you missed Jonni and Cameron’s story, you’ll find their romance in
Opposites Attract.
Available in print at amazon.com and also at your favorite e-retailer.
Jonni’s twin, Daffodil Landry, meets her match in
Dear Love Doctor
Book Four in Love, New Orleans Style
Available in print and at your favorite e-retailer.
I love to hear from readers. Please visit me at haileynorth.com
OTHER BOOKS BY HAILEY NORTH
Love, New O
rleans Style
Bedroom Eyes
Pillow Talk
Perfect Match
Dear Love Doctor
Opposites Attract (Revised and reissued 2017)
The Right Kind of Crazy (New! 2017)
Finding Love in Doolittle, Arkansas
Tangled Up In Love
Love: Undercover
Not the Marrying Kind
Home Sweet Home (Coming in 2018)
The Second Chance Room
The Diva
The Billionaire
The Hero
AUTHOR BIO
Hailey North is a USA Today bestselling author who began writing while employed as a “game show lawyer” for NBC Studios. Tired of hearing lawyers weren’t creative, she quit her job and typed “Chapter One” (not the chapter, just the heading!).
Since that day, North has penned twelve romantic comedies, set in her adopted hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana, in her favorite imaginary town, Doolittle, Arkansas, in her very own version of Purgatory, and with the release The Right Kind of Crazy, Nashville joins the locale list.
North lives in Louisiana with her husband, her food-centric Labrador Shelby, and her three kindred spirit felines, Ali Kat, Rosa Pax, and Max the Cat Who Thinks He’s a Dog.
Keep in touch with Hailey at haileynorth.com.
THE RIGHT KIND OF CRAZY
Copyright © 2017 by Nancy Wagner
Published by Hyacinth House
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereinafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Printed in the USA.
Interior Format by The Killion Group, Inc.
Cover Photo © Tammy Seidick Graphic Design
