by Jae
Even from a few steps away, Drew could tell that the woman was tall, but despite her height, she didn’t appear imposing. Her gaze was too shy for that. A cute nose and the gentle curve of her lips contrasted with a stubborn chin. Golden hair—the color of a fine, mature white wine—brushed against her slender shoulders. The woman took a hand off the tray to sweep an unruly strand behind her ear.
The tray tilted to one side.
Drew set down her glass and jumped forward in full knight-in-shining-armor mode to rescue the tray and the damsel in distress. She reached out just as the woman realized what was happening and straightened the tray.
Unable to stop her forward momentum, Drew collided with the tray, which catapulted one of the half-filled glasses through the air.
Cold liquid hit her in the chest. Reflexively, she caught the now empty glass before it could fall to the floor and shatter.
She froze. So did the woman.
Wide green eyes stared down at her from behind horn-rimmed glasses.
Drew realized that her damsel was at least four or five inches taller than her own five foot six.
“Oh, my God! I’m so sorry!” With trembling fingers, the woman balanced the tray in one hand and picked up a napkin.
For a moment, Drew imagined the woman’s hands on her, dabbing at her drenched shirt, but instead, the woman handed her the napkin. She tried to soak up the worst of the spill but realized her shirt was ruined. Guess I’m more of a knight in wine-stained armor now.
“Are you okay?” the woman asked.
“I’m fine. No harm done.” Drew wiped a drop of red wine off her chin. “Well, almost none.”
A blush crept up the woman’s slender neck and brought color to her cheeks. “I’ll pay for the dry cleaning, of course.”
Drew smiled. How cute. She couldn’t remember ever seeing any of her worldly, confident girlfriends blush, which lent a hint of vulnerability that softened the stranger’s earnest features. “Don’t worry about it.”
Laughter from the people around them made Drew tear her gaze away from the woman.
A few of Jake’s friends pointed out Drew’s stained shirt to one another and seemed to find it hysterically funny.
The woman’s cheeks went from pink to a dark rosé.
The swift surge of protectiveness rising in her chest surprised Drew. She made eye contact with the worst offenders. “What?” She pulled the wet shirt away from her skin and grinned. “Haven’t you ever seen a woman wearing a glass of wine? It’s all the rage, really.”
A few of the guests laughed and finally directed their gazes away from Drew and her damsel.
“Your shirt looks expensive,” the blonde woman said. “I could pay for—”
“No, you don’t need to do that. I was the one who hit the tray, so if anyone needs to apologize, it’s me. I saw the glasses sliding to the edge of the tray and thought I could help, but instead I gave you quite a scare, plowing into you like that.” She gasped, only then realizing she hadn’t taken a breath between sentences. “I’m really sorry. Maybe I could invite you for coffee to make up for it.” She had casually asked out many women in her life, but now she found herself rambling.
The woman glanced at her. Drew thought she saw puzzlement in her eyes, which, at this distance, were the color of vine leaves in spring. Then the woman frowned and shook her head. “And risk spilling hot beverages on you too? Better not.”
When the woman moved to walk around her, Drew quickly stepped forward and blocked her way, not ready to give up yet. “That’s a risk worth taking. So, how about it? Will you have coffee with me?”
“It’s nice of you to offer, but it’s not necessary. It was just an accident, and I really need to go now.” The woman turned her wrist to glance at her watch, making the tray tilt again.
Ignoring the possibility of further damage to her clothes, Drew grabbed for the tray. Her fingers wrapped around the woman’s, her tanned hands contrasting sharply with the ivory of the woman’s skin.
“Sorry.” Another blush stained the woman’s cheeks. “I’m not usually such a klutz.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Drew relinquished her hold on the tray, but not without letting her index finger linger against the woman’s hand for a moment. “Being a bit clumsy has a certain charm,” she said with a wink.
The woman lifted an eyebrow but didn’t return the flirtatious smile.
Damn, she’s straight. Drew suppressed a sigh.
“I need to go,” the woman said. “Again, I’m sorry. Maybe you can borrow one of Jake’s shirts for the evening.”
She’s on a first-name basis with Jake? For a moment, Drew wondered whether the blonde was one of Jake’s many lovers, but then she shook her head. With her horn-rimmed glasses, stubborn chin, and make-up-free face, this woman wasn’t Jake’s type.
She glanced down at the wet shirt plastered against her full breasts. “I’m afraid Jake and I are not quite the same…um…size.”
The woman blushed for the fourth time, and Drew caught her glancing at her chest.
Maybe she’s not so straight after all. Drew grinned and decided to help her cover the awkward silence. “It’s okay. I was just about to go say hello to Jake and then head home anyway.” She nodded toward the tray. “You need any help with that?”
“No, thanks, I can manage.”
“All right.” Drew was running out of reasons to keep talking for a while longer, so she reluctantly stepped out of the way.
Her damsel said good-bye and walked away.
Drew stood watching the gentle sway of her hips. Nice. She pinched the wet shirt between two fingers and pulled it away from her skin. After a final glance at the stranger, she went in search of Jake.
“What the hell happened to you?” Jake asked when she found him. “I go to the bathroom for a minute, and when I come back, you look like a murder victim.”
Drew glanced at her wine-drenched shirt and shrugged. “I met a woman.”
A teasing grin formed on Jake’s lips. “Don’t they normally wait until after dessert to throw their drinks at you?”
“They? One woman, okay? It was just one woman who threw her drink at me, and that was ages ago.”
“And you deserved it. Dude, you were a dog back in the day!”
Not those old war stories again! Okay, she had dated a lot of women in college, but she had left that part of her life behind when she had taken over her family’s vineyard. “That was in college, and you slept with more women in a week than I did during my entire freshman year!”
“Yeah, the good ol’ times.” Jake’s dreamy sigh ruffled the shaggy blond hair falling into his face. “So, what have you been up to? I haven’t seen you since the AIDS fundraiser we did at the gym. And that was what? Two months ago?”
“Three,” Drew said. “I just finished bringing in my first harvest. I’ve been out in the vineyards every day since we started harvesting the grapes for the sparkling wines back in August.” She rubbed her eyes. The past weeks had left her exhausted but also filled with a sense of accomplishment. She hoped her parents would have been proud of her.
“Ah, work, work, work.” Jake wagged his finger at her. “You’re beginning to remind me of my sister.”
When they had gone to college together, Drew had heard stories about Jake’s sister, Annie—or rather about the practical jokes Jake had played on her when they’d been children. She had never met her, though. “Are you ever going to introduce me to your mysterious sister?”
“I would have introduced you years ago, but convincing Annie to come to one of my parties is harder than getting an audience with the pope.”
Good for her. Drew bit back a grin.
“And you,” Jake slapped her shoulder, “never had the time in all these years to meet my folks during spring break.”
Drew hit him back, but her slap bounced off the wiry muscles he had developed as a climber. “Yeah, because I had to help in the vineyard while you, the slacker, partied the whole ti
me.”
“Okay, okay, I’ll introduce you. I saw her talking to Rob earlier, so she has to be around here somewhere.” Jake turned and looked around, then pivoted to face Drew. “But remember: no flirting. She’s straight.”
Drew lifted her hands. “I’m not interested in your baby sister. In fact, I just saw a woman at the buffet. For some reason, she really caught my attention. I think she’s working for the catering service.”
“The brunette with the killer legs?”
“No. This one is a blonde, and if her legs kill you, it’s probably because she’s a bit clumsy.” At the memory of the woman almost dropping the tray of glasses a second time, Drew had to smile.
A frown carved a deep line between Jake’s brows. “I don’t think I hired a blonde.”
“Yes, you did. She knows you by name.”
“The only clumsy blonde I know at this party is…” Jake paused and laughed. “Is she tall, green-eyed, and serious as a heart attack?”
Drew suppressed the urge to defend her clumsy damsel. “Sounds about right.” Belatedly, she realized she had never found out the woman’s name.
“Ah, that blonde.”
“So you do know her?” Drew asked. “Could you introduce us?”
“Sure, no problem.” A sound almost like a giggle escaped Jake’s mouth.
Someone should tell him that straight men don’t giggle. But for now, Drew was more interested in finding out more about the woman. “Do you know if she’s family?”
The giggles turned into a belly laugh. Jake slapped his thighs, nearly spilling his drink all over himself. “Oh, yeah. She’s family.”
“Really? She is?” When the woman hadn’t flirted back and hadn’t even seemed to notice her interest, she had given up hope. “Are you sure?”
“One hundred percent,” Jake said, still grinning madly.
“And she’s single?”
Jake rolled his eyes. “Has been for ages.”
Drew couldn’t believe her good fortune. “Sounds like you’ve known her for a long time.”
“Yeah, you could say that.” Jake turned. “Wait here. I’ll go get her.”
Something in the Wine is available as a paperback and in various e-book formats at many online bookstores.
OTHER BOOKS FROM YLVA PUBLISHING
http://www.ylva-publishing.com
SOMETHING IN THE WINE
JAE
ISBN: 978-3-95533-006-4 (epub), 978-3-95533-007-1 (mobi)
Length: 100,000 words (393 pages)
All her life, Annie Prideaux has suffered through her brother’s constant practical jokes only he thinks are funny. But Jake’s last joke is one too many, she decides when he sets her up on a blind date with his friend Drew Corbin—neglecting to tell his straight sister one tiny detail: her date is not a man, but a lesbian.
Annie and Drew decide it’s time to turn the tables on Jake by pretending to fall in love with each other.
At first glance, they have nothing in common. Disillusioned with love, Annie focuses on books, her cat, and her work as an accountant while Drew, more confident and outgoing, owns a dog and spends most of her time working in her beloved vineyard.
Only their common goal to take revenge on Jake unites them. But what starts as a table-turning game soon turns Annie’s and Drew’s lives upside down as the lines between pretending and reality begin to blur.
Something in the Wine is a story about love, friendship, and coming to terms with what it means to be yourself.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
(revised edition)
JAE
ISBN: 978-3-95533-111-5 (epub), 978-3-95533-110-8 (mobi)
Length: 136,000 words (467 pages)
Workaholic Detective Aiden Carlisle isn’t looking for love—and certainly not at the law enforcement seminar she reluctantly agreed to attend. But the first lecturer is not at all what she expected.
Psychologist Dawn Kinsley has just found her place in life. After a failed relationship with a police officer, she has sworn never to get involved with another cop again, but she feels a connection to Aiden from the very first moment.
Can Aiden keep from crossing the line when a brutal crime threatens to keep them apart before they‘ve even gotten together?
HEARTS AND FLOWERS BORDER
(revised edition)
L.T. SMITH
ISBN: 978-3-95533-181-8 (epub), 978-3-95533-180-1 (mobi)
Length: 72,000 words (291 pages)
A visitor from her past jolts Laura Stewart into memories—some funny, some heart-wrenching. Thirteen years ago, Laura buried those memories so deeply she never believed they would resurface. Still, the pain of first love mars Laura’s present life and might even destroy her chance of happiness with the beautiful, yet seemingly unobtainable Emma Jenkins.
Can Laura let go of the past, or will she make the same mistakes all over again?
Hearts and Flowers Border is a simple tale of the uncertainty of youth and the first flush of love—love that may have a chance after all.
COMING HOME
(revised edition)
LOIS CLOAREC HART
ISBN: 978-3-95533-062-0 (epub), 978-3-95533-061-3 (mobi)
Length: 104,000 words (371 pages)
A triangle with a twist, Coming Home is the story of three good people caught up in an impossible situation.
Rob, a charismatic ex-fighter pilot severely disabled with MS, has been steadfastly cared for by his wife, Jan, for many years. Quite by accident one day, Terry, a young writer/postal carrier, enters their lives and turns it upside down.
Injecting joy and turbulence into their quiet existence, Terry draws Rob and Jan into her lively circle of family and friends until the growing attachment between the two women begins to strain the bonds of love and loyalty, to Rob and each other.
IN A HEARTBEAT
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ISBN: 978-3-95533-157-3 (epub), 978-3-95533-156-6 (mobi)
Length: 97,000 words (370 pages)
Veteran police officer Sam McKenna has no trouble facing down criminals on a daily basis but breaks out in a sweat at the mere mention of commitment. A recent failed relationship strengthens her resolve to stick with her trademark no-strings-attached affairs.
Dr. Riley Connolly, a successful trauma surgeon, has spent her whole life trying to measure up to her family’s expectations. And that includes hiding her sexuality from them.
When a routine call sends Sam to the hospital where Riley works, the two women are hurtled into a life-and-death situation. The incident binds them together. But can there be any future for a commitment-phobic cop and a closeted, workaholic doctor?
COMING FROM YLVA PUBLISHING IN FALL 2014
http://www.ylva-publishing.com
STILL LIFE
L.T. SMITH
After breaking off her relationship with a female lothario, Jess Taylor decides she doesn‘t want to expose herself to another cheating partner. Staying at home, alone, suits her just fine. Her idea of a good night is an early one—preferably with a good book. Well, until her best friend, Sophie Harrison, decides it’s time Jess rejoined the human race.
Trying to pull Jess from her self-imposed prison, Sophie signs them both up for a Still Life art class at the local college. Sophie knows the beautiful art teacher, Diana Sullivan, could be the woman her best friend needs to move on with her life.
But, in reality, could art bring these two women together? Could it be strong enough to make a masterpiece in just twelve sessions? And, more importantly, can Jess overcome her fear of being used once again?
Only time will tell.
BARRING COMPLICATIONS
BLYTHE RIPPON
It‘s an open secret that the newest justice on the Supreme Court is a lesbian. So when the Court decides to hear a case about gay marriage, Justice Victoria Willoughby must navigate the press, sway at least one of her conservative colleagues, and confront her own fraught feelings about coming out.
Just when she decides she�
�s up to the challenge, she learns that the very brilliant, very out Genevieve Fornier will be lead counsel on the case.
Genevieve isn’t sure which is causing her more sleepless nights: the prospect of losing the case, or the thought of who will be sitting on the bench when she argues it.
Departure from the Script
© by Jae
ISBN (mobi): 978-3-95533-196-2
ISBN (epub): 978-3-95533-197-9
Also available as paperback.
Published by Ylva Publishing, legal entity of Ylva Verlag, e.Kfr.
Ylva Verlag, e.Kfr.
Owner: Astrid Ohletz
Am Kirschgarten 2
65830 Kriftel
Germany
http://www.ylva-publishing.com
First edition: July 2014
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to locales, events, business establishments, or actual persons—living or dead—is entirely coincidental.
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