Hopeful
Page 23
“There’s no edge. But I’d love a drink.”
“You ok?”
“I’m great. Really great.” And I put my arm around his waist and pulled him toward me. I saw him biting back a grin. I wasn’t sure if it was in response to my PDA or my being more relaxed than he’d expected. Either way, I loved seeing him happy, even if he was trying to hide it.
As everyone else took their seats around the table, two spaces next to each other were left for me and Joel. It was sweet. I was relieved by our friend’s quick acceptance of us as a couple. I wanted to sit as close to Joel as possible. Not because I was nervous, but because I didn’t want to be apart from him, not even for a minute.
Joel and I served dinner and took our seats. Adam clinked a glass. “I’d like to make a toast to Joel and Ava, and love and friendship.”
I waited for the sarcastic follow-up from Adam, but it wasn’t forthcoming. We all clinked glasses and began our meal. Surely Adam wasn’t growing up? I looked at Jules to see if she’d noticed anything odd. She wasn’t looking my way and was quieter than normal. Had they both had personality transplants?
“So, tell us the story of you guys at Uni. I’m dying to hear it all. Were you secretly shagging all the time you pretended to be in the library?” Daniel asked.
“Oh. My. God.” Realization hit me. Everyone turned to look at me. I looked at Joel and he looked worried.
“Sorry, Ava, I’m only kidding around,” Daniel said.
“No, sorry Daniel, I wasn’t responding to you. I’ve just realized why these two are behaving themselves for once in their lives,” I said, gesticulating between Adam and Jules. “You two are totally doing it.”
Jules blushed. “We are not.”
“You are blushing. You never blush. Oh. My. God,” said Hanna.
“Columbo strikes again,” Joel said and kissed me on the cheek.
“I told you: I’m Cameron Diaz, not Columbo.” I play-slapped him on his arm.
He kissed my cheek again and I melted and reached across to grab his hand under the table, linking my fingers with his.
“So, are you two shagging?” Daniel asked.
“We kissed, that’s all,” Adam mumbled.
“And it’s not going to happen again,” said Jules.
“Yeah right,” I said.
“Well, you can keep your nose out, Ava, since we didn’t get to weigh in on your relationship with Joel,” Jules snapped.
I held my hands up. “I’m very happy to keep my nose out as long as you make sure you call me first thing tomorrow to tell me everything.” I grinned at her. Staying out of Jules’ love life was the last thing she would ever want from me.
She grinned back. “Ok, it’s a deal.” And then she remembered herself and sobered. “But there’s nothing to tell. I was really drunk, and like I said, it’s not going to happen again.”
I looked at Adam as he concentrated on his plate, not saying a word.
I squeezed Joel’s hand. Jules and Adam. That would make everything even more perfect, if that was even possible.
“Let’s change the subject and let these guys off the hook for the evening, shall we?” Joel said.
There were murmurs around the table, and then Adam and Matt started arguing about something and we fell into our familiar rhythm of friendship.
“You guys look good together,” Daniel said as he passed me the potatoes.
“Thanks,” Joel and I answered in unison. We grinned at each other.
“I might have to vomit,” Jules said with a smile.
I shrugged my shoulders as I caught Leah scowling at what Jules had just said. I knew Jules was joking.
“But it’s true, you do,” she followed up.
“Of course they do. They are perfect together,” Hanna said. I saw Matt roll his eyes at his wife’s relentless romanticism.
“So are you guys going to do the whole white wedding thing, or what?” Adam asked.
“I don’t need a ring and a white wedding to know we’re going to be together forever,” I replied.
Joel squeezed my hand and looked at me with a question in his eyes.
“But you’d wear a ring if I bought you one?” Joel asked.
I shrugged. “I guess.”
“You guess?”
“I haven’t thought about it. But sure.”
“Your enthusiasm is overwhelming.” He grinned at me. “You’ll have a ring at some point. You’re so going to marry me.”
“I am?”
“You are.”
“Ok.”
“Ok.”
Playlist
Up All Night
Kip Moore
Last Time
Taylor Swift ft. Gary Lightbody
Say Something
A Great Big World and Christina Aguilera
Limbo No More
Alanis Morrisette
Some Other Time
Jill Scott
I Miss You
Kacey Musgroves
Who Knew
Pink
Love Me Still
Chaka Khan
What About Now
Daughtry
Brave
Sara Bareilles
Living Inside My Heart
Bob Seger
Acknowledgements
To my readers - nothing is more thrilling than hearing how someone loved the book that you wrote - that they brought the characters, which you simply scribbled onto a page, into life through their imaginations. Thank you for reading. Thank you for reviewing. Thank you for supporting and encouraging me. Every review, message, like, share, retweet lifts me up and I’m on top of the world.
Thank you to the wonderful community of bloggers and reviewers who want nothing more than for indie authors to thrive and flourish. You are amazing and generous and kind and wonderful and none of us could do it without you. If you’re reading this and wondering if I mean you – I do. Thank you.
Thank you Adrienne for your guidance and wisdom.
I am so lucky to have hoodwinked a fantastic group of beta readers to give me their thoughtful, careful and creative thoughts on this book. They were very kind and I am very grateful. Karen, Slick, Darby and Renee – thank you.
Slick, your generosity knows no bounds.
To Lisa Walker, Megan Fields, Lucy May, Jacquie Jaxs, Barbara Campbell, Tina Haynes-Marshall, Helen Waller, Susan Ann Whitaker and Ashton Williams Shone - you Babes are wonderful. Thank you for making time in your day for me.
Thank you to Georgia Cates for putting up with my stalking and giving great advice (and for writing books that I love).
Thank you Karen Booth. There’s no salt in that pedestal. I can’t wait for London Calling.
Thank you to Heather Way. You have such a good heart.
Thank you to Twirly. Are you actually still alive?
Thank you Jeff Senter. I love my cover!
Faithful by Louise Bay
Synopsis
Leah Thompson’s life in London is everything she’s supposed to want: a successful career, the best girlfriends a bottle of sauvignon blanc can buy, and a wealthy boyfriend who has just proposed. But something doesn’t feel right. Is it simply a case of ‘be careful what you wish for’?
Uncertain about her future, Leah looks to her past, where she finds her high school crush, Daniel Armitage, online. Daniel is one of London’s most eligible bachelors. He knows what and who he wants, and he wants Leah. Leah resists Daniel’s advances as she concentrates on being the perfect fiancé.
She soon finds that she should have trusted her instincts when she realises she’s been betrayed by the men and women in her life.
Leah’s heart has been crushed. Will ever be able to trust again? And will Daniel be there when she is?
Available on Amazon
In the US
www.amzn.com/B00JK10BBS
In the UK
www.amzn.co.uk/dp/B00JK10BBS
In Canada
http://www.amazon.ca/Faithful-Lou
ise-Bay-ebook/dp/B00JK10BBS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405175488&sr=8-1&keywords=faithful
In Oz
http://www.amazon.com.au/Faithful-Louise-Bay-ebook/dp/B00JK10BBS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1405175596&sr=8-2&keywords=faithful
What’s Next?
My next book is a novella that sits between ‘Faithful’ and ‘Hopeful’. It follows on directly from ‘Faithful’ but is told from Anna’s point of view. It’s making me blush just thinking about it.
Let’s Connect!
If you enjoyed Hopeful, please leave a review on Goodreads and/or Amazon. Good reviews really help indie authors!
www.goodreads.com/book/show/21964066-hopeful
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