And double damn, but he’d called her Boots.
She hadn’t heard the nickname in all these years. Hadn’t and didn’t want to. But the fact that he even remembered it completely threw her. For God’s sake, she’d been over her head, over her heart, over her life in love with him, and believed he’d felt the same way about her. Then suddenly he’d sent that cold note from Princeton: Life’s changed for me. Everything’s different. I’m moving on. I don’t want to hurt you, but this relationship isn’t going any further. You go on with your life, find someone else. I’m never coming back.
Those weren’t the exact words. She didn’t remember the exact words, because it wasn’t the words themselves that had devastated her. It was going from one day when she’d believed herself loved, when she’d loved him more than her life, believed she knew him, believed he was The One. Her Prince. The Only Man For her.
To being hurled out of his life after a semester in college because he’d “moved on”—as if that were some kind of explanation. As if real love could die as easily as a mood change.
She’d been stunned. So stunned, she realized now, that it wasn’t as simple as being hurt. It rocked her world. And it was from that instant, that time when she’d been knocked flat and crushed, that she’d started down a different road. She’d started making choices she’d never wanted to make. She’d started doing what other people wanted her to do.
It was that letter. His rejection. His dropping her the way he had. That was the catalyst for her losing Jeanne Claire Cassiday. And she’d never found herself since then.
And whatever she’d meant to say, on seeing him again, what came out was “Damn it, Stretch!”
E-Book Extra
Kill the Competition Epilogue
This answer received the popular vote by readers during the Kill the Competition “What’s in the Envelope?” Sweepstakes.
Vince Whittaker loosened his tie with one hand as he pulled into the sloping driveway toward the red brick ranch. Unbidden, the memory of him and Belinda first pulling into the driveway came rushing back.
“What do you think?” he’d asked. His heart had been hammering because he’d liked the house on sight and hoped she felt the same.
“I like it,” Belinda had responded, nodding. But he could tell that it wasn’t what she’d had in mind for their first home. Still, he’d known that Belinda would go along with whatever he liked because she was easy-going that way. They’d never had the disagreements, the conflict that most couples experience. At times he’d thought he would burst from the monotony of their relationship, but then he would be touched by some gentle gesture that Belinda would make simply because she loved him.
His stomach cramped. It was difficult to think about Belinda these days…so much had changed. He stopped next to the mailbox and hauled in the avalanche of envelopes he’d come to expect, then touched the remote control on the visor and drove into one of the bays of the two-car garage. The other side sat empty…but not for long. His stomach cramped again.
With another push of a button, the garage door descended. Vince gathered the stack of mail, his suit jacket and briefcase, and entered the side door to the house. For a moment he paused, his ears piqued to hear the patter of little cat feet running to greet him, then remembered for the hundredth time that Downey was with Belinda and Belinda was in Atlanta. It had been good of Belinda to take the cat—the two females hadn’t exactly gotten along. But he couldn’t very well have kept Downey under the circumstances…the new circumstances.
Draping his jacket over the back of a chair, he dumped his briefcase and the mail on the hall table. He sorted through the mail, setting the buff-colored, oversized envelopes aside in a separate stack. But when he saw the envelope marked “Return to Sender” in purple felt-tipped ink, he stopped.
Belinda had written the three words herself…the neat capitals were trademark for an accountant. He smirked. And the purple felt-tipped ink was a subtle hit…she was well aware of his passion for quality writing instruments. It was the crowning touch to her act of returning the envelope—he turned it over—unopened.
So Belinda was finally exhibiting some spunk…good for her. Vince bit his lip hard. But either she had been out of town when she received the envelope, or she had thought about it for a few days before sending it back unopened. Regardless, it appeared that Belinda was through with him. It made his situation a little easier, but not much.
He slid his finger under the flap of the envelope, tore it open, and withdrew the card.
You are invited to witness the nuptials of
Shelly Anne Beckham
and
Vince William Whittaker
Belinda had probably heard the entire sordid story from her mother or her friend Suzanne and thoroughly hated him. He should have been honest with Belinda about why he hadn’t signed the marriage license—he had known then that Shelly was pregnant, but God help him, he was a coward. He’d sweated his way through the ceremony, then at the last minute, realized that he couldn’t put Belinda through the agony of finding out her new husband was going to be a daddy to someone else’s child. So he’d split, making vague excuses that had probably left Belinda feeling like she’d done something wrong. He still wasn’t sure why he’d sent the invitation, except that he felt the need to reach out to Belinda in some way. He owed her. After all, it was his behavior at their wedding that had jolted him out of boyhood and made him realize that he had to take responsibility for Shelly and the baby they had conceived during their long-running affair.
Another cramp almost doubled him over. Life with Shelly wasn’t going to be easy, not with all her neuroses and allergies and phobias, and with a baby on the way. But he’d made his bed, and he was going to lie in it.
He grimaced. Good God, what had he done?
On the way to the bathroom, Vince dropped the envelope into the trash. He hoped that Belinda was doing well in Atlanta, and would find the love and happiness she deserved.
From the attitude of the returned letter, he somehow suspected she had.
E-Book Extra
An Interview with Stephanie Bond
Q: Tell us about yourself.
Stephanie: I grew up on a farm in eastern Kentucky, in the small town of Olive Hill. I have one brother and one sister, both of whom I adore and remain very close to. My childhood was carefree and instilled in me a love of nature, along with a resourceful personality. My parents are wonderful human beings who were hugely influential on my life, nurturing my different interests and talents. I grew up running around the farm, gardening, sewing, quilting, painting and, of course—reading! Reading everything I could get my hands on, from Progressive Farmer to the local newspaper. The library in my grade school was tiny, so I exhausted it fairly quickly. At the time, my hometown didn’t have a public library, so the highlight of my year was when my aunt visited from Ohio and brought with her bags full of paperback novels—most of them Harlequin Romances and romantic suspense novels by Phyllis Whitney and Victoria Holt. I was in heaven!
Q: Skip ahead to high school—did you always want to be a writer?
Stephanie: No. (Laughing.) I was very much the egghead, scholarly and into a business curriculum, with art classes as electives. I do, however, remember my sophomore English teacher spending a little time on creative writing. I liked it, but never considered it as a career. I went to work part-time for a shoe store during my senior year. I really enjoyed learning all about running a small business—and I was convinced that my future was in big business. I still read as often as I could, and I think I absorbed most of my world history through historical romances!
Q: What happened after high school?
Stephanie: I attended Morehead State University on an academic scholarship and studied computer programming. My sophomore year of college, I bought the shoe store in Olive Hill where I still worked and changed the name to “Boots & Britches.” I specialized in selling handmade boots, saddles, tack, and jeans. I went to school full-time and ran the busines
s (with the help of my mother) every spare minute I had outside of classes. Needless to say, I wasn’t a social butterfly!
Q: So, after college, the writing bug bit you?
Stephanie: Nope! The week after I graduated MSU in 1987, I went to work for a petroleum company in Lexington, Kentucky as a computer programmer. I sold my retail business and settled into corporate life, which I found to be very exciting and rewarding.
Q: So, THEN the writing bug bit you?
Stephanie: Nope! I had every intention of rising through the ranks of corporate America. Two years later, I decided to pursue an MBA at night. FIVE years later, with a couple of promotions under my belt, I was taking my last night class and an instructor remarked that I seemed to have a flair for writing. He suggested that I submit to academic journals, but all I could think was, “I wonder if I could write a romance novel?”
Q: Aha—so THEN you started writing!
Stephanie: Yes, once I received my graduate degree, I began to write in my newfound spare time, just to see if I could do it. My first attempt was a historical romance, but five chapters in, I discovered I was doing more research than writing. To prove to myself I could actually finish a book, I switched to contemporary romance and pounded my way through my first book. I’ve been writing contemporary romance ever since.
Q: How long did it take to make your first sale?
Stephanie: After two years of writing on my lunch hour, during evenings, and on weekends, I sold a manuscript to Harlequin Books for a new romantic comedy line they were starting (Irresistible?, Harlequin Love & Laughter). That was November 1995. I was still working full-time, but by this time, I had transferred within my company to their Atlanta division.
Q: So you quit your computer job?
Stephanie: (Laughing again.) No! I worked full-time and wrote part-time until I had sold five books to both Harlequin Books and Bantam Books. Then I dropped back to part-time at my computer job until I sold five additional books. Finally, I left my ‘day’ job in 1997 to become a full-time fiction writer.
Q: Have you ever regretted your career move?
Stephanie: Absolutely not, although I know my business background and training (and computer skills) have helped me immensely in getting my writing career off the ground.
Q: How did your family and friends react to your career change?
Stephanie: Most of them were stunned, but supportive. Keep in mind that I’m not what anyone would term a “touchy-feely” person or even a funny person. I’m a left-brain engineer with an anti-social streak. So to discover that I was leaving my corporate job to write romance novels—humorous romance novels, to boot—was indeed a shock to people who knew me. Since then, I have to admit, I’ve loosened up and now people say they can’t imagine me ever having been a straight-laced computer programmer!
Q: Are you married?
Stephanie: Yes! I married Christopher Hauck in 1990. He’s a handsome architect and emerging artist. Chris is a wonderful man, with a great sense of humor, and he’s very supportive of my writing career. I’m not sure I could write about romance if I didn’t have such a good point of reference from my own marriage.
Q: Where do you get your story ideas?
Stephanie: Almost anything can start an idea snowballing—an overheard conversation, for instance. Most writers are very observant and key in on details that other people might overlook. Often, one simple scene will spark an idea that leads to an entire story. I have so many more ideas in my head than I could ever get down on paper!
Q: How do you research your ideas?
Stephanie: My research varies, depending on the story. At parties I make it a point to find out what everyone does for a living—sooner or later I’m bound to find someone who does something completely fascinating and I’ll add them to my Rolodex. In preparation for writing stories with more intrigue, I took the private investigation certification class for the state of Georgia. THAT was quite an experience. I’m even certified on a .38!
Q: What does the future hold for you?
Stephanie: I’m flexible, and open to whatever opportunities come my way. For now, I’m very busy and happy writing humorous romantic suspense novels for Avon/HarperCollins. And I still have time to squeeze in a few of my favorite pastimes, like reading! I’m a very lucky woman. I love to hear from my readers—please visit my website at www.stephaniebond.com.
E-Book Extra
Discussion Group Questions
for Kill the Competition by Stephanie Bond
Have you ever known anyone who was jilted at the altar, or shortly thereafter? How do you explain the phenomenon of a couple who are ready to be married one day, and the next day will never speak to each other again? Do you think that Belinda did the right thing by moving to Atlanta to start over?
Have you ever carpooled? Did you find out more than you wanted to know about your fellow carpoolers? Did you ever reveal more than you meant to about yourself because of the camaraderie?
Discuss the advantages and drawbacks of working with women. How about working for a woman?
Without being specific, have you ever been asked by a boss or a coworker to do something that straddled an ethical line? What did you do, and did you suffer any repercussions (personally or otherwise)?
Compare and contrast Wade and Julian and why Belinda was attracted to each man.
Have you ever charmed your way out of a traffic ticket? Do you think that’s ethical?
Discuss the cat Downey’s role—do you think Belinda used her pet as a therapist? A whipping post? Do you associate your pet with a person from your past?
Discuss the dynamics of office politics…especially dating someone in your office or building. Who suffers most—the man, or the woman?
Have you ever made a bad decision that snowballed out of control? Do you think it’s possible that an upstanding citizen with no record be wrongly convicted of murder based on circumstantial evidence? Do you think every person is capable of committing murder given the right circumstances?
What is your style when dealing with a jerk ex-boyfriend—forgive and forget? Plan a confrontation? Seek revenge? Do you currently have unfinished business with an old lover?
About the Author
Stephanie Bond walked away from a corporate career in computer programming to write romantic fiction full time. These days she uses her computer keyboard to produce fast-paced novels with a comedic twist. Stephanie lives with her husband and her laptop in midtown Atlanta. You can contact Stephanie in care of Avon Books, 10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022 or via her website at www.stephaniebond.com.
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Books by
Stephanie Bond
KILL THE COMPETITION
I THINK I LOVE YOU
GOT YOUR NUMBER
OUR HUSBAND
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
KILL THE COMPETITION. Copyright © 2003 by Stephanie Bond Hauck. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of PerfectBound™.
PerfectBound™ and the PerfectBound™ logo are trademarks of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.
Microsoft Reader April 2004 eISBN 0-06-075679-9
First Avon Books paperback printing: November 2003
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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