by Stacia Leigh
He stomped his boots before entering his double-wide trailer, one that looked like a real house. It had a matching two-bay shop with brown siding, and dotting the perimeter were cute inside-out tire planters painted a bright white and filled with happy green plants, ready for spring. With a gnarled apple tree pinning down the other corner of the yard, the scene was one word: picturesque.
Suzy turned back to her bedroom window set in a small, rusty tin can and slowly breathed in some of her Blue strength.
Yes, she could totally do this.
She had to. She had no other choice.
She marched around the corner and up the deck stairs to the back door. It was time to enter the domain. Her fingers found the house key in her front pocket, and she rubbed it like a worry stone. The back door was locked.
Should she knock this first time or use the key? She had no idea what the protocol was—but this was her home now, right?
She pressed the key between her fingers before unlocking the door and stepping into the small mudroom.
The washer and dryer huddled together under a steep pile of mixed-up laundry. On the opposite wall was a coat tree sprouting with knit foliage. Scattered shoes lined the path like a breadcrumb trail through the room.
Suzy wrinkled her nose at the funky smell of old paper and boiled chicken while carefully avoiding a fashionable suede boot, blocking the entryway. Either her mom had been cooking a vat of soup, or this place needed a good airing out.
“Hello?” She glanced warily around the door jamb into the kitchen where her mom opened her arms in a welcoming gesture.
Suzy’s jaw dropped.
Oh. My. God.
STACIA LEIGH
…grew up in the Flathead Valley and is a graduate of Montana State University. She currently resides in the Seattle area with two cherrier-huahua rescue mutts, two voracious readers, and one Star Wars nerd.
Burnout is a 2016 PNWA Literary Contest finalist for young adult. Dealing with Blue, Stacia’s first independently published novel, is a 2015 PNWA Literary Contest finalist for young adult and a 2016 Nancy Pearl Book Award finalist.
She enjoys writing what she loves to read, a flirty romance that’s light on the angst and heavy on the fun.
Want to learn more about Stacia’s upcoming books and latest projects or just want to swing by for a quick hello? Boom! Done. All you have to do is visit her here:
www.stacialeigh.com
and here:
www.goodreads.com/stacialeigh
www.etsy.com/shop/ESPIALdesign
www.instagram.com/stacialeighauthor
