Can this love affair succeed despite the professional consequences? Will love win out over jealousy and prohibition? Blossoming love can be a catalyst for change, and accepting everything that change entails isn’t always the easiest proposition. But it could be exactly what Evie needs.
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An Act Of Love
When Jessica Coleridge arrives in Los Angeles to open her new yoga studio, the only person she knows in town is her old friend Liberty Logan. To Jessica’s surprise, Liberty has become a famous television actress on a hit comedy show. As the friends rekindle what they once had, romance begins to flourish and this reunion between Jessica and Liberty quickly evolves into much more than friendship.
But fame and money begin to play tricks on Liberty, as she’s still naive to her growing celebrity. And with Jessica reentering her life out of the blue, Liberty has a difficult time determining what’s real and what’s just an act. When money and business get involved with love and romance, even old friends can let their emotions get the better of them.
Will this second chance at love for Jessica and Liberty persevere through the trappings of Hollywood, fame, and money? Can these two women see past the noise all around them and accept their feelings for one another? Celebrity can be tricky and confusing, but love has the power to overcome it all… if only we can listen to our hearts.
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Field Day
After getting into some trouble in the big city, Jane Cairns is sent to live with her aunt and uncle on the family farm. She’s lost in life, worried, stranded, living in a state of arrested development as she ambles through her young adulthood. A normal twenty six year old woman should be able to flourish on her own, but Jane can’t seem to make things work.
Farm life begins to show Jane a different side when she meets Sally Harris. Sally is a proud farm girl, in love with her country life, and happy to work at her family’s cherry orchard. Things can be a bit stifling in the country, however, when it comes to love. And coming out from behind that barrier isn’t something Sally knows how to do.
Each battling their own issues of identity and place, Jane and Sally struggle together to find out what it means to be free and happy. Will they be able to survive Jane’s dirty past, secret love, family and friendship, and even death? Love is a tender and delicate thing, and it’s something we all deserve. But the path to get there isn’t always as straight as we might think.
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An Excerpt: Lady Pilot
Chicago O’Hare International Airport, or ORD for short, was bustling with passengers waiting to board their flights. The airport was a grand construction, with steel girders lining the ceiling and separated by glass windows, morning light shining down into the immense building. As far as airports go, it was quite beautiful. But most people didn’t seem to notice. Most people rushed about, trying to quickly move from security to their terminal so that they could plop down in a seat and wait to board, as though that would get them to their destination faster.
Hanging around Gate B10 in Terminal 1 was a flight crew. They were smiling, chatting, occasionally laughing as though they knew each other well. There were five of them together. One, a man in his late thirties, was dressed in a pilot’s uniform and was leading the group. He was animated and excited, bright-eyed and plucky. This was Stephen Reynolds, the co-pilot.
“I told my boyfriend,” he said with a quick hand gesture. “Play your cards right, dear, and maybe I won’t replace you with a young cabana boy.”
The group laughed along with him. There was Beth, a woman about the same age as Stephen. She had her dark hair pulled back in a tight ponytail, her large chest squeezed into her flight attendant uniform. Next to her was Hugh, a chubby man with dark glasses, spiky hair, and a goatee. And Tanya, African-American, her black hair straightened and pulled back just as tightly as Beth’s. This group, along with Stephen, was obviously close. But standing with them, almost like an outcast with a smile on her face as though she was just playing along, was a woman in her early thirties with light brown hair worn down. Her uniform conveyed her fitness underneath, along with her curves, but her expression revealed her trepidation.
“C’mon Carrie,” said Stephen, offering this young woman another flourishing gesture with his hand. “I’m hilarious.”
“You are,” replied Carrie, giving Stephen a smile. Stephen rolled his eyes dramatically.
“Where’s Captain Cole?” Tanya asked, shifting the subject. “They look like they’re about ready to open the gate for us.”
“Psssh,” said Stephen. “Probably nursing a hangover.”
The group—everyone but Carrie—laughed.
“Oh, stop it,” said Beth. “We’re lucky to have Captain Cole. And this route, a Chicago to Cancun turnaround, is like a dream. Passengers will be happy and excited on the way there, exhausted and tired on the way back. Captain Cole made this happen for us.”
“Captain Cole this, Captain Cole that,” mused Stephen, twirling a finger in the air.
“Captain Cole is great,” said Hugh. “I’m a fan.”
“Oh!” said Tanya. “There she is now.”
As the crew all looked down the terminal, they saw the captain heading their way. Captain Elaine Cole, or just Lanie to her friends, strutted toward them pulling a wheeled suitcase behind her with a bemused smile on her lips. Her blonde hair bounced against her shoulders with each step, a captain’s hat fitted atop her head. She was shapely yet trim, her uniform unable to obscure her blessings. Lanie was beautiful, sexy and seductive, and she knew it. Even in her early 40s, she exuded a youthfulness that could often get her in trouble.
Lanie approached the crew and released her suitcase. She grinned.
“I told the airline I wanted professionals,” Lanie teased. “But I guess you all will do.”
They laughed at her quip.
“Captain Cole,” said Hugh. “We’re all really looking forward to this assignment. We’re so lucky to get on this route.”
“I’ve been working on it for ages,” said Lanie. “Pleading my case, kissing up to the boss, putting in my time. And here we are,” she said, smiling big as she considered her accomplishment. “Three turnarounds to Cancun a week. The days will be long, but having four days off is going to be so sweet. And I’ll finally get to start living for once.” She laughed.
“I don’t know how you did it,” said Beth. “And we’re so grateful you’ve brought us along for the ride.”
“Captain Cole is the greatest, isn’t she?” said Stephen, cuddling up to Lanie and hugging her.
“You said she was going to come in here hungover,” protested Hugh. Stephen’s eyes widened and he put his finger to his lips to shush Hugh. But Lanie laughed.
“Bottle to throttle is twelve hours,” said Lanie. “Those are the rules I live by. On my days off, well, that’s a different story.”
Lanie maintained an easy smile as she looked over her crew. But when her eyes reached Carrie, she furrowed her brow. Carrie was young and pretty, quite fresh looking, but she also appeared uneasy and uncertain about the group she found herself in.
“You must be Carolyn Haden,” said Lanie. She reached her hand out to shake. “Nice to meet you.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Captain,” said Carrie. She shook.
“It turned out that Peggy’s husband got transferred to San Diego for work,” said Lanie. “So Peggy is no longer calling ORD homebase. And we’ve been assigned Miss Haden, here. Miss Haden, you are very lucky to be among one of the best flight crews to ever fly on AmeriNorth Airlines. I know they look like misfits, but they clean up nice.” The group laughed, and Carrie smiled demurely at her captain.
“I’m looking forward to this assignment,” said Carrie.
Lanie looked over Carrie once again, and her lips maintained a curled smile
. Carrie was charming and alluring in her caution. Despite the attraction that Lanie felt for her new flight attendant, she had promised herself that she wouldn’t make that mistake again. No more flight attendants for her.
“I, too, am looking forward to this assignment,” replied Lanie, but addressing the entire crew. “I’m hoping to move past the days of waking up in a different city every morning, unsure where I am exactly. And I feel like I’m getting a bit too old for our little party scene. I’m ready to turn in my keys to all the crash pads and delete a few phone numbers from my phone. We’re going to do this, team. It’s going to be great.”
“I’m just looking forward to a narrowbody full of happy people,” said Tanya. “Look at them all,” she said, motioning toward the passengers sitting near the gate. Despite the early hour, people looked happy and were in good spirits, many already dressed in beach clothes. It was early spring, the snow was just beginning to melt, and not a winter coat could be seen. There would be no use for a coat in Cancun. “Going off to a beach vacation is the best thing ever. Happy passengers make our job so much easier.”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Tanya,” warned Lanie. “We’re bound to get some rowdy people who can’t wait to get hammered until they hit the beach. But I do think we’re in for some fun times.”
A woman in a navy blazer and skirt walked up to the crew and smiled. She was an ANA gate agent and she waited patiently until the crew stopped their conversation and looked her way.
“Captain Cole,” said the woman. “We’re ready for you.”
“Thank you, Sarah,” said Lanie. “All right, gang. Let’s do this.”
The flight crew cheered. They took up their rolling suitcases and, lead by Stephen, began walking toward the now-open gate door. The gate agent standing at the podium greeted each one as they walked through.
The last two to prepare themselves to board were Lanie and Carrie. Lanie wanted to wait for her entire crew to board before she did, and Carrie felt that she should take up the rear as the newest member of the team. Lanie looked to her and smiled gently.
“I know they can be a bit much,” said Lanie. “But they’re a good team. Really good at their jobs. Fun and accepting. I don’t think many people—pilots or flight attendants alike—get an opportunity to fly with such a great crew on such a great route. You got a good gig here.”
“I know,” Carrie said. She smiled. “I’m trying not to take it for granted. I’ve only been a flight attendant for a few years. I lucked out to get an assignment like this.”
“You should send Peggy a very nice gift,” Lanie teased. Carrie laughed.
“Maybe I will,” said Carrie.
Both women stood there for a moment, waiting for the other one to take the lead. After a pause, Lanie widened her eyes and motioned toward the boarding gate with her hand.
“Oh no,” said Carrie. “After you, Captain Cole.”
“You first, I insist,” said Lanie, smiling contently. “And you can call me Lanie.”
“Call you Lanie?”
“Well, yeah,” said Lanie. “I mean, when it’s just us. In front of passengers and the crew, Captain Cole is good. But when it’s you and I, Lanie is what I prefer.”
“Okay,” replied Carrie. “You can call me Carrie.”
“After you, Carrie,” said Lanie, still smiling. She motioned once again with her hand. Carrie laughed softly, she took the handle of her rolling suitcase, and she made her way to the open gate. Lanie paused for a moment and watched her walk off. Dirty thoughts percolated in her head, and Lanie immediately chastised herself.
“New you,” Lanie said under her breath as she now began her walk through the door. “Be good, Lanie. Be good.”
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Flower Power Page 17
