Join Lila on her year of comedy, adventure and self-discovery on the Northern California coast, with all kinds of ups, downs and misadventures and a full cast of small-town wine country characters. Thankfully, even the greatest misunderstandings can all be worked out with a little Frank Sinatra and mistletoe.
COMING IN 2014
JUST BETWEEN US
The first book in the NEVER BEEN KISSED CLUB Trilogy
By ADDISON WESTLAKE
The tattooed rock star writing songs for her isn’t anywhere near her biggest problem.
Molly Bridget Anderson likes things orderly. She keeps a schedule and diligently executes through her day, which is why at 9:57am on a Saturday this 29-year-old accountant is vacuuming the bedroom of her Mill Valley cabin, it being the time to do such things, and not at all the time for a party-girl younger sister to show up unannounced, unexpected and uninvited at the front door. With her two-year-old son, Ollie, whom she leaves behind when she sneaks off the next morning.
Suddenly responsible for a toddler with a passion for trains and the energy of a tornado, the quiet life Molly has so carefully built ends in an instant. She finds herself with a brand-new To-Do list:
Task # 1: Find a preschool, which thrusts her into the path of chic, high-end Marin Moms who either mistake her for the nanny or a 40-something like them who’s had excellent work done.
Task # 2: Get help from old friends and her new-age mom, not easy for The Girl Who Would Be an Island.
Task # 3: Track down her groupie sister, which brings her up close and personal with the tattooed rock star she’s always secretly had a crush on. It’s complicated, especially when it turns out that the bad boy has a thing for Molly’s hot librarian vibe.
But the biggest priority of all: keep Ollie safe, fed, warm and happy, which starts to have the strangest effect on Molly. Could she actually be slowing down and noticing things? Yes, redwood trees are tall and, look, those are blackberries growing along the path!
By the time she runs into Ollie’s new pediatrician at the hidden Mill Valley bier garten in the woods—only accessible via hiking paths—it’s not just Dr. Yummy’s warm smile and eyes the color of dark butterscotch that are making Molly happy. Maybe losing track of her old to-do list is just what Molly needed to really get her life moving in the right direction.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Addison Westlake made her debut as an author at age 13 by rewriting the "Sweet Valley High" series. Despite copyright violations, she maintains that her rendition of Elisabeth and Jessica Wakefield as preteens in a British orphanage is a classic. Between then and now she went to some fancy schools, swapped out the East Coast for the West Coast, and had oodles of kids. Some of her favorite things in life include coffee, Aretha Franklin's inauguration hat and the sleepwalking scene in "Step Brothers."
Addison loves to hear from readers! You can reach her at:
Blog:
www.addisonwestlake.blogspot.com
Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6584540.Addison_Westlake
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/AddisonWestlake
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/addison.westlake
Acknowledgements
Many thanks to my husband; I love you, honey. To my daughters who bring so much joy into every day. To my son who always makes me laugh and especially for continuing to ask me, “when are you going to do something about your book, Mom?” To my beta readers, thank you for the invaluable feedback, especially Carole for knowing how to spell wildebeest and for not liking the early version of Clara, and Rachelle for hating me. To lovely writer Caroline Mickelson, my book launch therapist, thank you and do you have a second because I have a few more questions for you… To Jon and Promotions West, thank you for your help getting everything off the ground. To MCM cover design [email protected] for your creativity and patience with questions such as “Do Jeanie’s pinks clash?” To Tyler Brock for his excellent proofreading services (contact him via oDesk). To Amy, Max, Janelle and all my amazing friends who launched my official fan club. To Stephanie for watching my kids while I made final edits, and for making me laugh in coming days when I inevitably freak out over something. To my mom and mother-in-law for being proud of me (sorry about the printer, mom), and to Paul for reminding me how much I love classic movies. And to all my wonderful friends and extended family, I am so lucky to have you in my life!
CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1 ONCE UPON A TIME
CHAPTER 2 GOT A LIGHT?
CHAPTER 3 JEANIE, FROM FACEBOOK
CHAPTER 4 RESET
CHAPTER 5 GETTIN’ JIGGY WIT IT
CHAPTER 6 FIST BUMP!
CHAPER 7 GRAB THAT APPLE
CHAPTER 8 THE PERFECT LIFE!
CHAPTER 9 BANANA HAMMOCK
CHAPTER 10 IT GETS WORSE
CHAPTER 11 BURN PROTOCOL
CHAPTER 12 OTHER THINGS I’D RATHER BE DOING
CHAPTER 13 SHROOMFEST!
CHAPTER 14 TREE FIRE
CHAPTER 15 MICK JAGGER GOES SOLAR
CHAPTER 16 SEDUCTION, BETTY CROCKER-STYLE
CHAPTER 17 PLAYTIME
CHAPTER 18 STEP AWAY FROM THE LAKE
CHAPTER 19 SOMETHING’S DIFFERENT
CHAPTER 20 SEE YOU THEN
CHAPTER 21 SOON, SHE’D ASK
CHAPTER 22 NIGHTSWIMMING
EPILOGUE 8 YEARS LATER
ALSO AVAILABLE FROM ADDISON WESTLAKE
COMING IN 2014
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
CONTENTS
Facebook Jeanie Page 27
