Penelope Ward, comes a new standalone novel.
awake while he “entertained” them.
door.
at the sound of his voice, Sunny stopped crying. And when he held her…she
eventually fell asleep in his arms.
rough on the exterior, but apparently on the inside? Mr.
Single-and-Ready-to-Mingle was a baby whisperer.
night, we became friends.
coffee runs. Come over to chat. Normal friend stuff.
time, our conversations ran deeper. We got closer.
night we crossed the line.
friendship turned into a complicated mess.
and fallen for a guy who’d sworn off commitment and kids.
Deacon was starting to care for me too, even though Sunny and I didn’t fit into
any plan he’d ever imagined for himself.
wrong for me—so wrong that I’d dubbed him the “anti-boyfriend.”
did I wish more than anything that I could be the one woman to change him?
“Carys, like Paris,” particularly when I’m nervous. That was the case the first
time I met Deacon.
always. Today he wore a camel-colored suede coat with a shearling collar. His
blue eyes, which stood out against his tanned skin, glimmered under the
fluorescent lights overhead, which also brought out the copper tint to his
otherwise medium-brown hair. He was at least six-foot-two—a beanstalk to my
five-foot-four self.
here, towering over me, his musky smell saturating the air, I seemed to have
lost the words. Still, I was determined to speak up now or never.
goes. Still out of breath from my sprint up the stairs, I said, “Well,
honestly, in answer to your question… I’d love to say I’m doing great, but I
had a hard time getting to sleep last night. So, I’ve been better.”
mine, on the opposite side of the wall. Your…interactions…last night woke me up, and I had a hard time getting
back to sleep.”
were right behind me.”
like all my blood rushed to my head.
feel awkward, I guess.”
know you’re kidding.”
that I know you can hear everything. You should’ve said something.”
naked people? That’s why I’m saying something now.”
overheard things?”
wanted you to be aware of the situation. We don’t need to discuss it further.”
send me a message.” He snapped his fingers. “Something ironic like ‘The Sounds
of Silence’ by Simon and Garfunkel.”
and so sorry, Carys. Truly. I’ll try not to let it happen again.”
apartment doors.
move across the hall. The old lady must have been listening in. She lived
alone, and I often spotted her peeking out her door, spying on people.
said.
him to be more cocky.
well, I’ll let you get going.”
get good sleep, I’m trying to get things done in possibly the only hour of the
day I have free, and we just had the most awkward conversation EVER.
to eat my lunch and have some quiet time before my daughter wakes up from her
nap.”
bring groceries in while I tried to juggle Sunny and her stroller.
me.
quick errand, but I can stop somewhere on the way back.”
across the hall.
balls?” he whispered.
a minute before I could even speak. Deacon laughed, too, but I think he was
more cracking up at my reaction.
hard in weeks.”
anything. I had a couple of good friends in the city, but they worked and had
busy social lives. It wasn’t like they were around in the middle of the day to
run to the store for me. And given that it was fall in New York, it was getting
chilly out. I had to have a damn good reason to take Sunny out in the cold.
shop was definitely something people without babies took for granted. It wasn’t
worth having to bundle Sunny up.
back,” I finally said.
advantage.”
can do after disturbing your peace last night.”
“You’re not my gopher.”
and exaggerated manner, “What. Do. You. Need? I could run to the store.”
desperately needed.
never purchased them in my life.”
aware of the brief touch of his hand.
right kind.”
the contact from that brief exchange. Cheap thrills were as good as it got
these days.
text.”
it.”
just as good as the front. And moreover, it seemed Deacon was just as lovely on
the inside as he was on the outside.
door.
television news anchor. Penelope resides in Rhode Island with her husband, son,
and beautiful daughter with autism.
languages and can be found in bookstores around the world.
Other Books by Penelope Ward
AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
B&N / KOBO / APPLE BOOKS
GOOGLE PLAY / AUDIOBOOK
AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
B&N / KOBO / APPLE BOOKS
GOOGLE PLAY / AUDIOBOOK
AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
B&N / KOBO / APPLE BOOKS
GOOGLE PLAY / AUDIOBOOK