Friday Freebits with Ginger Simpson #frifreebits

Walt opened the bank door and followed Aunt May to a large mahogany desk where a rather stern-looking man sat.  Deep furrow in his brow indicated he didn't smile very often, and the nameplate in front of him read Harvey Palmer, President.

Palmer?  Cecile Palmeer...were they related?  The question zipped though his mind, but the man's measuring look over the top of his glasses told Walt it wasn't the appropriate time to make small talk, so he didn't ask.

"Good morning, Mr. Palmer," Aunt May said in a very authoriative voice.  "This is my newphew, Walt Williams, and we're here to see about a loan.

Harvey Palmeer offered her a chair and reached over his large desk and shook Walt's hand.  Walt took a seat next to his aunt.

"As you know, Mr. Palmer," Aunt May said, "I own the boarding house in her town.  The reventue provides me with a very comfortable, yet not extravagant lifestyle. "  She pulled a ledger from her handbag and opened it.  "This should offer proof of my income and continuing profits."

He briefly glanced at the figures and flashed a smug smile. “It’s just too bad your boarding house is in… well shall we say, a less then desirable part of town. Word has it that some of the people you cater to have questionable backgrounds.”

She locked gazes with him. “Look, Mr. Palmer, you may not approve of the manner in which I support myself, but as a businessman, you have to admit that loaning me money would be a sound investment.”  She looked at Walt and patted his hand. “My nephew has his heart set on buying a piece of land, and I’m ready and willing to mortgage my boarding house to get the money he needs.”

Walt felt a pang of guilt for putting his aunt under such unpleasant scrutiny on his behalf.

“Well, I don’t know exactly how much I can loan you,” Harvey Palmer countered. “Like I said, location of the collateral property is important.”

“Mr. Palmer, where my boarding house is situated has nothing to do with its worth. It’s the only one in town, and I have proven it’s a solid investment. I expect you to put aside your prejudice and act wisely by granting my request.”

Harvey Palmer steepled his fingers below his chin. “I fear if I loan money on your establishment, I’m going to be overrun with similar requests. I’m sure you understand my predicament.”

***

Just a note.  Cecile Palmer is the banker's daughter and has met and is quite smitten with Walt, and he with her.  This is just the beginning, and Walt wants desperately to whisk Cecile away to the new "ranch" he's trying to buy.  Will Harvey Palmer help him realize a dream, or has Walt just met his nightmare?

Destiny's Bride is available on my Amazon page.

Now hop on over to Juliet Waldon's blog for her Friday Freebits.

Throwback Thursday ~ Secrets and Lies by Jamie Hill

I'm resurrecting one of my older titles for Throwback Thursday, but rather than my standard excerpt I'm giving you a juicy moment from the middle. If you haven't read it, I hope you'll check it out here:

http://amzn.com/B005ZF5AXC

Natalie was irritable and sleeping all the time. The first week of January, she barely wanted to get out of bed. It wasn't until she started throwing up in the mornings that it occurred to Alex what the problem might be.

He left her alone for a few minutes while he went to the store, and when he returned he slapped a small box on the nightstand next to her bed.

"What is that?" she asked groggily.

"An early pregnancy test. Read the instructions and take it." Try as he might, he knew his tone was not pleasant.

Natalie appeared surprised. "Why would I…we said we were going to wait…" she looked at him. "Oh my God."

He felt his eyes brim with tears. "Just take it, please. I have to know. We have to know."

She sat up and looked at the box. "Oh, Alex, no. It can't be. I can't be!"

He picked up the box and thrust it at her. "Go find out."

She opened the package and read the instructions. "It says to use first morning urine."

"We're not waiting until morning. Do it now."

She looked at him with wide, frightened eyes.

"Please," he added carefully.

She nodded and took the test into the bathroom, emerging a few minutes later. "Five minutes."

"Okay." He nodded and paced the room.

"It never occurred to me," she said sullenly, and sat on the edge of the bed.

He looked at her incredulously. "Didn't the doctor talk to you about the possibility?"

She shrugged. "She asked me if I was on birth control and I said yes."

He knelt in front of her. "Natalie, you're not. Remember, we talked about this? Pills, diaphragms, whatevers…those are you being on birth control. Condoms are me being on birth control." He balled his hands into fists. "I told you to talk to your doctor about getting you on something, dammit!"

"So you're saying this is my fault?"

"I never said that." He willed himself to calm down. Okay, maybe I said it in a roundabout kind of way. But I didn't mean it. He looked at the clock. "It's been five minutes."

She stood up silently and he followed her to the bathroom. She picked up the test stick. "Plus sign means yes, minus means no." She looked at it. She studied it. She handed it to him, and he studied it.

"It looks like a freaking blue minus sign on top of a pink plus sign."

"I thought so, too."

He tossed the stick on the counter. "So much for that fifteen dollars. We know exactly what we knew ten minutes ago. Nothing."

She rubbed her hands over her arms. "I don't think you're angry about the fifteen dollars."

He walked out of the bathroom and sat on the edge of the bed. "Gotta start somewhere."

"You're angry that I might be pregnant?" She faced him.

"You're not?"

--------------------------

Find all my titles at my publisher's website, Books We Love:  

http://bookswelove.net/authors/hill-jamie/ 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

A Page Straight From Ginger Simpson #apagestraightfrom

Beaches

by

Ginger Simpson

This book is rated for adult reading only

Katie Franklins shredded a paper napkin and tossed the remnants on the kitchen table.  Her best friend, Irene sat across from her and let Katie rant. She needed a good listener right now. 

The mess she’d made on the table reminded her of her life—in bits and pieces. Staring into the cup of coffee in front of her, she shook her head at her reflection. “I’m a married woman.  I have to end this affair!” The words replayed in her mind until she wanted to tear her hair out.

Her shoulders sagged but she looked at Irene, seeking an answer. “How did I get into such a predicament? Falling in love with one man while still married to another? Honestly? My body’s sensual needs must have possessed my subconscious mind and made me commit this sinful deed.  What do I do?”

Male attention was the magnet that drew her to Joey, and now she couldn’t imagine life without him. At twenty-eight, attracting a twenty-five-year-old flattered her.  His smile, his broad shoulders…everything about him stirred passion she hadn’t felt in ages. She never intended to fall into bed with him; the attraction was just too much.  Being near him blurred her reasoning.

Irene, like a trained counselor, offered no solution, instead let Katie work through her own issues.

“Joey makes me feel sensuous and alive…so unlike the relationship between me and Rick. With Joey, I discovered my lost confidence and found desire again. But is it real?  Seven years ago Rick looked at me with the same accepting love in his eyes. How did our marriage go so wrong? 

She flashed back to earlier days…when Rick’s touch ignited a fire within her soul.  “You know, Irene, there was a time when I actually waited for Rick to come home…wanting to taste his kisses and feel his hands on my body, but something happened after Brandon was born.  The passion just dwindled away.”

Wasn’t having a child supposed to bring people closer together…make them a family? A baby sure hadn’t worked any magic in their home. In fact, her pregnancy ended any intimacy she and Rick shared.  Oh, they still had sex, but other than physical release, they shared nothing with one another. Katie lowered her head into her palms and heaved a sigh.

“Maybe if I’d lost the baby weight sooner, I never would have gone with you to Beaches.  What if…oh Hell, no matter what scenario I apply to my predicament, nothing changes.  Should a few extra pounds matter if you truly love someone?”

Katie closed her eyes and shuddered, the frustration becoming more than she could bear. “Why can’t Rick see I’m the same person I’ve always been. Even when I was heavier, I had the same heart, feelings and needs… I didn’t really change, but he did.  His endless cruel puns got to me…turned our marriage sour and made me doubt my feeling for him.  He drove me right into Joey’s arms…didn’t he?”

Irene shrugged.

Katie took a sip of cold coffee and then released a loud breath.  “It’s taken me several months, but now I’m back to what I weighed before I got pregnant.  What I don’t understand is Rick’s sudden renewed interest in me.”  She fisted her hands and pounded on the table, sloshing her decaf over the cup’s side. “How can I forget all the terrible things he said or forgive how degraded he made me feel? Am I wrong to hold on to the hurt?”

Irene picked up her cup and blew away the steam.  Her gaze focused on Katie.  “Do you blame me?”

“No…” She shook her head.  “No way.  You didn’t hold a gun to my head and make me go with you. We just happened to be in Beaches the same night Joey was there.  That’s not your fault.  Still, I can’t stop fantasizing about him, but do I even have the right?” Tension pounded in her temples. She never expected things to become so confusing. Was it fate or luck that drew her to her lover? Was he just a passing fancy or was he the reason to end her marriage?

Katie rose from the table and poured her remaining coffee down the sink.  She used what was left of the napkin to mop up her spill then threw the wadded paper into the garbage. Katie sucked her bottom lip between her teeth and stared out the window over the sink. The gray clouds scudding by defined her mood. “No matter how I look at things, I’m still married and what I’m doing is wrong. Even if Rick’s touch leaves me cold, and his sexual innuendos do nothing to entice me, he’s still my husband.  You know, I actually dread his coming home from work, and especially, bedtime. He won’t take no for an answer no matter how much I protest.”

  Tears she’d successfully restrained all morning trickled down her cheeks like the rain pinging against the windowpane. One way or another, she needed to make a decision, and soon.

"Being Compared To Danielle Steel is better than Chocolate...at least today," says Ginger Simpson

I'm so exited.  First I got a terrific deal on 3 months of advertising on Goodbooks.  My foray into the self-pubbed world will be featured on the Amazon U.K. site.  Check it out. http://www.goodebooks.net/UKavail.html 

Then to top my day, I got this wonderful review on The Well.

TITLE:   The Well                                                             AUTHOR:  Ginger Simpson 

DATE: 5/6/2015

REVIEWER:  Carol Langstroth

REVIEW:  “ The Well”  By  Ginger Sampson has written another wonderful period romantic piece. The Well tells the story of a Harlee who fell in a well and when Logan Carruthers finds Harlee, her family and everything the family owned is gone. Harlee must figure out where her family went to while dealing with Logan’s mother.

              

I must say that Gingers Simpson’s writing in “The Well” is superb.  Harlee’s character is funny and her relationship with Logan’s mother comes alive for me. I have read many of Ginger Simpson’s work and I can’t believe how much she has improved her writing.  I am willing to bet that if she got a decent agent she could be the next Danielle Steel.  For those who love a pure romance story without sexual content than “The Well” is the perfect read. I give this story 5 star rating.

Carol Langstroth

Mind Fog Reviews

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