Hope
Love & Disaster trilogy, #3
Reeks: Love & Disaster trilogy
Tara L. Roí
- angsty
- |
- second
- chance
- |
- redemption
- romance
- |
- love
- over
- forty
- |
- climate
- fiction"Roí
- offers
- romance
- fans
- an
- engaging
- and
- creative
- storyline.
- Refreshing
- and
- new…
- A
- distinctive
- novel."~
- The
- BookLife
- Prize,
- 2023His
- betrayal
- set
- their
- relationship
- and
- their
- lives
- ablaze.Now,
- research
- chemist
- Josh
- is
- racing
- time
- to
- prevent
- more
- wildfire
- destruction
- while
- trying
- to
- become
- the
- trustworthy
- man
- Celeste
- deserves.
- Plagued
- by
- imposter
- syndrome
- that
- threatens
- her
- career
- as
- a
- couples'
- coach
- and
- self-help
- author,
- all
- Celeste
- wants
- is
- to
- escape
- wildfire
- country
- and
- the
- man
- she
- wishes
- she
- could
- stop
- loving.
- Can
- love
- help
- Celeste
- and
- Josh
- rise
- from
- the
- ashes?Get
- HOPE
- and
- find
- out.PrologueOctober
- 6
- -
- Wildbranch,
- CACelesteAs
- soon
- as
- the
- envelope
- disappears
- into
- the
- slot
- and
- clunks
- at
- the
- bottom
- of
- the
- mailbox,
- my
- stomach
- tightens.
- I've
- made
- a
- huge
- mistake.
- Shit.
- Shit.
- Shit.
- Shit.
- How
- can
- I
- get
- the
- letter
- back?
- My
- fingers
- are
- thin
- but
- not
- thin
- enough
- to
- fit
- into
- the
- slot.Possibilities:Fishing
- line?Coat
- hanger?Bra
- strap?
- Damn
- these
- new
- mailboxes
- that
- no
- one
- can
- break
- into.
- Not
- that
- I
- ever
- knew
- how
- or
- wanted
- to
- get
- into
- an
- old
- one.
- It's
- a
- felony
- to
- tamper
- with
- the
- mail.
- Why
- isn't
- infidelity
- a
- felony?My
- handwritten
- words
- flash
- through
- my
- mind:
- "You
- implanted
- this
- idea
- in
- him…
- Not
- all
- men
- cheat…
- All
- those
- times
- you
- disparaged
- men
- in
- front
- of
- Josh…"I
- cringe.That's
- right,
- folks:
- it's
- Celeste
- Cairan,
- the
- great
- relationship
- coach,
- who,
- after
- discovering
- her
- soulmate's
- infidelity,
- wrote
- a
scathing
- letter
- to
- his
- mother.
- Yes,
- Celeste
- Cairan,
- who
- ignored
- the
- loving
- relationship
- she
- shared
- with
- her
- soulmate's
- mother
- and
- instead
- blamed
- the
- woman
- for
- having
- raised
- him
- wrong.
- I'll
- have
- some
- new
- openings
- in
- my
- schedule
- when
- my
- existing
- clients
- realize
- I'm
- a
- complete
- fraud.
- Can't
- keep
- a
- man.
- Can't
- sustain
- a
- relationship
- for
- more
- than
- seven
- years.
- What's
- the
- refrain?
- Those
- who
- can't
- do,
- teach.
- Yup.Ash
- falls
- from
- the
- wildfires
- in
- the
- mountains,
- coating
- my
- arms
- with
- a
- sticky
- gray
- pallor.
- What
- are
- the
- chances
- the
- fire
- will
- snake
- a
- path
- through
- the
- mountains
- directly
- to
- this
- mailbox
- and
- turn
- that
- letter
- to
- dust
- without
- scorching
- anything
- else?Or…
- better
- fantasy
- for
- everyone:
- it
- rains,
- washing
- away
- the
- ash,
- stopping
- the
- fires,
- running
- the
- ink
- on
- my
- handwritten
- diatribe.
The
- letter
- could
- get
- lost
- in
- the
- mail.
- One
- can
- only
- hope.Damn
- it!
- Why
- must
- I
- always
- speak
- my
- mind?
- What
- good
- can
- possibly
- come
- from
- this?I
- drop
- my
- forehead
- on
- the
- mailbox.
- The
- heat
- of
- absorbed
- sunlight
- is
- remarkably
- soothing.
- I'll
- just
- stay
- here
- for
- a
- while.
- Maybe
- the
- heat
- will
- transfer
- some
- of
- the
- mailbox's
- blue
- paint
- onto
- my
- skin,
- marking
- me.
- A
- cobalt
- blue
- reminder
- to
- all
- who
- cross
- my
- path,
- like
- The
- Scarlet
- Letter.
- Instead
- of
- A
- for
- adulterous,
- B
- for
- bitter."Excuse
- me.
- Are
- you
- done
- here?
- I
- need
- to
- mail
- something,"
- a
- soft
- voice
- says
- to
- my
- right.I
- roll
- my
- head
- toward
- the
- sound.
- Sunlight
- silhouettes
- a
- tall
- figure."Sorry."
- I
- step
- away
- from
- the
- mailbox,
- recognizing
- its
- defeat
- over
- my
- better
- intentions."Hey."
- Her
- voice
- perks
- up.
- "Didn't
- I
- just
- see
- you
- in
- California
- Inspiration
- Magazine?"How
- did
- she
- recognize
- me
- behind
- the
- n95
- mask
- and
- goggles?
- "That
- was
- me."
- A
- real inspiration.
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