Taking
Chances
By Loni Flowers
By Loni Flowers
Genre: Adult Contemporary
Romance
Date of Publication: March 1st,
2012
ISBN: 978-1468184587
ASIN: B006X6FTJC
Number of pages: 382
Word Count: 86,000+
Blurb/Book Description:
At age twenty-three, Alex has had a
hard life. His parents died when he was quite young, leaving his
grandparents to raise him. Right before his high school graduation,
his grandparents passed on too, leaving him all alone.
After losing everyone he's ever loved,
Alex turns to the streets in a self-destructive pattern until he
finally ends up in Springhill, where he tries to make a new life for
himself.
Clair’s childhood was normal until
age thirteen, when her father left the family and she never heard
from him again. Consequently, her mother went into a deep depression,
forcing Clair to grow up quickly.
After finishing high school, Clair’s
heartache over her father’s absence as well as her unbearable
mother drive her to strike out on her own. But having nowhere to go
and no family to speak of, Clair wanders aimlessly from town to town,
homeless, and without purpose. Looking for work wherever she goes and
living hand to mouth on the streets is tough, Clair discovers, but
living with her mother is worse.
Now twenty-one years old, Clair has
found her way to the last place she and her family took their final
vacation as a family--Springhill. While in town, she crosses paths
with Alex and their ensuing relationship grows faster than expected.
Soon Clair wonders if coming back to Springhill and meeting Alex was
the best decision or the worst decision she ever made.
Loni Flowers lives in Eastern North
Carolina with her husband; two wild toddlers, who never slow down for
a second; and three couch-potato dogs, who only raise an eye when
foods around. She spends her days working full-time for a well-known
bank. When she's not playing on the internet or chatting on Twitter
or Facebook, she spends her free time with friends and family waiting
for the next big idea strike.
She enjoys reading most anything, but
is a sucker for a good romance story. Contemporary romance is her
writing genre of choice but isn't opposed to writing something
different should an excellent idea hit.
Some of her favorite authors include:
L.J. Kentowski, Stefne Miller, Cassandra Clare, J.K. Rowling, and
Karen Marie Moning, Nicholas Sparks, Jodi Picoult... just to name a
few.
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/#!/LoniFlowers
“All right, Roz,
you’re all set. I’ve got everything moved around like you
wanted,” Alex said, coming up to the table.
“Thanks, hon, I
appreciate you coming in before work.”
“So did you get
everything squared away?” he asked.
Clair quickly looked
at Roz, knowing exactly what Alex was asking. Roz gave her a faint
smile and nodded. Her eyes welled up with tears and she bit her lip,
trying to hold them back. Alex had seen her cry enough last night and
she didn’t want to let him see it again. But she had to say
something to him. All she wanted to do when she left his apartment
was eat breakfast and leave. She didn’t ask him for a handout or to
share her private business with whomever.
“Roz, can you give
me a minute with Alex before he leaves?”
She nodded and gave
up her seat. “I’ll be back in a few to continue our
conversation.”
Clair waited for Roz
to walk far enough away so as not to hear her conversation before she
spoke. "Why Alex? Why did you tell her?" She crossed her
arms over her chest and glared at him.
"Tell who
what? What are you talking about?"
"What made you
think it was okay to tell Roz my personal business?" She leaned
over the table toward him, making sure Alex heard every word.
"I didn't mean
for it to happen, it just came out that…”
“Just because you
most likely saved my life last night doesn't mean I need to be saved
from everything else that is screwed up." The volume of her
voice rose the more she talked and she noticed other people turning
in their seats to look.
"I wasn't
trying to pity you, I was only trying to help," he yelled
defensively.
"Well, nothing
good ever comes from a guy trying to help me out. There's always
something more they want out of the deal,” she said, lips
trembling. “You won't be getting anything out of me, so you can
just move on to someone else." She looked away as fat tears
spilled down her cheeks. She swiftly wiped them away with the back of
her hands. The diner was quiet and Clair turned around to see
everyone watching their scene play out. Looking back at Alex, he only
stared at her, the corners of his lips turned down. She couldn’t
bear his sad expression or the beady eyes from the guests at the
diner, as they bored into her from every direction. Clair bolted out
of her seat, and ran into the bathroom, shielding herself from the
onlookers.
Leaning over the
sink in the bathroom, Clair looked in the mirror. Her lip was puffy
and swollen and there was a bruise around the edge of her left eye.
She turned the faucet on and ran her hands through the cool water.
Splashing water on her face, she mixed it with the tears that still
streamed down her cheeks. She looked in the mirror again, asking
herself the one question that would forever alter her life. “What
should I do? Do I stay or go?” Behind her in the mirror, she saw
Roz, who placed a hand on Clair’s shoulder and looked at her
reflection.
“Well that’s an
easy decision, hon. You stay of course,” she smiled.
“I don’t know,”
she said, shaking her head.
“Well, I hope
you’re not basing your decision on Alex. He really felt bad about
what happened to you last night. When he was telling me about you, he
didn’t know you were still in town. It upset him that you left and
were still out there, possibly needing his help. He might not have
known you long, but it’s evident that he cares. I can see it in his
eyes. Alex has been through a lot and… well, that’s all I’ll
say about it. If he wants you to know the details, he’ll fill you
in at some point, if you stay.”
Clair was touched
that Alex seemed to care about what happened to her. Should she
really pass up on a chance of starting over when it was being offered
to her on a silver platter?
“Yes. I will
accept your offer,” she announced as she wrapped her arms around
this former stranger, this woman who was willing to give her a
chance. Maybe she wouldn’t have to run anymore.
Thanks so much, Sandy Jo, for hosting me today! I appreciate you sharing my book information with your readers.
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