Starting Over
By Michele Shriver
Out December 9, 2014
Synopsis
Liz Matthews agrees
to a blind date for her daughter’s wedding with only one goal in mind- making
her ex-husband jealous. The plan works, but also backfires as she finds herself
enjoying the company of her younger date.
Widower Bennett
Grayson has his hands full enough adapting to single parenthood of a teenage
son and has no intention of falling in love again. When a friend arranges
a blind date, Ben reluctantly accepts as a favor to his friend, but gets more
than he bargained as the funny and charming divorcee catches his eye.
Brandt Matthews has
much to atone for in life, starting with his daughter and his ex-wife. In spite
of their troubled marriage, the one constant for Brandt has been Liz, until a
new man in her life makes him realize how much he stands to lose- or has
already lost.
As Liz and Ben
embark on a new adventure called dating, they are faced with a host of
challenges, including the ghosts of the past and Ben’s son Landon, who wants
nothing to do with his father’s new girlfriend. Can they overcome the
obstacles and start a new life together, or will Liz succumb to Brandt’s
charms again?
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Excerpt
Something was wrong
with this picture, Ben decided as he watched Liz dance with her ex-husband. Oh,
they certainly made a very attractive couple as they moved across the floor
with a grace that reflected many dances together. And Brandt looked at Liz the
way Ben expected she wanted him to look at her—as if she was the only woman in
the world. Heck, at one point it even appeared Brandt would kiss her, right
there in front of his date, and hers, and an entire wedding party. Liz’s plan
to get Brandt’s attention seemed to be working to perfection.
So why didn’t she
look happy to be on the receiving end of that attention? Why did she pull away,
rebuffing Brandt’s attempt to kiss her, rather than moving into it? And why was
Ben so relieved when she did? His role was supposed to be to make Brandt
jealous, and suddenly Ben was the jealous one.
The song ended and
Liz separated herself from Brandt and made her way back to where Ben stood.
“Sorry about that,” she said.
“Don’t be. I know
my role.” He’d played it well so far, and Ben planned to continue. “I would
like to dance with you, if you’re still interested.”
“I am, yes.”
Ben took Liz’s hand
and led her to the dance floor and settled his hand in the small of her back.
He hadn’t shared a slow dance with anyone but Amy in two decades, and he hoped
he wouldn’t trip over his own feet. “We get a better choice in songs, at
least,” he remarked as Lifehouse’s You and Me began to play. The
lyrics were appropriate, too, since Ben couldn’t seem to keep his eyes off of
Liz, and he sure couldn’t explain why.
“I was thinking the
same.”
“So you don’t like Endless
Love, either?”
“Not so much, no,”
Liz said. “Brandt thought he was being cute by requesting it. It was our
wedding song.”
She didn’t sound at
all happy about it, which would match her expression during the dance. Ben
officially had no idea what to make of Liz’s relationship with her ex-husband.
“And you don’t look back on your wedding day fondly?” He hoped he wasn’t
prying. Surely, she’d understand that he had some questions, given the events
of the afternoon.
“Oh, the wedding
day was fine,” Liz said. “It’s the marriage that left something to be desired.”
“Yet you still want
him back.” It was a statement, not a question.
Liz frowned. “What
gave you that idea?”
So she claimed to
not want Brandt back? Now Ben was more confused than ever. “Not what. Who.
Todd, when he suggested this whole thing to me.”
“Of course. I
should have figured.” Liz chuckled. “I’m afraid our mutual friends don’t always
understand my somewhat twisted history with Brandt.”
“That makes three
of us, then,” Ben said. “Are you saying you don’t want him back?” He
found himself hoping that was the case, although the whole jealousy plan would
then make even less sense.
“I wish I could
give you an easy answer.” Liz sighed. “It’s a long story. Maybe I’ll get a
chance to tell you sometime. I probably owe you that much, given what you’ve
had to put up with today. For now, can we just dance? I like dancing with you,
Bennett Grayson.”
Ben nodded, happy
to oblige. “I like dancing with you too.”
***
By the time she left the museum following the reception, Liz
wanted a warm bath, a cold glass of wine and the chance to unwind and reflect
after an afternoon that managed to be joyous, bittersweet, and maddeningly
confusing all at the same time. First, she had an obligation to get her date
back home safely. Although he’d played his part to perfection, Liz figured Ben
was probably more than ready for their date to be over. And who could blame
him? He’d just endured an afternoon with a babbling, blubbering
mother-of-the-bride who couldn’t seem to make up her mind what she wanted from
her ex-husband.
She silently cursed
Brandt as she drove back to Concord. Maggie had certainly nailed it when she
remarked on Brandt’s ability to mess with Liz’s head and heart. He’d done
plenty of both today, from showing up with Marissa, to choosing their wedding
song for the dance, the barely-averted kiss attempt and then almost sounding
regretful when she reminded him of the infidelities that ended their marriage.
“You’re very quiet
all of the sudden,” Ben remarked.
“Just tired. It’s
been quite a day,” Liz said. “Besides, I figure you’ve probably had enough of
me by now.”
“Actually, I had a
good time today. I enjoyed getting to know you, Liz.”
“Me too,” she
admitted as she pulled the car to a stop in front of Ben’s house. He was
intelligent, funny and a perfect gentleman. Oh, and gorgeous. How could she
forget that? “You’re a good sport for going along with all of this.”
“Like I said, I
enjoyed it.” He shrugged. “And hey, I got to put those acting classes to good
use.”
Acting classes.
That’s right. None of his attention was real. She needed to remember that. “I’m
glad they came in handy.” She gave him a smile. “Good night, Ben.”
He unfastened
his seatbelt, but instead of reaching for the door handle he turned to face
her. “Good night, Liz.” He put his hand on her cheek and brushed his lips
across hers.
When Brandt tried
to kiss her, Liz’s first instinct had been to pull away. This time, her body
had the opposite reaction. It didn’t want to pull away. It wanted to move
closer. It wanted to respond to the sensation of Ben’s lips on hers. Common
sense prevailed, though. “There’s no one else around.” The words came out
slightly breathless. “You don’t have to pretend to be interested in me
anymore.”
“I know that,” Ben
said, then let himself out of the car.
Meet Michele Shriver
Michele Shriver writes
women’s fiction and contemporary romance. Her books feature flawed-but-likeable
characters in real-life settings. She’s not afraid to break the rules, but
never stops believing in happily ever after. Michele counts among her favorite
things a good glass of wine, a hockey game, and a sweet and sexy book
boyfriend, not necessarily in that order.
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