Title: Starting
Over
Author: Michele Shriver
Release
Date: 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.”
***
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.
Author
Bio
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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