Hello! Welcome to my blog. Today I've got a snippet from my sweet romance RESCUE ME. In this scene, Matt Malone has recently moved into the apartment across the hall from Chelsea Andrews in a century old Victorian mansion in Toronto. When he brings home food from the restaurant where he works, he invites Chelsea to share it with him, but since she doesn't know him very well, she's not ready to spend time alone with him in his apartment. So he proposes a picnic on the floor of the hallway between their two apartments:
Matt felt her reluctance, as well as an undercurrent of fear. She still didn’t trust him, and he couldn’t say he blamed her, considering the way they’d met. “Unless you want to meet out in the hall. I could bring my picnic basket.”
She blinked at him. Then she grinned, her smile transforming her face. The cool, solemn-faced young woman was replaced by a vivacious, charming girl. Matt nearly dropped his bags in surprise.
“Actually, a picnic in the hallway sounds like fun. At least we won’t have to worry about ants.”
It was Matt’s turn to blink. The Ice Princess had a sense of humor. There was a real human being under all that frost.
“Okay, a picnic it is. I’ll heat up the food and get some dishes.”
He opened the door to his apartment and went inside.
Chelsea peeked through the door, her eyebrows raised. “Maid’s year off?”
Matt followed her gaze over half emptied moving boxes, a sink piled high with dirty dishes, and a basket of dirty laundry by the door. Some days, he regretted being a slob.
“So, it’s a bit of a mess. Give me a break. I only moved in a week ago.”
“I know. I can’t believe you’ve made this much mess in only a week.”
“It’s a gift.”
Matt pushed aside dirty dishes on the counter to set down his bags of food. He rummaged through the cupboards for the few remaining clean dishes.
“Can I help? Do you need anything peeled or washed? Or fumigated?”
Matt turned sharply to look at her. Chelsea shrugged out of her coat, folded it neatly and placed it on the floor of the hallway. Not so much as the toe of her shoe stepped over the threshold of Matt’s apartment. A smart-ass reply was ready on his lips. But then he saw the sparkle of humor in her eyes and the laughter trembling on her lip. Chelsea the cool Ice Princess might have intrigued him, but this Chelsea, with the laughing eyes and the snappy come backs, was someone he could really like.
“Don’t just stand there, make yourself useful. Here,” he said, walking over to her and depositing mismatched plates and cups in her hands. “Set the table, or the floor as the case may be.”
Matt warmed the leftovers in the microwave and brought everything to the hallway, Styrofoam containers and all. Chelsea had retrieved a blanket from her place and spread it on the floor of the hallway between the two open doors of their apartments. A vase of silk flowers sat in the middle of the blanket, giving their picnic an elegant air. Her satisfied smile nearly knocked him on his butt.
Universal Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008WU7FEY
Blurb, RESCUE ME:
Chelsea Andrews can’t decide who’s more dangerous—the creep on the Toronto city bus, or the handsome stranger who rescues her. Was he acting as he claimed, or is he that weird in real life? She doesn’t stick around to find out. Fate intervenes when her rescuer, out of work actor Matt Malone, sublets the apartment next door. Chelsea soon discovers the most dangerous thing about her charming new neighbor is the damage he’s inflicting on her heart.
Or is it? Soon after Matt moves in, strange unsigned notes begin showing up at the art gallery where Chelsea works. Then she’s followed home from the bus stop late one night, and her apartment is broken into. Despite her growing feelings for Matt, all the evidence points to him as the culprit.
Matt is at a crossroads. His acting career is stalled and his love life is non-existent. Things begin to look up when he moves in next door to Chelsea. He’s totally captivated by the beautiful blonde and wants to take their relationship to the next level. Though he’s disappointed when he discovers what Chelsea suspects about him, he’s determined to protect her from the real stalker.
Is Matt the kind, funny, sincere man Chelsea is falling in love with, or some kind of letter-writing stalker? She must decide whether he is a dream come true or her worst nightmare.
Universal Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008WU7FEY
There are some great lines in this snippet, Jana! It's hard to work humor into a romance and be convincing, but you've definitely succeeded.
ReplyDeleteCan't blame her for being wary, but I like Matt already. :)
ReplyDeleteSet the table or the floor is one of the great lines. He sounds great and I also like her
ReplyDelete