{"id":21025,"date":"2016-10-07T01:00:47","date_gmt":"2016-10-07T06:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/?page_id=21025"},"modified":"2016-10-07T01:00:47","modified_gmt":"2016-10-07T06:00:47","slug":"excerpt-from-love-everlasting-by-julie-lessman","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/?page_id=21025","title":{"rendered":"Excerpt from Love Everlasting by Julie Lessman"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"love-everlasting\"<\/h2>\n

Chapter 1<\/h2>\n
Isle of Hope, Georgia, Early Summer<\/div>\n
\u201cOkay, smile pretty\u2014hot guys at three o\u2019clock.\u201d
\nShannon O\u2019Bryen smiled, more because of her friend Margo\u2019s mumbled man alert than the need to charm any \u201chot guy.\u201d She shook her head when Margo tugged the neckline of her sequin halter dress a bit lower before casually skimming a pinky along the rim of her Diet Dr. Pepper. When her friend chatted nonchalantly about a book she\u2019d just discussed with Shannon, Cat, Amy, and Becky not five minutes ago, Shannon grinned outright. But when Margo\u2019s finger slid from the rim into her soda, Shannon could do nothing but giggle. The sound set off a chain reaction of laughter around a table in the middle of a fancy fundraiser for Memorial Hospital at Mansion on Forsyth Park.
\nPeeking over her shoulder, Shannon expelled a sigh of relief, grateful the \u201chot guys\u201d were only her brother Jack and his coworker, Sam Cunningham. Because although each of the girls around the table were looking for Mr. Right, Shannon was definitely not one of them–despite <\/em>the slinky blue dress and four-inch heels her twin sister Cat had coerced her to wear. Nope, she preferred her Prince Charming confined between the covers of a book, thank you very much, where he couldn\u2019t stomp on her heart.
\n\u201cWell, one viable \u2018hot guy,\u2019 anyway,\u201d Shannon\u2019s twin sister Cat said with a lazy smile. A breeze fluttered her long strawberry blonde hair, the salty scent of the marsh mingling with the hint of chlorine from the marble fountain in Savannah\u2019s historical Forsythe Park. Cat swayed to the music of a five-piece orchestra while Spanish moss swayed in the canopy of oaks overhead, the mischief in her eyes sparkling as much as the water dancing into the fountain. \u201cMy brother Jack is taken, but his pediatrician friend–Dr.<\/em> Sam Cunningham\u2014is still very<\/em> available.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd very, very<\/em> attractive,\u201d Amy whispered, swallowing hard while Margo just stared with saucer eyes, sucking Dr. Pepper off her finger.
\nMargo gulped and quickly averted her gaze. \u201cUh \u2026 I think you dropped a \u2018very,\u2019\u201d she muttered, secretly tracking Jack and Sam as they wove their way through a glittering sea of people and tables in the candlelit promenade. \u201cFar as I\u2019m concerned, that guy just broke the hot scale, because he\u2019s way<\/em> more than attractive.\u201d
\nToo attractive. <\/em>Shannon watched as Sam flirted with every girl he could on the way to their table, Jack\u2019s warning that Sam was a \u201cplayer\u201d resonating deep in Shannon\u2019s soul. No matter the boyish twinkle in brown eyes that made every girl feel special or a crooked smile always tipped with tease, Shannon knew better. She had no doubt that beneath that magnetic fa\u00e7ade was a man whose good looks and lust for women spelled doom for any girl sucked into his orbit\u2014whirling them in a lovelorn spin that only made them dizzy.
\nAnd so sick that avoidance was the only cure.<\/em>
\n\u201cHeeeeeey, ladies, I\u2019m in dire need of a dance partner, so who\u2019s willing to help me out?\u201d Dr. Sam Cunningham ambled forward with hands in the pockets of his tux, his shirt and tie as disheveled as the dark curls that spilled over his forehead. Which<\/em> was a total rarity for the man who was usually a walking photo shoot for a Gucci cologne ad, always dressed to the nines like a GQ model with a wardrobe to match.
\n\u201cYou\u2019re in dire need, all right,\u201d Jack said with a slant of a smile, his eyes far more sober than Sam appeared to be, \u201cof a lift home.\u201d Looping an arm around Sam\u2019s shoulder, he zeroed in on Shannon. \u201cShan, would you mind driving Sam home? I\u2019m up soon on the podium for some announcements, so I can\u2019t take him right now, and he\u2019s pretty hammered. He\u2019s feeling no pain, but I\u2019ll tell you what\u2014his bar tab will give him sticker shock on his next credit card statement.\u201d
\nShannon blinked, stomach roiling over going anywhere with Sam Cunningham. \u201cUh \u2026 sure, Jack, but wouldn\u2019t a cab be better?\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t wanna go home,\u201d Sam interrupted, a faint slur of his words a perfect complement to the glassy look in his eyes. \u201cI wanna dance.\u201d Pausing as if he just realized he hadn\u2019t introduced himself, he dazzled the girls with his trademark smile, complete with a flash of dimples. \u201cPlease forgive me, ladies, but I\u2019m Sam Cunningham, and I am hoping one of you might consider dancing with me.\u201d In true Cunningham style\u2014at least according to Jack, who claimed Sam had a genuine soft spot for wallflowers and underdogs\u2014he turned his famous bedroom eyes on the least likely girl at the table, who seldom garnered the attention of men.
\nBecky Dempsey was a brilliant mathematician who, unfortunately, looked like one too. Unable to wear contacts, sweet Becky was relegated to thick tortoise-shell eyeglasses that magnified her eyes so much, her pupils were as big as eyeballs. At six foot, she wore her brown hair in a short permed bob that matched her mother\u2019s and sported a host of allergies, not the least of which was to makeup and most food. As a result, she had a gangly frame, which did, fortunately, show off clothes to good advantage.
\nIf they weren\u2019t from her mother\u2019s closet.
\nSam awarded Becky a truly genuine smile. \u201cHow \u2019bout you, Miss \u2026?\u201d
\n\u201cOhhhhhh<\/em>, no you don\u2019t, Ham,\u201d Jack said with a latch of Sam\u2019s arm, employing the nickname Sam had earned in residency because of his outrageous flirting and show-off tendencies. \u201cSweet Becky here doesn\u2019t need her feet mauled tonight, so let\u2019s get you home.\u201d
\nSam jerked free of Jack\u2019s hold with amazing dexterity for someone swaying on his feet. \u201cI told you, I don\u2019 wanna go home, O\u2019Bryen. I wanna dance.\u201d
\n\u201cYeah, well you can dance your way to Shan\u2019s car, dude, because you\u2019re in no shape to do anything but crash.\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019ll drive him home,\u201d Cat offered with a look way too eager, jumping up so fast, she jolted the table and everyone\u2019s drinks along with it. She wriggled her brows at Sam while she reached for her purse. \u201cI\u2019ve been wanting to get to know you better anyway, Dr. Cunningham.\u201d
\n\u201cSoun\u2019s like a plan to me,\u201d Sam said with a wayward grin. \u201cJack\u2019s been waaaaay<\/em> too possessive of you girls, if you ask me.\u201d He gave Cat a slow wink. \u201cForbidden fruit, I suppose.\u201d
\n\u201cIn your dreams, Dr. Love.\u201d Jack flashed Cat a wry smile, resorting to his role of annoying big brother that Cat always accused him of. \u201cSorry, Catfish, but that would be the blind leading the blind, so I\u2019ll stick with the sober and sensible twin.\u201d He homed in on Shannon once again, the plea in his eyes weakening her defenses. \u201cShan, I really hate to ask, but I don\u2019t trust Sam in a cab because he\u2019ll just go to a club and drink some more.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat are you, O\u2019Bryen, my mother?\u201d Sam scowled, and even that looked good on him.
\nShannon chewed on her lip, not sure why Jack would put her in a situation like this with a Romeo he\u2019d warned both Cat and her about.
\n\u201cCome on, Cat, let\u2019s dance \u2026\u201d Sam extended his hand to her sister, practically tripping on the leg of a chair when he rounded the table.
\nIgnoring Sam\u2019s comment, Jack bent close to Shannon\u2019s ear, kneading her shoulder in a coaxing manner. \u201cNormally I wouldn\u2019t let Sam within a mile of either you or Cat, sis, but he\u2019s hurtin\u2019 pretty badly because Jazz showed up with another guy.\u201d Jack glanced toward the dance floor to where Jasmine Augustine\u2014a nurse at Memorial who was both his and Sam\u2019s ex-girlfriend\u2014laughed and danced with some good-looking guy. \u201cSo I don\u2019t trust him to go straight home. Nor<\/em> do I trust him with any female in this room but you, Shan.\u201d His smile was laced with apology, reminding Shannon of another conversation in Jack\u2019s office once, after she and Cat had met Sam for the first time.
\n\u201cSam and I are good friends, guys, but you two need to steer clear,\u201d Jack\u2019d told them after Sam had left, his voice lowering to a mere whisper. He\u2019d zeroed in on Cat, then, with that warning squint in his eyes. \u201cEspecially you, Catfish, because he\u2019s not like other players I know, only out for themselves. Deep down Sam\u2019s a pretty decent guy who actually cares about people, so I don\u2019t think he\u2019s really looking to hurt anybody.\u201d His mouth took a twist. \u201cUnfortunately he does\u2014a lot\u2014because he\u2019s got this innate kindness and sensitivity that disarms most women, setting them up for the fall when he moves on.\u201d Jack had seared them both with a big-brother stare. \u201cAnd trust me\u2014he always<\/em> does.\u201d
\nThe fall.<\/em> Shannon swallowed hard. Yes, I remember it well \u2026<\/em>
\nJack\u2019s heavy expulsion of air ruffled Shannon\u2019s hair, bringing her back to the present where Sam was flirting with Cat. He shook his head. \u201cI swear, the clown is so lousy with bone-deep charisma, Shan, he can charm the spots off a kid with measles, which makes him all the more dangerous.\u201d He gave Shannon\u2019s shoulder a quick squeeze, fixing her with a look of regret. \u201cSo I need someone mature and levelheaded, sis, with an immunity to players, and the only one I know is you.\u201d
\nShannon sighed. Ah yes, my immunity to players. I\u2019ve definitely been inoculated by the best.<\/em> \u201cAll right, Jack.\u201d She tossed her purse strap over her shoulder and rose with another heavy exhale of air. Pushing her chair in, she gave him a twist of a smile. \u201cBut you owe me, big brother.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd then some,\u201d Jack said with a kiss to her head. He tucked a finger to her chin. \u201cAnd don\u2019t let him bamboozle you. The man has a masters in roguery, so it might be good to lend him an ear, but nothing else.\u201d He tugged on her hair. \u201cHis address is 665 Parkway, Apt. B, and he keeps a key under one of the potted palms by his front door.\u201d
\nHer smile slid off-center. \u201cThe operative word being \u2018potted,\u2019 she said with more sarcasm than normal.
\nHe grinned. \u201cI have his car keys, so Lacey and I will drive his Corvette home later, okay? Just get him inside and make sure he stays.\u201d
\nShannon\u2019s mouth went flat. \u201cYou want me to tuck him in too?\u201d
\nJack chuckled. \u201cMight be a nice touch, but not necessary.\u201d He leveled a finger at her with a mock glare. \u201cI don\u2019t want you within twenty feet of his bedroom, young lady, you got that?\u201d He winked. \u201cI\u2019m trusting you, Shan.\u201d
\n\u201cGlad one of us does,\u201d she mumbled, shoulders slumping when she saw Sam dipping Cat in a dance move next to the table, almost dropping her.
\n\u201cOkay, come on, Twinkletoes.\u201d Jack pulled Sam away from Cat to hook an arm over his shoulder, carefully guiding him down the wide, tree-lined walkway dotted with tables. He tossed Cat a warning glare over his shoulder. \u201cAnd if I ever see you dancing with this joker again, Catfish, I\u2019m going to toss you into the river, you got it? He\u2019s off-limits to you and Shan because he\u2019s dangerous to women\u2019s health.\u201d
\n\u201cYeah?\u201d Sam mumbled, stumbling along beside Jack, \u201cthen how come it\u2019s my<\/em> health that took the hit this time?\u201d
\n\u201cHave fun, you lucky duck,\u201d Margo called as Shannon led Jack and Sam to where she had parked her car. \u201cSure wish it were me.\u201d
\n\u201cMe too,\u201d Shannon muttered, wondering if she could talk Jack into putting Sam in the trunk.
\n\u201cJack, I\u2019m fine, I swear.\u201d Sam\u2019s argument sounded convincing enough except for a near miss with a chair, and Shannon couldn\u2019t help the ghost of a smile when her brother gave him a Gibbs smack to the back of the head. She could have kissed Jack after he dumped Sam into the back seat of the car instead of the front. Especially<\/em> after a slight detour where Dr. Love puked on the parking lot, necessitating quick cleanup with wet wipes from the glove compartment.
\nFacedown on the upholstery, Sam ground out a low groan that coaxed another smile to Shannon\u2019s lips. \u201cI think I\u2019m gonna die \u2026\u201d he muttered. His voice was no more than a rasp as he lay prostrate across the back seat of her mother\u2019s 1999 Chevy Impala, his bristled jaw flat against her beige upholstery.
\n\u201cNo you won\u2019t, Ham,\u201d Jack said with a degree of sympathy. \u201cYou just need to get past this obsession with Jasmine and move on with your life, man. There are other fish in the sea.\u201d
\nA hiccough interrupted Sam\u2019s moan. \u201cI don\u2019 want fish. I want her. She\u2019s one in a million.\u201d
\n\u201cYeah, and so\u2019s the headache you\u2019re gonna have come morning, bro, if you don\u2019t get some decent sleep.\u201d He shoved the rest of Sam\u2019s legs into the car and slammed the door, opening the passenger side to offer Shannon a penitent smile. \u201cI can\u2019t thank you enough, Shan. Jazz dumped him for some new intern, and it\u2019s been a rough week for him, you know?\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry to hear that,\u201d she whispered, her heart aching for him despite his inebriated state. \u201cIs there anything else I can do to help cheer him up?\u201d
\n\u201cYeah, you can pray for him, and maybe even share some of that wisdom you\u2019re so famous for. Never seen Ham this down before, and it has me a little worried, you know?\u201d
\n\u201cSure, Jack.\u201d She peeked into the back seat where snores could be heard while drool puddled on the upholstery. \u201cI feel bad for the poor guy.\u201d
\nJack grinned. \u201cI knew you would because you have an oversized heart of gold, kiddo, but not too much, okay? Ham has been known to take advantage of the kindness of strangers.\u201d
\nA grin tugged at Shannon\u2019s lips as she glanced over her shoulder. \u201cDoesn\u2019t look like he could take advantage of much of anything right now.\u201d She wrinkled her nose. \u201cExcept Mom\u2019s car seat.\u201d
\n\u201cYeah, well that\u2019s when he\u2019s at his most dangerous, I\u2019m afraid, catching women off-guard with his little-boy charm. So unconscious or not, keep your distance, okay?\u201d
\nShe started the car with its customary sputter and growl, shifting into gear as she slid Jack a wry smile. \u201cDistance would be a cab, Jack, but I\u2019ll keep that in mind.\u201d
\n\u201cGood girl.\u201d With two firm taps of her roof, Jack closed the door, hands in his pockets as he watched her drive away.
\nA snort sounded from the back seat, and Shannon had no choice but to smile. A cab, definitely.
\nIn another state.<\/em><\/div>\n

Chapter 2<\/h2>\n
Stupid fly. <\/em>Sam Cunningham swatted at the insect, its stupid buzzing getting on his last nerve. It landed again, and he literally growled, flailing his arm to shoo it away. \u201cBeat it, before I nail your butt to the wall.\u201d
\n\u201cNow that<\/em> I\u2019d like to see.\u201d
\nSam jolted up with a groan, drool smeared on the side of his mouth as he squinted into the eyes of an angel.
\nOkay, he couldn\u2019t be dead because his head was pounding too hard, and dead people didn\u2019t feel pain, right? Not unless \u2026 He shot straight up, head in a vice as he groaned in misery, kneading his temples. His stomach burned like the devil and his throat was so parched, it felt like it was on fire.
\nUh-oh \u2026 fire!<\/em>
\nYep, he was dead.
\nAnd now, he was going to pay for his sins.
\n\u201cYou\u2019re not going to throw up again, are you?\u201d A quiet voice asked, soft with sympathy.
\nHe glanced up at the angel through slits in his eyes, his voice barely a croak. \u201cI might. Where am I?\u201d he rasped.
\n\u201cThe back seat of my mother\u2019s car, and I\u2019m Jack\u2019s sister Shannon in case you don\u2019t remember.\u201d She gently tugged on his arm, obviously hoping to remove him from the vehicle. \u201cWhich would be a miracle, given the brain cells you destroyed tonight.\u201d
\nHe grunted, gingerly attempting to unfold himself from the car while bowling balls ricocheted in his head. \u201cI don\u2019 believe in miracles.\u201d
\n\u201cYou should\u2014it\u2019s a miracle you\u2019re even alive after the alcohol you consumed.\u201d
\n\u201cWish I wasn\u2019t,\u201d he muttered, hand to his eyes as he teetered on the sidewalk, limbs as limp as the crumpled tie dangling around his neck. He sniffed. \u201cWhat\u2019s that awful smell?\u201d
\n\u201cVomit. You puked on your tie and shirt,\u201d she said, the empathy in her tone now laced with a hint of a smile.
\nHe groaned. \u201cNoooo!<\/em> This is my best tie\u2014a Ralph Lauren black.\u201d One eye opened a sliver. \u201cNot in your car, I hope?\u201d
\n\u201cNope, that\u2019s miracle number three\u2014you puked in the parking lot, so Jack and I cleaned you up with the wet wipes we keep in the glove compartment.\u201d
\n\u201cFor sloppy drunks you cart home?\u201d He managed to pry his eyes open all the way, noticing for the first time just how pretty she was.
\n\u201cNope, you\u2019re my first.\u201d She hooked an arm to his waist. \u201cReady?\u201d
\n\u201cAlways,\u201d he said with a smile that was worth the pain, \u201cwhen there\u2019s a pretty woman by my side.\u201d
\nShe paused, face in a pinch as she stared up with mouth agape. \u201cSeriously? You\u2019re going to hit on me when you can barely walk and smell like puke?\u201d
\nHe gave a faint shrug, smile sheepish. \u201cNothing ventured, nothing gained.\u201d
\n\u201cI guarantee you, Dr. Cunningham,\u201d she said in a stern tone tempered with tease, \u201cthe only thing you\u2019re going to gain with comments like that is a whop alongside the head.\u201d
\n\u201cOuch.\u201d He grinned while she attempted to steer him toward his luxury villa with a strength and determination that belied her small size, her manner utterly patient when he stumbled several times. His hands shook as he fumbled to fish his keys from his pocket, striving for a smile that came out as a grimace. \u201cI can take it from here,\u201d he said, then froze, his keys promptly plummeting onto his brick front porch. Panic set in when he broke out in a cold sweat, mouth salivating like he was going to throw up \u2026
\nNoooooooooooo!<\/em>
\nBody heaving, he spun around to a potted palm just in time, retching into the planter for several agonizing seconds. He stood there, breathing hard while he remained bent over the poor plant, pretty sure he\u2019d just puked up his intestines.
\n\u201cLet\u2019s get you inside,\u201d a soft voice said, the gentle touch of a palm rubbing his back.
\nA groan scraped past his dry lips, and he white-knuckled the edge of the planter, not sure if the heat in his cheeks meant he was embarrassed or going to toss his cookies again. \u201cPlease go\u2014I can take it from here.\u201d
\nThe caress of a hand to his back continued despite his objection. \u201cI\u2019m sure you can, Sam, but it remains to be seen if you\u2019ll be sleeping out here next to a potted palm or inside in a clean, cozy bed. So, if it\u2019s all the same to you, Doc, I have strict orders to get you down for the night before I leave, so I\u2019m here till I get the dirty deed done.\u201d
\nHe rose slowly, wiping his mouth with his coat sleeve and feeling so much better after unloading his stomach, he actually managed a chuckle. \u201cAh yes, the \u2018sober and sensible twin.\u2019\u201d
\n\u201cThat\u2019s right, Dr. Love,\u201d she said, employing Jack\u2019s nickname while she turned the key in his door, \u201cwhich means the party\u2019s over and you\u2019re done for the night.\u201d
\n\u201cWait \u2026!\u201d He spun around, heart in his throat. \u201cWhere\u2019s my car?\u201d
\n\u201cJack will deliver it in the morning, Doc, so move it inside, please.\u201d She nudged him into his spacious marble foyer that never failed to elicit a feeling of pride, always reminding Sam that he\u2019d finally arrived. A far cry from a flea-bitten room over a bar on the wrong side of the tracks, Sam\u2019s villa\u2014along with his \u201cpreowned\u201d pearl white Corvette\u2014were his pride and joy. Absolute proof he was worth something, despite desertion by a two-bit mother and the rantings of a foster father who claimed he\u2019d only amount to a pile of dung.
\nHe fumbled to turn on the light, then reveled in the gasp that popped from Shannon\u2019s lips, her voice tinged with an awe he never tired of hearing. \u201cWow, this is some place, Doc,\u201d she whispered, peering up at the vaulted foyer with its sleek chrome and teak stairway that zigzagged against a wall of glass. Cream walls resplendent with equally pale modern works of art were beautifully complemented by a central circular mirror and white calla lilies in a tall pottery vase. Sam would have preened with pride if he wasn\u2019t covered in puke, because each and every piece was deliberately designed to evoke the clean and simple beauty he so craved in his own life.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s breathtaking,\u201d she whispered, leaving his side to wander the entryway with a look of awe as if she were Alice perusing Wonderland for the very first time. \u201cUtterly clean and pure. Not at all what I expected of a notorious bachelor.\u201d She turned, the look of astonishment on her face making him grin and wince at the same time. \u201cYou didn\u2019t do this yourself, did you? I mean a designer put it together for you, right?\u201d
\n\u201cNope, all mine,\u201d he said, chest swelling with pride even as his stomach rebelled with a twinge of nausea. He fought it off, suddenly aware he smelled like a pub on payday.
\nHer jaw actually dropped. \u201cI don\u2019t believe it.\u201d
\nHe forced a flirtatious smile, barely minding the throb in his head. \u201cEvery shade of paint, every stick of furniture, every piece of art,\u201d he said with a wobbly hand to his heart, \u201cstraight out of my depraved brain, I promise.\u201d He suddenly steadied himself with a hand to the wall, a flashback from his childhood making him dizzier than the booze in his body.
\n\u201cI\u2019ll come back soon, I promise,\u201d<\/em> his mother always said, night after night, the stench of alcohol on her breath making him nauseous. Only she never did, leaving a skin-and-bones five-year-old to fend for himself in a rat-infested room over a dive of a bar. And when her lush of a boyfriend gave her a choice between Sam and him? Sam\u2019s teeth ground hard as he swayed on his feet. No contest. Because his so-called mother was weak\u2014seeking her self-worth in a loser who had absolutely no worth at all\u2014while giving her son promises that were worth even less.
\n\u201cNo,<\/em>\u201d Sam stressed with a hint of a slur, focusing glassy eyes on a woman who for some strange reason, he wanted to know the truth. \u201cI give you my word<\/em>,\u201d he emphasized with surprising clarity, \u201cbecause you see, Miss O\u2019Bryen, promises are nothing more than a puff of air. But my word is my unbreakable bond, as honest and pure as I can ever hope to be.\u201d The dizziness passed, and he stood up straight and tall, both his smile and the \u201cplayer\u201d in play once again. \u201cBecause despite my notoriously black reputation, I am inexplicably drawn to things that are simple and pure, honest and clean, and completely unblemished by my own sordid life.\u201d
\nHer gaze met his and held. \u201cIt\u2019s beautiful,\u201d she said softly, head tipped as if she couldn\u2019t quite figure him out.
\n\u201cThank you.\u201d He leaned on the knob of the open door, making every effort not to waver on his feet. \u201cUnlike its owner at the moment, I\u2019m afraid. It seems I\u2019m in dire need of a shower.\u201d
\nShe simply stared, her calm look of compassion so disarming that the smile slowly dissolved on his face. All at once, he felt his shoulders relax, the need to impress suddenly as absent as his sobriety. \u201cThank you, Shannon,\u201d he said quietly, somewhat baffled by the calming effect that she had, \u201cfor putting up with metonight and getting me home.\u201d He took a stab at a smile that came out more as a flinch. \u201cI\u2019ll have the inside of your car fumigated and detailed, so just send me the bill.\u201d
\nFor some reason the kindness in her eyes put a hitch in his throat he could only blame on the booze. She slipped her purse off her shoulder, dangling it from one hand while she reverently glided the other across his polished teak half-moon table. \u201cThat won\u2019t be necessary,\u201d she said with a smile, \u201cbut I suspect a pot of coffee will be. Direct me to the kitchen?\u201d
\nHe studied her through blurry eyes, wondering if the aura of innocence he detected was real or just the effect of the alcohol on his brain. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to do that, Shannon. The vomit was already above and beyond the call of duty, so I\u2019ll give Jack a good report.\u201d
\nShe huffed out a sigh bigger than her. \u201cSorry, Doc. Jack asked me to make sure you go to bed and don\u2019t go out again. Blame it on the curse of being the sensible and sober twin who follows orders, but if it\u2019s all the same to you, I\u2019d like to follow through with coffee and even lend an ear if you like.\u201d
\nHe stared for several dizzy seconds, then shut the door, figuring a cup of coffee was preferable to a vertigo spin in bed. \u201cSure. Kitchen\u2019s down the hall, and it won\u2019t take me three minutes to shower.\u201d He eyed the lofty staircase with a dull gaze. \u201cNow the stairs? Might be more like twenty.\u201d
\nShe paused halfway to the kitchen. \u201cNeed help?\u201d
\n\u201cNope.\u201d He made his way to the staircase, trying hard not to weave. \u201cThe hangover will be wicked enough without Jack\u2019s fist if I get one of his sisters into my bedroom.\u201d
\n\u201cO-Okay.\u201d She spun on her heel and all but sprinted down the hall.
\nBut not before he saw the delicate rise of color in her face that lured a smile to his lips. He shook his head as he methodically scaled one step at a time, fisting the steel banister to hold himself up. He sure didn\u2019t blame Jack for banning him from his sisters, especially Shannon. There was something so sweet and wholesome about her that it almost made him want to protect her himself.
\nHe paused at the top of the stairs to catch his breath, the thought of Jack\u2019s sister in his \u201clair\u201d quirking his lips. Obviously Jack was concerned about Sam\u2019s welfare enough to put his sister in harm\u2019s way, which only deepened Sam\u2019s gratitude to the man who was quickly becoming a close friend. His mouth crooked. Even if<\/em> he was annoyingly bent on saving Sam\u2019s soul.
\nPlodding into his massive bedroom, he peeled off his clothes, leaving a trail on his way to the master bath before turning the shower all the way to scalding. Feeling woozy, he braced his hands on the vanity, mind as foggy as the steam billowing behind him like thunderclouds portending a doozy of a storm. He peered into the mirror, muscled arms taut with his weight while red eyes and a sagging face shadowed with scruff confirmed the storm was already here.
\nAnd it was a stinkin\u2019 category five.
\nHe dropped his head, the pain in his chest suddenly making the throb in his brain look like lollipops on immunization day.
\nBecause he\u2019d lost Jazz again. A second time.
\nAnd losing always left a bitter taste in his mouth.
\nYou\u2019re nothing but a loser, kid, just like your old lady.<\/em>
\nKind of like spewing in a parking lot, only this time the nausea was in his heart. Peering up, he saw a ripped body honed at the gym and chiseled features Jazz once likened to a Greek god. Determination steeled his bones. Because inside he knew his feelings for Jasmine and hers for him went far deeper than a pretty face. \u201cYou\u2019ll be back, Jazz,\u201d he whispered, \u201cbecause I\u2019m the one you come to when you\u2019re hurting, and the one who makes you laugh when others make you cry.\u201d
\nLike Jack when he dumped you for Lacey.<\/em>
\nAn odd mix of resentment and regard churned in his gut along with the booze, reminding him that it had been Jack who had stolen Jazz away the first time, after Sam cheated on her. But then it was Jack who had sent her running right back after he\u2019d upped and married Lacey. Jasmine had been devastated, but Sam had been ready, wooing her back with love and understanding and an iron-clad resolve to never stray again.
\nUntil she dumped him for an intern.
\nSam\u2019s eyes shuttered closed. Just like his so-called fianc\u00e9e dumped him in college. Right after she had an affair with his professor, destroying Sam\u2019s confidence along with the man\u2019s marriage.
\nMind and body wobbling, he quickly opened his eyes, desperate to purge the memory from his brain along with the alcohol from his system.
\nStepping into the shower, he welcomed the hot water that battered him raw. Well, he\u2019d lost Jazz twice, but he\u2019d also won her twice, and if it took every trick in the book, he\u2019d do it again. His jaw automatically hardened, resolve to win her back pummeling through his veins as hard as the steaming water pummeled his body. But right now he needed to numb the ache in his heart, so he\u2019d start with a cup of coffee with a pretty woman who just might help fill the hole in his chest.
\nAt least for a while.
\nHe lathered with soap, aching with the need to feel worthy and clean. He suddenly thought of Shannon and instantly relaxed, the idea of coffee with her suddenly the only thing he wanted to do. He could use an honest sounding board after all the angst Jasmine had put him through. And he\u2019d begin tonight by picking Shannon\u2019s brain as to how he might win her back. Because Shannon did<\/em> mention lending an ear.
\nStepping out of the shower, he expelled a burdensome sigh. And maybe, if she realized just how badly he was hurting, she\u2019d lend him even more. Like a few innocent kisses\u2014and only kisses\u2014from a woman who could help ease some of his pain. Sagging over the sink, he ground his thumb against the throb in his temple, desperate to free himself of the awful loneliness that always haunted his brain. His eyelids weighted closed. Because he had to.
\nJack\u2019s sister or no.<\/div>\n

Save<\/span><\/p>\n

Save<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chapter 1 Isle of Hope, Georgia, Early Summer \u201cOkay, smile pretty\u2014hot guys at three o\u2019clock.\u201d Shannon O\u2019Bryen smiled, more because of her friend Margo\u2019s mumbled man alert than the need to charm any \u201chot guy.\u201d She shook her head when Margo tugged the neckline of her sequin halter dress a bit lower before casually skimming […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-21025","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/21025","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=21025"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/21025\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21026,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/21025\/revisions\/21026"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=21025"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}