Impatient Passion was my first book, published in 2003 on Valentine’s Day. I had no idea what I was doing–I was just trying to “write a book.” I did it in a month, sent it to Liquid Silver Books (in the process of folding now, sadly), and they accepted it. I was bitten by the writing bug, for better or worse! 🙂
This is a blog hop. Click the link at the bottom and see what other authors are posting!
Blurb:
Austin D. Gardner, an award winning web designer in San Francisco, has just faced the fact that she is going to turn thirty-five years old on Saturday and her life is nowhere near what she dreamed it would be. She needs to make big changes.
On the crowded bus trip home, Austin is pushed into a man. Instead of trying to move away, he pulls her to him. Austin is shocked at first, but then lets fate take her by the hand. An anonymous adventure on a crowded bus might be a safe way to break out of the dull life she is living.
Tyler Birch spent years waiting for Austin to give some indication she would welcome getting to know him better, but time is up. He decided Monday to stop being passive. That afternoon he finds himself pressed against her on the crowded bus trip home. Not one to turn down an opportunity when he’s presented with one, Tyler accepts the chance to mount a two-pronged plan of attack. One as the anonymous stranger who can set Austin fire with his touch, and the other as Tyler Birch who can touch her soul.
Excerpt:
In the years Austin had worked for Bay Web, her contact with Tyler had been limited, just the way she liked it. She glanced at him and found he was looking at her.
“You look as though you’re having a conversation with yourself. Want to tell me what about?” The look he gave Austin was open, friendly.
“No.”
He grimaced at her terse response. “Fair enough.” Tyler got up and closed the door, which worried Austin. She had never been alone in a closed room with any of the staff there. Even Henry, when he was arguing with her over designs, left the door open. What was this about?
“Ms. Gardner, or Austin, if I may call you that?” She nodded, and he gave a half smile. “Austin, you’ve been working on the Ron Morris project haven’t you? How do you think it’s coming?”
“I’ll have it ready for Henry to look at by end of day Wednesday. That should give him plenty of time to familiarize himself before Friday’s presentation. Is there a problem?”
“No. How do you feel the work is going? I guess what I mean is, how do you feel about what you’ve done?”
“Good. I think I’ve captured what Mr. Morris wants, and I think he’ll be happy with the results. Why? What’s going on? I’ve given Henry the preliminary drafts.”
“Yes, and he showed them to us at the executive meeting this morning.” He stopped and regarded her with a frank expression. “I’ll get right to the point. Austin, I want you to handle the presentation on Friday. Can you do it?” Tyler leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs and tapped his fingertips together, forming a steeple with his hands.
Austin was stunned. Presenting her own work to the client was not something she had ever done. In fact, not being able to do so had irritated her more than once, because she felt Henry might not have given her work the pitch he should have. She knew that part of being a backbench employee was being behind the camera, so to speak, not up where the client action was.
However, this account was really important to her, and she had hated the thought of turning it over to Henry, especially since he hadn’t shown much enthusiasm for her ideas. He wanted flash and lots of action on the screen instead of her more unadventurous, calm design. She quickly made up her mind. She looked up to see Tyler staring at her, quietly waiting for her response. “Yes, I can do it.”
“Good. I hoped you would say that. I liked your prelims and I think you can best explain them to Morris.”
“My only concern is Henry. This won’t go over too well with him.”
“Let me worry about that. Now,” he said as he uncrossed his legs and leaned forward. He rested his elbows on the desk and looked at her intently. “I hope you won’t take this the wrong way. I know we’re a very casual company-this is California, after all, and what’s California if not casual? But for this level of client dealing, I like the staff to be a bit more formal. No offense, but you look like the college kids out there.” He waved vaguely toward the cubicle area. “I’d like you to represent the adult side of the firm on Friday. Will you come in to work dressed a little more formally and with a different hair style?”
Austin bristled, and Tyler could obviously tell. “Now, don’t go getting all huffy. This isn’t anything I wouldn’t ask of a man if he normally came in every day dressed for the beach.” Austin opened her mouth and he held up his hand. “Which you don’t. That’s not what I meant.”
“If you don’t mind my asking, what exactly is wrong with how I look?”
Tyler stood and walked around his desk. He took her hands in his and forced her to stand. Austin was struck speechless as he casually appraised her, front and back, then motioned for her to sit again and went back to his chair. He leaned back and looked at her, still saying nothing.
Tyler sat quietly because, truth be told, he couldn’t speak quite yet. He thought Austin was beautiful. Had thought so since she started working there, but had been very careful never to reveal his thoughts. She had gorgeous blonde hair that she kept in a horrid braid. If it was loose, falling over him… He cleared his throat and forced his mind off of that track.
“With how you look? Nothing. With how you dress? Plenty. Bagginess is fine for sitting in a cubicle in front of a computer screen, but not for client presentations.” Tyler saw Austin tense and a flush spread up her neck and across her face, but he continued. “You have very nice hair, but this is a San Francisco business, not Little House on the Prairie. Something a little more suitable to your age and responsibility would be good.”
Austin caught her breath, and Tyler saw her eyes sparkle with tears. Fortunately, they didn’t fall, but he immediately softened his tone. Leaning forward, he said a little more gently, “You have beautiful skin and you’re one of the few women I know who doesn’t need makeup. Your eyes are amazing, even behind those gosh awful glasses you wear to see the computer screen. But tennis shoes don’t go with the image I have of the corporation, Austin.”
He looked at her steadily, and saw that she had control of her emotions. No tears for her, he thought. She’s pretty brave to sit through this and not lose it. He tempered his criticism with the next statements. “You’re a valuable employee. Your work is excellent and has brought the company recognition. I take you seriously, and I want others to take you seriously too.” He could see that his last words had an effect on her.
He lowered his head slightly and regarded her through his lashes. “I don’t mean to be harsh. For here at the office your regular dress is okay. If it’s a problem making a few changes for Friday, I understand. But I really wanted you to handle the presentation.”
There it was. The challenge. Would she give in to his request or give up control of her work? “I’ll do it,” she said in a low voice. “Is that all?”
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Maybe because after eight years of trucking and never having a home, and then moving every couple of years while Jack consulted all over the country, I’m pretty much a homebody now. So, while even I have my limits as to how much I can stand being a hermit, chained to the house, I often vote for staycation over vacation. That’s not to say that we haven’t been out a bit in the past several years of living in the great American Northwest. We’ve been to Yellowstone and Seattle, and along the Columbia Gorge. I plan to see Glacier National Park this spring…maybe on our way to Alaska!!! But for the most part, I’m happy puttering in my own kitchen, sitting on my own couch, and sleeping in my own bed.
than it is in January! Beautiful either way, but more bison that are also closer in winter, bubbling mud and fumaroles surrounded by snow, and frozen waterfalls. In September the trees had turned and blazing aspens stood out sharply on the mountainsides. We combined the September trip with family, by exiting the park at the east gate and driving across Wyoming and South Dakota to see my mom in Iowa.
timeshare. You can go to the restored area when the spirit moves you, and you can relax and nap the rest of the time. 😉 There are some great restaurants in Williamsburg (and lots of good pancake houses!), so it’s a wonderful place to experience history, to golf, to explore the coast, and to recharge.
took shots for it. Once hubby and I started driving truck and roaming all over the U.S., I lost my allergies. Hubby, on the other hand, is allergic to the world of the American South-Southeast.
anywhere near Virginia pollen, plants and trees, and he about dies. This is the reason we retired in the Northwest and not in the home of my heart, the Southeast.
Next spring, hubby Jack and I will be married 46 years. Considering that we dated for nearly seven years before that and had met two years prior to dating, we’ve known each other, dated, and been married almost 55 years. When I say it feels like forever, you can understand what I mean. When I say that it feels like yesterday maybe you’ll know what I mean, too. When we were falling in love, saying we’d be together forever sounded so easy. Hahahahaha! How naive! It hasn’t all been easy but it’s all been worthwhile, and made easier by being able to laugh, both at ourselves and with each other.
Mexico once, for a harried, scary trip (do they have the concept of stop signs down? Not that I could tell.). For almost eight years, we were hardly apart except to go to the bathrooms, living in an 8 x 8 foot truck cab. There were times I wanted to murder Jack but I never considered divorce. (I’m sure he never wanted to murder me—I was the epitome of the perfect traveling companion.) And if you’re prone to divorce at all, driving a truck together will get you there faster than a CHP officer can write a speeding ticket. Those were great days!
After not graduating and leaving Virginia Military Academy in his junior year, Jack went back to school at age 63. Far from not graduating, he got his diploma and graduated summa cum laude! I’m so proud of him.
t time, I was in Virginia finishing up my year’s teaching contract and Jack was working in Kansas City as an IT consultant. We decided to spend my spring break in San Francisco.
Flowers lined the street, which has to be taken at a low speed not only due to the curves but to the grade, and it was not only quite the adventure, but not something we would have thought to do on our own.