September 2011

Ah. Summer's over. Sniff. Sniff. No more breakfasts on Wednesday morning. No more swimming pool. Though we can still golf!

My writing is humming right along. One book in the MONGTOMERY MOGULS duet down. One to go. And then onto the continuity before I finish up my contract with an unknown book! I'm guessing it might be a standalone.

This month we're getting back into the POWER OF QUESTIONS workshop. There's a Cat Tail and a reminder of the Prepping for Nano Workshop. But rather than post the last of the Andreas short stories, we're slipping into a Christmas theme. Why? Who knows. LOL. With fall approaching, I'm suddenly in a Christmas mood. So along with an excerpt from one of the two Christmas stories on my website, I'll be posting an excerpt from HER BABIES FIRST CHRISTMAS.

This is one of my favorite stories for Harlequin Romance. I loved the hero and heroine, but I also loved the idea of leaving your old life behind and starting a new one. The hero did that five years ago. The heroine's on a journey to do that now.

What would you do if you got a chance to start over again?

It's an interesting thing to ponder.

I'm once again giving away an autographed copy of the Maids Duet. Since I don't have any copies of Christmas books to give away! LOL

So comment below on what you'd do if you could start all over and be entered to win a copy of the duet -- MAID FOR THE SINGLE DAD and MAID FOR THE MILLIONAIRE.

Happy fall!

Now on to Lesson 7.

susan

For the Writers Among Us
Lesson 7: More on constructing a List of 20

Here’s our list of twenty for the cabin-in-the-woods/close proximity book we started in our last lesson:

1. The furnace doesn't work and they have to snuggle together. (Remember no judgment! No saying one is right or wrong or better or stupid or ridiculous or too cliché . . . Just keep writing.)
2. She has no luggage and has to wear his clothes. Could be funny. And eventually intimate.
3. They sleep in bedrooms across the hall.
4. He sleeps on the sofa and gets a backache.
5. He catches her in the bathtub.
6. Somebody else arrives.
7. Her dad is with them.
8. She has a child.
9. They hear a radio report that a killer is on the loose (Is this a suspense…Or just a really cool way to get them into the same bedroom? LOL)
10. The storm gets worse.
11. The storm ends…

This is where we ended…So today I add…

12. She gets prim and sets down rules and he decides he'll show her she has nothing to worry about from him by calling his current girlfriend.
13. She gets prim and sets down rules and he decides he'd rather sleep in the garage than deal with her.

Come to a crashing halt again…Why?

First, because we took an answer and refined it. She still gets prim and sets down rules, but this time he decides to sleep in the garage, not call his girlfriend.

Second, this refinement is a tad better because his sleeping in the garage is totally unexpected in this kind of book. Why? Because this is a close proximity book. Readers expect certain things…like waking and talking in the night. Sleeping across the hall. Wondering about each other every time they slide under the covers across the hall from each other. His decision to sleep in the garage just took an old plot and made it a tad different.

So, in your list of 20, don't be afraid to refine any answer you get, but also, don't stop yourself from writing down the ridiculous or something that seems to break with the conventional rules. Sure, he may come back in from the garage in the middle of the night because it's cold and she won't let him freeze to death…or maybe the next night because she feels guilty but in either of those situations she has to entice him back and that's what good romance is all about!

Do you see what I'm saying? An unexpected twist, even if you only twist for a second can breathe new life into an old idea.

That takes us to #4 in our list of thing to remember when doing a list of 20

4. Never underestimate the power of the ridiculous.

Remember my PRINCE BABY list?

I got stuck, left my office, read the paper and saw U-2 was touring. Walking away and reading the newspaper really shifted my thoughts. Another person might have thought it stupid to say the King was touring with U-2, but I knew the power of the ridiculous.

Once I started thinking ridiculous thoughts, I let my mind go and came up with the King sitting at Michael Jackson’s trial. Again, ridiculous, but that answer shifted my thoughts enough that I realized that the King had to have been somewhere that he couldn’t leave.

That in and of itself wasn’t quite enough so using the refining technique, I took the idea that the King was somewhere he couldn’t leave – like Parliament, where he’d be missed! I added that to the list item about the King not wanting the press to realize (yet) that his grandson (the future king) was about to be born out of wedlock until his PR people had a chance to spin it and voila, an answer was born.

There is no better way to jumpstart your brain than to let it go anywhere it wants to . . . especially if it wants to go someplace ridiculous!

But here’s a little sidebar about the list of twenty. Sometimes you’ll have lists of twenty that spin off of your list of twenty.

What do I mean? Well, when I began pandering to the ridiculous to jumpstart my brain, I ultimately came to the conclusion that the king had to be somewhere he couldn’t leave. Basically, I did another list of twenty.

I said, where would a king be that he couldn’t leave…and why couldn’t he leave? If he’s king, he should be able to set his own schedule! LOL

I started with normal answers…He’s sick. His car is broke. His driver is sick. The private plane is already in use. He has work he needs to do…Ah. Work. What kind of work does a king do? He officiates over parliament!

I thought that through and decided (since this was MY made up country and I controlled the rules) that this parliament is only in session once a year for six weeks. If he leaves, it will cause a stir.

And from there I began blending answers. What happens when you cause a stir? The media starts looking into things. And what happens if the media looks into things…they find the out-of-wedlock future king before the king’s PR people can spin it.


So…The list of 20 is a fabulous thing. It frees your mind. You give yourself permission to consider the opposites of the typical conventions. You give yourself permission to think of the ridiculous. And sometimes the ridiculous leads you to the right answer! But none of that will happen if you don't ask the right question!

The bottom line for the list of twenty is two-fold.

First, you have to have an excellent question. Usually the more specific your question, the better your answer will fit.

Second, use the four rules…Don’t judge! Consider opposites. Try the ridiculous. And blend or modify answers that are close.

Your homework for today? Look at your WIP. Could a good question and a list of twenty lift it up into something wonderful?

Can you write a great question for that problem?


susan

Coming Attractions

This will be the last post for Prepping for Nano. Next month the workshop will already be in progress when the ezine comes out.

So if you need this info, take it down.

Coming in October PREPARING FOR NANO at Pennwriters.com

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

Everybody believes NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month, which runs every November at www.nanowrimo.org) is a race against the clock, a fight with procrastination and inertia. In some ways it is. But once you’re in the thick of things, you’ll discover NaNo is really all about ideas. Writers don’t stall because they’re lazy. Writers stall because they don’t know what to write next.

The month BEFORE NaNo, get proven tips from Susan Meier—the author of almost 50 books for Harlequin and Silhouette—and let her take you through several different ways to examine the story you want to write, to capture the natural scene possibilities within your idea, to generate new ideas, and to push yourself through the most grueling, but fun, month you will spend this year! Lessons include:


* The List of 20 (How to generate ideas quickly so you have little downtime when your natural ideas run out)

* Turning a “Want” into “Need” (How does knowing why you’re writing this book provide you with both energy to write and ideas for your story?)

* The One-Paragraph Story Summary (Say it succinctly…3 kinds of one-paragraph story summaries: back cover blurb, core story question, and growth paragraph)

* Could, Might, Must and Should List (How to capture ideas that spring up naturally)

* Storyboard Versus Synopsis (Breaking your idea down into manageable bites)

* The Psychology of Pushing through the Hard Times (What to do when you get stuck)

* The Psychology of a Draft (Push, push, push!)

* What Are You Doing in December? (Editing tips)


TESTIMONIALS:

“I was bowled over by how helpful it was. Susan was ever patient and ready to offer feedback and encouragement. The course material was broken down so that it was easy to understand but it pushed me to dig deeper and really understand my story. I would not hesitate to recommend this course in the future or any course with Susan Meier.”

- SGM

Fantasy writer

“Susan Meier generously shares her knowledge and shapes it to fit your needs. She is enthusiastic and encouraging. This course helped me to fill in the gaps, taking my plot from mundane to magnificent! Thanks, Susan!”

- JBS

Cat Tails!

Cat Confusion...

This year we're doing lots of house remodeling. One of the first things we did was install central air. When you install central air, it immediately changes your life. We knew that was coming. What we didn't expect was cat confusion.

Why? Because they like to go outside...at will. Now, we don't leave open any doors. So they sit by the front door and meow when they want to go out. But sometimes, they'll wander into the kitchen and glance wistfully at the sliding glass door...like I know I should be doing something here but I can't remember what!

I can't wait until October when we replace the worn sliding glass door with French Doors. That'll be interesting!




A Mom for Missy

What Came Before at Teaberry Farms, the winter wonderland setting for Susan Meier’s A BABY BENEATH THE CHRISTMAS TREE, part of A FAIRYTALE CHRISTMAS anthology with Barbara Wallace

A Mom for Missy

The 1970’s were a confusing time for women. Pert and sassy blonde-haired, blue-eyed Sunny Peabody was no exception. She wasn’t against women’s lib. Quite the contrary. She believed the time had come for women to have a place in boardrooms across the country. But, personally, she loved to cook and wanted to spend most of her time in the kitchen. When she’d married the love of her life, a sophisticated, worldly man six years her senior, Max Peabody, she’d gotten a job working with him at Teaberry Farms.

He worked outside. A former entrepreneur, he’d sold his startup business to a Fortune 500 company and retired quite comfortably at thirty. Having spent eight years in offices, he relished the opportunity to be outdoors as the caretaker for the lush evergreens that grew along the steep West Virginia mountainside.

She worked inside, cooking and cleaning for the elderly Teaberries, two wonderfully wise people, who loved selling the Christmas trees everybody believed were magic. To Sophie and Reggie Teaberry, having Sunny and Max keep the place open for business was like getting a second wind. A second chance to provide miracles for the people of their small, rural town.

Sunny didn’t necessarily believe the trees themselves were magic, but she did believe in the magic of Christmas. She’d seen wealthy families step up and secretly provide surprises for those less fortunate. She’d seen younger people help older folks hang Christmas decorations or carry shopping bags. She’d seen money show up in mailboxes and gifts appear under trees. All from benefactors inspired by the legend of the Teaberry Trees.

So though it wasn’t conventional magic, good will and harmony sent a twinkle of something wonderful through the air. From the day after Thanksgiving when the Teaberrys opened their farm, “people magic” flowed through the trees, along the mountain, and to the wonderful small town below, Towering Pines.

That snowy Monday after Thanksgiving, Sunny glanced out the kitchen window of Teaberry Mansion just in time to see the shiny red Burkett’s Greenhouse truck driving up the lane. Six-year-old Missy Burkett jumped out of the passenger’s side as her father, Greg, a tall, lean man with thick auburn hair and dark brown eyes, slid out of the driver’s side.

Sunny quickly gathered a plate of chocolate chip cookies, slipped on her black wool coat and raced outside. “Missy! Hello!” she called, walking to the shed where freshly cut trees leaned against the weathered boards, awaiting customers.

“Hey, Mrs. Peabody,” Missy replied with a wave. A bright blue knit cap hid all but the bangs of her long yellow hair. Brisk early December air put color in her cheeks.

“I brought some cookies for you.”

“And for her dad, too?” Greg asked, laughing as he reached for one of the warm chocolate delights. Wearing a lined denim jacket over a red plaid work shirt, he took a bite of his cookie and groaned in ecstasy. “These are great.”

Missy glanced up and tried to smile. “Yeah, Mrs. P. They’re great. Thanks.”

Sunny’s heart turned over in her chest. Since the death of Missy’s mom two years before, the little girl lips had barely twitched upward. Sunny wished her father would come by the farm more often so she could bake Missy cookies, ruffle her hair, share girlie secrets the way a six-year-old should. But they only came around once a year to gather trees to sell at Greg’s nursery.

“Are you two here for trees?”

“Yes, please,” Missy said.

“They sell like hotcakes!” Greg said. “The legend of Teaberry Trees brings customers in droves.”

“Well, it’s easier for townspeople to buy from you than to drive up the mountain to our farm,” Sunny agreed.

Missy tugged on Sunny’s sleeve. “Is it true what they say about the trees?”

“That they’re magic?” Sunny laughed. “Don’t you believe?”

She glanced down at the sparkling snow beneath her shiny blue boots then back up at Sunny. “I want to believe.”

Sunny’s heart wept for her. Of course she wanted to believe. Undoubtedly, at some point Missy had wished to have her mom come back, not understanding that some things just couldn’t be fixed. And when that wish went unfulfilled, she’d begun losing faith. A sad thing to happen to a six-year-old.

Mary Alice Carter limped from behind the shed, carrying a huge evergreen wreath. Her long sable hair had been tucked beneath a bright red cap that matched her simple red jacket. Her bright green eyes sparkled.
Sunny’s former best friend from college had been in an automobile accident a few years before. Severe injuries to her lower body had not only left her with a limp, but also with an even sadder consequence.

Mary Alice couldn’t have children. When her fiancé was told, he’d broken their engagement. Now, Mary Alice poured out all her passion into floral arrangements in the summer and working for Teaberry Farms making wreaths in the winter.

Seeing the beautiful evergreen arrangement, Sunny clapped her hands together! “Oh my, who is that for?”

Mary Alice grinned. “Mrs. Thomas. She wants it for her front door. She thinks guests are more likely to touch this than her indoor tree. She wants everyone to get a wish this year.”

Sunny laughed at Mrs. Thomas’s creative interpretation of the legend, but Greg quickly hustled over and caught the huge wreath from Mary Alice’s hands.

A quick spark of something passed between them, as Greg said, “Let me.”

Mary Alice shyly glanced away as she handed the huge wreath to Greg.

Sunny looked down at Missy who studied her dad, then Mary Alice.

Her brow furrowed. She wondered if the six-year-old could tell that her dad obviously felt something for Mary Alice and that Mary Alice seemed to feel something for Greg – enough that the two of them would get together. Probably soon.

Tapping her finger on her cheek, Sunny wondered if this might not be a perfect opportunity to help one adorable child get her joy back. She didn’t really believe the trees had any power per se, but she recognized attraction when she saw it and she hated to see someone so young who didn’t believe in the power of wishes. What could it hurt?

She nudged the little girl over to the side of the shed, close to the plump pines awaiting buyers, and whispered, “Touch a branch.”

Missy frowned. “What?”

Sunny nodded at Mary Alice and Greg. “Touch the branch and wish.”

Missy’s eyes widened. She quickly grabbed a branch.

Just then Max strolled up a long thin path between two rows of trees. “What have we here?” Tall and broad-shouldered, with dark hair and bright blue eyes, and wearing jeans and a big black parka, he didn’t look like the stuck-in-the-office entrepreneur he’d been just a few months before. He swung Missy up into his arms and then over his shoulder, tickling her tummy. “You’re not here to steal magic trees, are you?”

Missy giggled. “No! We’re buying them.”

“Then your daddy and I had better get them loaded before the snow comes this afternoon. Sunny, why don’t you take this young lady into the house and get her some cocoa?”

“Or she could come back with me and I’ll show her how to make a wreath.”

Mary Alice looked surprised to have made the offer. Self-conscious since her accident, she stayed in the background more than she associated with people. But Missy’s eyes lit with joy and she didn’t give Mary Alice a chance to change her mind. She glanced back at Sunny, who smiled and winked, insinuating the magic was already taking hold.

Missy scampered over to Mary Alice who took her hand and led her into the shed where she cut branches and knit them together over wire to create luxurious evergreen wreaths for the front doors and fireplace mantles of people in three counties.

Sunny returned to the kitchen and went back to the fruit horns she wanted to bake for the annual Teaberry Christmas party – a lavish event held every year on December 20 as a way to thank everyone for supporting Teaberry Farms. While the dough raised, she made hot cocoa and took it to the shed for Mary Alice and Missy, but she was really hoping to entice Greg inside for a cup of tummy-warming cocoa before he headed back to his business with his trees.

When she stepped into the shed, she found Missy half-standing on a chair leaning against Mary Alice’s worktable as Mary Alice explained the technique for cutting evergreen branches to get the perfect stems for a wreath or floral arrangement. Missy’s bright eyes followed Mary Alice’s every move, but it was the expression on Mary Alice’s face that caught Sunny’s attention. Mary Alice had longed to be a mom. Fate seemed to have stolen that chance from her, but not if Sunny had anything to say about it.

“I have cocoa,” she called, letting them know she was approaching.

Mary Alice brushed her hands over her long apron. “Thanks. It was time for a break.”

Sunny poured cocoa for both Mary Alice and Missy. They had taken only a few sips before Max and Greg returned.

“Have some cocoa,” Sunny said, quickly pouring a cup for Greg, knowing he’d be too polite to refuse it and hoping that would give him some private time with Mary Alice.

“Thanks.” He glanced around then smiled at Missy. “Are you learning to make wreaths?”

Missy said, “Yes,” at the same time that Mary Alice said, “I’m happy to teach her.”

But once again, Mary Alice frowned. Sunny had to put her fingers to her lips to keep everyone from seeing her smile. If she didn’t know better she’d think the Teaberry trees were Johnny on the spot today, getting Mary Alice to say things without realizing it. But the truth was she’d seen that spark pass between Mary Alice and Greg. This relationship might require a nudge, but it didn’t require a miracle.

She turned to Missy. “Why don’t you come inside with me and Mr. Peabody and we’ll fix up a plate of cookies for you to take home?”

Missy jumped off the chair, the prospect of homemade cookies for breakfast in the morning clearly too much to resist.

After they’d packed the cookies and Missy scooted out the door, Sunny stared after her with a thoughtful smile.

“What’s in that head of yours?” Max asked, leaning against the kitchen counter with a cup of cocoa.

“Oh, nothing.” With a private smile she turned back to assembling her fruit horns.

Max frowned and Sunny could all but see wheels turning in his brain as he backtracked over everything that had happened that morning, then he gasped. “I hope you’re not matchmaking.”

Sunny pivoted to face him. “What if I am? I think Greg and Mary Alice are perfect for each other.”

Max shook his head. “Greg doesn’t. He feels sorry for her. Last thing Mary Alice needs is a man who feels sorry for her.”

Sunny pressed her hand to her chest. Max was right. Mary Alice might have some handicaps, but she was a proud, strong woman. If Greg pitied her, it would hurt her. Putting them together would be wrong.

Except what did she do about Missy? She hadn’t only been matchmaking; she’d set this up so Missy would believe in wishes again! Oh, she’d botched this one royally.

Poor Sunny! Go to A Mom for Missy -- Part 2 to see if she's able to fix her mistake!

copyright 2010 susan meier

To finish the story go to

http://amomformissy.blogspot.com/

BLAST FROM THE PAST!

Excerpt from Her Baby's First Christmas

Jared Johnson drove his black SUV out of the basement parking garage of Clover Valley Luxury Apartments onto the street and saw Elise McDermott standing on the corner in the pouring rain. Suitcase, diaper bag and small boxlike container on the sidewalk beside her feet, she held her baby in a carrier, which she protectively sheltered with her umbrella.

But the storm was relentless and Jared suspected it wouldn't take more than a minute or two before Elise and her baby would be soaked. Angry with her for standing in the rain with a baby, when she could be in their building lobby, he stopped his SUV and hit the button that lowered the passenger side window.

Leaning across his seat, he yelled, "What the hell are you doing out in this storm with a baby!"

"I'm waiting for a taxi to take me to the bus station."

With the window down, he could hear the heavy California rain as it pounded on his windshield, roof and hood. Obviously thinking he'd yelled to be heard over the noise and not out of anger, she stepped closer. Her pretty green eyes were dull with worry. Her thick, curly red hair danced around her in the wind.

"But I've been waiting a while. And the schedule I have has the bus leaving in a little over an hour. If I miss it, I won't get to North Carolina in time to do everything I need to do before Christmas. Do you think my taxi forgot me?"

"Yes!" Guilt stabbed him. She wasn't standing in the rain like a ninny with no place to go. It sounded as if she was on her way home for the holiday. To her real home. Not a condo she was house-sitting as she'd been for the past six months for Michael Feeney while he was in Europe. And her taxi had forgotten her. She wasn't a scatterbrain. He had to stop jumping to conclusions that everybody who did anything out of the realm of what he considered normal was somehow wrong.

Annoyed with himself, he sighed and glanced at his watch before he shoved his gearshift into Park. He was way too early for his flight anyway.

He jumped out of his SUV and rounded the hood. He knew from experience there was only one way to deal with his guilt. Penance.

"How about if I give you a ride to the bus station?"


Elise McDermott stared at dark-haired, gray-eyed, absolutely gorgeous Jared Johnson. He wore an expensive raincoat over a dark suit, white shirt and tie, and was currently getting drenched because he didn't have an umbrella. When she'd agreed to house-sit for for Michael Feeney, Michael had told her Jared was the person to call if anything happened while he was away. He laughingly said Jared was grouchy, but once he got over being disturbed, he would always come through, if only out of guilt. Jared had probably offered her a ride because he felt bad about yelling at her.

"I'd love a ride, but you're obviously on your way somewhere and I don't want to be any trouble."

He reached for her suitcase. "No trouble."

She put her hand over his on the handle. "I'm serious. You were going somewhere and I don't like to be a bother." He might want to make up for yelling at her, but he didn't have to. Being alone and pregnant, she'd learned to stand on her own two feet. She didn't need to be coddled. "I'll call another cab."

"I'm on my way to the aiprort, but I'm early. Way too early. You'll be doing me a favor if you let me make the side trip to the bus station. I won't have to sit in the airport lounge for three hours."

"But--"

Before she could argue any further, he pulled on the suitcase, easily wrestling it away from her. "Come on."

She opened her mouth to stop him, but the wind caught her umbrella and she couldn't hold it. The rush of air jerked the handle out of her grip and it took off like a kite.

He nodded at the baby seat. "You buckle her in," he said, shouting over the noise of the storm as he bgan walking to the rear of the SUV. "I'll put these in the back."

She shook her head. Lord, he was persistent -- and she was getting drenched. Since he was offering to do what she'd have to pay a cab to do, she supposed she'd be foolish to argue.

By the time he had stowed her gear, she was done with the baby. She clicked the final strap, shut the back door and settled into the passenger seat of his SUV. He slid behind the steering wheel and closed the door. Suddenly it was blessedly dry and quiet.

He hit the buttons to activate the heater and she glanced at all the bells and whistles in his obviously expensive vehicle. "Wow. It's so quiet in here."

"That's one of the car's selling points. It's quiet."

"Yeah, quiet and ... wonderful. Holy cow. This must have cost a chunk of change."

"It's nothing compared to the things my clients drive."

"It might be nothing compared to your clients' rides --" According to the building rumor mill, the guy in the penthouse -- as Jared was known to most of the residents -- was the attorney for several recording artists, one recording studio and a few movie stars, so she didn't doubt his clients drove incredibly fancy cars. "But compared to the rest of us, you're sitting pretty."

Her praise seemed to make him uncomfortable and he shifted on his seat. His jaw tightened. "I wasn't always well-off."

Because she didn't know him, had only seen him a few times in the lobby waiting for the elevator to his penthouse, she had no idea why he'd be upset to have money. But since she'd never see him again, it didn't matter. He was who he was. Rich. She was who she was -- a single mom without an extra cent to spare. Six years ago when her mom died, she'd left North Carolina with her boyfriend, Patrick, with big dreams, but she'd ended up supporting him. When she'd gotten pregnant, he'd left as if his feet were on fire. She and Jared Johnson had nothing in common and there was no sense pretending they did by making mindless small talk.

She settled into the bucket seat and closed her eyes. Besides, she had a few things to think about. She was returning to North Carolina, but not the small town she grew up in. She'd inherited her grandmother's house in the town right beside it. She was going to the hometown of her father. The guy who had left her mom. The guy she didn't even know. And she wasn't sure whether the good people of Four Corners, North Carolina would welcome her with open arms, or treat her like the plague. She only knew the grandmother she'd never met had left her a piece of property. A place she could sell, hopefully for enough money to buy a home to raise her baby.

The same grandmother who hadn't even wanted to meet her, hadn't acknowledge her as her kin, had given her her first break in life.

And she'd be a fool not to take it.


Suddenly the SUV was so quiet Jared could hear his own breathing. This was a bad idea. Elise was virtually a stranger and here they were, trapped in a car for at least twenty minutes, with nothing to talk about. He fixed his eyes on the road, occasionally glancing at the shops lining the street, then he saw the Christmas tree in front of Meg's Memory Mart, growing in a pot big enough to accommodate a four-foot fir, covered in blinking lights and tinsel. His heart cuaght. His breathing shivered.

Stop.

She's gone.

He shifted on the seat, struggling to rein in a flood of memories. He had to get a hold of himself now, before his plane landed in New York. If he didn't, his pain would be infinitely worse when he got to the city where every damned thing on every damned street would remind him of the absolutely perfect life he'd lost. He couldn't cancel his trip. After five years of his finding excuses not to come home, his parents had threatened to come to Califofnia with their friend "the shrink" if he backed out this year. They didn't think it was normal for him to stay away as long as he had. They thought he was a little bit crazy. He had to show them he was okay.

Even if he wasn't a hundred percent sure he was.

Blocking that last thought, he fixed his mind on upcoming contract negotiations for one of his clients, and the rest of the drive to the bus station passed in silence. He pulled up to the curb and Elise eagerly jumped out when he stopped the car. He climbed out of his side of the vehicle and headed for the back of the SUV.

"Here," he said, grabbing her suitcase before she could. "I'll get these. You get the baby."

"That's okay. I can handle it."

"I'm sure you can. But I've got plenty of time. Think of this as part of the way I'm wasting those three hours before my flight."

She rolled her eyes, but strode to the side of his vehicle, letting him unload her things. He added her six-pack-size cooler and diaper bag to the suitcase he already had and walked to the passenger's side of the SUV where she was getting her baby from the backseat.

She arranged the baby carrier in her right hand and motioned for him to slide the straps for the diaper bag and cooler to her shoulder. "I'll take those."

She wasn't going to let him help her into the bus station? That was ridiculous. She could barely carry all those things.

Still, rather than argue, he said, "Okay," and slid the bag and cooler in place before setting the suitcase at her feet for her to take. Then he surprised her by removing the baby carrier from her right hand. "I'll take the baby."

"We're fine."

"I'm sure you are, but I'm happy to hold her while you get your tickets."

"I'm--"

"Fine. I know. But I have time and I can use it to save you the trouble of juggling the baby while you buy your bus tickets."

"You know, you wouldn't have to pay penance for the guilt you feel when you yell at people if you'd simply stop yelling at people."

It surprised him that she'd caught on to the guilt and penance thing he had going and that unexpectedly struck him as funny. Despite himself, he smiled. "Why do you think I usually don't talk to people?"

"I thought you were a snob."

That made him out-and-out laugh. She gave him a strange look, but turned away and marched into the bus station. He followed, glancing down at the baby in the carrier. "Hey, Molly."

The cubby, curly-haired baby grinned at him, her toothless gums exposed, spit bubbles forming at the corner of her mouth. With her pale red hair, she looked adorable in her little pink one-piece outfit, bundled in blankets.

He strode to a bench seat, pleased Molly wasn't giving him any trouble. But when Elise got in line, the baby began to fuss and then to cry. Two people took places behind Elise, putting her out of reach for assistance.

Cursing, he sat and began unbuckling the straps confining the unhappy baby. Passengers on the other benches around him turned and gave him pointed looks, letting him know how little they appreciated a crying baby in their midst.

"Hush, now. I'm going as fast as I can."

The last snap popped and he pulled Molly from her seat. She immediately stopped crying and grinned toothlessly at him.

"Oh, I get it. You did that on purpose, didn't you? Made me think you were going to make a scene when you only wanted me to pick you up?"

She cooed and her grin widened.

"Stop being cute. I'm immune."

His stern voice caused her face to pucker as if she were about to cry again and, not wanting to risk the wrath of the waiting passengers, Jarad rose to walk with her.

Pacing back and forth seemed to amuse her enough that she looked around curiously. Jared relaxed. Knowing he had to keep moving, he meandered to the large screen that displayed the schedules. He scanned until he saw the one for North Carolina and his mouth fell open.

Eight days?

It would take Elise eight days to get to North Carolina? He glanced at the people milling around the bus station. Eight days on a moving vehicle with the people currently giving him beady-eyed stares, obviously not at all pleased to see they'd be traveling with a baby? Oh, Lord. Elise was in trouble.

He glanced at the screen again to be sure he'd seen correctly and he had. Eight long days to get to North Carolina. The bus had to be taking routes that would allow it to drop other passengers along the way. Driving himself, he'd traveled from New York City to Los Angeles in five days.

He frowned. He had driven it in five days. If he were to drive Elise, that would cut her trip nearly in half and get her out of the bus filled with passengers who didn't want her. On top of that, those five days of driving would delay his arrival. He wouldn't have to spend three weeks in a city that only reminded him of what he'd lost. He'd have a delay in seeing, hearing, smelling things in New York that would remind him of better days. Perfect days. The perfect life that had slipped through his fingers. And then he could cut another five days off because he'd have to drive back to L.A.

He shook his head in bemusement. As good as that sounded it was a bad idea. Not only was Elise going to North Carolina, hundreds of miles south of New York City, but how would he explain it to his parents? Out of the blue he'd decided to drive a neighbor the whole way to North Carolina for the holidays? Then for sure they'd think he was insane.

He watched Elise step out of the line, holding her ticket and for a second he envied her. Relief showed on her face, but of course, that mood wouldn't last. Once the busload of passengers got fed up with her and her baby, she'd be miserable.

But he couldn't simply offer her a ride. Even if they agreed to find a bus station for her in whatever city their paths separated, he still had to have a reason for driving instead of flying -- one that didn't sound like an obvious stall tactic to his parents.

Elise walked up to him and opened her arms for her baby. "What happened?"

"She cried."

"Ah, she bullied you into picking her up."

"That's exactly what it felt like."

"Well, your time of duty is up." She smiled at him. "I'm sorry if I was a bit brusque before. I'm nervous about this trip."

He glanced at his feet. "It's all right." He raised his gaze to meet hers. "I'm nervous about my trip too."

"So we have a little in common after all."

"Yeah. That and Michael Feeney."

"Michael's been a good friend to me."

Jared nodded. "Me, too." He smiled at her, glad to have assuaged her worry over her missing the taxi by driving her to the bus station. "Have a nice trip."

"And you have a safe flight."

Jared nodded and turned to go at the same time that the loudspeaker crackled to life. "Ladies and gentlemen, we regret to inform you that trip number --"

The loudspeaker squeaked and crackled and Jared didn't hear the numbr, but it didn't matter. He headed for the wide, double-door entrance.

"--Final destination Raleigh, North Carolina has been postposed due to mechancial difficulties and has been rescheduled for tomorrow at ten."

Elise glanced down at her ticket, then squeezed her eyes shut. For heaven's sake! Inheriting her grandmother's house was supposed to be her lucky break. Yet everything that could go wrong with this trip was going wrong. What was she supposed to do for twenty-four hours in a bus station with a baby? Maybe she could get a ticket for the next bus.

She had the idea at the same time as everybody else in the bus station. Package-laden passengers jammed the ticket window.

She stared at them in dismay, until someone grabbed her arm and turned her around.

Jared.

He let go of her arm and rammed his fingers through his thick black hair. His gray eyes circled the complex as if the last thing he wanted to do was look at her. But eventually, his gaze swung around, caught hers and held it.

"Is that your bus?"

***

So what do you think? Does Jared offer a ride the whole way to Ohio? Does she accept?

Happy September! We'll see you again in October, when my website should be updated with not 1 or 2 or even three contests...but FOUR chances to win all 3 books in the Babies in the Boardroom Series.

susan meier