Virginia Nelson's Blog

Last year, I wrote this book in one long burst of words.

My crit partner said it sparkled.

The thing is, toxic parents are a thing. And as genX (or zennials or whatever they're calling us today) gets older, we're becoming the caretaker generation for both our Millennial or younger kids AND our parent generation of Boomers.

But how do you (or should you?) take care of the older generation if you were a little bit broken by that generation?

This is the question I asked myself when I sat down to write this book. My mom and I have a sometimes complicated relationship... which is no big secret. But when I looked around at my friends, I found this to be more the norm than a bizarre thing. One after another, I noticed my friends having a lot of these kind of conversations with me--yeah, as a teen, things sucked. For a long time, I couldn't even talk to my parents. Now they're sick, so what do I do?

Tough stuff and there aren't any easy or right answers, you know?

THAT IS WHAT HAPPENS TO POPPY.

Her shrink says she's brave for walking away from her toxic mother and all the complications that arose from their relationship, but she doesn't feel brave. When her mom calls her "home," that place she grew up doesn't feel like home... it maybe never did. She has built a life she's proud of, one she is happy in and where she doesn't feel like the scapegoat child of a toxic parent. So how does she handle going "home"?

I hope readers enjoy this book that I had to write. I hope the ones who need these words find them, because I know some of us need to remember the message I put in these words.

You're enough. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING Virginia Nelson
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Me in Seaside, Oregon circa 2013I first visited the Pacific Northwest back in March of 2013. I came for a conference as an acquisitions editor and stayed at a hotel in Vancouver, Washington (EPICON) on that trip.

My friend took me on a drive through Oregon to Seaside while I was here, where I saw the ocean for the first time. I fell in love with the muppet moss, as I dubbed the fuzzy tree covering greenery. I adored the smell, the feel, and the general vibe of the people here. I loved it so much that, out of all the places I've visited, Oregon was the one I kept talking about. I even wrote a blog about it at the time (which you can find here.)

But that was 2013. My kids were still little. I had a home I could afford, my health was okay (not great, but okay) and it was literally a different world than the one we live in now.

Since then, my kiddos grew up massively. They're old enough that they're beginning lives of their own, something every parent who gets to that point knows means massive identity questions for the parent--how do I become ME again, since I've been Mom for the past twenty or more years? What do I want, when they leave me?

Are they going to leave me all alone, and I'll just sit here and miss them until my chest aches with emptiness and the memory of their litany of "mom" over the years?

Aside from their ages, my health took a massive nosedive. Inflammation had my joints so swollen that movement equaled agony. After the pneumonia turned my lungs into useless blobs, the steroids to help my lungs blew up my body like a balloon, and the brain problems turned my mind to mush, I honestly just thought my age was a huge factor in all my various physical miseries. Maybe this was just my life now--hurting until eventually my lungs would stop inflating one day and it would be over.
Muppet Moss
Honestly, I thought the pneumonia or the recovery after the pneumonia were it for me. Like, a very final it. I remember laying in my chair, unable to pull in even a single full breath without choking, and dreaming of my aunt who died a few years back. She told me to get out of the chair before I died, but even for her, I couldn't summon the will to move. So, instead, I rested my head on her slippers like I did when I was a kid and told her I was tired. She sighed in that way she used to and said, "Okay, Turkey," and I remember being stunned when I woke up from that chronic dozing of the horribly ill to find myself still at home.

I thought it was over, but it wasn't.

Once I got a little better, my parents situation got exponentially worse. My father went into hospice, my mother's health deteriorated, and my kids always needed something or other. I went through the motions, even though everything hurt.

I kept thinking, "Someone is going to see how unhappy I am. Someone is going to see how much I'm hurting, both emotionally and physically, and stop me from plodding one foot in front of the other. Someone has to care enough to realize that between being sick and depression, I've been nothing more than a shell for a long time..."

But no one did. Eventually the depression got so bad that I'd go a week or two without showering regularly. Which was good, really, since I could barely afford shampoo past the kids, the pets, the house, the cost of driving people around, etc...

Saved on shampoo, I told myself. Not a sign that I don't even care anymore.

Not a sign that the depression has gotten so bad that I kind of wish I did die on that couch when I had the comfort of Aunt Lee's familiar slippers and her voice to see me through the scary transition to being not-alive.

Still, I plodded. I plodded right through my stepfather's funeral and right past that until I got my mother's health stuff mostly figured out.

A shell, going through the motions, crying every night once everyone went to sleep. Still not showering. Not really wanting to eat. Not wanting to breathe, even if my lungs felt better, because everything hurt--my body, my swelled joints, my head, my heart.

But then I met this guy. Yeah, trite, right? But aside from talking to me--really talking, and hearing and remembering what I said--he also talked about Oregon, where he lived.

A little light went on inside me. I remembered Oregon. Man, I loved that place. It felt right to be there, and I wished I could see it one more time. Silly, since how the hell was I going to finish grad school, be the mother my kids needed, the one taking care of my mom, all of that, AND get to Oregon of all places?

My Vanessa and me in SeattleThat little light didn't go out, though. It kept flickering inside me, and after a while, it began to look something like hope.

The guy and me kept talking--six whole months without missing a single day. We talked for hours, whole weekends sometimes, and between his voice and that little Oregon light inside me, I managed to plod through the rest of grad school and a really rough 2017.

Until the little light had a pulse that sounded like a drum in my head. Or maybe that was my blood pressure (which had now taken to dropping dangerously low and then spiking dangerously high randomly) thrumming in my ear? I don't know, but the pulse of sound said to get into the car. To just go there. Something waits. I had a reason to wake up again--I needed to find a way, somehow.

It would be selfish. Wildly so, but even that was a strange thrill. People talk about "me time" and "self care" but for me... Yeah, I found no peace, not even when at rest. My pulse thrummed like a wooshing sound in my ear, my joints continued to swell, everything hurt... there was no me time that wasn't drowned in the agony I took to be my new reality.

But maybe, just maybe, I could go. A last hurrah. I told myself it would be good for the kids, too. After all, they're of adult ages and had never survived without me there to fix anything that went awry. It would be good for them to see they COULD do it.

After all, with the dire things the doctors kept saying (the raised CRP levels in my blood tests, in addition to the very low vitamin D levels, put me at risk of another heart event or stroke. To resolve this, I needed less stress, more movement, and studies have even shown that temperature and climate can have a significant impact on lowering CRP) about my health, I might not be around for a whole lot longer. Wasn't it better to give them a trial run, of sorts, with me still alive enough to resolve any issues that might arise than to keel over one day and leave them helpless?

So I decided I would go. I would meet the man, see Oregon one last time, visit with my Vanessa (who
conveniently moved to Seattle right around then) and have that trip for myself. Greedy, but I was going to do it. Just... do it. While I still had breaths in my lungs and a pulse I could literally hear most of the time.

It didn't magically cure the depression, my plan to go. I still didn't care enough to shower. Still felt like I was going through the motions rather than living, but I had a goal. A little flicker of light in my chest that was MINE and I held onto that. I could keep going for another day, I told myself. And another. Because I might actually manage to visit Oregon again. I might meet that guy and see his smile in real life. Maybe.

So, with all of that in mind, I did the most wildly selfish thing of my life. I hopped in my car and drove to Oregon. The plan was to stay a week, because it would take me a week to drive there. Two weeks away from home. No biggie.

I got here, and my joints shrunk within 48hrs. The constant thrum in my ears, that wooshing sound that I thought would drive me insane, stopped. I slept--something insomniac me never takes for granted--and woke up rested and smiling.

I sat on the deck after talking to my kids one day--just me, alone as I was during the week here--at the AirBNB that I booked for a month because of the polar vortex hitting and destroying the mountain passes between me and home, and I held my tea in hands that didn't ache. I could hear the turkeys that hung out on the hill behind my tiny little rooms, and the sun was just rising to gilt the muppet moss with shining tips against the emerald green... and I breathed in deep. It didn't hurt. I didn't hurt anywhere--not my head, not my fingers as they curled around the mug, none of it hurt.
Me at Cannon Beach (goonies rock) circa 2019
I had gotten a shower that morning, because the warm water felt good on my skin and not like needles poking too sensitive open wounds, and I smelled like soap... which blended nicely with the peat scent of the air here. Soft air, the kind that kisses your flesh instead of frosting it with ice like back home. My hair lifted a bit, all clean and light, in that gentle breeze. I knew later that my gentleman friend would be over to visit, which would be nice because falling in love was another thing I thought I'd gotten too old for, but in that moment I didn't need him or anything, really.

I was happy as I was . Calm in a way that I literally haven't been for years. At peace.

Tilting my head back, I started talking to Aunt Lee. "Is this why you told me to get out of that chair?" I asked her. Aunt Lee did like travel, after all. "Did you know all this green waited for me, if I just had the courage to go look for it? Did you know I didn't have to hurt all the time, that I could still find happy... if I was just brave enough to look for it?"

Aunt Lee didn't answer. Nothing did, actually, because in real life we don't get those mystical voices who give us the answers when we ask aloud. (Well, unless we're running a hundred and four degree temp, while suffering from lack of oxygen, I guess.) Anyway, it didn't matter that she didn't answer or that no one answered...

You see, that's the weird thing about me coming all this way all by myself. No one has actually answered. My best friend went radio silent just after my arrival. My crit partner buddy also has been completely silent--the crit partner I used to talk to daily. None of my closest associations have really called me here. Only the kids and sometimes my mom or adopted mom, really, have talked to me since I fled across the country to the magical place where my body doesn't ache all the time. It is like I slipped into some pocket of space where they don't want to reach out or something, which is sad, but it makes me wonder.

Did they only like me when I wasn't happy? When I was so drowned in my physical and emotional misery? Now that I am happy, they don't want to talk to me? Why? Why are the people who I thought cared most silent now, when I have things I want to share with them? When I want to tell them how I don't hurt, and I can think straight because the pain isn't blurring my brain and distracting me from completing thoughts?

Even that, though... it doesn't change the basic facts. I found a pocket of happiness--my body doesn't hurt. My heart isn't beating so hard that I can hear it. I don't feel like a shell going through the motions here. I found a man I wouldn't mind sharing a bit of my life with--I'll walk with him for a while, see if it sticks--who makes me feel cherished rather than horrible. It may be selfish, but I think I really needed to be selfish finally.

I think if I didn't get selfish RIGHT THEN, maybe I would've eventually gotten too tired. I was already too tired to shower or care, what other basic things would I have sacrificed to the alter of that growing bubble of apathy? How long until I couldn't force myself out of bed past the pain? How long until I just lay there and watched the sun rise and set from my windows without bothering to so much as roll over?

I don't want to know. I know for sure my situation was bad--getting worse fast--and I'm glad I got in
The ocean at Tillamookthe car that day. I'm glad I had the courage and strength to try something (anything) to fix that empty feeling that was swallowing all that was ME whole.

I'm glad I went to where the muppet moss grows thick and the sun shines so brightly. I think we need to be selfish sometimes.

And it was my time, dammit.

I'm going to move here. I have to work out the logistics yet (it is going to involve me affording the house in Ohio as well as a small place here, simply because my children still need that place and they are mine to care for) but the little light in my chest has become a glow. I have something to fight for again, a new goal.

I will live here, on the edge of the forest, and I will breathe without hurting... just you wait and see.

https://happyeverafter.usatoday.com/2...

The Magic & Mayhem Universe is BACK TODAY!!

Today is my release day!
Contest entry link: http://bit.ly/2Dmbd5y
THE FIRSTBORN PRINCE is the third in my Billionaire Dynasty series, but each of the books can be read standalone... but you don't have to!

The first two books are ON SALE for a limited time for just 99¢ each!

THE PENTHOUSE PRINCE, #1 http://bit.ly/2HtwNZm
THE IRISH PRINCE, #2 http://bit.ly/2q82AX4
THE FIRSTBORN PRINCE, #3 http://bit.ly/2Hr7w1Q

A little about THE FIRSTBORN PRINCE: 
Foster Boyd wants control of the family business before his brother’s escapades ruin their reputation. Since he can’t force his brother out, he needs to distract him--or reform him. Where can he find a woman willing to do anything to save his business?

Natalie Stolen was at the top of her game as image consultant to the stars. But when one of her client’s reveals a juicy secret, the media went on a feeding frenzy, taking down Natalie’s career faster than she could say “scandal.” Now in dire straits, she’s been given an offer she can’t refuse...

But what happens when the woman you hired to distract your brother is the only woman you can’t stop thinking about?

The books are available on Amazon (US, UK, Canada, & Australia), in print, on Nook, iBooks, and Kobo! To celebrate the release, I'm having a HUGE SPRING GIVEAWAY!! I’m giving away a Kindle Fire AND a $50 dollar gift card.

You can find out more and enter here for the contest! http://bit.ly/2Dmbd5y

THE FIRSTBORN PRINCE http://bit.ly/2Hr7w1Q

The whole series: http://amzn.to/2Fvgr51

To celebrate the release of THE FIRSTBORN PRINCE, I'm going to have a massive giveaway and you can ENTER NOW!!

There are two great prizes that will go to winners selected at random from all who enter. No purchase needed to enter and you can even enter some of the ways DAILY to increase your chances of winning.

What will I be giving away?  

Well, one lucky winner will get a Kindle Fire 7! I have it sitting here, just waiting to ship out to one lucky entrant. The other winner will have to make a choice... either a $50 Amazon or Sephora giftcard. Long story short, the prince in this book is a cosmetics billionaire. Sooo, how do you enter? Just click this handy link!

Virginia Nelson - Big Spring Giveaway!!
Why we're celebrating:

The Firstborn Prince
Billionaire Dynasties #3 (CAN be read standalone)
Releases MARCH 12!! On preorder now!!

"Fun, hot & with a hero who is delish, The Firstborn Prince is a perfect escape!” - USA Today bestselling author Avery Flynn.

Foster Boyd wants control of the family business before his brother’s escapades ruin their reputation. Since he can’t force his brother out, he needs to distract him--or reform him. Where can he find a woman willing to do anything to save his business?
Natalie Stolen was at the top of her game as image consultant to the stars. But when one of her client’s reveals a juicy secret, the media went on a feeding frenzy, taking down Natalie’s career faster than she could say “scandal.” Now in dire straits, she’s been given an offer she can’t refuse...

But what happens when the woman you hired to distract your brother is the only woman you can’t stop thinking about?

Each book in the Billionaire Dynasties series is STANDALONE.
* The Penthouse Prince
* The Irish Prince
* The Firstborn PrinceGrab it now!Entangled Publishing | Amazon |  About the giveaway!   

Free ways to enter:
Visit my fb pageSubscribe to my YouTube channelEnter using TwitterRetweet the tweet via twitterComment on the blogClick for daily entryVisit my InstagramVisit my Amazon author pageEnter via InstagramAll of those are available via this link: https://gleam.io/4ODoD/virginia-nelson-big-spring-giveaway

Additional ways to enter:
Follow my bookbub page here and shoot me a note on any social media letting me know you're following! Follow my Amazon author page here and shoot me a note on any social media letting me know you're followingFriend me on Facebook hereLeave an honest review on any of my books and send me a screenshot of said review.And that's it! Best of luck to all!! 

xoxo virg


Terms and conditions:


Virginia Nelson - Big Spring Giveaway!! - OFFICIAL RULES

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. MAKING A PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED OR RESTRICTED BY LAW.
1.  PROMOTION DESCRIPTION: The Virginia Nelson - Big Spring Giveaway!! begins on 5 March 2018 and ends on END DATE at 20 March 2018. The sponsor of this Sweepstakes is Virginia Nelson. By participating in the Sweepstakes, each Entrant unconditionally accepts and agrees to comply with and abide by these Official Rules and the decisions of Sponsor, which shall be final and binding in all respects. Sponsor is responsible for the collection, submission or processing of Entries and the overall administration of the Sweepstakes. Entrants should look solely to Sponsor with any questions, comments or problems related to the Sweepstakes. Sponsor may be reached by email at virg_nelson@yahoo.comduring the Promotion Period.
2.  ELIGIBILITY: Open to legal residents of USA who are 18 or have parental permission to enter. This Sweepstakes is subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations and is void where prohibited or restricted by law.
3. PRIZES:
    1st Grand Prize: Kindle Fire – One (1) winner will receive Fire 7 Tablet with Alexa, 7" Display, 8 GB, Yellow - with Special Offers (approximate retail value or "ARV": $49.99)   2nd Grand Prize: $50 Giftcard – One (1) winners will receive a $50 Amazon or Sephora emailed gift card (winner’s choice) (approximate retail value or "ARV": $50) Only one prize per person and per household will be awarded. Gift cards and gift certificates are subject to the terms and conditions of the issuer. Prizes cannot be transferred, redeemed for cash or substituted by winner. Sponsor reserves the right in its sole and absolute discretion to award a substitute prize of equal or greater value if a prize described in these Official Rules is unavailable or cannot be awarded, in whole or in part, for any reason. The ARV of the prize represents Sponsor's good faith determination. That determination is final and binding and cannot be appealed. If the actual value of the prize turns out to be less than the stated ARV, the difference will not be awarded in cash. Sponsor makes no representation or warranty concerning the appearance, safety or performance of any prize awarded. Restrictions, conditions, and limitations may apply. Sponsor will not replace any lost or stolen prize items.
This Sweepstakes is open to legal residents of USA and Prize will only be awarded and/or delivered to addresses within said locations. All federal, state and/or local taxes, fees, and surcharges are the sole responsibility of the prize winner. Failure to comply with the Official Rules will result in forfeiture of the prize.
4. HOW TO ENTER: Enter the Sweepstakes during the Promotion Period online by visiting the entry form.
5. WINNER SELECTION: The Winner(s) of the Sweepstakes will be selected in a random drawing from among all eligible Entries received throughout the Promotion Period. The random drawing will be conducted about 3/20/2018 after the Promotion Period by Sponsor or its designated representatives, whose decisions are final. Odds of winning will vary depending on the number of eligible Entries received.
6. WINNER NOTIFICATION: Winner will be notified by email at the email address provided in the Entry Information approximately 48hrs after the random drawing. Potential Winner must accept a prize by email as directed by Sponsor within ONE WEEK of notification. Sponsor is not responsible for any delay or failure to receive notification for any reason, including inactive email account(s), technical difficulties associated therewith, or Winner’s failure to adequately monitor any email account. Any winner notification not responded to or returned as undeliverable may result in prize forfeiture. 7. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY: Sponsor assumes no responsibility or liability for (a) any incorrect or inaccurate entry information, or for any faulty or failed electronic data transmissions; (b) any unauthorized access to, or theft, destruction or alteration of entries at any point in the operation of this Sweepstakes; (c) any technical malfunction, failure, error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or communications line failure, regardless of cause, with regard to any equipment, systems, networks, lines, satellites, servers, camera, computers or providers utilized in any aspect of the operation of the Sweepstakes; (d) inaccessibility or unavailability of any network or wireless service, the Internet or website or any combination thereof; (e) suspended or discontinued Internet, wireless or landline phone service; or (f) any injury or damage to participant's or to any other person’s computer or mobile device which may be related to or resulting from any attempt to participate in the Sweepstakes or download of any materials in the Sweepstakes. If, for any reason, the Sweepstakes is not capable of running as planned for reasons which may include without limitation, infection by computer virus, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes which may corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of this Sweepstakes, the Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Sweepstakes in whole or in part. In such event, Sponsor shall immediately suspend all drawings and prize awards, and Sponsor reserves the right to award any remaining prizes (up to the total ARV as set forth in these Official Rules) in a manner deemed fair and equitable by Sponsor. Sponsor and Released Parties shall not have any further liability to any participant in connection with the Sweepstakes.
8. SOCIAL NETWORK DISCLAIMER: A Facebook account may be required to enter. If you don’t already have a Facebook account, visit www.facebook.com to create one. It is free to create an account. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. You understand that you are providing your information to the Sponsor and not to Facebook. By participating via the Facebook platform, participants are also subject to Facebook’s data policy and terms of use, which can be found at https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy and https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms/update.
 9. WINNER LIST/OFFICIAL RULES: The winner list will be posted after winner confirmation is complete.
10. SPONSOR: Virginia Nelson, Author PO BOX 418, Jefferson, OH 44047 virg_nelson@yahoo.com

So, some of you are familiar with my Princes...
Well, the publisher decided to give them a shiny new look...
Wait... there are three now?
OH! Did I forget to mention that the third book in the Billionaire Dynasty series is coming in March? My bad. It is.

Meet Foster Boyd, heir and co owner of Boyd Cosmetics.

Foster Boyd wants control of the family business before his brother’s escapades ruin their reputation. Since he can’t force his brother out, he needs to distract him--or reform him. Where can he find a woman willing to do anything to save his business?

Natalie Stolen was at the top of her game as image consultant to the stars. But when one of her client’s reveals a juicy secret, the media went on a feeding frenzy, taking down Natalie’s career faster than she could say “scandal.” Now in dire straits, she’s been given an offer she can’t refuse…

But what happens when the woman you hired to distract your brother is the only woman you can’t stop thinking about?

Preorder here!

I'm super excited to share that our Christmas anthology is available NOW!!
A Merrily Matched Christmas
Unwrapping in time for Christmas 2017.
Snuggle up with new holiday favorites for a kiss under the mistletoe. From handsome strangers to second chances, this collection will keep your heart warm and toasty this holiday season! So grab some eggnog and a blanket and curl up by the fire with a sexy new book boyfriend!
Buy Link: http://amzn.to/2n03kzO
And for my blog pals, I have a special treat! You can read the first chapter of my story, A Merry Matchmaker Mess, free!! See it below!

Chapter OneA beard could hide a lot of things, or at least that was Ronnie’s first thought when she spotted Elijah Conrad coming out from under her car. A veteran and genius like him had to have seen a lot of things, yet his dark hair and beard kept her from reading his expression exactly.He’d been the talk of Evergreen Springs, their small town, from the day he came home. Two years later, and it hadn’t died down… mostly because he was the enigmatic brilliant type. Elijah seemed pretty oblivious to everyone’s interest in him—he just kept his head down and worked a lot. Too much, in her opinion. Then again, he was partner in the engineering company her brother started. Due to that, he’d been pretty busy securing government contracts and doing a lot of math, so far as she’d seen. He needed to get out more, live a little.She considered herself gifted at helping others, be it rescue animals or people in need of a little love, so she wasn’t fooled by the sexy lumberjack kind of facial hair. No, it was in his eyes—just there!—that she could spot it.He hurt. And he was lonely. Eyes like that begged for a friend or… even better! They begged for romance. Eli Conrad needed someone to love who would love him in return. Also, she’d probably been staring at him too long. His lips, even under the rugged beard, were slowly tilting up and the smile almost reached his gorgeous brown eyes. “Veronica?” he inquired in a voice deep enough to curl her toes.No one ever called her Veronica. She was Ronnie, had been since about seventh grade. Only Eli bothered to even remember that she had a full name. She didn’t know why that was so touching to her, but it was.Yeah, whichever woman Ronnie set up with this guy would be a lucky lady indeed. This man screamed sensuality in a way that should be impossible, especially covered with oil. Ronnie cleared her throat before managing, “Yeah, about the car…”“Did you call your brother when it started making the noise?” Eli asked. He rubbed a rag against his huge hands and Ronnie bit her lip. He really was far too hot for small town life, but she’d find him a match. It was what she did.“Yes,” she answered. “He told me I should get it looked at.” She burrowed a bit deeper into her winter coat. The wind smelled like coming snow, and the leaden color of the sky agreed. She’d been lucky that Eli was also on his way to work and saw her alongside the road. Since she was running late, it wasn’t like many others would be headed toward work at this hour and the shop was on a dead-end road in a mostly deserted industrial park, especially on a Saturday.“Didyou get it looked at?” he asked.She nibbled her lip. She’d meant to follow her brother’s implicit directions when she’d bought the new car. Check the oil, check the tire pressure, check the blah blah blah. Sadly, there was always something else more important to do. When the warning light popped up last week, she’d asked her brother Mac to check it out… and his advice was to take the car to a mechanic.She hadn’t had time. Or, more honestly, she hadn’t remembered other than when she was driving the car, and it wasn’t like she had a handy blow up mechanic doll in the glove box.She darted another look up at those sad eyes of his. Was it wrong that she wanted to tug him into a hug? Probably, since she planned to hook him up with someone else. She shouldn’t send mixed signals.“No. In my own defense, it has been a really busy week.” She was on the planning committee for a bunch of holiday events for their small town, plus she had work, and the new palette from her favorite makeup company released, so she’d had to film and edit a video reviewing it… after she’d preordered it and waited for it to arrive.Busy. Really busy. She liked to keep very busy.“You probably should’ve listened to him,” Eli pointed out, gazing back at her car.“Well, I didn’t. Did you figure out what was wrong with it?” she asked, trying not to focus on how very nice Eli’s ass looked.“You’re going to need to get it towed,” he said simply. “Hop in my car. I’ll give you a lift to work.”Not exactly how she planned to get close enough to him to research who’d best fit him, but it would do. Cheerfully, she followed him to his car and hopped in. She wasn’t that worried about her car, but she was concerned with her projects.And although Elijah Conrad might not realize it, he was for sure her next project.
***Mac’s little sister Veronica worked with him, but for the most part, he hadn’t talked to her since high school. She was part of the marketing and media team, so it wasn’t like he needed to interact with her at work.If he had his way, he probably wouldn’t interact with anyone. His work took up most of his concentration—the mathematical certainty of it all consuming his thoughts. Which was how he liked things.Real life was uncertain—full of sticky emotional and social interactions that he would rather not bother with, given his preference. He hated the abstract, and feelings were almost always just that. Even knowing that about himself, he had to admit he’d cast more than one glance in the general direction of Veronica Murray.He understood polar opposition, and Veronica was likely as close to a living version of his opposite as humanly possible. Where he was quiet and liked to take things in and consider them, she was constantly talking, ever in motion, and seemed to light up whatever room she entered. Which should’ve annoyed him. Usually, he found that distractions were a bother. But something about Veronica always tugged his eyes up from his computer screen or microscope. She had this hair, all wild and platinum white, but with colored streaks that peek-a-boo-ed out when she shifted and moved. Her pretty little oval face was always sparkling in some way, whether it was some glittering color on her lips or some shocking splash of vibrant hues around her already lovely eyes.Her clothes seemed to be equally haphazard—from boots with cartoon characters emblazoned on the leather to scarves of surprising patterns. Always in motion, always glittering, she fascinated him on some weird level he didn’t quite understand.But the constant talking? He didn’t know how she did it, to be honest. He almost always thought carefully before speaking, considering his words and their possible impact before bothering to say a thing.She was like this stream of sound, rising and falling in a way that soothed his ear yet was often more sound than words.In the close confines of his car, the rattling flow of chatter was surprisingly absent. Instead, she sat with her hands tucked into her coat pockets and her eyes on the road ahead. One of her feet—this time, clad in an almost knee-high boot of brilliant yellow—tapped on the floor, and she practically twitched with energy.“You’re awful quiet,” he pointed out as he turned into their lot.“I was thinking,” she answered, surprising him a little. Based on his interactions—few though they might have been—with Veronica, thinking before she spoke was something he would’ve figured she wasn’t a fan of.“About your car?” he began. An understandable concern, as he didn’t have high hopes that her engine survived what looked like severe neglect. “I can call a tow truck and have it taken to a garage for you—”She waved a hand, face scrunching in annoyance. That was something else he’d noticed about her. That pretty little face of hers seemed a mirror to whatever mood or thought she might have. He wasn’t sure if he’d ever met someone quite as expressive as Veronica, and he’d bet she sucked at poker.“I’m not worried about the car,” she muttered.“You’re not?” He would be, if he was her. From the looks of things, she’d been driving it either without oil or without an oil change…And, either way, she’d probably destroyed the car.“I was thinking about you,” she answered, hopping out of the car on her side. He’d parked in his spot, and sat there for a second after she’d gotten out, trying to decide why thinking about him would’ve caused the consternation he’d noted on her face.They were practically strangers, really. What exactly was she thinking about him?He met her gaze across the top of his car then considered her petite face as a gust of wind caught and tousled her hair. That peek of color popped out again—hot pink—and he wondered why he found it so damn appealing.“About me?” he said, at a loss.“You’re single, right?” she replied.He blinked at her, more than confused. Was she asking him out? He couldn’t recall a time in his life when a woman had done just that, so it would be novel. Would he say yes?Part of him was curious about her—had been for quite some time—but it probably would be a bad decision.For one, she’d get bored with him pretty quickly. She was so lively and colorful and vibrant. Compared to that, he was a dull gray. A blob of dull gray.He was the masculine equivalent of a potato.For two, why would she? Because he happened to be running late and saw that she was having car trouble? She was still looking at him, so he locked the car and ushered her toward the door. He wasn’t sure how to answer her unexpected question, so he simply didn’t.Once inside, she stomped her feet twice on the rug and looked at him again. “Well, you didn’t answer? Are you seeing someone?”He opened and closed his mouth, furrowing his brows as he again tried to think of a single reason why she’d be asking.He couldn’t come up with even one logical possible reason.“I’ll call for a tow and see about your car getting into a mechanic,” he answered, heading toward his office. When in doubt, as his father used to say, just don’t answer.She dogged his steps, catching his arm before he could hide behind his office door. “I forgot to say thank you,” she said.She was shorter than him, he noticed. Not too short for kissing, but shorter. “No problem,” he answered.With that, he closed his office door and tried really hard not to overthink possible reasons she would be curious about his dating life. Better to focus on the tangible—get her car towed, into a shop, alert her brother, and then back to work.Math wasn’t abstract, it was logical and almost always ended in a solid solution. Veronica Murray, however, was complicated.
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