AllFreeNovel
Share Us
To my mom, who when I finally confessed that I was writing romance books, immediately bought a handful for me to sign.
And to my husband – while you don’t understand the obsession with romance, and probably won’t read any of mybooks, I am thankful that you are my real-life book boyfriend and can inspire the good qualities in my main characters.
Author Bio
Laura Beth lives in a small town in Central Wisconsin with her husband, adorable toddler, and Preacherman – her chocolate lab. When she’s not writing about love between doctors and nurses, she’s working full time as an RN, reading, gardening, or spending time with her crazy family.
Have you read Jenna and Emmett’s story yet?It Was Always You is a friends-to-lovers, second chance romance that will have you swooning over a single dad determined to make a good life for his daughter and win back the only woman he has ever loved.Read here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CD2Z91R7/
Are you ready for Meg’s book?Then There Was Youis the third and final installment in the Grace General Series. Click here for a sneak peak:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CTXSLYPY
THEN
THERE
WAS
YOU
LAURA BETH
“You found parts of me I didn’t know existed,
And in you I found a love I no longer believed was real.”
- Author Unknown
Chapter One
Whoever invented the stiletto should be shot on sight.
Or forced to wear a pair that’s held together with dainty jeweled straps resting on a three-inch-spike heel. Slip those on and spend the entire day on a sandy beach and walking through soft, summer grass without twisting an ankle. Tell me the punishment wouldn’t be the same.
I lean my body forward, placing my forearms on the lip of the bar, letting it hold up most of my weight so I can lift each foot, one at a time, and rotate my ankles to allow some blood flow to return to my feet. I knew wearing Jimmy Choos to an outdoor wedding in the heat of summer was a bad move. I knew that the grass and humidity would work against me, but today was one of the few real outings I’ve had in well over a year. The rest of my time is spent in either scrubs or pajamas, usually trying to recall when I last washed my hair. Even though I lost feeling in my toes halfway through the ceremony, I still stand by my decision to wear the Choos.
“Are you from Tennessee? Because you're the only ten-I-see.”
I glance quickly to my right to see the man whose voice broke me out of my subconscious vendetta against the shoe industry, then refocus my gaze ahead.
Chicago is gorgeous year-round, but late summer is my favorite. Temperatures climb to the eighties, yet the breeze off the lake keeps the heat from feeling unbearable. That warmthfrom the day often lingers into the evening, holding strong even after the sun has gone to sleep. Today was no exception to that, and the weather was perfect for a beach wedding.
“Are you Wi-Fi? Because I’m totally feeling a connection,” the man next to me prompts again.
Good Lord, that’s awful. I smirk, just a hair, and nod to the bartender as he approaches. “Another old fashioned, please.”
“Yes ma’am. And for you, sir?” He asks, addressing the man still standing beside me.
“Dewars, neat.”
Interesting. Wouldn’t have pegged him for a scotch man.
The breeze picks up, swirling through the few face-framing strands that have fallen free from my braid. Straightening, I shift the weight back to my sad, neglected toes to smooth my hair away from my eyes and tuck it back into the intricate mess behind me.
The bartender places my drink on the gorgeous black walnut bar top, and I immediately swipe it up. My lips purse as I sip, feeling the stare of the man next to me on my neck as the familiar burn of whiskey, followed by sweet cherries, trickles down my throat. I suck an ice cube in for good measure, crunching it between my molars as I watch the last of the sunset dip behind the water.
