Do you love grumpy sunshine, protector romance?
Feb 13, 2023 5:03 pm
Hello! Happy Galentine's Day! I hope you're having a terrific start to your week. I spent the weekend enjoying the sunshine, writing, and rewatching Snow White & the Huntsman and The Huntsman: Winter's War. Winter's War was my favorite of the two. I loved the mixture of magic, romance, and the pull of evil and good.
I'm always searching for good movies with a mixture of mystery and romance or plain ole rom-com laugh-out-loud romance. Do you have a movie to recommend? Hit reply and share your favorites.
Today's email is full of goodies. Scroll to the end for everything, including something special that's coming later this week.
What you'll find in today's email:
- Lucky Penny chapter 1
- Related Reading
- What's coming
- Books from Iris West and Ella Cooper
- Freebie & Sales promos
INSTALOVE SPOTLIGHT'S ON...
Lucky Penny! small town, grumpy sunshine, protector romance
Why I wrote Lucky Penny: I spent some time behind the bar like Penny. It was a little dive bar with one bartender on duty during the week and no one else. It was mostly fun chatting with regulars, but it had its scary moments that made me uncomfortable. Like Penny, I always had an eye on the door, never letting my guard down. Whew! Thank goodness those days are long gone.
Penny's affinity for bad boys doesn't bring her the best of luck. Now she's on the run, working to save enough money to get out of the women's shelter. But she finds herself in more trouble than she bargained for at the bar. The man who's become a regular has bad boy written all over him, and he can't keep his eyes off her.
Lucky Penny contains copyright material.
Prologue
Penny
Rustling papers towards the front of the church awakens me from an uncomfortable sleep. The backpack beneath my head is lumpy with the distinct stench of sweat and beer. I tilt my head from side to side, hoping the crackle and pop noises will go unnoticed by whoever’s nearby.
The crusty remnants of last night’s sleep tighten around the corners of my eyes. I wipe away the grit, but no amount of scrubbing can erase the loneliness. I untuck the thin throw blanket from under my body and slip my pocket knife into the backpack.
It took longer than expected to lock up and clean The Bee’s Knees bar after shift last night. But I’ll take every extra hour of paid work I can get. By the time I made it to the women’s shelter, it was long past curfew, and the doors were locked. At least the church is open for those seeking refuge.
One more month and I'll have enough saved to rent a room of my own. No more toting my belongings around on my back. No more sleeping in dirty jeans with my shoes on.
One day I’ll have a place of my own. Maybe even a family of my own.
Chapter 1
Penny
“Two beers and a whiskey neat when you get a chance.” Kira slides a tray of dirty glasses onto the wait station at the end of the bar.
“Sure thing.” I glance up from what I’m doing and give her a playful wink. “It’s not like I’m doing anything else.”
I'm knee-deep in customer orders but get the drinks to her quickly. It's a busy afternoon for a Tuesday. Hopefully, that equates to more tips in my pocket and hers. The quicker I work, the more likely customers are to tip well.
"Gurrl…" Kira snickers, then teasingly taps her fingers on the counter.
I like this place, the town of Honey Ridge and The Bee’s Knees. It's touristy but friendly. Locals treat each other like family. Something I need in my life.
“Can you check my ticket?” A man raises his voice above the chatty crowd. He watches the keno screen as if it’s going to leap out and hand him the winning numbers.
“Be right with you.”
I slide the tray of dirty glassware from the bar to the shelf below, then wipe my hands on the towel tucked into my belt loop. If my boss pops in, I sure as hell don’t want him to think I can’t pull my weight. If I’m going to make it here, I need to prove myself.
“Hey, Penny.” A regular at The Bee’s Knees flags me down on my way to the keno machine. He shakes his empty glass in the air as if it’ll make me move faster than I already am. “I need another pint.”
“Be right with you.” I toss him a glance, remembering to smile, and tap my hand on the counter as I pass, so he knows I’m not ignoring him.
I scan the barcode on the man’s keno ticket then hand it back to him, catching a glimpse of Logan across the room. He’s an enigma, but a sexy, handsome one at that.
“Not a winner.”
The keno player snaps me back to the task at hand, ready with another ticket and money to burn. If I had a dollar for every five this loser bets, I could afford a place of my own right now. I tap in his numbers and hand him what’s most likely another losing ticket.
“That drink?” The regular at the bar calls out again. This time he taps the bottom of his pint glass on the polished wood bar top. “Any day now.”
He’s a jerk, but his money pays the bills. I grab a cold glass from the freezer and pull a fresh beer from the tap.
Smile, Penny. Put on a pretty face, Penny.
My stomach bunches into a knot, and my heart thumps a little heavier in my chest. How many times have I heard those words? My parents meant well, but I’m worth more than a pretty smile. I’m funny and kind. I care about people. Shouldn’t all that matter, too?
My eyes wander back to Logan, who keeps a watchful eye on the crowd with his signature scowl. Kira filled me in on his name, but not much else. We haven’t met, but I’m sure he knows my name, too. Kira’s chatty with customers. Nothing's a secret around here.
Except for Logan.
He’s been a permanent fixture in here for the last few weeks. Every day Logan brings his laptop, a sandwich from the deli next door, orders a beer, then sends Kira over with money and his keno picks.
He never loses.
On the outside, he’s everything I love about a man. Good looks, great build, and the silent, brooding type. He’s got bad boy written all over him.
A bad boy’s the last thing I need to repeat in my life.
I’ve dated my share of the big bad silent type. But there’s something about Logan that draws me in, makes me want to know more. What makes him tick?
When Logan catches my gaze, I quickly avert my eyes. It isn’t polite to stare. My hand jerks, causing beer to pool over the side of the pint glass. I dab at it with a towel, then hurry to get it to the cocky guy at the bar before he gets grumpier.
“It’s about damn time.” He grabs at the glass with his big paws before I barely have time to yank my hand back. “Fuck. It’s all wet. Get me another and do it right this time.”
His voice booms in my ears, causing a fight or flight buzz to rattle through my body. I’m not good with confrontation. I take in a shallow breath, fending off the anxious trembling in my gut. Kira whips her head around, ready to defend.
Logan scoots his chair away from the table across the room and begins to stand. His jaw is set, and his fists are clenched. I catch his eye and hold him in place with my gaze.
This is my battle, not his.
Logan
My body tenses as soon as the creep at the bar raises his voice. I’ve seen him before. He’s always shooting back too many beers and getting louder with each one. I don’t know how Penny puts up with jerks like that. She shouldn’t have to. She’s gentle and kind, always laughing with customers.
She’s a tough one despite her petite appearance. That doesn't make her any less vulnerable to a loudmouth who thinks it's okay to treat women like dirt. But I'm not one to stand aside when a woman's in trouble.
“I meant to fill the glass as full as possible for you since you had to wait.” She keeps a calm smile plastered across her face. “I’ll get another.”
When Penny steps away from the man, her eyes flit to mine. They betray an unease in her soul, despite the smile she wears. Something about her niggles at my gut. She's one of the good ones. I'd wager she's paid the price for her good nature a time or two. We’re complete opposites, but I feel connected to her like we're kindred spirits.
The mirror on the back bar gives me a bird’s eye view of the bar patrons. The rude fellow elbows his friend, then takes a swig out of the pint he complained about. He wipes his lips with the back of his hand and chuckles like he’s the funniest fucker on the planet.
My chest and gut burn white-hot. The guy is bad news, and he's about to prove it. Not on my watch.
“Enjoy your beer.” Penny slides the fresh beer onto the bar and wraps her delicate fingers around the glass he refused.
"Not so fast." He wraps his fat fingers around hers, and she flinches before regaining her composure. I react in kind, steam rising along my collar. He doesn't have a right to touch her. Unfortunately, neither do I. "This one's already ruined. I'll keep it, so it doesn't go to waste."
Heat ripples up my spine. The hair on the back of my neck prickles, and a bead of angry sweat trickles down my back. I'm moving in a heartbeat, skulking toward the bar.
"I tell you what, you let go of my hand, and you can keep the beer. My treat.” Penny’s lips tighten as she fixes him in her stony stare.
“What if I don’t?” The man chuckles some more. “What’s a little thing like you going to do about it?”
The man catches my reflection in the mirror. He stops chuckling but doesn’t move his hand from hers. Instead, he tugs on the glass, causing the contents to slosh onto the counter. Penny lurches forward, loosening her hand from his grip and the glass. The glass tips and the frothy liquid quickly flows over the bar, spilling onto his crotch. The pint glass rolls, then slips off the counter, crashing to the floor behind the bar.
“You’re dealing with me now.”
I grab the man's arm and spin him around on the barstool.
“Dammit.” He jumps off his stool, nearly tripping on the bar’s foot rail. The bar quiets as everyone turns in the direction of the disturbance. He turns to Penny. “Look what you did, bitch.”
“Hmm…that’s an unfortunate place for a spill.” Penny straightens her spine and cranes her neck to get a peek over the bar without stepping closer. A smirk curls along the outer edge of her lip. She holds her thumb and forefinger up with a teeny tiny space between them. “It’s very small.”
"Move along now, and it's just a warning." I grit my teeth and hiss the words out, menacing and full of intent. “Now pay the lady and leave her a tip.”
The man gives me the once over from my steely eyes to my clenched fists. He shoves his hand into his pocket and pulls out a couple of bills, throwing them on the counter.
“There’s a better bar down the street." He practically growls his defeat as he pulls a coin from his pocket and flips it into the air. It bounces off the wooden bar onto the floor where Penny stands. “Here’s your tip. It’s all your worth.”
Penny stares down his backside until he’s out the door.
“Nicely done.” She smiles, and it's mesmerizing. “I owe you a beer.”
“You don’t owe me anything.”
“Well then, thank you, Logan. Another time.”
She winks then her eyes flit downward to the bar. She pulls a rag from her belt loop and wipes up the spilled beer, then rings in cash for the man's tab as if everything's sunshine and roses.
Is she flirting with me?
♥♥♥
Continue reading and find out what Penny's running from and why Logan has his eye on her!
♥♥♥
Related Reading:
Penny's behind the bar slinging beer in Lucky Charm. The Bee's Knees bar is nestled in the small town of Honey Ridge. You'll get a glimpse inside the bar in Butterfly Kisses, where Charlotte and Reid's budding romance began.
If you like stories with a little lotto action, read Signature Needed and find out what happens when lottery tickets get forgotten in the bottoms of purses and pockets.
Home Wrecker's Construction Continues
AUTHOR CORNER
Ella is the sexiest woman I’ve ever seen. She’s also kind, sweet and way too young for a scarred, divorced, grizzly mountain of a man like me. But when an ex attacks her, nothing can stop me from claiming Ella to keep her safe.
Does true love exist or is it merely a fairytale for the lonely? I don’t think I’ll ever forgive my mother. She abandoned my father and I when I was little to play house with her new family. Now that he’s gone, she’s asking me to come down to a ranch in the middle of nowhere to make amends. Then she sends Duke West to pick me up from the airport. This cowboy is hot enough to convince me to stay on the ranch for a few days, but it won’t change anything. I’ll take a break and go right back to New York where I can forget any of this ever happened. Only... Duke is a man whose presence simply demands to be remembered.
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XOX Piper