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The
coffee shop wasn’t very busy. Only a couple of tables were occupied,
with several more people standing in line. Manny sat rather nervously at
her table sipping her third vanilla latte and wondering if she was as
crazy as Rebecca and Daisy claimed. This would be her fourth interview
today of a potential travelling companion and she hoped this guy would
be more of a possibility than the other three she’d already met. Oh,
they all seemed nice enough, but Olive had been jittery and they’d
quickly realized their personalities would never mesh well enough to
travel together for six months. Isaac had had a predatory, speculative
gleam in his eyes as he looked her over–and she hadn’t needed Harvey to
tell her to stay as far away from him as possible.
Darius
was very sweet and charming, just eighteen, but he couldn’t pay his own
way, and Manny wasn’t about to support him for six months. He’d
shrugged and accepted her decision with an adorable smile and she
offered to call Daisy’s boss, Max, to see if he had any work that Darius
could do. Darius had thanked her and even paid for their lattes, and
they’d chatted for a good forty-five minutes before he’d finally gone on
his way. Yes, he would have been a good choice–and she might change her
mind if she didn’t find anyone before she left in two weeks.
You can always go by yourself.
I know. But it would be more fun with someone else.
You’ll have me.
Manny
glanced at Harvey sitting in the chair across from her. He was dressed
casually in jeans and a button down shirt open at the throat to show the
strong lines of his neck and chest.
You’re not real.
Harvey winked at her. Just checking.
She
shook her head and Harvey blinked out of existence as the door opened
and a darkly handsome man walked in. He paused in the doorway and
removed his sunglasses as he glanced around the small room. Securely
hidden in her corner, Manny considered him.
Tall;
over six feet. Dark. Handsome, with large, dark eyes and full pouty
lips. His black, tousled hair and dark stubble on his face gave him a
sexy, scruffy appearance. He was slim, with broad shoulders, narrow hips
and long legs encased in jeans.
I’ll bet he has a great ass.
I’ll bet you’re right.
He’s like a younger version of me.
Manny
blinked at the man standing in the doorway and realized Harvey was
right. Oh, they didn’t exactly look alike, but they had similar
colouring, and a similar underlying confidence and arrogance in their
stance. Probably something natural when you’re that naturally gorgeous,
Manny thought ruefully, or, in Harvey’s case, thatunnaturally perfect.
I’d almost be jealous…if I was real.
But you’re not–and he’s quite something. I wonder who he’s here to me…eeet.
Her internal dialogue trailed off as the stranger’s gaze met hers. He gave a half smile and headed towards her.
For
the last fifteen years, Rose “Manny” Mankowski has been a very good
girl. She turned her back on her youthful fancies and focused on her
career. But now, at the age of 45, she’s questioning her choices and
feeling more and more disconnected from her own life. When she’s passed
over for promotion and her much younger new boss implies Manny’s life
will never change, something snaps. In the blink of an eye, she’s quit
her job, sold her house and cashed in her pension, and she’s leaving
town on a six month road trip.
After
placing a personal ad for a travelling companion, she’s joined in her
mid-life crisis by Zeke Powell, the cynical, satirical, most-read – and
most controversial – blogger for the e-magazine, What Women Want. Zeke’s
true goal is to expose Manny’s journey as a pitiful and desperate
attempt to reclaim her lost youth – and increase his readership at the
same time. Leaving it all behind for six months is just an added bonus.
Now,
armed with a bagful of destinations, a fistful of maps, and an
out-spoken imaginary friend named Harvey, Manny’s on a quest to
rediscover herself – and taking Zeke along for the ride.
Buy Now @ Amazon & Smashwords
Genre – ChickLit, Contemporary Fiction
Rating – PG-13
More details about the author
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