Excerpt from California Sunset

California Homecoming is the third in the California Romance Series. Here’s an excerpt from the first book, California Sunset.

Annie strode into her boss‘s office to answer his summons. Maybe I’m finally going to
get a bonus this year! It would be great to be able to sock that money away in David‘s
college fund.

She grabbed the printouts off Randy‘s chair and dropped them to the floor with a thud. "It‘s going great, Randy," she said. "The next piece of the project is nailed down and we‘re still on track."

"Close the door, please," he said.

"I‘m counting on this project to showcase what I can do for the company." Annie shut the door and plopped down in the chair, her pen poised over her pad as she leaned forward. How should she react? Surprised? Matter of fact?

Randy cleared his throat, his Adam‘s apple bobbing in his scrawny neck. "I‘m afraid the project has been terminated."

"What?"
"JCN needs to cut costs," he started. "Ten thousand people are being laid off from the company."

"There‘s got to be another project somewhere."

Randy pawed through the papers on his desk. "There is another project you can apply for. You‘d be great for one in New Jersey and they could use your skills. It‘s complex and government-mandated—one of those impossible situations you‘re good at handling."

"I can‘t move to New Jersey." She‘d been to New Jersey once—boardwalks, billboards, and Bruce Springsteen. Not a place she could ever imagine living. And she couldn‘t drag her son away from his friends. He was only fifteen.

"C‘mon, Annie. Give it a chance. I‘d hate for the company to lose you."

She shook her head. New Jersey may have been fine for Frank Sinatra, but it wasn’t fine for her. It had taken so long after her divorce to feel secure again. She had her friends, her home, her cats.

"There‘s nothing in the company in this area for someone with your skills. I looked. If you aren‘t willing to apply for the job, then I have no choice. I have to lay you off. Even if you do apply, there‘s no guarantee that you‘ll get the job in New Jersey. You may be laid off anyway."

Her stomach dropped and the bitter smell of Randy‘s coffee became nauseating. She stared out the window, not really seeing the rain-greened California hills, unable to believe what she was hearing. What was she going to do? Randy‘s voice streamed around her, and her mind snagged phrases like "severance package," "layoff procedure," and "resume class." She gripped the arms of the chair as if she was trying to steady a rocking boat.

An ache began in the back of her neck. She needed this job. No one else was going to support David or provide medical benefits. She was going to have to do something to keep a salary coming in. And with the economy the way it was, chances of finding a new job soon would be slim, especially for a thirty-five-year-old woman. Unemployment wouldn‘t cover her mortgage, much less her other expenses.
                                                    * * *
Thank you for stopping by! To enter the contest for a $10 Amazon gift certificate, please comment and leave your email address in the comment. To get an extra entry possibility, Like my Facebook page and let me know in your comment! 

OR...some people are having a problem posting a comment.  If that's you, go to my Facebook page and enter a comment here to enter: https://www.facebook.com/Casey.Stories.About.Love/posts/465101926898687 .

This contest is now closed.

California Sunset is available on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and iTunes.  Stop by after 8:30 pm for an excerpt from the second book in the series, California Wine.