Here’s a book blurb of Always and Forever Love!
The presence of a ghost in her life doesn't alarm Lacy Aegar, in fact it makes her happy. Two and a half years ago when her dead husband Nicholas reappeared in her life as a full-bodied spirit, she questioned her sanity. But with Nicholas' explanation that there are things about life that are not as she's always believed, she settled into a pleasant routine of working with her sister at their private investigation business and enjoying home life with her now 10-year-old son – with Nicholas never very far away.
Lacey's complacency and sense of stability is sent topsy-turvy when she runs into Jackson Carter, the son of powerful and influential business tycoon, William Carter. Typical of the Carter reputation, Jackson's slick new private investigating business is siphoning off clients from the Aegar sisters' business, creating financial difficulty. It's a recurring nightmare for Lacey, who has already seen damage done by the Carter family, and when she encounters Jackson, she wants nothing to do with him.
But things are not what they seem when it comes to Jackson Carter, either. Unbeknownst to Lacey and her sister, Jackson is fighting a battle to preserve his business, too, and his integrity. For him, it's a fight for his soul, and he enlists Lacey's help because of her unique investigative skills and open heart. When she uncovers a mole in his business, she also discovers that one of his clients' drug trials has been given the green light to go to the next phase based on falsified data. As they work together to save both their businesses, Jackson and Lacey not only face death, they must come to grips with their feelings about love and life.
Now a little peek into Lacey’s budding relationship with Jackson.
Jackson put a hand to Lacey’s shoulder, familiar, like he’d done it many times before, and she couldn’t stop the lilt of reaction to the warmth of his touch. “Have you heard from the boys? I’ve been wondering how they’re making out. My nephew was really excited about camp. All that adventure and nature. I bet they’re having a blast.”
“Hmmm…I hope so,” Lacey said. Sterling gave her a pointed be nice look. “It’s nice they have each other. This is the first time Tyler has been away from home.” Why am I rambling on so? Spilling her guts to this guy would be listed right under a list titled Last Things To Do Ever.
Jackson locked eyes with her, for the length of a breath, and she felt something sad move through her. “Well, I better get back to the office. Nice running into you.”
His back to her, Lacey watched him walk away and out onto the street, without a backward glance. His form was solid beneath his dark suit and his stride purposeful but easy.
Sterling eyed her. “You didn’t tell me Tyler is at camp with Jackson’s nephew.” She whispered it, like it was a secret. “I hope the dog doesn’t go missing again.” Her eyes sparkled, enjoying the moment of humor at Jackson’s expense.
Lacey sipped her coffee, struggling with the odd feeling that lay at the pit of stomach. Jackson may be the spoiled son of her archenemy, but having gotten a glimpse of his soul, for a brief moment, she now found it a little harder to dismiss him.
While Sterling talked about Jackson and his company, Lacey started tracing a small tulip blossom pattern on her hand, aware of what she was doing but not caring. Splitting her attention between her sister and her own thoughts, she felt her uneasiness rise.
She’d stopped talking to the counselor when Nick had come back. Things had gotten less dire, but she continued to do the little things that she’d done since childhood to soothe herself—needless counting, preference for even numbers, and more little, seemingly meaningless things her counselor referred to as compulsions.
She wasn’t alone in turning to coping mechanisms to survive the loss of their father to murder and their mother to grief-induced mental illness. Sterling had immersed herself in independence, erecting inner walls as shields from pain and vulnerability. She’d struggled to let Ben in.
But why now the uneasiness, Lacey wondered.
“You’re not listening, are you?”
She blinked and noticed Sterling staring at her, quizzically. “Oh. Sorry.”
“What’s going on, Lacey? You look troubled.” She placed her hand over her sister’s, gently hindering the tracing.
“I don’t know. Something triggered something.” She shrugged it off. “It couldn’t be the financial concerns of our business troubling me, could it? What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right?”
Sterling pursed her lips, thoughtfully, clearly not persuaded to let things go but doing it anyway. “Let no rock go unturned.”
“Good advice. We should go back to work and turn over some rocks. It’s amazing how important the phrase billable hours has become.”
****
Lacey feels protective of her son and is not too keen on the adventure Jackson talks about in this scene. Are you an adventurer? How do you get your “adventure” on?
2 comments:
Thanks for sharing, looks like an intriguing premise.
I am a intrepid adventurer as long as I have back-up, lol.
Thank you for visiting! That sounds like smart adventuring.
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