Jacqueline C. Thomas - Romance Novelist

Archives for April 2020

What I Read this Month: April 2020

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One would think during quarantine that I would have a lot of time to read, but that hasn’t been the case. Work had kept me very busy, I am in the last month of my master’s degree, and I have two kids homeschooling right now. I have been lucky enough to steal some time away here and there to read. I read three books over the past month, well two-and-a-half.

Love and Other Words: by Christina Lauren

I found this book at The Ripped Bodice out in California back in early March. The concept sounded interesting to me. The story takes place in present day and looking back at Macy’s childhood. She develops a truly special friendship with a neighbor named Elliot, and they bond over books. The book chronicles their awkward teen years, and eventually their falling out. Macy doesn’t run into Elliot until many years later.

I picked this book up, intrigued by the plot. Normally, I like very dramatic romance, with high-stakes. Rom-coms are not my thing. As I started this book I thought it might be a little “light” for me. The story unfolded slowly but I kept reading. WOW this book did not disappoint! I don’t want to give anything away, but the end of this book is something I will remember for the rest of my life. Towards the end of the book, I could not put it down. This was an incredible book and I highly recommend it!

My Dark Vanessa: by Kate Elizabeth Russell

My sister first told me about this book and said that she could not put it down. She had pre-ordered it and when it arrived, she had read the entire book within 24 hours of receiving it. She raved about how good it was, so when she came to quarantine with my family and I, she brought it with her for me to read. The subject of the story sounded spicy, and very naughty, aka the perfect quarantine read. The book is told in first person by Vanessa, a girl who falls in love or is seduced by her high school English teacher, depending on who’s point of view you are looking at.

This story is recalled through Vanessa’s eyes as an adult. So I must be completely honest, I did not finish this book. I got just about half way through this book. I found the sexual encounters deeply disturbing to the point that I could not keep reading. As the reader I think I was just as confused as young Vanessa, not able to make out if it was love, lust, perversion, or all of the above. I figure if I couldn’t figure out what it was as a woman in her mid-thrities then, no way could this character, and so it felt like abuse to me.

What Doesn’t Kill Her: by Christina Dodd

I also bought this book from the Ripped Bodice in California in the same trip where I bought Love and Other Words. I have always thought the premise of amnesia, waking to a relationship with a spouse you don’t recognize always makes for an interesting read. I have read a couple of books done this way. I have yet to read one that I really loved. I started reading this book on my train commute when I was traveling back and forth pre quarantine.

The main character in this book is one tough woman, and that was very cool. She wakes up to a BIG surprise and is settling into life with that sececret. Through a strange turn of events she ends up on an adventure to deliver an artifact. It turns out that the artifact is very expensive and others want to steal it. There is a lot of action in this book and I found myself really wanting to know what happened to Kellen, the main character. The romance aspect of this book really lacked for my tastes. Through out the book, there is this romance building and then when the moment arrives…. meh. I was mad and I felt let down. The characters in the book are complex and there could’ve been so much more there.

Tell me in the comments, what did you read this month. Have you read one of the reviewed books? Tell me what you thought of it.

Quarantine Stories #4: Heather & Ellis

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Three dots blinking, that means he’s typing. Heather thought to herself.

Heather chewed her bottom lip as she held her phone, its glow the only source of light in the dark bedroom. Her husband, Chris slept snoring softly next to her. Heather looked away from the blinking dots on her phone at Chris as he rolled over. She examined her conscious, quickly, searching for guilt but it wasn’t there. She turned back to her phone. The three dots turned into a message that read:

“I love you too. He’ll be back to the rig tomorrow. Stay strong beautiful.”

Heather read it greedily twice before she deleted it. As much as she would have loved to keep the message on her phone she didn’t want Chris to see it. She plugged her phone back onto the charger and set it screen side down on the nightstand. She sunk further down onto the bed thinking of his hands, not her husband’s hands, but his best friend’s hands on her body. It felt physically painful to be sleeping next to a man she no longer loved. Trying to push it away, she thought of laying in Ellis’ arms, safe and loved as she drifted off to sleep.

The next morning Chris’ alarm went off at 4am. He had an early start to get back to the oil rig that he worked in the Gulf. Heather hated that he had chosen to work away from home so much. Chris was well educated and could have easily worked for the company in a myriad of other ways, that kept him closer to home. She roused at the sound of the shower turning on. Although they had not slept together in almost eighteen months, she kept up the rouse of his wife. The lack of intimacy had been a point of contention in thier marraige.

As Chris showered, Heather made coffee, and brought two mugs for back for them into the bedroom. She handed Chris his, as his towel hung around his hips. Heather couldn’t help but stare, her husband was built like a cover of a romance novel. His tan skin, curly chestnut hair, and muscular body, was once her source of pleasure, now the sight just left her with an empty feeling.

The lack of intimacy started slowly. It started when Chris came home a little over a year ago. He was normally on the rig for six weeks and then home for three. She had grown used to not leaving their bed for the first three days he was home, neither of them able to get enough of each other, but it stopped. He returned from one shift and Heather sat waiting for him, her hair done, makeup on, and new lingerie. Her face lit up as he walked in, but she could see on his face something wasn’t right. He had told her he was ill, showered and climbed into their bed. He slept for almost two days. Heather tried to nurse him back to health, even though he didn’t show any symptoms of any sort of illness. As soon as he looked like he was in better spirits Heather, tried to entice her husband, it had been a long time for both of them. Chris feigned illness again. Over the next three weeks, they slept together once before he went back to the rig. The whole ordeal left Heather confused. She chalked it up to stress and didn’t bring it up with him before he left.

They talked a little less than they normally did while he was away, and when he returned home again, Heather pulled out off of the stops to entice him and welcome him home. While this time upon his return he wasn’t ill, he complained of exhaustion and put off her advances saying he was too tired. The harder she pushed, the harder rebuffed her advances. Finally fed up, she confronted him, wanting to understand what was happening. Pressed for an answer he told her had changed his mind about starting a family, he wasn’t ready after all. They had been trying for almost six months but with Chris’ work schedule they both knew it could take a little longer. The news surprised her, he had led the charge to start a family. The last night he was home, she suggested they use protection, he told her he was too tired and rolled over. She laid in bed that night upset, as her tears wet her pillow. This was not the man she had married, who was kind, loving and affectionate.

Chris went back to the rig and Heather knew she had to find out what was going on. She couldn’t go out to the rig, that was unheard of. Concerned that perhaps there was another woman, she sought out Chris’ best friend Ellis. She wondered if Chris had confided in Ellis. He had agreed to meet her at a local tavern. That night as they ate and caught up, she asked him if he had noticed anything different about Chris. Ellis said that he had not, and Heather didn’t want to go into details about what was going on in her marriage. She chickened out asking about another woman, not sure if she was ready for an answer to that question. After dinner, Ellis walked her out to her car. The orange light glow from the tavern sign lit the parking lot and in that light, she thought Ellis looked handsome. He had always been Chris’ best friend, so she had never allowed herself to look at him as she did now. There was a moment before she got into her car where she thought he was going to kiss her.

As she drove home from the meeting she hated that the thought of Ellis kissing her in the parking lot aroused her so much. She had never been untrue to Chris. Ellis called to check on her twice while Chris was away, something he hadn’t done since Chris had first started the job. At first, the calls set her on edge. That next break when Chris came home she didn’t pressure him but intimacy had not happened either. He returned back to the rig after only a week home. Something inside Heather crumbled after he left that time, he had not touched her, kissed her, or hugged her for almost six months.

Heather continued to try to connect with any way she could. She emailed him, knowing that he’d read it since he said he was too tired to talk most nights. That January while Chris was away a record-setting blizzard hit. Heather had prepared for it and hunkered down alone. During the storm, a coating of ice had formed before the snow hit and took a large pine tree down across the driveway. She emailed Christ to tell him, and he had actually written back saying he’d ask Ellis to come over and help with it. Ellis had continued to call and check on Heather while Chris was away, and she found that she talked to him a little longer each time he called.

The afternoon he came to cut up the tree that had fallen, Heather slept with Ellis. She had not intended for it to happen. She had hated herself for it, but her body had devoured the intimacy. That night she laid in her bed racked with guilt, and still aroused from the sex. She hated herself for being unfaithful. She cried herself to sleep as she thought of Chris and the state of her marriage.

Over the next six months Ellis provided more than physical intimacy, he had become something so much more. Chris had returned home on his normal schedule but never made any advances towards Heather. She still tried each time and had even suggested that they see a marriage counsellor. His reply to the argument about the counsellor was to return to the rig early. She took this action by Chris as his intent for their marriage. From then on, she allowed herself to fully feel any emotion she wanted about Chris and Ellis.

The last time Chris was away, Ellis stayed most nights. She found it odd that she now dreaded Chris’ return, not for seeing him, but for Ellis having to stay away. The whole time Chris was home Heather wanted to tell him she wanted a divorce but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. There was something holding her back, even though nothing had changed between them. Heather told herself she’d give Chris an ultimatum, that they were intimate or she’d leave. The night before he returned to the rig, she made her stand. With tears streaming down her cheeks, she pleaded with Chris to explain what was happening, why wouldn’t he sleep with her? Why wasn’t he returning her calls and emails when he was on the rig. Chris grabbed his bag and left without answering. When he left Heather called Ellis hysterical.

“Honey, I love you. I want to be with you. He doesn’t deserve you. Let him go,” Ellis said trying to calm her. That phone call changed her life. She realized he was right, Ellis loved her and she loved him. Clearly Chris did not want to be in a relationship any longer. They decided that she would leave Chris the next time he came home. She insisted on telling him in person that she was leaving him. She felt guilty enough for going out on her husband with his best friend, the least she could do was to tell Chris the truth to his face, not email him like a coward.

She now watched him get ready to leave again and knew it was time, to tell the truth. She had to, she had promised Ellis that she would. Besides, the secret she hid growing under her nightgown would be noticeable soon enough. She and Ellis had been careful, but apparently not careful enough. He was thrilled at the news she was pregnant and she was happy too. This is the last hurdle she told herself, cut Chris loose. At breakfast she told herself, at breakfast, I’ll tell him.

Her hands shook as she dipped the bread in the eggy mixture for french toast. Chris brought his empty mug back in and refilled it before taking it into the living room. She could just hear the news on if she tried to listen. She flipped each piece of french toast, making sure they were golden brown. The phone rang, and the noise of it made her jump. She heard Chris answer and wondered who would be calling so early. A streak of fear ran through her wondering if it was Ellis, coming clean, thinking she had chickened out. Nervously, she turned down the flame on the cooking breakfast and went to grab her own phone. She took a deep breath, relieved that there weren’t any texts from him.

As she walked back into the kitchen Chris stood in the doorway.

“Who was on the phone,” she asked?

“The Foreman. We’re all staying landside. There’s a quarantine, that stupid virus.”

“A quarantine for where?”

“The whole damn country, for the next 6 to 8 weeks.”

Heather felt her stomach flip as she grabbed onto the counter. Chris turned and walked back into the living room to continue watching the news. Heather picked up her phone and texted Ellis.

“I’m telling him now, and then I’m on my way to your house. He’s staying landside with the quarantine. I can’t stay here with him. I love you. See you soon.”

Heather took the french toast out of the pan and plated it, squeezing maple syrup over it. She brought it into the living room with a glass of juice and handed Chris, who barely said thank you audibly enough to be heard. She turned and walked back to the bedroom and got dressed. She placed her bag next to the door on her way back to the living room. Chris looked up from his breakfast as she walked back into the room.

“Are you going somewhere?”

“Yes.”

“You can’t go out, there’s a quarantine. We have to stay in.

“I am going to be staying in, just not here and not with you. I’m leaving you Chris. I don’t love you anymore.”

He stared at her blankly and said nothing. She wanted to shout at him, to provoke a reaction from him. Anything that would show that he registered what she was saying. Instead, he sat further back in his chair and put another piece of the cut-up french toast in his mouth.

“You have nothing to say? After eight years of marriage? Chris did you hear me? I am leaving you.”

“That’s your choice.”

Pure rage coursed through her veins.

“I’m pregnant, the baby is Ellis’. We are getting married.”

This jarred his attention, as the next bite of french toast fell off of the fork. Before she could answer she turned and walked out of the house. She trembled the whole ride to Ellis’ house. She pulled into the driveway and before she could get out of her car, he had already come out of his house. She walked from the car, leaving the door open and into his arms.

“I am so glad you made it, they are shutting everything down. I was afraid you wouldn’t make it here in time before lock down.”

“I told him. It just didn’t seem to register. I am so glad that is done now.”

“I am proud of you, I know how difficult that was. Did you mention me? The baby?”

“I did. When I told him I was pregnant and the baby was yours was the only time it seemed to register with him.”

“What did he say?”

“Nothing, he didn’t say a word. It got his attention thought.”

Ellis hugged her tightly and she clung to him, grateful that life now showed promise. That night as she fell asleep in Ellis’ arms with their child growing inside of her, she thought about how strange life was. She had never thought she would have fallen in love with her husband’s best friend, let alone want to spend the rest of her life with him.

Three days after she had left, she was served with divorce papers. Both she and Ellis joked that divorce lawyers were still working. She did not contest the divorce and was eager to do what she needed to be free of Chris. Together she and Ellis settled into a quarantine routine, grateful that they could both work from home. It surprised them that Chris had not shown up for any sort of confrontation.

As the quarantine lagged on, and their baby grew, the divorce came through. The next night over dinner, Ellis got down on one knee.

“Heather, I love you and you have brought so much more to my life than I could have ever envisioned. I give you my solemn vow that I will always treat you with the love and respect you deserve. Will you please do me the honor of being my wife?”

With tears of happiness in her eyes, she threw her arms around Ellis and kissed him, slamming her lips so hard into his, she worried she might split one of their lips. He kissed her an pulled away.

“So that’s a yes then?”

“Yes. I love you Ellis McCarthy.”

“I love you future Mrs. Heather McCarthy.”

If you liked this story, check out the Quarantine Stories book with 5 never before published stories.

Quarantine Stories #3: Lisa & Harry

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Lisa crimped the crust tightly on the edge of the cherry pie. Since the quarantine had started she had cooked a lot. It had been a goal to learn how. She always told herself she’d learn when she had a family to cook for. The only other living being in her condo was her old English sheepdog Rufus, who was enjoying her cooking journey as much as she was. Lisa put the small pie into the oven and opened the lid on the large pot on the stove. She had found a recipe for white bean soup online and had made it for dinner. The condo smelled of the fresh bread she had baked on her lunch break to go with the soup. The scent of rosemary and garlic wafted from the pot as stirred the soup

In week three of quarantine, she decided rain or shine that she’d eat dinner on her patio. She lived on the third story and her balcony was covered by the balcony above her. Two weeks had passed of dinners out on the balcony and she now had it down to a science. She had even strung up white Christmas lights to lights and made an attempt to make the space feel more intimate. It brought her outside each night and she found it raised her spirits.

Lisa put the cheery yellow table cloth on the small dinner table outside. She returned with a bowl, and cutlery and set them out. She finally put half of the soup in a tureen, that she had impulse bought after deciding to learn how to make soup during the quarantine. The last thing she brought out after the soup was a few slices of the hearty, fresh bread. Lisa sat and spread the cloth napkin across her lap as Rufus let out a pathetic whine. Lisa rolled her eyes before she stood up and let Rufus out onto the patio with her. Sitting back down, she ladled a bowl of soup into her bowl. The steam came off of the top in swirls. Rufus whined again and then curled up next to her at her feet. Lisa tucked her feet under the dog to keep them warm. The evening was chillier than she had thought. She decided Rufus would be rewarded for his warmth by a slice of the fresh bread when she was done. She took a bite of the creamy, hot soup as she watched the sun begin to set. Orange and magenta streaked across the sky and the beauty of it cheered her.

As she sat and ate her soup she noticed the light turn on inside the condo next to her. She had noticed that someone had moved in. Each night she wondered if she would get a peek of her new neighbor, but they had yet to reveal themselves. She had kept to the strict stay at home order and only left her apartment to walk Rufus across the street to the park. Normally she’d expect to run into her new neighbors at this point, but life was different now. As she ate she thought she saw a shadow move in front of the window. Intrigued she leaned forward to see if she could get a better glimpse.

Her long chestnut hair dangled in her bowl of soup. When she leant back in her chair, defeated that she had not gotten a good look at her new neighbor, the soup splattered onto her blouse from her hair. She dipped her napkin into the water glass and dabbed at the soup spatter, grateful it was white. Rufus looked up at her. Taking pity on her dining partner she broke one of the pieces of bread in half and put one half down for him. He sniffed the bread and then looked towards the neighbor’s condo. Lisa watched his ears perk up before she heard the lock on the door of the neighbors door to their balcony. Rufus stood as the door opened.

A man stepped out in a blue button-down shirt, his sleeves rolled up, jeans and barefooted. Lisa couldn’t help but stare, he was gorgeous with his sandy blonde hair and sharp jaw. He was well built and Lisa licked her lips, not sure what was yummier, the soup or the man standing on the balcony next to hers. Rufus stood and growled. The man turned at the noise of the dog.

“Sorry, I didn’t see you out here tonight. I didn’t mean to disturb you,” the man said as he backed towards his door.

“You aren’t disturbing me,” she said as she turned to her dog, “Rufus stop that.”

The dog laid back down and sulked.

“Are you sure? I’ve tried to come out after you’ve finished your dinner. I know these balconies are close together.”

“You aren’t bothering me at all.” Lisa got up from the table and walked a little closer, but still kept a safe distance. Rufus’ head picked up as he watched her move closer. She reached out her hand to shake his and instantly withdrew it, remembering that was not a good idea during a pandemic.

“Oh sorry, I forgot, no contact. I’m Lisa,” she waved.

“Hi Lisa,” he waved,”My name is Harry. It’s nice to meet you neighbor.”

“You too. Sorry I didn’t know you had been waiting for me to finish dinner out here. I can go in and give you some space.”

“No way. Please finish, I barged in on your dinner.”

“We can both be out here. We are distanced far enough apart, for health guidelines. I don’t mind if you don’t.”

“Are you sure? The fresh air is nice after being inside all day.”

“It is, isn’t it,” confirmed as she sat back down at the table.

Harry leaned against the railing as he looked to the west towards the last sliver of daylight. The loss of the last of the sunlight turned the air chillier. Lisa pulled the blanket she had draped over the chair around her. Almost simultaneously Harry cupped his hands and blew into them.

“It’s cold tonight,” Rachel said unsure of wether to make conversation or not.

“It is. It’s supposed to be in the 40’s tonight. I am still getting used to the weather here. I’m from Alabama. We don’t do cold like this where I’m from. I moved up here for work.”

“Well, Indy is nice. It’s normally warmer than this. Cold weather and a quarantine, welcome to town, ouch,” Lisa joked.

Harry laughed and Lisa felt it in her knees. She didn’t know how it was possible for him to be even more handsome, but his smile softened his masculine face. That smile with his perfect teeth almost took her breath away.”

“I am going to guess you’re a chef? The smells coming out of your condo always smell amazing.”

Lisa laughed. “No way. I decided to learn how to cook during the quarantine. Prior to this, I could make scrambled eggs, and a few other things, but I wasn’t very good at it.” She laughed.

“Well it always smells really nice.”

“Oh my gosh, where are my manners? Would you like some? It’s white bean soup, it turned out pretty good.”

“No, I’m good,” he said as he put his hands out to signal no.

“Are you sure, I have more than I can eat. I read that you’re not supposed to reduce a recipe the first time you make it. So I’ll have bean soup for days.”

Harry laughed, “Are you sure you don’t mind?”

“Not at all, I’m happy to share. I’m not ill, and I haven’t had contact with anyone else since quarantine started. You could always microwave it just to be safe though.”

“I trust you.”

“Let me run in and get a bowl,” Lisa stood and walked in to get one before Harry could stop her. She returned a minute later with a bowl, spoon and cloth napkin for him in her hand. As she stepped out onto the porch, she saw that Harry had brought out a chair and a t.v. table along with a indoor floor lamp. He came back out with a glass of white wine in his hand.

“Can I offer you a glass of wine to go with your soup,” he offered?

Normally, she would have never accepted a glass of wine from a man she didn’t know. It did sound nice with the wine, so she poured her water into the planter and set it back down onto the table as she dished him a bowl of soup. She set a piece of bread on the wide rim of the bowl and carried it along with the napkin, spoon and her empty glass over. She held out the bowl and he took it setting it down on the small tray. He held up his finger and went inside to fetch the bottle of wine. He held it out for her to see and she nodded and he poured her a glass of wine.

“Thank you. I was just thinking this dinner needed wine.” she said as she sipped it on her way back to her seat.

As she sat, Harry raised his glass and she raised hers. That night they talked over dinner and it dawned on Lisa that this felt more like a first date. She learned that he had moved to Indy for work, as a financial manager for a manufacturing company. She also learned that he was single, had never been married, and had moved up three days before the quarantine had started. She shared that she had moved to Indy for work as well, she was originally from Chicago. She had lived in Indy for three years and had grown to really like the city. She was single as well. They moved on to talking about their hobbies and found they had a lot in common. They both liked to be active, play tennis, and golf as well as read.

The timer for the cherry pie she had put in the oven went off, interrupting their conversation. As she went inside she couldn’t believe how much she found herself really liking Harry. She brought the small pie out onto the table on the balcony to cool.

“Is that a cherry pie,” he asked?

“It is, I sure hope you’ll have some. I can’t promise it will be as good as the soup. I’ve never made it before.”

“Dinner and dessert, this is a treat! Would you like another glass of wine? I’m going to get one for myself.”

“Okay, as long as you don’t mind sharing.”

Harry refilled her glass and they both had a slice of the warm cherry pie. It was delicious, the perfect balance of sweet and tart. They sat and talked long after dessert. It was now properly cold but neither of them wanted to say goodnight. Lisa tried to hide that she was shivering, even with Rufus at her feet and the blanket pulled around her. They talked well into the night, laughing and getting to know each other. As Rufus began to whine, Lisa took the hint that he needed to be walked again. She stood and began to clean up dinner, sad that their night was coming to an end.

“If it’s okay, I’ll wash your bowl and spoon just to be on the safe side. I haven’t had contact with anyone but I’d hate to get you sick,” he said.

“Okay. You know where I live to return it. I’m not worried about it,” Lisa joked.

“Thank you again for a lovely dinner. It was a nice treat. I really enjoyed getting to know you. Thank you for sharing your dinner with me.”

“Well thank you for joining me. I enjoyed having someone to dine with and I’m glad I finally got to meet you.”

“It was nice to have a conversation. I’ll be honest I only know how to cook like three things, so I’ve pretty much been eating, PB&J sandwiches, scrambled eggs and cereal since this started.”

“I always cook too much, so you’re welcome to join me anytime.”

“Thanks, that’s a kind offer. I had a really nice time tonight. Good night Lisa.”

“Night, Harry.”

That night as Lisa lay in bed she thought of Harry next door. She hadn’t dated since her last boyfriend and that had been almost eight months ago. She thought about how well she and Harry had hit it off. She fell asleep wondering if he’d join her the next night.

As she walked past her patio doors the next morning with a cup of coffee in her hands she noticed the bowl Harry had washed sitting on her table with a small bouquet of tulips sitting next to the bowl and a handwritten note. Lisa walked out onto the porch and set her mug down as she picked up the note.

It read:

Dear Lisa,

Thank you again for a delicious dinner. It was to meet you last night. I’d love to have dinner again sometime. The flowers are to say thank you. I picked them from the park across the street. (Shhhh don’t tell anyone). I would have bought some properly but the shops aren’t open.

–Harry

Lisa picked up the tulips, her bowl , the note, and her coffee and brought them back inside. She put the tulips in water and thought about what to cook for dinner that night. She finally decided on chicken skewers with a satay sauce and jasmine rice. The recipe seemed simple enough. All-day she wondered if Harry would join her and found it difficult to focus on her work.

Around three in the afternoon, she slipped a note onto Harry’s balcony. She put it on the tv tray he had left from the night before and put a small flower pot from her balcony on top of it so it wouldn’t blow away.

It said:

Dear Harry,

Thank you for the beautiful tulips. I should let you know I work for the Indy parks department, just kidding. I won’t tell anyone you picked the tulips from a public park. I am making chicken satay skewers with jasmine rice, and a veggies tonight. I’ll have plenty if you’d like some.

-Lisa

That night as Lisa set the table on the porch she noticed that note was gone. She turned on her Christmas lights as she heard Harry’s door open. Rufus picked up his head and growled half-heartedly.

“Well fancy meeting you here, at my new favorite Indian food restaurant,” Harry joked.

Lisa laughed,” I see you got my note then. Would you like to join me, I have plenty of food.”

“I’d love to, but at least let me pay you for it. Dinner two nights in a row.”

“Nope. It’s my treat.”

“I must contribute somehow, I don’t want to take advantage. I know, how about I provide the alcohol. Wine? Beer?”

“Alright, your pick.”

Harry returned with two bottles of beer and set one on the porch railing for Lisa. She got up and retrieved it, leaving a helping of dinner on the railing for him in return. She and Harry talked well past dinner and into the early hours of the morning that night.

Each night of quarantine they ate dinner together. They both counted down the hours until dinner, and over time, they found waiting for dinner a stretch too far. They began to have lunch together too. Lisa fell in love with Harry over the meals she had learned to cook as she shared them with him. He had fallen equally for her. On the last night of quarantine, she finished dressing the salad and set it out on the table, where she found Harry already waiting for her. As she began to plate the food for both of them, Harry climbed over the railings of both balconies. It was the first time had left his balcony. Both of them had wanted to, desperately but they had stuck to the social distancing guidelines. Lisa turned to see Harry standing next to her. She sucked in her breath, surprised and excited at the same time. She handed him a plate of roasted chicken, wilted greens and sauteed potatoes. He took the plate from her and set it down on the table, instead much preferring to hold her. He pulled her into his arms.

“I’ve been waiting what feels like a lifetime to do this,” he said.

He leant down and kissed Lisa, and she felt it though her whole body. She wrapped her arms around his neck, takinging all of him in, the feel of his firm body, the smell of his cologne, the taste of his mouth. It felt like heaven.

If you liked this story, check out the Quarantine Stories book with 5 never before published stories.

Quarantine Stories 2: Ally & Lex

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“So you’re staying here then,” Ally asked?

“Yeah, I guess, better than going back to my place. If I have to spend the next God knows how long listening to my upstairs neighbor practice for whatever theatre show she’s hoping to be in, I’m going to blow my brains out.” Lex made a gun gesture, pointing it to his head.

“Alright but you get the couch.”

“The couch? Ouch.”

The silence between them lingered a second longer than was comfortable.

Allie threw a couch pillow at Lex and giggled. He loved it when she smiled, and her laugh melted his heart. He wondered how he was going to quarantine with a woman he was madly in love with, as he deflected the flying pillow coming towards him.

“I’ll grab blankets and clear some space for you so you can unpack your bag. I’ll set it in my room for now.” Allie got up and walked into her bedroom to fetch blankets.

Lex picked up the pillow and silently screamed into it silently. Ugh, why can’t I just grow a pair, and tell her? I love you, Allie, see simple. Ahhhhh, he thought to himself. He pulled the pillow quickly as he heard her footsteps reapproach.

“You know, I’m kind of glad you came to stay. Who knows how long this is going to last. I don’t think we’ve spent more than two days apart since we met,” Allie said as she set the blankets on the coffee table and began to make the couch into a bed. ” We both know we would have gone crazy not being able to hang out. I don’t know what…” she trailed off.

“What don’t you know,” he asked?

“Nothing, nevermind. Here you are.” Allie gestured to the makeshift bed on the couch. “I’m going to turn in.” Allie stood, tucking a long, brown, curly lock behind her ear.

Lex couldn’t be sure, but he felt that she had lingered a moment longer than was normal. Is she sending me signals here and I keep missing it? Dude this is Allie, your best friend, he thought to himself. Allie took a step towards him and wrapped her arms around him, he embraced her. Before she let go, she placed a quick kiss on his cheek. Her lips on his skin felt like an electrical current through his body.

“I’m really glad you decided to stay. Good night Lex,” Allie said still standing in his arms. She pulled away and walked into her bedroom, shutting the door behind her. Lex took off his sweatshirt pants and socks, staying in his boxers and t-shirt. He had spent plenty of nights on Allie’s couch, through illness and break-ups. Lex climbed into the bed on the couch and stared up at the ceiling, the yellow street lamp cast a warm glow through the living room. It made him crazy that just on the other side of the door Allie laid in bed alone. He wanted to hold her in his arms and listen to her breathe softly.

Lex thought back to the night Allie had literally stumbled into his life. She tripped and fell off of the last step of the large porch at a college party. He had helped her to her feet, as Allie looked up to say thank you, she vomited all over him. Despite that, he helped her back to her dorm and left her with her mousey roommate, Ellen. Allie had utterly forgotten about Lex until she sat next to him in a public speaking course two days later. Lex had been cool about it and laughed it off. From that point on, the two of them had been inseparable but only as friends, nothing more. Both of them had been okay with that arrangement until recently. Lex found his feelings had grown into something more, but he was terrified to tell Allie. He worried about what would happen if she felt differently.

After graduation, Allie took a job in Seattle and Lex followed her. His parents died in a car accident during his senior year. As an only child, he was left without a family so, she became his family. Allie promised to stay in his life. They had spent their twenties building careers, and their friendship had been enough for both of them. Sure, there had been romantic relationships for both of them, but the relationships never lasted.

Lex finally fell asleep on the couch in the early hours of the morning. He woke to the smell of brewing coffee and the smell of Allie’s shampoo. He opened his eyes, registering it was morning but, he was still tired from the lack of a full night’s sleep.

“Here, coffee.” Allie held out a cup for him.

He propped up and grabbed the hot mug of coffee.

“Thanks.” he mumbled groggily.

“So how do you want to do this? I know we both have to work. I can take the bedroom, and you can use the kitchen table or the desk over there? I know you have to work too. I have a conference call here in a few minutes. Then maybe we can do lunch together? I have a veggie curry that I have been dying to make.”

Lex sat there not quite awake. “It’s your call. I mean put me where you want me. That sounds yummy. Lunch at noon then?”

“Sounds like a plan. Do you have any calls for work? Open plan living is great until it isn’t. Must remember this for the next place, it must be quarantine approved.” Allie joked.

Without thinking Lex reached up and grabbed her hand gently. She looked down at him.

“Thanks again for letting me quarantine with you,” he said.

Allie’s thumb rubbed over the back of his hand, it was a slight gesture but on that his body registered.

“Of course.”

She let go of his hand and turned back towards the kitchen. If he had not known her better, he could’ve sworn he saw a hint of embarrassment on her face. He shrugged it off, and picked up his phone and saw he didn’t have to start work for an hour.

“Why do you start out here? I’m going to grab a shower and then I can log-on to work from the bedroom if that’s cool,” Lex asked as before he took a sip of the hot coffee.

“That will work.”

Lex stood up and set the coffee down on the tabe. He began to fold up the blankets from the bed on the couch when he noticed Allie staring at him.

“Just leave’em. There’s no use in putting it all away, unless you really want to.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to leave a mess in your livingroom.”

“You mean your, bedroom.” Allie smiled.

He smiled back as he made his way to the master bathroom; the other bathroom in the apartment was only a powder room. He shut Allie’s bedroom door and walked into her bathroom. Turning on the water, he held out his hand to test the temperature. There was something so intimate about being her private space that Lex tried to push out of his head as he washed. He stepped out of the shower and dried himself, hanging the towel on the back of the bathroom door. She had left his bag just inside the door of her room, so it wasn’t in the way. He stepped into the bedroom to see Allie standing in the bedroom with tears in her eyes and a look of surprise on her face.

“Oh sorry, I thought you were still in the shower,” she said as she turned around quickly.

They had been close enough to see each other in various states of undress, but neither had seen each other completely naked until now. Lex darted back behind the bathroom door and grabbed the towel from the back, pulling it around his waist before he reemerged. In that quick moment, Allie had made her way out of the bedroom. He dug a t-shirt out from the top of his bag, a pair of boxers and a pair of jeans, and threw them on quickly. Lex walked out into the open-plan living, dining, kitchen area. Allie stood at the kitchen counter with her back to him.

He walked up to her softly asking, “Hey Al, are you okay?”

She turned to look at him, his initial read of her face correct. She wiped a tear from her cheek. “Sorry I thought you were still in the shower. I was looking for the employee handbook for my company. I’ve been fired. No warning, just done. Four years with them, and now I’m out on my ass. Lex, what am I going to to do?’

“It will be okay. You’re a brilliant grant writer and if this whole quarantine and economic depression are going to be as bad as they’re saying, babe, your brilliance is going to be in high demand. We’ll get through this together.”

Allie turned and hugged him tightly. There was something different about this hug than the many others they had shared before, although Lex couldn’t put his finger on it. He held her as she cried, reassuring her again that everything would be alright. She stayed tightly cradled in his arms.

“Al, your my best friend, I’ve got you, if you need it. You will land on your feet, I know you will.”

“Thanks but, Lex you’ve got responsibilities too. You cannot support me.”

“Al, my parents left me a mountain of money.”

“No! No way are you spending your inheritance to support me! No way, I mean it!”

“I make enough from my job alone to support both of us. Look at me,” he tipped her chin up, something he had never done before as he still held her in his arms. Her teary blue eyes and soft pink lips took his next statement out of his mind. All he could focus on were those eyes. Without warning, she leant up and kissed him. A real kiss, her tongue brushing over his lips gently.

He felt her push out of his arms as she backed away.

“I.. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that…” she said embarassed.

Lex stepped forward and pulled her back into his arm, this time kissing her. He searched her body for any sign of resistance but found none. In fact the deeper he kissed her, the more her body seemed to melt into his. Breathless, they stepped away from each other.

“Woah where did that come from,” Allie asked with an embarrassed smile on her face.

Panicked that he had misread the situation he wasn’t sure what to say.

“I.. Al.. I.. Are you mad?”

She tucked a curl behind her ear as she stared at him.

“What was that,” she asked?

Tell her you coward, tell her you love her, his inner voice screamed.

“It was.. Why?” his replied, not making sense.

“Because baby this changes everything,” Allie said as she wiped a new tear from her cheek. “I’ve wanted you to do that for so long.”

Without waiting for her next word he pulled her back into his embrace and kissed her again like he had crossed the desert and her mouth was a cool spring. Almost fifteen years of pent up passion lived behind their lips. He never wanted to stop kissing Allie, ever again but he knew he had to tell her. He stopped and pulled his lips away from hers, still keeping her in his arms.

“I love you Allie Brookman. I have for so long. We don’t know what the future holds with this quarantine, but I am by your side. Where you go I go. I love you.”

Her face lit up as she smiled at him, her smile sly with a hint of mischief. He looked at her quizzically.

“I love you to Lex. This quarantine is going to be fun. Come on,” she said as she grabbed his hand leading him into her bedroom.

If you liked this story, check out the Quarantine Stories book with 5 never before published stories.

Quarantine Stories: A Creative Exercise

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Hello all, sorry I disappeared for a bit, but with the state of the world, I think it is excusable. As the global pandemic rages on, and I begin my fourth week of self-quarantine. I have learned two things about myself. First, stress and creativity do not go hand in hand for me. When I am really stressed creativity turns off. The second thing I have learned how unusual circumstances can lead to interesting story prompts. This brings me to Quarantine Stories. Right now we are living through a global event, time will be measure as before and after the pandemic. All of this being said, I want to say thank you so much to all of the front line workers, doctors, nurses, law enforcement, package carriers, mailmen and mailwomen etc. Bravery is stocking shelves, delivering mail, and caring for the sick without proper PPE these days. Thank you to these stoic individuals who are keeping the basic necessities functioning.

As I said earlier, the thought of quarantine started to percolate my creativity. I thought of fun, heartbreaking, and awkward scenarios where characters are effected by quarantine. I had this thought two weeks ago and my brain gnawed on the idea. So the more I thought about it, I think this might be an interesting creative exercise to write a series of very short stories where the only rule of the story is that the characters must be stuck together in quarantine. The quarantine rules do not have to match current laws set by global governments, there is a bit of creativity here. I do not mean for this to be a disrespectful exercise in any way. Like most of us globally, I am looking for a way to fill my time. My goal is one story a week. We’ll see how it goes.

So let’s begin:

Quarantine Story #1: April 8, 2020 (Mark & Gemma)

Gemma woke as Mark’s arm pulled her in closer to him. She opened her eyes not believing it was morning again. She surveyed the yellow walls of the studio apartment, from the futon where she and Mark had spent all weekend in each other’s arms. She rolled over slightly and his eyes opened.

“You’re awake,” Mark said, his voice still raspy from sleep.

“Mmm, I am. I need to get moving or I am going to miss my flight.”

“Nope, I’m not letting you go, you’re my prisoner,” he joked.

“Well, I can come to be your prisoner next time I am in St. Louis. I need to go home to England.

Gemma watched Mark’s playful smile pierce with a pang of sadness, and she felt remorse for it. This is insanity she told herself. She followed Mark home after a wild night out and proceeded to have the wildest sexual experience of her life thus far. They had only left the bed to eat and shower. They binge-watched old kung-fu movies, both finding a true fan in each other. Gemma sat up and looked for her phone. She had not checked it since Saturday morning. Her job was high stress and she knew everything could wait for one weekend of fun.

Mark propped up as he watched Gemma walk around the small apartment, naked. He found her boldness and confidence incredibly sexy. He could not pull his eyes away from her petite frame, that was curvy in all of the best places. It didn’t hurt that her black hair swayed across her back as she walked towards her purse. Mark tried not to salivate at the thought of sleeping with Gemma one last time. As she dug in her purse for her phone he got off of the futon and pulled a t-shirt over his head.

“At least let me make you breakfast first,” he said as he walked over to the tiny kitchenette.

He poured began to make a pot of coffee as he realized Gemma had not answered him.

“Gemma?”

She still ignored him. He turned around and saw her standing still naked as she held the phone in one hand scrolling through her phone and her other hand over her mouth. Reading her face, Mark knew something awful had happened. He walked over to her.

“Are you okay,” he asked.

Hearing the concern in his voice, triggered her attention.

“My flight’s been cancelled. The borders have been closed. I…”

“What? Why? What happened?”

“It’s this virus. All travel has been shut down. My mum and dad are back home in the UK, my auntie, and friends.”

“Does it say how long?”

“I don’t know I haven’t gotten that far yet.”

“Here, let me look,” Mark said as he turned around looking for his own phone.

“Turn the telly on,” Gemma instructed.

Mark grabbed the remote on the nightstand and clicked it on. President Malcolm stood at the podium, in the middle of a speech. Gemma came over and sat next to where Mark sat, both transfixed by the American President declaring the borders of the United States were now closed, as globally travel was banned due to a rapidly spreading global pandemic. Gemma reached back and pulled the blanket from the futon around her. Mark wrapped his arm around not sure if it was to comfort her or himself. As the President concluded Gemma looked down at her phone.

“I have to call parents, would that be okay?”

“Of course, I’ll shower to give you some privacy.”

Mark stood, and realized he should probably call his own family. He grabbed his phone and walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind himself. With his apartment being a true studio, the bathroom was the only enclosed room, where one could give and get privacy. He turned on the shower, hoping the noise would block out his own calls home. He talked to his parents who were isolated on their farm in rural Illinois and were prepared. They urged him to head to the farm, and it sounded like a good idea, but he wasn’t sure yet. He wasn’t going to just leave Gemma in his apartment.

He showered in record time and put a towel around his waist as he walked out of the bathroom, hoping he wouldn’t disturb Gemma. She sat on the futon her head in her hands. Mark walked over softly and sat down next to her. She could smell the scent of his shampoo and could feel the moisture evaporating off of his skin.

“Were you able to get ahold of your parents and your family,” he asked.

“Where am I going to go. Your? President said that the borders are closed for the next six weeks at minimum. I’ve called my hotel and they are requesting guests check out. I guess they called over the weekend to alert me to this, but the one weekend I put my phone away, the world ends.”

She wiped a tear from her cheek as Mark stood up.

“You’re going to come home with me. My family owns a farm just across the state line in Illinois, in Berlin. It’s tiny, they have a big farm with plenty of room. I called them when you made your calls and they invited me, us, out.”

“You told your family about me?”

“Not exactly, but you are welcome to come along.”

“I’m a stranger to them.”

“You’re not to me. I know this really isn’t the time for this, considering all that is going on but I like you, I mean, I really like you. That being said you don’t have to feel the same way about me, I know how nuts that sounds as we’ve only just met. The offer stands no matter your feelings for me.”

Gemma wiped both of her cheeks. There was something about her curled up in his blanket, upset and afraid, that compelled him to lean down and kiss her but he resisted the urge. She looked up at him, with her piercing green eyes, and tear-stained cheeks.

“I couldn’t it’s rude.”

“Not here, I promise you. The city is going to get nuts, you have nowhere else to go. I’d offer to let you stay in the studio but I don’t have food here, and I don’t think it will be safe. Please come with me?”

Gemma sat considering her options. She hadn’t said it but she felt the same way about Mark. She chewed her bottom lip, thinking through her options, while she looked at the perfect specimen of a man standing in front of her. The night she had found his dark curly mop of hair adorable the night she had met him, and his chocolate-brown eyes seemed to melt her insides in all of the best ways. He was clean-shaven on the night they had met, but he now had the beginnings of a beard. His muscular build reassured her that he could protect her in the new reality they had woken up to.

“Are you sure it won’t be an imposition?”

“No way. My parents would be thrilled. Here I can give you the address that way you can tell your family where you’ll be if that helps?”

Mark bent down looking at her squarely.

“My mother’s name is Betty and my father’s name is George. They’ve lived in Berlin their whole lives. The family farm has been in my family for three generations now. I am their only son, my sister Carina lives in Florida with her husband. She is staying down there to be near her in-laws. You’ll actually be doing me a favor, my parents are almost in their seventies. It would be nice to have someone my own age to talk to. I promise you it is the safest place on the planet, there is almost a three-mile square perimeter of corn around the entire farm.”

Mark reached up and tucked a long piece of her bangs behind her ear.

“All right. Thank you. Are you sure?”

“Absolutely. I promise you we’ll be safe there.”

Gemma stood up and began to look for her clothes. She dressed in Friday night’s club attire that she had worn to Mark’s apartment. Her bags had been packed up and were waiting at the concierge the hotel had instructed her.

“I’m sorry but can we please go to the hotel for my bags before we leave town?”

“Of course.”

Mark zipped the suitcase that sat on the futon and pulled it off of onto the floor, the metal wheels of it clicking on the wood floor.

“Ready? We’d better get on the road, so we are in our shelter place by 5 pm. as the President said.

Gemma nodded that she was as Mark pulled the suitcase behind him. He reached out his hand for hers and she took it as they walked out of the apartment into the unknown.

 

If you liked this story, check out the Quarantine Stories book with 5 never before published stories.