"Every Breath I Take" - chapter 13

Cathy just sent me a new chapter of her story - and told me to assure you the next one is in the works and she hopes to publish it before Christmas.

Maddie apologizes for the long wait for a new chapter of "It's a Wrap". She works in retail and this is a very busy time for her at work, so she has very limited time to write these days.  She'll probably not be able to post more before after Christmas.  

I posted a new chapter of "The Outsiders" on Paradevo today - head over there and check it out after you've finished chapter 13 of "Every Breath I Take".

-Mille

'Every Breath I Take' - Chapter 12

Cathy just sent me chapter 12 of 'Every Breath I Take'. Hope you enjoy it. :-)

As always; Josh's condition is fictional, a figment of Cathy's imagination. She assures me she has done some research and is trying to get all the tracheostomy and ventilator stuff as accurate as possible. I take no responsibility for things being accurate.

"It's a Wrap!" - Chapter 4

Here's a new chapter of "It's a Wrap!"- hope you enjoy it!

Cathy has told me to let you know that she hasn't fallen off the surface of the earth and that she is still working on "Every Breath I Take". She's just really busy these days, she's cramming for her fall finals.  She hopes to have a new chapter for us soon and has promised me that she'll try to do more regular updates after she's done with her exams and things get less hectic for her. 

As for me and my stories; my muse is very uncooperative and I'm extremely busy. Hope rings slow down and my muse gets more co-operative soon.

-Mille

'It's a Wrap!' - Chapter 3

Here's a new chapter of 'It's a Wrap!'.  Enjoy!  

Cathy has promised me a new chapter of 'Every Breath I Take' very soon and I'm working on my stories as well. Just wish my muse was more cooperative. 

Well, it's late here and I just wanted to get this up before I went to bed. 

-Mille

"Jenna & Luke 2 .0" - Chapter 4

Jenna heard her landline phone ringing through the front door and hurried inside. She dumped the bag of groceries she was carrying on the floor next to the table in the hallway and grabbed the handset without checking the caller ID.

“Hello,” she answered the phone, slightly out of breath.

“Hey sis, been out running?” It was her younger sister Joanna.

“Hi Jo. No, I just got home and heard the phone through the front door. I rushed to answer before you hung up.”

“Ah, I see. How are you? I haven’t heard from you since Dad’s birthday a few weeks back.”

 “I’m very good, how ‘bout you and Shannon? How’s business?”

“We’re both good, so is the business. How’s your business going?”

“Still kinda’ slow, but things have been picking up lately. A couple of Sarah’s connections have proved themselves useful. I hope it continues.”

“Glad to hear it. I know you took a chance when you moved out there and threw everything into this.”

“So far it has been very worth it,” Jenna answered, a smile evident in her voice.

“Who is he?”

"Every Breath I Take" - Chapter 11

 Here's chapter 11 of "Every Breath I Take".  Cathy says it's a bit rough, but she wanted to get it posted today since the wait has been long. She might edit it later.

I'm almost done with a new chapter of "Jenna & Luke 2.0" and I'm well underway on a brand new chapter of "The Outsiders".

Maggie is working on chapter 3 of "It's a wrap!" and hopes to have it ready to post sometime soon. 

Lots of good stuff to look forward to :)

"It's a wrap!" - Chapter 2

Here's a new chapter of it's a wrap that Maddie just sent me. She told me to let you know she intends on posting a new chapter every two weeks or so.  

I also got an email fra Cathy; she apologizes for the long wait for a new chapter in "Every Breath I Take", but she has been sick for the past couple of weeks and haven't had the energy to write. She's feeling better and is working on a new chapter.

As for me; I'm working on a new chapter of "Jenna & Luke 2.0". Hope to have it ready for posting sometime next week.

Have a great Sunday! :-)

New story!! "It's a Wrap!"

I'm happy to introduce another guest author; Maddie.  I love the premise of her story and I'm very excited to see where she'll take this. I feel it's very unique.

Christian Ramsay is a successful actor.  He's the star of the TV-series 'Dean & Dad' that has just been renewed for a fifth season. He's happily married to Meagan and dad to Jayden (11) and Jacklyn (8).  He has also just broken his back in a mountain biking accident and is facing a future in a wheelchair, as a T-10/11 paraplegic.  Will he be able to return to work? How will his fans react? And how will the Ramsay family deal with it all?

"Every Breath I Take" chapter 10

Here's chapter 10 of "Every Breath I Take". Cathy hopes to have chapter 11 ready this coming weekend. 

As usual: Josh's conditon is fictional and I take no responsibility for the medical accuracy of the story. I trust Cathy has done some research to get it right.

"Every Breath I Take" chapter 9

Cathy just sent me chapter 9. Hope y'all enjoy it and have a great week! :-) Hope to have more for you soon.

Note: Josh's condition is fictional and a figment of Cathy's imagination. I take no responsibility for the medical accuracy.

"Every Breath I Take" chapter 8

It's not the weekend yet, but Cathy just sent me a new chapter. If we're lucky she'll have chapter 9 ready over the weekend. A comment or three might encourage her... hint hint... ;-)

As always; I take no responsibility for the medical accuracy of this story.

"Every Breath I Take" chapter 7

Happy Labor Day weekend everyone! :-)

Just got a new chapter from Cathy. Hope ya' enjoy. Her life is hectic right now, but she hopes to have a new chapter for us next weekend. 

As usual: I don't take any responsibility for medical accuracy in this story.

"Jenna & Luke 2 .0" - Chapter 3

Two weeks after their Sunday afternoon in Venice Beach Luke kept his promise and brought Jenna to his favorite Indian restaurant. He’d booked a table for Friday evening at seven and he offered to pick her up. Jenna was looking forward to spending time with Luke. They’d both been busy lately and apart from meeting at the coffee shop for lunch a few times over the past couple of weeks they hadn’t spent any time together.

"Every Breath I Take" chapter 6

Cathy just sent me chapter 6 of "Every Breath I Take" and she assured me that chapter 7 is already well underway. If her plans (or lack of plans, really) for tomorrow happens she's hoping she'll have it ready for posting tomorrow evening. No promises though!

She told me to tell EJ and the anonymous person that commented on chapter 5: THANK YOU!! :-)

As usual: I take no responsibility for medical accuracy in the story.

"Every Breath I Take" chapter 5

Cathy's week is turning out to be less busy than she thought it would be and she just sent me a new chapter! I'm not complaining - and I have a feeling those of you who are reading her story agree with me. :-)  

As always: I don't take responsibility for the medical accuracy of this story.

"Every Breath I Take" chapter 4

It's almost midnight here and I was about to go to bed when an email from Cathy appeared in my inbox - with a brand new chapter. I could have saved it for tomorrow, but I thought it was awesome and I wanted to share it. Hope ya'll like it!! :-)

EDIT Aug. 19th, 12:25 pm: Got an email from Cathy overnight which pointed out a few errors she'd made and she asked if I could fix them. That's done now.

For the record...: This story and Josh's condition come from Cathy's imagination. I take no responsibility for the medical accuracy of this story.

"Every Breath I Take" chapter 3

Cathy is on a roll this weekend - and I hope you're feeling as spoiled as I am by her frequent updates. I'm really enjoying her story and I'm so glad she's allowing me to share it with the readers of this blog. 

In her email Cathy told me to let you know that there probably won't be any updates until next weekend as she has a busy week ahead. I'm keeping my fingers crossed she'll find some writing time and that her imagination keeps cooperating. 

Mine isn't at the moment, so I'm happy someone else is providing me with something to keep you all entertained. Thanks, Cathy! xxx :-)

As with the previous chapters I'd like to remind you that Josh's condition is fictional and I take no responsibility for the medical accuracy of the story.

"Every Breath I Take" chapter 2

I just got home from a nightmare trip to the mall and found a very pleasant surprise in my inbox; Cathy had sent me another chapter of "Every Breath I Take" - seeing the first part published here had boosted her imagination. I am very happy to see a plot building in this chapter and a direction for the storyline - and I hope you'll enjoy it too.

In her email Cathy said that she's working on outlining the plot as a multi chapter story. It looks like we've got plenty more story to look forward to! :-)

And again: Josh's condition is fictional and I take no responsibility for the medical accuracy of this story.  

New story! "Every Breath I Take"

This story was emailed to me by Cathy, who has been following my blog for a while.  She wanted to know what I thought about it. I liked it, I think Josh is an interesting character, and asked if I could publish it. She gave me a "thumbs up" as she is eager to find out what people think about her story.  That said; she hasn't promised me she'll write further chapters, but I think that some positive feedback might do the trick. ;-)

The premise of the story is: Josh was born with a (fictional) lung condition that means his lungs have been slowly deteriorating his whole life. Apart from his lung condition and being partially ventilator dependent there's nothing wrong with him. He is fully mobile, but because of his lung condition uses an electric wheelchair to get around when he has to cover longer distances.


This is the first time I publish something from a guest author on my blog. I hope you like it - and that together we can persuade Cathy to continue her story. :-)

For the record: Josh's condition is fictional, a figment of Cathy's imagination.  It was inspired by the girl in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsPZhYfyNkc  Cathy told me that she has tried to research what her disease is without success, so she decided to take her own spin on it. I take no responsibility for medical accuracy in the story.

Chapter 7 of "The Outsiders" posted!

You can find it here!

Happy Sunday!! :-)

-Mille

Chapter 6 of "The Outsiders" is up!

Completely forgot to post the link here when I updated this story last week. Sorry about that!

Here's the link.

Working on updates for all of my stories, but I'm busy, so don't know when I'll be able to post.

-Mille

Chapter 5 of "The Outsiders" is up on Paradevo!

You can find it here!

Working on chapter 3 of "Jenna & Luke 2.0" - hope to have it up by the weekend.

Have a great week everyone :-)

-Mille

"Jenna & Luke" 2 . 0 - Chapter 2

Jenna spent Saturday doing some laundry at the laundromat down the street from her place and cleaning her shitty apartment. She pretty much hated the place, but it was what she could afford within a reasonable distance from her office.  She was glad she only had a one-year lease and hopefully business would’ve picked up enough for her to afford to move somewhere nicer by the time it expired.

All day her thoughts kept drifting to the dinner at Luke’s place. She was nervous about it, but also excited about it. They had really clicked from the first moment they met and she was looking forward to spending more time with him and getting to know him better. 

Jenna also hoped Luke would open up a about his disability; she had no idea why he was in a wheelchair. She had done some online research on possible reasons; the results ranged from a spinal cord injury to a number of conditions that affected muscles and nerves.

Chapter 4 of "The Outsiders" posted on Paradevo!

Posted chapter 4 of "The Outsiders" on Paradevo last night.

You can find it here: "The Outsiders" - Chapter 4

Am working on chapter 2 of "Jenna & Luke 2.0" hope to have it up either later tonight or tomorrow.

-Mille

"Jenna & Luke" 2.0 - Chapter 1

I know many of you are waiting for me to update Jenna & Luke. Truth is I've been struggling with the direction the story has taken and I feel it's unrealistically happy and upbeat. I feel things have gone too smoothly for the storyline to be realistic. So... I've started on a re-write of the story. The characters are the same, but I will throw them a few curveballs and they will face some obstacles as they get to know each other and build their relationship.  Hope you enjoy take two. :-) 

Saturday July 5th: I thought I'd done a thorough job of proofreading before I posted last night, but a few errors slipped through the cracks.  My excuse for calling Luke Jake a couple of times is that I was watching 'Jake 2.0' while I was editing. And I'd had a couple of beers. Oops! ;-) Should all be fixed now.

Chapter 3 of "The Outsiders" is up on Paradevo!

Posted Chapter 3 of The Outsiders on Monday, completely forgot to share the link here. Sorry!

Here it is!!

Enjoy :-)

-Mille

Chapter 2 of "The Outsiders" posted

I posted chapter 2 of "The Outsiders" on Paradevo yesterday. Check it out :)

Chapter 2

Have about 900 words written of "Jenna & Luke" chapter 13 - hope to finish it soon, I've just hit sort of a roadblock and Sigrid and Jonas has kind of distracted my muse.

-Mille

"The Outsiders" - New story up on Paradevo's Devotee Stories.

I just posted the first chapter of a new story on Paradevo's Devotee Stories. Please check it out. :)

Am working on a new chapter of "Jenna & Luke". It includes a rather large diamond and Luke asking 'the' question... Will be up soon - stay tuned!


-Mille

'Jenna & Luke' - Chapter 12

By the time Jenna and Luke arrived back at the bungalow it was early afternoon. It was clear that Luke was tired; as many quadriplegics he had trouble with regulating his body temperature and spending a lot of time in the sun wasn’t great for him. Jenna had brought a large umbrella and had attempted to keep him in the shade as much as possible and Luke had said that the sea breeze helped keep him cool too. He still felt rather hot when she touched his cheek.

“Are you okay? You feel a little hot and you look tired.”

“I feel a bit uncomfortable,” Luke admitted. “And I am tired.”

“Come into the bathroom. I’ll try to cool you down with a few cold towels. If that doesn’t work a cold shower might.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Luke said with a small, tired smile. He followed Jenna into the bathroom and watched as she filled the sink with cold water and put several small towels into it. Then she unstrapped the straps across his chest and pulled off his shirt.  When that was done she he placed a rubber sheet behind his back so the backrest of his wheelchair wouldn’t get wet and instructed him to recline his chair a bit.

When Luke was sitting slightly reclined Jenna deftly wrapped a cool towel around his neck so it was covering his shoulders and upper back, and a second one across his upper chest.  She kept replacing the cool towels for the next half hour or so, until she felt him getting cooler.

“You feel like you’ve cooled down,” Jenna stated as she removed what she hoped was the final towel from Luke’s neck.

“I feel a lot better now. Thanks, babe. You’re the best.”

“No need to thank me. I’m just glad you’re feeling better.”

“I’m still kinda tired and need a nap. A couple of hours in bed in an air conditioned room sound very tempting right now.”

Jenna nodded as she dried his damp skin with a soft, fluffy towel and then she strapped him into the wheelchair again before she headed into the bedroom.  Luke adjusted his chair so he was sitting upright and followed her.

'Jenna & Luke' - Chapter 11

Six months had passed since Jenna moved in with Luke. To Jenna’s relief she seemed to have gained Maryanne Stevenson’s approval. When Luke’s family had visited them over Christmas she had been much warmer toward Jenna and she had even expressed that she was happy Luke had her in his life. It was a big improvement from the first time they’d met over the Labor Day weekend.

Over the New Years weekend Jenna’s parents and Joanna and Shannon had visited. It was the first time they met Luke and it had gone better than they had feared. Jenna’s dad genuinely seemed to like Luke; they had found common ground in their interest for football. Luke’s behind-the-scenes tales from his time in the NFL had won him over.

Jenna’s mother was more skeptical, but after Luke cooked them a delicious dinner of marinated chicken breasts served with homemade mashed potatoes and gravy and a side of steamed vegetables with only minimal assistance from Jenna she had warmed up toward him.  

The anniversary of their first date was a week away and Jenna had a special weekend planned for them to celebrate the occasion. She had booked a long weekend stay for them in an accessible bungalow at a resort by the coast.

Jenna had done thorough research on wheelchair accessible hotels in Laguna Beach and she had actually gone to visit her top two contenders to make sure they were as accessible as they claimed to be. The first one had been a disappointment. His shower chair would not be able to fit in the shower stall and the doorways were on the narrow side.

To Jenna’s relief the second resort was everything they promised and more. The accessible bungalows were spacious and the furniture was well laid out. The bathroom had a big roll-in shower stall and when Jenna saw the ocean view she was sold. She just hoped Luke loved it as much as she did.

'Blade Runner' - Chapter 2

As Hannah had predicted it had been a long week with a heavy workload and she was more than ready for the weekend and a couple of days of downtime. She had worked long days all week.  Friday was not been an exception; it was close to six thirty in the evening and she still had about an hours worth of work to get through.  With a sigh she pushed her reading glasses back in place and did her best to focus on the report she was typing.

“You’re working late.” A familiar baritone voice got her attention about half an hour later and she looked up into Jason’s smiling face. It was ‘casual Friday’ and Hannah thought he looked quite yummy; he was wearing a pair of dark jeans, a black and white plaid shirt with the top two buttons open and a black tailored blazer.

“Oh…hi, Jason. I’m just trying to get through this so I don’t have to come in tomorrow. After the week I’ve had I need some time off to recharge my batteries.”

“Tell me about it…” he said with a heavy sigh. “I just managed to finish my ‘to-do’ list and I’m ready to head out. Would you like to join me for dinner? I’ve only eaten a couple of power bars today, so my stomach is ready to riot.”

“I’d love to, but I still have about an hour or so of work left before I can leave. As I said I really don’t want to have to work tomorrow.”

“I can wait for you, it’s fine. Do you have any preferences food-wise?”

“I thought you were starving.”

“I’ll live. I know your company will be worth the wait. Now, you didn’t answer my second question.”

'Blade Runner' - Chapter 1

So, I usually don't write 'author's notes' for my stories, but I feel it's necessary for this one.

The main character in this story, Jason Ridley, is loosely based on Oscar Pistorius. I started writing this story shortly after reading Oscar's biography 'Blade Runner' in late 2012.  I was a huge fan of his; I think he did an incredible job of changing many people's perception of disabled people. And damn; he's hot!! 

The Oscar Pistorius referred to in this story is the man I admired before February 14th 2013.

I had the first three chapters written and the outline for the rest of the story pretty much done when the news of Oscar shooting Reeva Steenkamp came out on Valentine's Day last year.  It felt like I'd been punched in the gut and the disappointment and shock took away all inspiration to move forward.

A year later the shock has subsided and new ideas for the story has started coming to me. After I mentioned that I had been working on this story about a year ago in my previous post and I've received a few emails from people that have expressed that they are interested in reading it.

I will start with posting the first chapter and see what kind of feedback it gets. If there is interest I will post the next two chapters as well as start working on the rest of the story.

I'm not interested in starting a discussion about the Pistorius trial on the blog, so any comments regarding Oscar's guilt/innocence etc. will be deleted. If you have views/thoughts you wish to share with me, please contact me in private via email: devoteestoriesbymille@gmail.com. 

A few words to my followers...

First of all; I'm thrilled that so many people seem to enjoy my stories - it's truly humbling. Lately I've received both comments and a few emails from people that are wondering when I'll update my stories.  Thank you!! :)

Lately I've been immensely busy. I'm working 10-12 hour days Monday-Friday and I work at least two, often three, Saturdays a month.  When I finally have downtime I usually feel absolutely exhausted and just feel like veg'ing on the couch. I have ideas for several of my stories and I try to write them as they come to me, but I just haven't had the energy to really sit down to write.

This is the current status for my writing:

"Jenna & Luke" - Chapter 11: 265 words - slowly progressing, have chapter outlined
"The Store Manager" - Chapter 5: 234 words - slowly progressing, struggling
"Finding Unexpected Love" - Chapter 9: 400 words - written in 1st person from Bryan's POV. Not sure if it works for me, so considering re-writing it in 3rd person.

"Unexpected" - Chapter 12: 900 words  NOTE: This is the story I've got up on Paradevo - it's the first version of 'Finding Unexpected Love'.  I plan on wrapping it up pretty soon, so I can focus on my other stories. Have a much longer storyline planned for the 2.0 version.

Unpublished story:
I've also got some new ideas for a story about a double below the knee amputee I started a couple of years ago, a few months after the London 2012 Olympics/Paralympics.  The main male character, Jason, was inspired by reading Oscar Pistorius' biography; "Blade Runner".

Jason is not a professional athlete, but some of his background/personality is based on Oscar (born w.o. fibulas, lower legs amputated before his first birthday, supportive family, lost mother at a young age, doesn't see himself as disabled).

I had written the first couple of chapters and was in the process of outlining the rest of the story when Oscar shot Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day last year and the shock and disappointment I felt when the news came out made me lose all inspiration to write that story.

For some reason some ideas for the story have come to me recently. I have jotted them down in a notebook and am considering trying to write it out, if it's something people are interested in reading - let me know if you are.


-Mille

"Jenna & Luke" - Chapter 10

Jenna got through the weekend and Labor Day, but Wednesday morning she decided that she needed a break from Maryanne Stevenson. Although her attitude had mellowed a bit, but it was still clear that she didn’t trust Jenna and her intentions and Jenna was getting tired of her snarky comments and sideways glances.  She figured she’d go back to Luke’s house.  That would give her a couple of days to relax and she figured it would be good for Luke to spend some alone time with his parents as well.  She just hoped he wouldn’t be too upset with her.

She looked toward the bathroom door; the shower had just been shut off, so Luke and Kevin would be out in about 10 minutes. With a sigh she picked out an outfit for the day; a pair of dark skinny jeans and a white linen tunic and laid it on the bed with a set of clean underwear. Then she grabbed her well-worn Louis Vuitton duffle bag, a high school graduation gift from her grandparents, and stuffed her dirty clothes into it. She left the clean clothes in Luke’s closet since she planned on coming back to spend the weekend.

"Jenna & Luke" - Chapter 9

“Stop fussing, Jenna,” Luke admonished her. She was standing in front of the full length mirror in his bedroom, checking her appearance yet again.

“Are you really sure this is an appropriate ‘meet-your-parents’ outfit?”

“Very much so. You look amazing,” Luke said with a smile as he rolled over to her and pulled her down to sit in his lap. She buried her head in the crook of his neck and inhaled the scent of his aftershave and the scent of him. It instantly calmed her down; being close to Luke had that effect on her.

“Thanks. I’m just worried and nervous and I want to make a good first impression.”

“As I’ve told you several times, you’ve got nothing to worry about. My parents already adore you.”

“I hope you’re right,” Jenna sighed as the doorbell rang and she scooted off Luke’s lap after kissing him quickly on the lips.

"Jenna & Luke" - Chapter 8

“You think my legs are sexy?”

“Very. Just as the rest of you. C’mere,” Luke said as he patted the mattress next to him with his splint clad left hand. Jenna didn’t hesitate and quickly got back into bed next to Luke. They wound up making out and when they finally pulled apart and Jenna collapsed on Luke’s chest they were both panting. After a few moments Jenna worked up the courage to ask him a question she’d wanted to ask him for a while.

“How do you have sex? I’m sorry for asking so bluntly, but I’ve been wondering and…”

Luke smiled and assured her he didn’t mind her asking. He actually seemed happy that she had broached the subject. “Obviously I can’t have sex like an able bodied person, but with some planning, medication and you on top it can happen. And my mouth still works perfectly well.”

“So basically you take a pill to get an erection? And I’ll be on top? Doesn’t sound very enjoyable for you since you can’t feel it,” Jenna blurted out.

“If it’s good for you it’s good for me. And there are things you can do to satisfy me as well.”

“Like…?” Jenna queried in a flirtatious tone.

“The parts of my body I can still feel are rather sensitive. Focus on my torso from my nipples up and you’ll do just fine.”

Jenna didn’t have to be asked twice and she was happy that Luke was shirtless. She started with kissing his chest and caressing his nipples with her lips and tongue, then she moved up to the hollow at the base of his neck and caressed that with the tip of her tongue. Luke groaned and shuddered with pleasure.

“Take off your shirt,” he demanded as they pulled apart after a passionate kiss. Jenna obliged and Luke pulled her down to lie next to him. He sighed contentedly and she savored the feeling of his warm body against hers and impulsively wrapped her left leg over his. He kissed her forehead and a wile later they succumbed to sleep.

"Jenna & Luke" - Chapter 7

Luke wished he was less nervous about meeting Jenna’s sister and her fiancée, but new people always unnerved him. He had no idea how they’d react to him and he was more aware of his disability around new people. When he was with people he was comfortable around, and they around him, he didn’t really think much about it. It was a fact of life and he was used to it.

With a sigh he rolled over to the full-length mirror in his bedroom to make sure his leg bag wasn’t visible and that he hadn’t gotten any stains on his shirt when he ate breakfast. He was wearing a black polo shirt, a pair of dark wash jeans and he had black loafers on his feet. Although he loathed shopping he had decided that his disability shouldn’t stop him from dressing well. Luke didn’t want to be a cripple in a wheelchair wearing stained sweatpants and old t-shirts, and his job came with a dress code; business casual, so he didn’t really have a choice there. He decided he looked acceptable and checked that he had his wallet and cellphone in the pouch under the left armrest of his wheelchair before he headed out to his van.

"Jenna & Luke" - Chapter 6

Jenna heard her landline phone ringing through the front door and hurried inside. She dumped the bag of groceries she was carrying on the floor next to the table in the hallway and grabbed the handset without checking the caller ID.

“Hello,” she answered the phone, slightly out of breath.

“Hey sis, been out running?” It was her younger sister Joanna.

“Hi Jo. No, I just got home and heard the phone through the front door. I rushed to answer before you hung up.”

“Ah, I see. How are you? I haven’t heard from you since Dad’s birthday a few weeks back.”

 “I’m very good, how ‘bout you and Shannon? How’s business?”

“We’re both good, so is the business. How’s your business going?”

“Still kinda’ slow, but things have been picking up lately. A couple of Sarah’s connections have proved themselves useful. I hope it continues.”

“Glad to hear it. I know you took a chance when you moved out there and threw everything into this.”

“So far it has been very worth it,” Jenna answered, a smile evident in her voice.

“Who is he?”

“What?”

“I can hear it in your voice and it’s not like you to stay out of touch. You’ve met a guy haven’t you?”

“I have,” Jenna admitted with a small laugh. “Can’t get anything past you, can I?”

“I know you, Jenna. Now, tell me all about your man.”

“His name is Luke and he’s amazing.”