To My Readers (includes teaser from my new story)

I'm so sorry for not updating lately.  I really am.  My list of excuses you're probably not interested in is a mile long. I work in retail and the holiday season is the busiest time of the year. Work has been crazy demanding lately and on top of that I've been dealing with a few family issues. Time (and inspiration) to write has been scarce.

The good news is that I've got lots of time off ahead of me, starting Saturday. I'm not going back to work 'til January 6th. I have updates in the works for both current stories on the blog AND I'm working on a new one. This one features a quadriplegic with limited use of his hands and arms.

Here's an excerpt from the the 2nd draft of the first chapter:



As usual Jenna headed to the Starbucks down the block from her office during her lunch break.  She was a creature of habit and before she could say anything the barista rang up her regular order of a club sandwich and a tall latte. A few minutes later she was seated at a table not too far from the entrance with her food and iPad in front of her. While she ate she caught up on her Twitter timeline and the news online.

After about half an hour she had to return to the office and as she walked out the door a man in a power wheelchair approached. She waited and held the door open for him; as he came closer it struck her how handsome he was. Judging from his face he was about her age, maybe a couple of years older. His hair was dark brown and very short; his eyes were a dark chocolate brown and when he flashed her a smile dimples appeared on his cheeks. As well as straight, white teeth that would make any dentist proud. He was dressed in a pair of navy chinos and a light blue button down shirt; his feet were clad in a pair of brown leather loafers. Very business causal, Jenna thought. She also noticed the two wide Velcro straps across his chest and waist and that he was wearing some sort of braces on his wrists.

“Thanks,” he said as he rolled past her into the coffee shop. His voice was a deep baritone.

Jenna just nodded and smiled as she let go of the door and walked back to her office.  The rest of the day her mind kept wandering back to the guy in the wheelchair; there was something about him that piqued her curiosity, but she couldn’t quite figure out what it was.

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She kept up her routine of going to the coffee shop during her lunch hour for the next week, but there was no sign of “wheelchair-hunk” as she’d dubbed him in her head. Since she couldn’t recall seeing him there before she figured it had been a one-time thing. That he’d probably been in the area for a meeting or a doctor’s appointment or something.

The weekend came and went uneventfully, as usual. Jenna had only lived in Los Angeles for a few months and she didn’t know many people there. She was always relieved when Monday morning dawned and as usual Jenna was relieved when she could go back to her weekday routine. She walked into the office with a spring in her step. Her inbox had filled up over the weekend and she eagerly dove into her work. She ended up leaving for her lunch break almost an hour later than normal.

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“I’m sorry Jenna, we’re all out of Club Sandwiches,” the barista said apologetically when it was her turn to order.

“I guess I’ll have to try something else then. Umm…I’ll take an egg salad sandwich and a latte, please.”

The barista gave her the total and after she’d paid she stepped aside to wait for her order she heard a whirring sound behind her and she turned around. It was “wheelchair-hunk”. Jenna’s heart skipped a beat and she tried not to stare as he ordered a chicken salad and a tall black coffee. He paid with a debit card and she noticed he used the knuckle of his right index finger to punch in the pin code. He struggled a bit to get the card back into his wallet before he put the wallet into a pouch that hung under the armrest of his wheelchair.

“Thanks Luke,” the barista said. “I’ll bring the food over to your table.”

“Thanks Mon, I appreciate it,” he smiled as he placed his hand back on the controls of his chair- As he turned his eyes locked with Jenna’s and he smiled at her. She smiled back at him, but before she could say anything the barista, Mon, called out that her order was ready for her. She grabbed her coffee and sandwich and headed for her usual table. A small part of her hoped "wheelchair-hunk" eh...Luke would join her, but Mon brought his order over to a table close to the counter and removed a chair to make room for his wheelchair.

Luke positioned his wheelchair so she was able watch him discreetly and Jenna took advantage of the opportunity. The chair itself was a bit imposing to her. The backrest went all the way up to his shoulders and there was a headrest attached to it as well. Jenna was curious about how he would manage to eat his salad; it was obvious that his hands weren’t functioning right and from the little she’d observed he appeared to have limited movement in his arms too. To her surprise he didn’t seem to have too much trouble; he attached the fork to the brace on his right hand and started stabbing at his salad. Sure, eating appeared to be a bit more cumbersome than it would be with working hands and fully functioning arms, but from what she could tell he finished his salad without too much effort. Jenna tried to not stare, but Luke mesmerized her. She didn’t understand why; she’d never known someone with a disability and it was clear to her that Luke’s was pretty severe.

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Over the next few weeks Jenna started to go to lunch a little later than she’d used to and she saw Luke at the Starbuck’s regularly. The exchanged smiles and other non-verbal greetings, but they continued to eat at separate tables, both too shy to approach each other.

On a Thursday in late August Mon decided she’d had enough of them dancing around each other, figuratively speaking of course. Jenna had already taken her club sandwich and latte to her usual table and Luke was waiting for his food by a table a few feet away from the counter. She grabbed the bowl with his chicken salad and the cup with his coffee and instead of bringing it over to the table he was waiting by she brought it over to Jenna’s table. She sat it down and removed the chair across from Jenna. Luke followed her hesitantly with a stunned look on his face.

“I’ve had enough of you two exchanging smiles and looks for weeks. It’s about time you introduce yourselves and talk. Jenna, this is Luke. Luke, meet Jenna. Enjoy your lunch.”

The first chapter is well underway and it will be posted sometime soon, probably this coming weekend. I'm struggling with the title, so if you've got a suggestion please let me know. 

My other stories are about rather fit, independent paraplegics, which is the kind of men I'm most attracted to, but I figured it would be a challenge to try to write someone with a more severe disability. I really hope I get it right. Constructive criticism is very much welcomed.

Leave a comment or contact me at devoteestoriesbymille@gmail.com.

-Mille