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:

Finding Unexpected Love - Chapter 8

Early Saturday morning Meaghan smiled as she watched Bryan lift their bags into the trunk of his Audi sedan. She was pretty sure he’d practically be bouncing if he’d been able to walk; they were both excited about the trip to Oak Island. She had spent the night at Bryan’s place since they’d planned on an early start. They had both taken the afternoon off the previous day and Meaghan had accompanied Bryan to an appointment with his physical therapist. She had shown Meaghan how to help Bryan with his range of motion exercises. He could mostly do them himself, but some of the stretches required assistance and it was generally easier when he had someone to help him. Bryan had sensed that she’d been nervous and a bit uncomfortable at first, but by the end of the appointment she’d seemed pretty relaxed and he was impressed with how fast she gotten the hang of the exercises. 

“You’re in a good mood today,” Meaghan commented as she handed him the cooler with food they were bringing. 

“Well, the sun is shining and we’ve both to the coming week off and we’re spending it together. It can’t get much better than that, can it?” 

“True,” Meaghan replied with a smile as she surveyed the contents of the trunk. “I think that’s everything. Do you have everything you need?” 

“Yep. I double-checked the bag with medical supplies before I brought it to the car and I’ve got everything else in the big duffle. I have some outdoor gear and other clothes in Oak Island too. What about you?” 

“I’m good. I guess it’s time to hit the road then. I wish I could do my share of the driving, but I’ve got no idea about how to drive with hand controls.” 

“You don’t have to use the hand controls, so you’re not off the hook in the driving department.” 

“Really? That’s great. I just hope I don’t scratch your fancy car.” 

“It’s just a car, Megs. And it’s well insured. Well, if we’ve got everything I’ll activate the alarm and lock the apartment.” 

“Sounds like a plan to me.”

Finding Unexpected Love - Chapter 7

Summer was coming to an end and the Labor Day weekend was only two weeks away. Both Bryan and Meaghan were swamped at work.  Meaghan smiled as she packed an overnight bag; Bryan had invited her over to his place for dinner and since they both had the weekend off she was spending it at Bryan’s place. Their time together had been scarce over the past couple of weeks and Meaghan looked forward to spending some time with her boyfriend. She missed it.

An hour later she let herself into Bryan’s apartment with the key he’d given her a few weeks earlier. She was surprised to find it dark and quiet; it was after six in the afternoon and when she’d talked to Bryan around lunchtime the previous day he’d said he was working a night shift and that he’d be home around eight in the morning. She knew he slept a few hours when he got home after a nightshift, but for him to be in bed this late in the afternoon was definitely not normal.  She spotted Bryan’s keys and wallet on the table by the door and the bag he usually had on the back of his wheelchair when he was out was on the floor next to the table. They were all signs he was in the apartment, so Meaghan was a bit worried. She grabbed her tote and headed to the bedroom. 

The Store Manager - Chapter 4

Silje was a little nervous when she approached Morten’s table, she hoped she wasn’t overstepping her boundaries. He seemed like a pretty easygoing guy and he’d told her his buddies weren’t joining him ‘till closer to 9, so she hoped he’d like some company while he waited for them. She wasn’t planning on staying out late since she was working the early shift the coming day.

“Mind if I join you?” she asked, hoping she didn’t sound as nervous as she felt. 

Morten looked up at her, clearly surprised, but it only took him a moment to pull himself together and a smile spread across his face. “Not at all, have a seat."

“Thanks,” Silje said as she set her glass on the table before she pulled out a chair and sat down. “I’m just having a beer or two before I head home and since you told me you’re not expecting your buddies to arrive in another hour or so I figured we might as well keep each other company.”

“I like the way you think,” Morten grinned. “I hadn’t planned on heading down here so early, but I didn’t have much else to do and I got restless. Some company is definitely a good thing; reading the news on my phone isn’t very interesting.”

Finding Unexpected Love - Chapter 6

“You want to have kids? With me?” Bryan asked, disbelief lacing his voice.

“I think you’d make an incredible father. We’ve only been going out for a few weeks and I’m not saying we should rush into anything, but it hit me the other day that you’re a guy I can imagine settling down and having a family with.”

“Really? You don’t mind the challenges that obviously comes with my disability?”

“I think you can do pretty much anything you want to. You just have to do some things differently and there’s nothing wrong with that. But...before we talk about having kids and marriage, which I think it’s a bit premature, I have something else to ask you.”

“What?”

“I briefly chatted with Kelly yesterday and she was wondering if we want to join her for dinner next Saturday. I told her I’d have to check with you, since your work schedule is so unpredictable.”

“I’ll have to double check, but if I remember correctly I work an evening shift on Friday and a morning shift on Saturday, which means I get off work around three in the afternoon.  If we meet her at around seven in the evening it gives me time for a quick nap to recharge my batteries a bit. I know it makes me sound like an old geezer, but my back usually hurts a bit, especially around the area of my injury, when I’ve been in my chair for 10 hrs straight or more. A couple of hours of laying down usually take care of it.”

“I’ve been known to lay down for a powernap after long workdays too, especially days that are filled with meetings that makes me sure my brain might explode or something if I have to deal with any more information, so you’re not alone in that department.”

“Really? I thought I was the only person below the age of 70 that needs afternoon naps,” Bryan said with a laugh.

“Nope you’re not alone. So, you’re game for dinner with Kelly on Saturday?”

“Yeah. Um…have you told her I’m disabled? Or did she notice it in the bar the evening we met?”

“I haven’t told her and she didn’t notice. If she’d noticed she would’ve said something, I know her that well. Do you want me to tell her?”

“Yeah, I’d prefer that. Definitely. Things are usually less awkward if people know beforehand.”

“I’m meeting her for lunch on Tuesday. I’ll tell her then.”

Bryan nodded in agreement. “Sounds like a plan to me.”

Finding Unexpected Love - Chapter 5

Meaghan woke up in Bryan’s bed the following morning. He was sleeping on his back with his left arm draped across his stomach and the right wrapped around her; she was curled up against his side with her head resting on his shoulder. Her thoughts wandered back to the previous evening. Their date had been wonderful and she was glad that Bryan had finally let her in and told her more about how his disability affected his life, wheelchair aside. She’d be lying if she said she hadn’t been slightly intimidated when Bryan wheeled out of the bathroom with a grey plastic bag with a clear tube attached to it in his lap. The other end of the tube disappeared into the fly of the plaid pajama pants he was wearing.

She had tried not to stare as Bryan had transferred to the bed and attached the bag to a hook or something on his side of the bed. Then he’d pulled out two white plastic braces padded with sheepskin from under the bed. He’d quickly positioned his right foot, which she’d noticed were completely motionless, in one of the braces and then he’d secured a wide piece of sheepskin over his foot. It was held in place by three narrow Velcro straps. There was also a wide Velcro strap padded with sheepskin that went across his ankle and one around his calf. He’d repeated the process with the brace on his left foot and then he arranged his feet and pulled up the down comforter so it covered the lower part of the body before he looked over at Meaghan with an uneasy look on his face. “Still not ready to bolt for the door?” he’d asked her quietly; his insecurity was evident.

Meaghan had responded by scooting closer to him and kissing him passionately. She felt the corners of his mouth curl up in a smile he wrapped his strong arms around her pulled her flush against him and returned the kiss eagerly.

The Store Manager - Chapter 3

Within two weeks of his return to work Morten was working a full time schedule. He’d soon realized that it did him good to get out of his apartment and do something useful; he felt more energized than he had in months and much more like himself again. The holiday season was just about to start and he was excited about it. It was without a doubt Morten’s favorite season and he loved the hectic pace of the busiest time of the year. 

“Morten, can I get your opinion on a display?” Elise asked; she was leaning the doorjamb of the office they shared. They’d settled back into a comfortable routine since his return; Elise was in charge of the shop floor and he took care of the administrative side of the business.  It was pretty much the same routine they’d had before Morten’s accident and it worked well for both of them.

“Sure, give me five minutes to finish this up and I’ll be right out, okay?”

“Thanks. It’s up by the cash register.”

“Got it,” Morten replied with a smile before he turned his attention back to the document he was working on; a training document for the seasonal employees. Over the past week Elise and he had interviewed about 20 people. They’d hired six of them and they were starting the following week. Morten knew from experience that it could be useful to send them an overview of the basic routines in the store before they started so they had an idea of what was expected of them.  He’d made the document a couple of years ago, but head office had introduced a few new routines since then and Elise had mentioned a few things she thought should be added to the list as well. After a few minutes he saved his progress and printed a copy. He grabbed the document from the printer, slid it into a plastic folder and placed it in his lap before he released the brakes on his wheelchair and pushed away from his desk.