Catherine Bybee's Staying For Good, Giveaway, & Exclusive Excerpt
STAYING FOR GOOD by Catherine Bybee.
Zoe Brown may have been voted Most Likely to Never Leave River Bend, but the paper-thin walls and suffocating air of her family’s double-wide trailer were not what she wanted for her life. Other than BFFs Melanie and Jo, the only thing that kept Zoe sane during high school was her boyfriend, Luke.
About The Book
Title: Staying For Good
Author: Catherine Bybee
Pub Date: January 24, 2017
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Summary
Zoe Brown may have been voted Most Likely to Never Leave River Bend, but the paper-thin walls and suffocating air of her family’s double-wide trailer were not what she wanted for her life. Other than BFFs Melanie and Jo, the only thing that kept Zoe sane during high school was her boyfriend, Luke.
She didn’t just leave, she escaped—turning her back on the shame of her black-sheep siblings and imprisoned dad. Now a celebrity chef in Dallas, she can afford all the things she never could have growing up. But when she returns to rustic, ruggedly beautiful River Bend, Zoe has to face all that she abandoned—including Luke.
While Luke was a refuge for Zoe in the past, he knows they inhabit totally different worlds now. Anchored by his parents and his job as a mechanic in his father’s shop, Luke never felt the urge to leave River Bend—until Zoe’s return.
But when the two rekindle their old flame, Zoe is forced to make the hardest decision of her life: remain in River Bend and confront her past before it destroys her, or say good-bye to everyone she’s ever loved…again, this time for good.
Exclusive Excerpt:
The temperature inside the studio felt as if it were ten below zero, hence Zoe and September sitting at a tiny outside table between the buildings usually reserved for those who smoked.
“You’ve been awfully quiet these days.”
September pulled Zoe from her thoughts of Luke in slow degrees. “Hmm?”
“Man, you are distracted. Is everything okay?”
A feral cat regarded the two of them from several yards away. “Everything is fine.”
It registered that September was still talking, but for some reason Zoe couldn’t stop watching the gray and white cat long enough to concentrate on what her friend was saying. As if sensing it was on display, the cat stuck its nose in the air as it passed through the sun that gleamed between the buildings before resting in a shady spot under a lone tree.
“…about a man, isn’t it?” Zoe caught the word man. “What?”
September waved a hand in front of Zoe’s face. “Hello?”
Zoe closed her eyes and forced herself to concentrate. “I’m sorry. I’m distracted.”
“Obviously. I said, this is about a man, isn’t it?”
“Yes.” There was no use pretending. “First, he shows up like fog on the beach, and then he kisses me. Who does that?”
September smiled. “Is that a rhetorical question? Cuz I think lots of men do that if they know what they want.”
“He doesn’t want me. I’ve changed. I’m not the same girl.”
“How about we start at the beginning. Which man are we talking about?”
Zoe was sure she looked at September as if she were missing a few screws. “Luke. You know … Luke!”
She raised a hand. “Never heard of a man named Luke in your life.”
“From River Bend.”
“Still have no idea who you’re talking about.”
It dawned on Zoe that perhaps she hadn’t spoken of Luke with September at all. “We went to school together. Took me to prom. We made out in the back of his truck behind Grayson’s farm until the sunrise. He was my first…” Her first everything.
“That sounds sweet.”
“Exactly. Like candy. Yummy, delicious … but too much and it will make you fat and stunt your growth.”
September’s face twisted in a scowl. “That doesn’t sound appetizing.”
Zoe thought of how he’d walked away at the airport. Full of poise and confidence. The self-assured man she’d known in school. “Oh, he’s appetizing. His hair is always a little too long. Doesn’t like to shave on the weekends.” She touched her cheek, thinking of how that scuff on his face felt against hers when he’d kissed her. How had she forgotten how much she liked those kisses? “Broad shoulders and gorgeous blue eyes. I was the envy of all the girls back home.”
“So what happened?”
“I moved away.”
“College?” September asked.
“Kinda.” She sighed.
“So Mr. McHottie floated in like fog and kissed you after all these years?”
“Yes. Who does that?”
“Someone who knows what he wants and isn’t afraid of distracting you to get it.”
His parting words sang in her head like a tune. “Then he said, ‘I’ll be back.’ Like he’s the Terminator or something.”
September simply laughed.
Would he come back?
She could avoid him by not going home, but she couldn’t avoid him if he came to her.
And now that Mel was back in River Bend, and Miss Gina called every couple of weeks to ask how to cook something as simple as gumbo for her guests, Zoe wasn’t sure she wanted to stay away from the place she grew up. She could visit more often, soak in the cooler weather during the warmest Texas months.
What was she thinking? She was setting roots in Dallas. Buying a home, for God’s sake.
One of the grips poked his head out the back door. “You’re wanted on set, Zoe.”
Right. On set … something River Bend didn’t have.
Author Biography
New York Times bestselling author Catherine Bybee was raised in Washington State, but after graduating from high school, she moved to Southern California with the hope of becoming a movie star. After growing bored with waiting tables, she returned to school and became a registered nurse, spending most of her career in urban emergency rooms. Now, she writes full-time. She has penned the popular Weekday Brides series as well as the beloved Not Quite series. She resides in Southern California with her two sons.
Website – http://www.catherinebybee.com/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCatherineBybee
Twitter – https://twitter.com/catherinebybee
Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2905789.Catherine_Bybee
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