Forever Young: Blessing or Curse (Always Young Trilogy) (36 page)

Resignedly,
Roman opened the passenger door and climbed inside.

“No
more coddling. We’ve got work ahead and I expect you to do your share. There’s
that unfinished business with the widow and child to attend to, the test
markets to run, a pill to sell, and most importantly, my imminent coming
out.” 

“Do
we really need to go after the woman and child? Why not leave them alone?”

“For
one thing, we can’t take chances. For another, I want that child.”

“It’s
mine. That was the deal.”

“Not
any more. You broke your end of it, so that deal is off. The new one is the
kid’s mine to do with as I please. I don’t need to remind you about sticking to
the story, if you know what’s good for you. Is that clear?”

Roman
nodded, wincing in pain and frustration.

***

“Tell
me about the friends’ place you’re watching.”

“I
think you’ll like it. It’s a log cabin, kind of big for Wisconsin standards,
set back in the woods, but close enough to the main road to easily get around.
Expect plenty of deer, chipmunks, birds, squirrels, an occasional bear, and
lots of snow in the winter.”

Dorrie
sighed. “Sounds like heaven. I know I’ll love it.”

Not
once on the way to the cabin did Steve bring up his feelings about her marriage
to  Larry, though she knew her decision had to have devastated him. Before
Larry, he’d hinted about settling down together, and she’d led him to believe
it could be so. It might have been, if not for  that chance meeting at
Keith’s barbecue.

Steve
put on a good front, going out of his way to make her comfortable in his
company, yet deep down she suspected he’d never gotten over her rejection of
him. He was such a nice guy, and she hoped the present arrangement wouldn’t
result in his being hurt again. Bad enough she’d done it once.

They
pulled up to the log cabin, which looked as heavenly as Steve had described.
She hoped its owners would stay away a long time, since this was the kind of
place she’d love to call home.

Stepping
across the threshold into a new life, Dorrie turned to glance into Steve’s warm
eyes. For a moment, time spun backward. They were together again, and she
thought she loved him.

Returning
to the present, she shook away the flashback. She had no idea if she could
recapture her old feelings, or if they’d even be enough.

Only
time would tell.

### The End###

Don’t Go Away  - There’s
More To See

Blessing or Curse: A Forever
Young Anthology

Remember
those test subjects?  You’ll learn what happens to them in
Blessing or
Curse: a Forever Young Anthology
by Morgan Mandel, coming soon to Amazon.
They each have a story to tell. Here’s a peek, along with a few excerpts:

Consuela
and Diego
– He’s
got Parkinson’s. She’s desperate to get back the husband she had, but will he
be the same man she fell in love with?

Excerpt:

Ah,
the wonderful love they’d shared. Why must it end this way?

“Diego,
eat,” Consuela Morales said, holding out a spoonful of puree to her shrunken,
wheelchair-bound husband. His dry parched lips remained obstinately shut, his
gray eyebrows furrowed. He wanted to die and she didn’t blame him. God help
her, sometimes she wanted him dead too. Till death do us part seemed a long
time to live with half a man. Placing the spoon into the jar with a klunk,
Consuela gazed morosely at her husband. Mamacita, God rest her soul, had warned
her not to marry a man twenty years younger, but the ripe, chestnut-haired
Consuela had paid no heed, choosing passion over common sense.

Diego
of the raised eyebrows, straight black hair and cocky mannerisms fevered her
blood, making her come alive as no other man could.

Ezekiel
(EZ) Steadway
–
He’s a 50 year old African-American man riddled with performance anxiety. How
far will he go to restore his manhood?

Excerpt:

The
male enhancement pill had not done the trick, so neither could he.

Ezekiel
rolled off the water bed. “Be right back.”  

She
flashed a smile. “I’m not going anywhere, big boy.”

Wincing
at her choice of words, he stumbled into the bathroom and shut the door.

Dee
Dee Marshall
–
She’s a 60 year old doormat whose husband has left her for a younger woman. Can
she learn to assert herself and start over?

Mike
Walinski
– He’s
a Chicago cop who’s out of shape, but must pass a physical to stay on the
force. Will he win the race against time, or is it already too late?

Sherri
Cartland
– She’s
a model/actress too old by Hollywood standards. She’ll do anything to look
young, but are looks everything?

Next Page – Read About the
Author, Morgan Mandel

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Morgan
Mandel is a former freelancer for the Daily Herald newspaper, a prior president
of Chicago-North Romance Writers of America and once served as Library Liaison
for Midwest

Mystery
Writers of America. Her romantic suspense,
Killer Career
, and her debut mystery,
 
Two Wrongs
,
are both set in Chicago, while her romantic comedy,
Girl of My Dreams
, travels the globe.
You can find all of Morgan’s books at
Amazon.com
.

Morgan’s
website is:
http://www.morganmandel.com
.
She’s an avid networker, and would love to connect with you on
Facebook
,
Twitter
,
Google Plus
,
Youtube
and more. She belongs to tons of
e-groups, maintains a personal blog at
Double
M’s Take on Books, Blogs, Dogs, Networking and Life
, and also
appears at the group blogs:
Acme Authors Link
,
Make
Mine Mystery
and
The Blood-Red Pencil
. 

Morgan
lives in a Chicago suburb with her husband, affectionately known as Good Paul,
plus their lovable pit bull, Rascal, who lives up to her name. When Morgan’s
not reading or writing, she enjoys going on long walks, attending local events,
watching romances and mystery movies, as well as hunting for finds at garage
and rummage sales. Her vices are: pizza, ice cream, chocolate, and a propensity
for playing slot machines.

And Now, Here’s A Short Message
to Readers

This
book was written for people like me who wish they were young, and also for
those who still are. I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for purchasing Forever
Young: Blessing or Curse.

Morgan Mandel