Forever
Time
for Love #1
By: Miranda P. Charles
Blurb
Rebecca
Andrews knew she was lucky to be hired as a private nurse for an elderly lady
who was going on a one-month trip aboard a luxury cruise ship. But there was
one big problem. The client was the grandmother of her ex-boyfriend--the guy
she was still in love with; the guy who didn't love her back.
Zach
Carmichael couldn't say no to his grandmother's plea to join her on a
month-long cruise for her eightieth birthday. But he didn't expect his spritely
gran to bring two private nurses with her. One of them happened to be the woman
who broke his heart--the one he believed lied to him about her feelings.
Aboard
a luxury liner, their passion for each other flared again. Was it just a
temporary flame brought about by the romance of being in a cruise? How could
they give love another chance when they were both afraid to put
their hearts back on the line?
Link to
Follow Tour: http://tastybooktours.blogspot.com/2014/02/now-booking-tasty-review-tour-for_8.html
Buy Links
Apple iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id840129965
All Romance Ebooks: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-forever-1457721-149.html
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/421239
FOREVER CHAPTER ONE
Extremely lucky. How else could Rebecca Andrews describe what
she should be feeling for the new work offer she’d recently received? But
somehow, she couldn’t muster the same excitement that radiated from her friend
and colleague Sarah Daley.
“I understand why you’re not ecstatic about this, Bec, but I
still think you should grab it with both hands,” Sarah said, her wide eyes
magnifying the intensity of her belief.
Rebecca thanked the server, who placed two mango smoothies on
their table, before responding to Sarah. “I know. But the client is Magda Carmichael.”
“Yes. I know that’s a big deal for you. But you love Magda,
don’t you? She’s asked for us. She doesn’t want anyone else to go with her.”
Sarah, one of Rebecca’s four best friends whom she’d known since
primary school, had been ready to pack her bags from the moment they got the
call from their nursing agency. They had both been personally selected by Magda
Carmichael—a very wealthy and absolutely sweet lady—to be her private nurses
during her month-long holiday aboard one of the most luxurious cruise ships in
the world.
“You have to go with me, Bec,” Sarah pleaded. “We’ve both never
been on a cruise before, and we’ll get to visit some exotic Asian cities. It’ll
be fun!”
“Fun?” Rebecca said with a laugh. “We’re not being hired to have
fun. We’re being hired to work, remember?”
“I know. But we won’t be working twenty-four/seven. That’s why
they want the two of us there, so we could work on shifts looking after Magda.
We’ll still have some private time to enjoy what promises to be an incredible
trip.”
“I do wonder why she needs two nurses with her?” Rebecca mused.
“She’d fully recovered from her hip replacement surgery, and according to the
agency, she’s not currently suffering from any illness or injury.”
“She’s almost eighty, Bec. Magda and her family probably prefer
to have two professionals with her on the cruise in case something happens.
Besides, she could very well afford to pay for our salary and our trip.”
Yes, the Carmichaels could certainly afford those and much more.
Magda Carmichael’s late husband was a self-made multi-millionaire who’d founded
The Carmichael Corporation, one of the biggest property development companies
in Australia. Now Magda’s three grandsons looked after the various interests of
the company, which extended to wineries and eco-tourism.
“I wonder who else would be accompanying her apart from nursing
staff?” Rebecca asked. “I’m sure she wouldn’t be going on a holiday like that
by herself.”
“You mean you want to know if Zach will be going,” Sarah said
softly. “You said you’re over him.”
“I am. But that doesn’t mean I want to bump into him again,” she
responded, ignoring the pinching in her chest that still happened every time
she thought of Zachary Carmichael, Magda’s oldest grandson.
“It’s none of our business and it would be rude to ask. Besides,
I can’t imagine Zach accompanying his grandmother on a cruise for a month even
if he’s very fond of her.” Sarah leaned across the table with a serious look.
“Bec, you know it’s time you let go of whatever feelings you still feel for
Zach—even the bitterness and regret. And do you really want to say no to
Magda?”
Rebecca sighed. Magda Carmichael was the nicest, kindest, most
generous client she’d ever worked with. When she and Sarah were hired as
Magda’s physical rehabilitation nurses while Magda recovered from her hip
replacement surgery after an accidental slip in her bathroom, Magda had treated
them like family, not paid personnel. She’d often wondered if the fact that
Magda didn’t have granddaughters was the reason she’d grown attached to her and
Sarah. At twenty-eight, both she and Sarah were close to the ages of Magda’s
three grandsons. Zach was the oldest at thirty-two. His younger brothers
Jeffrey and Gregory were thirty and twenty-nine.
“You know I can’t say no to Magda,” she admitted.
“Yay! You have to tell the agency you’re accepting the job, then
you have to advise Magda’s personal assistant that you’re going so she can
arrange your travel documents,” Sarah said excitedly. “I’ve already emailed her
my details that she’s asked for.”
“Okay. I’ll email her when I get home.”
“Make sure you do it as soon as you walk through your door. The
ship leaves in ten days. I’m sure she’d need time to organise everything.”
“Don’t worry, I will,” she said with a laugh.
“Hey, girls!”
Rebecca and Sarah greeted their three other best friends Brenna
Ward, Amanda Payne and Gemma Aldwin with a kiss on their cheeks.
“You look super excited, Sarah. What’s up?” Brenna asked.
Sarah gleefully told the newcomers their news.
“Oh my God!” Gemma exclaimed. “I really, really should go back
into private nursing. What the hell was I thinking giving it up?”
“You know teaching piano is your main love,” Rebecca quipped.
“Anyway, if I change my mind about taking it on, you’re welcome to take my
place.”
“Why would you change your mind?” Amanda asked.
“Did I tell you the client is Magda Carmichael?” Sarah
interjected.
“Ohh,” the other ladies said in unison, their mouths forming a
perfect ‘O’.
“I see why you’re not that keen on this, Bec,” Gemma said
softly.
Rebecca put on a nonchalant expression. “Well, I very much doubt
Zach will be on the cruise. But even if I see him again, so what? It’s been
seven months since we broke up. Besides, it didn’t take him long to replace me
with Miss Universe-Australia.”
Her eyes stung. Damn it. She should be over the whole thing by
now. Why was she so slow in moving on?
“Hey,” Brenna said softly, running a comforting hand on her arm.
“He’s not worth one salty tear, remember?”
She nodded, trying to regain composure. It was hard to stay
unaffected when talking about Zach—the only man she’d ever loved. They’d had an
incredible four-month relationship that had started not long after she and
Sarah were hired to help Magda recover from her surgery.
It was a passionate affair that they’d kept under wraps. The
Carmichaels were a favourite subject for gossip magazines and paparazzi, and
privacy had become something the family guarded with jealousy. Plus, while
there were no written rules about dating relatives of clients, Rebecca’s
nursing agency would have frowned if they found out she was dating a
Carmichael. She loved her job and didn’t want to jeopardise it.
Unwanted memories of the moment when she’d told Zach she loved
him filled her mind. Yes, it was more than silly of her to expect an ‘I love
you’ back from him, but when he hadn’t said it, she’d been so shattered.
She did try to contain her disappointment from his lack of
response, understanding that saying ‘I love you’ wasn’t something someone like
Zach would say willy-nilly. But she’d gotten scared. According to some of the
articles about him, he had a habit of changing girlfriends every six months or
so. Somehow, she’d managed to convince herself that Zach was preparing to dump
her.
Her friends had suggested that she had a fear of abandonment
that stemmed from her childhood experiences with her parents. That was probably
true. But knowing that didn’t stop her from acting out of fear. She’d decided
to break up with Zach before he could do it to her.
Zach had tried to make her change her mind and had said he just
needed more time to figure out his feelings. But all his words had done was
prove to her that Zach had only enjoyed her as a sexual partner. He
didn’t love her, and it was simply too painful and scary
for her to stay with him with that belief.
She frowned at the pain emanating from her chest. Crazy how she
still hurt after all the time that had passed. But lingering regret about her
actions kept her tethered to thoughts of what might have been.
“Are you okay, Bec?” Sarah asked worriedly.
“Yeah,” she lied.
Brenna shook her head. “We know that look on your face. It’s
called remorse. How many times do we have to tell you that you did the right
thing?”
“Breaking up with the man I was dating because he wasn’t ready to
say ‘I love you’ back to me?” Rebecca said wryly. “Yeah, great move. I should
have been more patient.”
“But what you did was totally understandable.”
“What if all I had to do was wait a little bit longer? He
wouldn’t have asked me to go on a business trip with him if he hadn’t cared
about me, would he?”
“Haven’t we had this conversation many times before?” Sarah
asked with an eye roll. ”Have you forgotten that just one week after
you’ve told him it was over, he’d started dating Miss Universe-Australia?”
Rebecca sniffed as she recalled the magazine article that
claimed Miss Universe-Australia was dating one of Sydney’s most eligible
bachelors—Zachary Carmichael. There were even photos of them in a restaurant,
and another while they were coming out of a theatre, with the woman’s hand
tightly holding on to Zach’s arm.
No, it hadn’t taken him long to replace her.
“You girls are right. I should stop beating myself up for what I
did. For all I know, it saved me from a worse heartbreak that would be harder
to recover from.”
Thank God that apart from her best friends, no one else knew
about her past relationship with Zach. She doubted Zach would have told anyone.
She was just a fun diversion to him—as his actions had proven.
She was especially grateful that Magda had no idea about it. She
was sure Magda wouldn’t have asked for her services if she’d found out.
“Zach’s moved on, Bec. Seriously, it’s time you did too,” Brenna
said gently.
“Yes,” she said with conviction. To show her friends she meant
it, she picked up her phone and called the nursing agency to let them know she
was available to work for Magda Carmichael.
*
“You girls have to pack some cocktail dresses,” Gemma said.
“Let’s go shopping tomorrow. At least the three of us who’d be left here on
land can share some of the excitement with you before we wallow in jealousy.”
“Great idea,” Sarah said.
“You’ll want new swimsuits as well,” Amanda said. “Get a couple
of really sexy ones. You never know who you might meet in those places.”
“Hey, we’re there to work!” Rebecca exclaimed with a laugh.
“Doesn’t hurt to be prepared. You’ll kick yourself if you bump
into a hunk there and you don’t have anything sexy with you. And remember our
group New Year’s resolution?”
“Yes,” Rebecca answered with an eye roll.
“Say it,” Gemma said.
Rebecca sighed theatrically. “This year, all five of us will
make time for love. We won’t let our busy schedules or other lame excuses get
in the way of making the first move on hot, decent men who aren’t afraid of
long-term commitment. I still don’t know where we’ll find them, though,” she
added sceptically.
“Remind me again why we made that stupid resolution?” Brenna
asked.
“First, because we were crazy-drunk,” Gemma said with a laugh.
“And second, because it’s been five New Year’s Eves in a row that all five of
us didn’t have anyone to kiss at the stroke of midnight. And don’t forget we’ve
pinky-promised on this.”
“Anyone already on your radar, girls?” Rebecca asked curiously.
Her friends shook their heads.
“We still have eleven months to go before the next New Year’s
Eve,” Amanda said.
“And remember, the whole point is for us to make an effort
instead of sitting on our butts waiting for them to fall on our laps,” Sarah
said.
“And not letting our exes or painful pasts get in the way,”
Gemma said, looking pointedly at Rebecca. “It’s all about moving forward to
find our happily ever after.”
They all nodded in agreement.
Rebecca was actually glad of this pact she’d made with her four
best friends. It was giving her the much-needed push and motivation to move on
from Zach. She loathed to admit it, even to herself, but a big part of her
still pined for him constantly.
Well, no use crying over something she couldn’t undo. She’d try
to give herself—and love—another chance. She’d start dating again and finally
push Zach away from her heart and mind. It was about time she did.
*****
“Hi Granny.”
“Zach! I’m so glad you could join me for dinner tonight, dear.”
Magda put down her cup of tea and motioned for Zach to bend down to her.
Zach kissed Magda and sat beside her. “Unfortunately I have
things to finish off tonight so I’m just here to say hello. Are you looking
forward to the start of your month-long eightieth birthday celebration
tomorrow?”
“Of course. I’m so excited I probably won’t be able to sleep
tonight. And I’m glad you’re going with me, Zach. You’ve been working far too
hard lately. You deserve a break.”
Zach laughed. “I’m young and energetic, Gran. You don’t need to
worry about me. But I want to let you know I can’t stay for the whole month. I’ll
be disembarking in Hong Kong in two weeks.”
“What? Why can’t you stay for the whole month? I thought you
would.”
“I have work to do and important meetings to attend, Gran,” he
said in a contrite voice.
“Why can’t you do your work from the ship? I was assured
electronic communication from there would be reliable wherever in the world we
are.”
“The coverage might be patchy if we’re at sea,” he reasoned.
“Besides, Jeff and Greg will join us from the Philippines so there’s a few days
when we’re all together before I leave. You know it’s not a good idea for the
three of us to be absent from the company at the same time for long periods.”
“Zachary, just because you’re the CEO of our company, and Jeff
is the CFO and Greg the COO, those titles shouldn’t stop you boys from being my
grandsons. I’m already disappointed that your brothers won’t be joining me for
the whole duration of this trip, but I thought you were. You haven’t had a
single day’s break for months! This is the first time I’ve seen you in weeks
and I was hoping the cruise was my opportunity to spend some time with you,”
Magda said a little tremulously.
Zach pressed his lips, guilt eating at him. Spending time with
her grandsons brought Magda the joy and comfort their family’s wealth couldn’t
give. He knew that for all of his grandmother’s exuberance and resilience of
spirit, she still acutely mourned the loss of her husband, her only son, and
her daughter-in-law. Heck, even he still missed his grandfather and his parents
terribly. That horrific light plane accident two years ago that had cruelly
robbed them of three people they loved dearly was not something any of them
would ever forget. And special occasions like Magda’s eightieth birthday always
brought back the best and worst of the memories.
He rubbed his chin, wavering in his decision to make the trip
short. The weekly phone calls, he knew, didn’t make up for his recent physical
absence.
“Okay, Gran,” he said, grasping Magda’s hand. “I’ll make
arrangements so I can do my work on board the ship and stay with you for the
whole month.”
“Oh, thank you, Zach. I do miss you, you know,” Magda said
delightedly.
“I know,” he responded as he got up. “I have to go and tidy up a
few things before we leave tomorrow.”
“Okay. Make sure you’re free to join us for dinner tomorrow
night—our first night on the ship.”
“Who’s ‘us’, by the way?”
“Well, there’s your Grand-Auntie Miriam,” Magda responded.
Zach nodded, not minding the thought of spending time with
Magda’s younger sister.
“And I’ve invited Phillip Lee.”
Zach hid his grimace, not looking forward to socialising with
the man. Phillip had been the bearer of hurtful news that Zach would rather
forget, and lately, he’d been noticing repressed antagonism from Phillip
directed toward him.
But Phillip’s late mother was Magda’s best friend, and Phillip
was someone that Magda considered a nephew even though he wasn’t blood related.
“That’s very surprising that you’ve asked him to come,” he
commented casually.
“I felt sorry for him,” Magda said with a sigh. “Did you know that
the company he worked for went bankrupt a month ago?”
“Yes, I’ve heard about that,” Zach said. Phillip had been
hounding him and his brothers for a job at The Carmichael Corporation.
“Well, he was telling me the other day how lost and lonely he
felt. So I asked him to join us. I’m paying for his expenses.”
Zach simply nodded. His grandmother had a heart of gold.
“I’ve also invited my friends Olga and Debra to join us on this
trip,” Magda continued. “Their granddaughters are accompanying them.”
This time, Zach couldn’t help groaning out loud. He’d bet the
granddaughter Debra was bringing with her was Vicky—a woman he’d had sex with
four times in the last couple of months.
It was Vicky who’d offered a casual liaison agreement with him,
since neither of them was interested in a committed relationship. But lately,
she’d started to ask him out to dinners and events. He’d been quick to decline,
reminding her of how it was between them. He wasn’t interested in anything
long-term with Vicky and didn’t want her to have misconceptions.
At least Vicky was being as tight-lipped as he was about their
arrangement. He could just imagine how their grandmothers would
enthusiastically embrace the possibility of their grandkids married off to each
other if they knew. He shuddered at the thought.
“Don’t even think about pairing me off with anyone while on this
trip, Grandmother,” he warned.
Magda laughed at his tone. “If you insist.”
“Oh, I insist, Gran.”
“Fine, I won’t,” Magda said readily.
“Good. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Okay, Zach. By the way, my nurses will also be joining us for
the trip.”
“Your nurses?” Zach asked in surprise.
“Yes. Even though I’m fit and well, you never know what might happen
while we’re at sea. Better that they’re on hand.”
His heart hammered in his chest. “Who… uh… have I met these
nurses before?”
“Yes. Rebecca and Sarah. They’re those lovely girls who helped
me recover from my hip replacement. You remember them, don’t you?”
He paled.
Rebecca. She was going
to be there. On the ship. With him. For a month.
“Don’t tell me you can’t remember them, Zach. They looked after
me for six months.”
He roused himself from his shock. “Sure, I remember them. I’ll…
uh… see you tomorrow.”
My Review: 4 1/2 stars
I really enjoyed this book. It was fairly light and fun to read. I liked Rebecca and Zach together, they worked well when they let things progress naturally. It only became an issue when other people began assuming things about Rebecca that Zach had a problem. I'm not sure why, because at that point Rebecca had already broken up with him. Yet, he still chose to take things personally and make decisions from information that he thought was reputable. Only after they've been apart for several months, neither really moving forward, does Zach find out the truth about Rebecca. Unfortunately for him, he had stuck his foot in it again, just before and she wanted nothing to do with him. Rebecca tries to move forward, yet the people who surround Zach are an issue because they keep inserting themselves into a relationship that's none of their business. Then Rebecca is once again mistreated by people who are supposed to be Zach's friends. If those people were MY friends, I'd get rid of them. They break apart what was already a fragile beginning for Zach and Rebecca. Leaving Zach with all the answers at the wrong time, and Rebecca fuming, and doubting any future between them. Will everything work out, the way it should? Read and find out!! I thought it was a great read, funny at times, wistful and hopeful too. There are a few oh so sensual scenes that are hot, hot, hot!! This was the first book I've had the pleasure of reading from Miranda, but I'll be sure to keep an eye out for her in the future.
Author Info
I really enjoyed this book. It was fairly light and fun to read. I liked Rebecca and Zach together, they worked well when they let things progress naturally. It only became an issue when other people began assuming things about Rebecca that Zach had a problem. I'm not sure why, because at that point Rebecca had already broken up with him. Yet, he still chose to take things personally and make decisions from information that he thought was reputable. Only after they've been apart for several months, neither really moving forward, does Zach find out the truth about Rebecca. Unfortunately for him, he had stuck his foot in it again, just before and she wanted nothing to do with him. Rebecca tries to move forward, yet the people who surround Zach are an issue because they keep inserting themselves into a relationship that's none of their business. Then Rebecca is once again mistreated by people who are supposed to be Zach's friends. If those people were MY friends, I'd get rid of them. They break apart what was already a fragile beginning for Zach and Rebecca. Leaving Zach with all the answers at the wrong time, and Rebecca fuming, and doubting any future between them. Will everything work out, the way it should? Read and find out!! I thought it was a great read, funny at times, wistful and hopeful too. There are a few oh so sensual scenes that are hot, hot, hot!! This was the first book I've had the pleasure of reading from Miranda, but I'll be sure to keep an eye out for her in the future.
Author Info
Ever
since I was a young teenager, I have loved reading romance novels. My auntie
used to send me boxes of her books and I would devour them one after another.
Every
so often, I would read a mystery or a suspense or a paranormal novel as I love
those genres too. But romance is still my favourite. :)
For
many years, I wrote technical and non-fiction materials for professional use
and had only dreamt about writing a novel. Then, one day, after a period of
binge-reading sexy romances, I decided to sit in front of my computer and start
writing my first fiction book. The result? My debut novel Will To Love,
the first in the hot and sexy Lifestyle by Design series. After that, I knew
that I would love to tell more beautiful love stories through my books.
I
live in Sydney, Australia with my amazing husband who lovingly cheers me on in
my journey as a novelist.
Author Links
Website:
http://mirandapcharles.com
Facebook:
http://facebook.com/MirandaPCharles
Twitter:
http://twitter.com/MirandaPCharles
Rafflecopter Giveaway (Two Digital
Set of SECRET DREAMS Series, Books 1-4 and Two Digital Set of LIFESTYLE BY
DESIGN Series, Books 1-3)
Thank you for hosting today!
ReplyDelete