Brooke Turner has always had a complicated relationship with her father. But when his health takes a turn for the worse, she drops everything to care for him. He’s her dad, after all, and he needs her. What Brooke doesn’t anticipate is the unraveling of her long-term relationship and a cross-country move to San Diego’s Little Italy.
Luca D’Angelo is the oldest of three children and a single father to a young daughter. When his mother rents the top floor of their house to Brooke, he’s angry. Who is this beautiful stranger with no ties to the neighborhood? Can she be trusted in such close proximity to his family?
As Luca learns of Brooke’s difficult
journey with her ailing father, his heart softens. And Brooke, who witnesses
Luca’s struggle as a single parent, develops feelings for him, too. But when it
all falls apart, will love heal their wounded hearts?
Now here’s an excerpt for
your reading please followed by a bit of background on the author and the
chance to enter a $50 Amazon gift card giveaway.
When It Falls Apart Excerpt
“Oh my God, Carmen. He was
standing at his car first thing this morning. Like ‘hop in, bella, let’s
get stuff done today.’ Who does that?”
Brooke had picked up the
phone as soon as Luca was off in search of a dump guy.
“We’re talking about the
single, hot, Italian dad, right?”
Brooke rolled her eyes.
“Yes. Luca.”
“Oy, oy, oy.”
“Stop it. I need advice.
And I need it before he gets back.”
Carmen stopped teasing.
“You don’t need advice. You need to relax. He sounds like one of the good ones.
Let it happen.”
“Let it happen,”
she mocked. “I don’t ‘let’ things happen. It happens to me and it’s never
good.”
“You didn’t used to be
such a pessimist.”
“Once upon a time the
glass was half full. Not these days.”
“Okay, Debbie Downer. You
want my advice . . . here it is. Keep doing whatever it is you’re doing.”
“I’m not doing
anything. Zero effort.”
“Really?” Carmen didn’t
sound convinced. “Makeup . . . a nice dress?”
Brooke hesitated. “Maybe .
. . a little last night, but that was it.”
Carmen chuckled.
“Carmen!”
“Sorry. Okay . . . any red
flags?”
Brooke thought about that.
“He loved his ex-wife.”
“That’s a red flag?”
“I guess not.”
“Is he good to his
mom?”
Brooke looked back on the
dinner the night before. “To the whole family. He takes being the oldest
brother quite seriously.”
“And his daughter?”
All Brooke could do was
smile. “Great dad. We should all be so lucky.”
“He’s Italian, does he
smoke?”
“No.”
“A lot of Italians smoke,”
Carmen pointed out.
“In Italy. The San Diego
variety are less in that wheelhouse.”
“That’s good.” Carmen
sighed. “I don’t know what to tell you, Brooke. How does he kiss?”
“He hasn’t kissed me,”
Brooke nearly yelled.
“Now then . . . we have a
problem.”
“There hasn’t been . . . I
don’t even know if—”
“Stop right there. He did
not drive your sorry ass all the way to Upland to do grunt work all day if he
wasn’t interested in kissing you, bellllaaa. More than that, you want
him to.”
Brooke closed her eyes,
and even in her own head she couldn’t convince herself that Carmen was
wrong.
“Let it happen. You
deserve some happiness, Brooke.”
The van with the air
conditioning repair guy pulled into the driveway.
“I gotta go.”
“I want a kissing update
the next time we talk,” Carmen teased.
“Love you,” Brooke said
with a laugh.
“Back at ya, boo.”
She hung up.
Her best friend was such a
dork.
Meet the Author –
Catherine Bybee
Raised in Washington
State, Bybee moved to Southern California in 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.
She now writes full-time
and has penned the Not Quite Series, the Weekday Brides Series, the Most Likely
To Series, and the First Wives Series.
For more on Catherine and her writing, you can connect with her on the following links:
Website: http://www.catherinebybee.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCatherineBybee
Twitter: https://twitter.com/catherinebybee
Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@catherinebybee1
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2905789.Catherine_Bybee
Now to enter the giveaway,
you can click HERE
or click on the Rafflecopter widget below and follow the instructions.
Thanks so much for
stopping by today during Catherine’s visit and being patient with my being
absent from the web. Doesn’t this sound like a intriguing and
heart-warming story?
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I am smiling just reading the excerpt. Thank you both.
ReplyDeleteHi Mason - it's good to see you back ... while this sounds like a great tale - just what we need during summer ... all the best to you and to Catherine - cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteI like this premise, Mason! And since I live not very far from San Diego, the setting interests me, too. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDelete