LETTERS TO A SECRET LOVER - The Video!

Hey friends, if you have not yet checked out the super fun video for my upcoming release (on May 27), LETTERS TO A SECRET LOVER, please do!  I promise that it's quick and festive.   

It's posted on my page, and it's also at my website:  http://www.toniblake.com/letterstoasecretlover.html.  And if you click on the website link, you can also read a fun excerpt from the book and learn more fun tidbits about it.

Meanwhile I hope you're all having a great spring!

1:50 PM - 3 Comments - 6 Kudos - Add Comment

A Rita nomination and George Clooney, too!

I’m having a good week.  There’s just no two ways about it - things are going my way.

It started out when, magically, I discovered I am currently in first place out of 240 people in my husband’s office NCAA basketball pool after the first two rounds.  If you are familiar with the world of the basketball pool, you understand what an achievement this is.  If not, just trust me. ; )

Then I got to see George Clooney last night, in the flesh!  Here’s how.  Fate arranged it so that George and I grew up just about an hour’s drive apart from each other.  Of course, he lives in L.A. and Italy now, and I still live here ; )  But fate also arranged it so that George, never forgetting his roots, decided to premiere his new movie, Leatherheads in his hometown of Maysville, Kentucky, last night.  (Actually, he grew up in nearby Augusta, but Maysville is big enough to have a theater AND was the hometown of his father and his aunt, the late Rosemary Clooney.  Lotta history there.) 

Anyhoo, figuring this was a once-in-a-lifetime event, I decided I HAD to go.  Sadly, however, I could not find even one friend who was able to make arrangements to accompany me, and I was just about to give up when my sweet husband volunteered, even though he could not understand why this was important to me.  (I explained to him that it would be the equivalent of UK playing in the Final Four an hour away and him not going.)

Now, in my original plan, I would have arrived hours earlier, been right up against the red carpet, and quite possibly cajoled my dear George into having a picture made with me - but under the circumstances, I felt fortunate just to get there and get a decent spot, which allowed me to see George in the lovely flesh from about 5 feet away.  And yes, he’s just as gorgeous in person and yes, he seemed just as jovial and nice in person.  Renee Zellweger was there, as well, and also did the red carpet thing, and if anyone wants to see the pictures, I’ve created a new album, so check it out : )

So I was still basking in the afterglow of my George encounter this morning when the phone rang and I found out that TEMPT ME TONIGHT is a finalist in for the Rita award given out by the Romance Writers of America!  I could not have been more stunned.  Because, if you don’t know about this award - well, I always explain it as being "the Oscar of the romance writing world."  So it’s like I’m up for an Oscar!  Sort of ; )  But no matter how you slice it, it’s totally exciting and I’m over the moon!  This is my first nomination, and I still can’t quite believe it!

So like I said, I’m havin’ a good week.  And seriously considering buying a lottery ticket while all my stars are aligned : )

12:37 AM - 11 Comments - 24 Kudos - Add Comment

Toni’s Winter X Fashion Report

For those who don't know me (and maybe even those who do,) it might surprise you to discover I have a serious fetish for the Winter X Games - which are happening right now in Aspen.  I used to snow ski and I LOVED it - but then an ugly fractured femur/torn ACL incident occurred and I haven't been back on skis in a while.  I still love to at least watch skiing and snowboarding, though, and Winter X is THE place for that. 

Girly girl that I am, however, I also continually find myself noticing a skier's spiffy jacket or pretty goggles and glancing over at my husband to say, "Ooooh, look at that!"  Thus I thought it fitting to combine my love of fashion and my love of winter sports to unveil Toni's First Annual Winter X Games Fashion Report : )

Varying shades of gold and yellow are all over the slopes and halfpipes this year, but anyone who wears some color gets a thumbs up from me.  As you might guess, I appreciate a winter athlete who realizes that what you wear counts for something - even on the slopes (or maybe even especially on the slopes, because, you know, you're being seen by about a gazillion people, live.)  Here's my personal best-dressed list:

Best Headgear:  Andreas Wiig, who has a little fluffy red ball on top of his snowboarding helmet.  I like a guy who can make a helmet festive!

Best Outerwear:  This goes to Kevin Pearce for his funky psychodelic jacket, and I also want to give an honorable mention to Steve Fisher for his eye-catching multi-colored striped parka and coordinating aqua pants.  Great ensemble, Steve!

Best Host-wear:  My buddy, Sal Masekela, takes this one with his bright, friendly jacket with yellow and orange stripe.  It's just enough without being too much.  (And no, he's not really my buddy, but with Sal, it just feels that way.)

Best Goggles:  I liked Lindsay Jacobellis' pink ones, but my heart skipped a beat with serious goggle-envy when I saw Torah Bright's black-and-silver sparkly goggle strap.  Tres chic, Torah!

Cutest skier:  Simon Dumont.  (Okay, so this has nothing to do with fashion, but he's SUCH a cutie - and a hot guy can be THE best accessory, yes, girls?)

Cutest snowboarder:  (Because I wouldn't want to leave them out, you know.)  Andy Finch.  Andy, your wife is lucky, lucky lady.

And a final note on this year's fashion:  Tanner Hall, I love ya, dude, (mad respect, as you would say,) but I'm afraid you win the Most Unruly Hair Award.  The caveman look is out.  PLEASE resume combing and maybe even consider a haircut. 

And friends, if you haven't yet watched any of the Winter X Games, there's 6 hours worth of them on ESPN today, for which I wait with bated breath!  It's the most winter fun you can have watching TV.  And you don't even have to bundle up!

Happy winter - and, of course, happy reading : )

6:25 AM - 5 Comments - 10 Kudos - Add Comment

It’s a Wonderful/Grinchy Life

I have to admit to feeling a little Grinchy this year.  I used to LOVE Christmas, but over the years, I am sorry to say, I feel like it has mostly become a tremendous amount of work for me.  I don't have kids, but I did somehow end up in the position of having both mine and my husband's families over every year, and it turns out that I'm the one who does all the decorating (inside AND outside,) buys all the presents, wraps all the presents, does the Christmas cards, buys the food, prepares the food, serves the food ... you get the picture ; )  And to add to it, this year I caught a nasty cold and have spent the last three days coughing and hacking and blowing my nose and feeling generally woozy while I host my family get-togethers.  So, yeah, I won't lie - I'm having a Grinchy time of it. ; )

But then last night I watched one of my fave movies, "It's a Wonderful Life."  No matter how many times I've seen it, it never fails to draw me in and make me feel like it's the first time.  It's simply so well done and so well acted.  I still get completely caught up in the horrible anguish and tension when George comes home after losing the $8,000 and he's yelling at his wife and kids so cruelly.  You can really feel how this tension has built up over his whole life, how he's been torn between family concerns and following his dreams and how THIS is the thanks he gets for sacrificing his big plans.

Now, being an analytical sort of writer, I could go on and on explaining to you why this movie is so perfectly crafted, but I'll spare you. ; )  Because the big thing about any great movie - or book, etc. - is simply the emotions you feel when watching it and how you personally relate to it.  And "It's a Wonderful Life" never fails to remind me how fortunate I am, and last night, it made me think about people who've made a difference in my life and about people whose lives I hope I have perhaps influenced for the better. 

I think what the movie comes down to, in its simplest terms, is that we all just want to believe we matter to others in some way, that this is what makes life worthwhile.  So my Christmas wish for all of my MySpace friends is that you feel loved and valued by the people in your life, today and always.

(And I hope this post makes some sort of sense since I'm still coughing and hacking and feeling like I should probably go lie down, which I think I will do now. ; ) )

Merry Christmas to you all!

7:37 AM - 3 Comments - 10 Kudos - Add Comment

Feeling Life ... a blog for aspiring writers

The following blog post originally appeared at a blog hosted by the ladies of Avon's Fanlit project and is of particular interest to aspiring writers : )

***

My close friends know me very well.  That's why, when I once returned from a beach vacation with tales of a horrific emergency room visit and how they gave me so many drugs that I found myself actually trying to flirt with a cute doctor right in the middle of vomiting and diarrhea, my best friend Robin placated me with the words, "Remember, it's all material."  And why, a couple of years ago, while I was suffering from a mysterious and debilitating long-term illness, trying to puzzle my way through it all, my friend Joni said to me, "At least it's all material."  My friends know that writing is such a deeply-ingrained part of me that it will actually cheer me to be reminded that, no matter what I'm going through, I am, in fact, gathering material that will someday, directly or indirectly, influence my writing and make it stronger.

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I don't write autobiographically, but in a way, we all "write what we know."  In everything I do, I soak up this complex, fascinating, amazing world in which I reside, and everything I experience, feel, smell, absorb, or witness makes me a richer person – and it naturally makes my writing richer, too.

The good news is – not only bad stuff adds to this.  It's good stuff, bad stuff, happy stuff, sad stuff,  it's everything we encounter.  It's every feeling we have, everything we see, every wonder and disappointment, every triumph and tragedy.  So, as simple and clichéd as it may sound, my advice to every writer is to simply soak up life.  See the colors, notice the absurdities, feel the heartbreak.  Look at the sky every day and think about how it makes you feel.  Stand on the edge of the ocean and imagine how large it is.  Watch people.  Watch the world.  Don't be afraid to let it all make you laugh, or cry.  Look for beauty and humor everywhere you go.

There is a favorite line of mine in The World According to Garp by John Irving (or it may have just been in the movie, I'm not sure – but either way, I have to paraphrase because I can't find it through Googling.)  After spending an invigorating day playing with his children, Garp says, "I had a great life today."  I remember encountering this line as a teenager and understanding exactly what it meant – that you can pack enough happiness and experience into one single day to feel the joy of a lifetime, and that it will stick with you no matter what comes after.  It is about being supremely thankful for just one day of pure exhilaration.  It's about making every day count.

This past Saturday, my horoscope said, "Forget practical matters and go where life takes you today."  Totally unplanned and with little warning, life took me to a University of Kentucky football game.  The whole day turned out to be quite the little adventure, and I came home simply filled to the brim. 

I remember smelling popcorn and nachos and beer, and studying the colored flags atop the stadium.  I listened to people's accents and watched their reactions to the game.  I observed college kids and thought about being young, and getting older.  I noticed subtle differences in crowd behavior between Lexington and Cincinnati, where I live.  I studied the sea of blue apparel and wondered what it looked like from the blimp overhead.  I learned the proper way, including accompanying gestures, to say, "First down, Ken-tuckeeeeeee."  I looked up at the sun and thought how amazing it is that a poisonous ball of gas ninety-three million miles away can make for such a gorgeous day.  I held my husband's hand.  I felt autumn in the air.  I was happy to be exactly where I am in life.  It was a long, tiring day full of new things and wrong turns and surprising occurrences, and by the time I crawled into my bed that night, I knew I had "had a great life today."

Every writer is trying to put life on the page.  My best personal tool for doing this is living life, and feeling it deeply.  I urge you to do the same and let it enrich your writing.  And when you're facing particularly low moments, it really can be a balm to remind yourself that everything you're going through, no matter how horrible, is "material." 

I fear that sounds a bit callous, but it's truly not.  While I was sick a couple of years ago, both my parents went through cancer at the same time.  Dark days to say the least.  But when the time comes for me to write about long-term illness or cancer, I will be better emotionally equipped than someone who has not suffered through it – and I can only hope my words might do something to touch someone's heart or to comfort them if perhaps they're going through something similar.  This is simply about feeling life, about taking something powerful away from your own experiences, good or bad, and using what you've learned to make your readers feel life, too. 

3:31 PM - 7 Comments - 16 Kudos - Add Comment

Fall Catch-up, New Friends, and a Who-Dey Primer
Category: Writing and Poetry

Well, friends, fall is finally here.  Now, I ALWAYS love fall, but this year especially since it's been the hottest summer of my life in the area where I live.  One hundred degree days actually got to be normal there for a little while.  But today it's sunny and 75 and gorgeous.  Of course, I'm stuck inside working, but such is life, and at least the cool temps make my trip to the mailbox nicer ; )

Speaking of work, I'm on the verge of turning in my next book, which will be out next June and is called LETTERS TO A SECRET LOVER.  To give you an idea of the book's tone, think Sex and the City meets Men in Trees.  (And if you haven't yet watched Men in Trees, I highly recommend it!)  I'm also gearing up for a few autumn author events.  They'll be on my website soon, but here's the early scoop:

Sept. 29, 2 to 4 - I'll be Joseph Beth Booksellers in Lexington, Kentucky signing books with authors Lora Leigh, Shiloh Walker, and Anya Bast.  And not only that, but I happen to know there will be cupcakes - baked by one of the booksellers there, Gina, in honor of Joe in TEMPT ME TONIGHT.  (And if you don't know what that means, you should read TEMPT ME TONIGHT ; ) )

Oct. 13, 1 to 3 - A large signing sponoroed by the Kentucky Romance Writers at The Bookstore in Radcliff, Kentucky.  This is a big mega-author event, so if you're a romance fan, get thee to Radcliff!  I will be signing books with the likes of J.R. Ward, Teresa Medeiros, Patricia Rice, and many more! 

Nov. 3, 1PM - I'll be signing books at Books by the Banks, the first ever Cincinnati Book Festival.  This will take place at the Duke Energy Center in downtown Cincinnati (formerly known as the Convention Center ; ) ) and along with me will be Lori Foster, LuAnn McLane, Rosemary Laurey, and Dianne Castell.  There will be a romance panel right before this from noon to one.

Needless to say, I would love to see some of my MySpace friends at these events!  And if you come, please tell me that you are indeed someone I know from MySpace : )

Another reason I'm happy to welcome autumn:  In the words of Hank, Jr. - Are You Ready For Some Football?  Two nights ago I had the fun of plastering fake tiger tattoos on my cheeks and then watching my beloved Bengals win a FABULOUS game - and it was on Monday Night Football, too!  And for all you Dancing With the Stars fans, I got to stand about 30 feet from Emmett Smith for a few minutes, cursing myself the whole time for not having my camera phone with me, darn it. 

And if you watch pro football at all, you're probably aware that here in Cincinnati we use a rather strange word to cheer our team on:  Who-Dey.  So in honor of my Bengals winning their first game, I thought it might be fun to share with the masses what this word actually means.

Who-Dey started back in the 80's (the last time our team was good until recently), but it was part of a bigger cheer:  Who dey think gonna beat them Bengals?  So the "dey" part means "they," technically.  Kind of ; )

But since then, the rest of the cheer has pretty much been dropped for just plain old Who-Dey, which is always hyphenated now for some reason.

As a hardcore fan who attends all the home games, I have learned that Who-Dey can be used in many different ways.

First and most obvious, it is a cheer.  Who-Dey, when yelled in the stands, means simply - Go Team!  Or sometimes it means We Scored!  Or We Won!

But Who-Dey can also have more subtle meanings.  It can mean Hello!  Like, for instance, when we pull into our parking garage and the guy taking the money greets us with a casual, "Who-Dey.  That'll be $10." 

It can also mean Goodbye!  Like when we're leaving the game and the guys sitting next to us lift a hand to wave and say, "Who-Dey.  See ya next time."

Who-Dey can also mean, Hey, Thanks!  Once we had a parking pass we didn't need so my husband gave it to a car full of guys next to us at a stoplight.  Delighted, the guy who took it from us said, "Who-Dey, man, Who-Dey."  And if you're in traffic after a game and you're nice enough to let someone over, you will generally hear them call a casual "Who-Dey" in response.

Sadly, Who-Dey can also be used in anger and be accompanied with obsenities by drunken people who want to yell at the other team's fans.  Let it be known I do not approve of this usage for Who-Dey.

Mostly, though, Who-Dey is just our odd Cincinnati way of cheering for our team, and apparently it worked on Monday night since the Who-Deys were flyin' and we came home victorious : )

So there you have it - in case you ever wondered or cared - a little education on what the heck those people in Cincinnati mean when they say Who-Dey : )

With that, I will sign off, wishing all my MySpace friends a happy fall filled with gorgeous days and fabulous books : )  Thanks to all of you for being my friends, and also, let me take this opportunity to apologize to all the new friends I've gotten over the past month or so but have not yet had a chance to welcome.  I really enjoy saying hello to my friends whenever I can, but lately I've been swamped - and it sure would help if Tom would come up with some way to let a person FIND their new friends in their list, wouldn't it? ; )  Anyway, if you're a new friend and we haven't yet said a personal hello, please drop me a comment or message.  Otherwise, I WILL find you in my list eventually and stop by your page to say hi : )

But I digress, don't I?  Happy autumn, everybody!

2:08 PM - 4 Comments - 6 Kudos - Add Comment

Toni Does Dallas - Crazy Summer!

Well, I've just rolled in from Dallas, where I spent 5 days at the annual Romance Writers of Americas conference.  If this sounds exciting, well - it is!   Also completely exhausting, but that's beside the point, right?  It's the only place I know where I can meet with my editors and agent, meet readers, sell books, give away books, hobnob with author friends, and wear fabulous dresses and shoes all in one location.  It's an action-packed time, where I'm mostly running from one event to another and drinking lots of Mountain Dew because I need the caffeine to keep me perky. 

Cool tidbits from this year conference?  I was interviewed on camera by Michelle Buonfiglio from LifetimeTV.com!  (Talk about nervous!  But it was way cool - I even had my makeup and hair done by a makeup artist who worked on the Drew Carey Show - and I begged her not to make me look like Mimi. )  Friends JR Ward (aka Jessica Bird) and Julia Quinn came home with Rita awards, and my close friend and aspiring author Jenn Stark won a Golden Heart!  AND I got to meet several of my MySpace friends who came for the big literacy signing on Wednesday night.  So - wow.  I think it's safe to call the whole thing a big success.  

I've added a few photos from the conference to my slide show, but will add more to my website soon.  Please be sure you're signed up to recieve my newsletters (just visit www.ToniBlake.com and click on the graphic in the lower right hand corner) so I can let you know when they're up on the site!

But in the big scheme of things, the conference was just one more part of the craziest, busiest summer of my life.  Since the beginning of May, I've been to New York City, California, Michigan, Florida, Dallas, and all over Ohio and Kentucky.  And I'm headed back to Florida for a beach vacation next week.  In this same period I've had more than one book hit the shelves, my mother's had major surgery, and I've been doing promo like crazy.  Oh, and also trying to write a book in between all that.

Which is to say, over the next couple of months, I might seem a bit quieter than usual here at MySpace.  So I can focus on finishing my next book and making it the best it can possibly be.  It's called LETTERS TO A SECRET LOVER and will come out from Avon in June '08 and I'm super excited about it! 

Meanwhile, keep on enjoying your summer and reading lots of good books.  And hey, if you haven't yet picked up a copy of TEMPT ME TONIGHT or SWEPT AWAY, they're still out there just waiting to be read  

As always, thanks for being my MySpace friend - you guys all rock!

9:06 AM - 11 Comments - 11 Kudos - Add Comment

SWEPT AWAY re-issue goes on sale TODAY!

Hi to all my wonderful MySpace friends!!  Just wanted to quickly tell you all that the new mass market version of SWEPT AWAY goes on sale today!  So if you didn't get a copy of the book when it first came out last fall, now's your chance ; )  The new cover looks a lot different - much darker - so don't let that throw you off if you're out looking for the book.    And in addition to the usual places that carry my books like Barnes & Noble, Waldenbooks, etc., this one will also be stocked at Target stores, too.  And hey, there's always Amazon, as well!

If you'd like to check out an excerpt or reviews, they're both availalble at my website:  www.ToniBlake.com.  Once you're there, just click on Books, then click on the Swept Away covers.  This book is definitely one of my personal favorites, so I hope you'll check it out.

I've also just done a big website update with lots of new photos and news, so take your time browsing the site.

And, as always, thank you all for your great support!  I get new messages every day from MySpace friends who have read TEMPT ME TONIGHT and want to let me know how much they enjoyed it, and I can't tell you how much that means to me!  I really and truly appreciate all the wonderful people I've found here on MySpace, so thanks for being my friends.    You all rock!

6:15 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

TEMPT ME TONIGHT is on sale!

Hi friends!  Just a quickie blog to remind you all that TEMPT ME TONIGHT is officially on sale as of today!  Hooray!

If you haven't yet read the excerpt, it's in the blog below this one or at my website at www.ToniBlake.com.  I hope you'll check it out and maybe pick up the book.

Meanwhile, I've just done a website update, and also opened a Cafe Press store at www.cafepress.com/toniblake. 

As always, thanks for the wonderful support - I sincerely appreciate it!  MySpace friends rock! 

Toni

9:52 AM - 2 Comments - 3 Kudos - Add Comment

TEMPT ME TONIGHT excerpt!

Hey friends!  I'm posting an excerpt from the first chapter of TEMPT ME TONIGHT below.  Hope you enjoy it : )  The book comes out on May 29 - a week from today - so the countdown is on and I'm super excited about it : )  Oh, and if you want to receive a reminder, go to www.ToniBlake.com and sign up for my newsletter, which will come out on the day the book is released : ) 

As always, thanks for being my MySpace friend!

Toni

~ ~ ~

Halfway between Cincinnati and Indianapolis, south of I-74, set God's country. Trish supposed many thousands of rural or dramatic landscapes had been referred to using those same words, but she hadn't known that when, at the age of seven, she'd sat perched on her Grandpa Henderson's knee, and he'd told her she was looking out at God's country in all its splendor. All she'd seen was a wide cornfield, a line of trees, and the horizon, feeling – even then – the vague urge to somehow look beyond it all, to whatever was on the other side of the picture. And she never came home to Eden, Indiana without remembering the love of the place she'd seen in her grandfather's eyes on a day when she'd really been much more focused on the fact that she'd scuffed her new black patent leathers coming out of church. A girl had to be concerned about her shoes, after all.

She wondered now if Grandpa Henderson, God rest his soul, would see the irony or humor in the fact that she was driving toward a bar on the outskirts of God's country – the Last Chance Tavern. Last chance for a beer before entering God's country, she supposed. Or before leaving it.

"Here – turn here," Debbie said next to her.

Trish's stomach churned lightly as she angled her Lexus into the wide gravel parking lot dotted with cars and a few pickups. She really didn't want to be here. "And we're coming here, again, why?"

Debbie shoved a lock of thin brown hair from her face. "Kenny wants to see you, and it's pool night."

Trish nodded dryly, resisting the urge to point out that Kenny had the entire next week to see her. "Well, we wouldn't want Kenny to miss pool night."

Debbie blinked, looking miffed. "Kenny works hard and looks forward to Friday nights when Mom keeps the kids."

"Sorry." Trish sighed, feeling at once guilty and justified. She didn't want to be here because she simply didn't fit here anymore. She knew it to the marrow of her bones, and given that she regularly dealt with hardened criminals from all walks of life without flinching, she felt an absurd dread faced with strolling into the Last Chance. She scrunched up her nose. "I guess I just would have enjoyed … dinner or something – more than this."

"You can come over and watch the boys hurl mashed potatoes at each other one night next week if you want. But Friday night is pool night."

Trish parked beneath a security light mounted on a large pole, choosing a spot a few car widths from a large pickup sporting mudflaps embellished with chrome silhouettes of naked women. She tried not to let Debbie see her grimace, but those mudflaps always gave her the creeps. It was as if they said women were just nameless, faceless sex objects. Bleck. Then she flinched slightly. Please don't let that be Kenny's truck.

As she got out, pushing the button on her keychain to lock the doors, Debbie made a face over the roof of the car. "This is home, Trish – not Indianapolis."

Trish raised her eyebrows. "No one steals things from cars here?"

Looking as smug as Trish felt, Debbie shook her head. "No – they don't."

Which was when it hit Trish – they probably didn't. Even now. Not in Eden. There might be bars and chrome women on mudflaps, but she supposed that, in a sense, it really was still God's country. "Oh. Guess I forgot that for a minute." But she still left the car locked.

Over the years, home had become an entirely relative term in her life – this was where her parents lived, and where Debbie lived, but it wasn't her home anymore. She'd been back countless times over the years – every Thanksgiving and Christmas, sometimes for a Sunday dinner with relatives – yet this was different. This was the first time she'd actually come to stay for awhile. A week or so. This was the first time she hadn't just whizzed in and out of town for a day, or maybe an overnight stay that included a quick visit with Debbie and Kenny. This was the first time she'd been here long enough that she had to see people. People she hadn't seen in forever. People she'd never expected to see again. Double bleck.

"Rowdy Lancaster owns this place now," Debbie pointed out as they trod through the gravel toward the front door of the flat, one-story building painted a dull shade of brown. Through cloudy windows glowed mini-Christmas lights strung around neon beer signs, and a muted Garth Brooks song echoed through the walls.

She remembered Rowdy as a good-natured boy with red hair who'd raised 4-H award-winning calves in high school. So maybe saying hello to him wouldn't be awful. "I always liked Rowdy," she offered, trying to cheer herself up. Then, three steps from a heavy-looking steel door sporting the stenciled words Last Chance, she posed the question she'd been trying to be too mature to ask. "Who else will be here?"

Debbie began rambling off a list of names that conjured vague images from high school, explaining that a couple of them worked at the plant with Kenny, and concluding with, "That's pretty much our Friday night crowd."

And Trish's stomach hollowed. At the strange realization that … life had gone on here. All the same people were still here – only grown up now, living their lives. Debbie and Kenny had a "Friday night crowd" made up of people Trish barely knew, only remembered dimly from her past. How had that happened? How had she ended up knowing so little about her best friend's life?

It wasn't as if she'd thought life in Eden had come to a grinding halt at her departure, but she supposed she'd been so caught up in her own existence all this time that she'd somehow forgotten everything else. And walking into the Last Chance was going to give her a taste of something she hadn't thought about in a very long while – the life she'd once planned to lead here. Bleck to the tenth power.

Not that Eden was an awful place. It was quaint in its way. But its way wasn't her way and hadn't been for a long time. It was hard to believe she'd ever belonged here.

Trish flicked her gaze to Debbie then, hating herself for even letting this enter her mind, but … "Anybody else I know?"

"I wouldn't expect Joe to be here, if that's what you're wondering."

She shrugged. It was exactly what she was wondering. "Not that it really matters," she assured Debbie. And it didn't. As life had worked out, she hadn't seen Joe Ramsey since she'd left for college and that suited her fine. After mailing off a long, angry letter to him a week after departing for IU, in which she'd reiterated the "never want to hear from you for as long as I live" part, she'd done exactly what she'd told Debbie she was going to do – she'd moved on. It hadn't happened overnight, of course; he'd broken her young heart, which had taught her to guard it a lot more closely. But she had long since gotten over him – she just didn't particularly wish to run into him in a bar nearly fifteen years after he'd made a colossal fool of her.

And for heaven's sake, why does any of this even matter? Just go in, have a glass of wine, talk with Kenny – then claim exhaustion and leave. Getting this evening behind you will put you one night closer to going home – to your real home, your real life.

Having steeled herself with that little pep talk, she boldly grabbed the door handle and pulled.

Garth's "That Summer" filled her ears as she followed Debbie inside. A long bar lined the left wall, two pool tables set in the back near an old-fashioned juke box, and the rest of the room was dotted with mismatched tables and chairs. Few of the tables were occupied, but a small group stood around watching Kenny and an older version of a boy she recognized from high school shoot pool. Light laughter rose at something Kenny said.

Trish spotted Rowdy behind the bar then – older, too, but still red-haired, although it looked thinner than when she'd known him before. He chatted with a dark-haired guy seated on a stool across from him, and her eyes stuck on the tattoo of a cobra coiled on the guy's muscular biceps, which moved slightly when he lifted his beer bottle for a drink. Something inside her stirred unexpectedly, making her wonder when she'd started finding snake tattoos sexy.

She usually thought anything having to do with snakes was pretty ooky, and if she were going to get something permanently engraved on her arm, it would not have been a member of the reptile family. But something about this snake seemed to appeal to her inner biker chick. Although it was the first time she realized she had an inner biker chick.

It was only when the tattoo guy glanced in her direction that she nearly fainted.

Joe.

His warm gaze locked on her instantly and she knew he was just as surprised to see her as she was to see him. She couldn't blame him – it had been almost half their lives ago that they'd spent long summer nights writhing against each other in that old Trans Am, or anywhere else they could steal a few minutes alone, and suddenly, here she was, walking into The Last Chance.

Of course, nearly fainting wasn't just about seeing Joe. It was about seeing Joe looking like the hottest thing ever poured into a pair of faded blue jeans. It was about his thick, dark hair – just as lustrous as when she'd last run her hands through it. It was about his jaw, covered with heavier stubble than when he'd been a boy. It was about broad shoulders and well-muscled arms and suddenly being faced with an all-grown-up version of Joe Ramsey who could probably get a woman on her back with no more than a look – the look he happened to be casting in her direction right now. Oh boy.

"Don't kill me," Debbie begged next to her, voice quiet. "I didn't know, I swear."

Trish switched her gaze to her friend and spoke lowly through clenched teeth. "Too bad. You're dead."

Debbie tried to look hopeful, although her eyes were still bolted open too wide. "You look great, though – if it helps."

Trish glanced down at her capri pants and sandals, fleetingly wishing she'd paid more attention to what she wore tonight. Not that she cared what Joe Ramsey thought. She most certainly didn't. But thank God she at least had on a pretty top that showed a little cleavage.

At the other end of the bar, Joe set his beer down and leisurely pushed to his feet. Wow. If the profile had been good, the full frontal was no less than devastating. A snug white t-shirt bearing the Porsche logo stretched across his chest. He was bigger than in high school – not muscle-bound, but the kind of guy you knew could win a bar fight hands down, and probably had won a few. And his eyes – oh God, his eyes were still just as blue, even from across the room. She stood frozen in place as he moved toward her, trying like hell to look as confident as she'd planned before coming inside. Of course, that had been before Joe.

His gaze paralyzed her further. "Hey, cupcake."

Damn, his voice had gotten deep. And the old pet name was almost enough to bury her.

"Hey," she managed. Why couldn't you be fat and bald and ugly? And why on earth hadn't Debbie told her? Debbie had told her a lot of things about Joe over the years, but she'd neglected to mention that he'd turned out sizzling hot.

He looked to Debbie. "Deb."

"Hey, Joe." Debbie lifted a hand, but looked uncomfortable, even though Trish knew Debbie saw him all the time.

The most gorgeous blue eyes God had ever made turned back to Trish, reminding her once more – this really was God's country. "Been a while."

A lifetime. Are you thinking of it, too? That last night? Hell, that whole last summer. All that kissing and touching. "Yeah."

"I'm gonna go talk to Kenny," Debbie said in a rush, then flitted across the room before Trish could stop her. She firmly planned to murder Deb for leaving her, but she had bigger things to deal with at the moment.

"What brings you to town?" He spoke in so unhurried a manner that Trish thought she must have imagined his surprise at seeing her – he was utterly cool and collected, his every word somehow seductive.

She swallowed, trying to clear the nervous sludge from her throat. "Just here to help my parents with some legal issues."

He tipped his head back lightly. "Heard they're selling the diner."

She nodded. "Retiring. They'll just be running the farm now." Her dad had always kept a herd of beef cattle in addition to running the restaurant on Main Street.

"So … Deb says you live in Indy."

Another numb nod on her part.

"And you're a lawyer, right? She said you worked at a big firm downtown. Sounds like things turned out good for you."

"Yeah." Although you wouldn't know from my sparkling conversation that I have half a brain in my head. Time to rectify that, act more like a normal person just running into an old … friend. "She tells me you bought Shermer's Garage." He'd always loved cars and had worked there repairing them in high school. It's where he'd gotten the money for the used Trans Am.

He nodded. "I specialize in foreign makes now, though."

Yeah, she knew that, too. Given that he was still Kenny's best friend, it was impossible not to know things about him. Not that she'd asked. Okay, maybe she had. Occasionally. Just casually, whenever his name came up.

But she didn't see any reason to act like she and Debbie sat around talking about him all the time, so she didn't admit she knew. And she even considered telling him she was happy he'd done well for himself – but instead she simply forced a small smile and said, "That's great. So … how's your family?"

He shoved his hands in his front pockets and she cringed inside, remembering. His mom had died. Less than a year after Trish had left Eden. A bad car accident. She'd cried for him when she'd heard.

"I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I mean, Debbie told me about your mom back when it happened." For some reason, she couldn't quite meet his eyes any longer – the topic was too awful, and she'd just tossed it carelessly out between them without meaning to.

"It's okay, Trish – it was a long time ago."

She raised her eyes automatically – it was the first time he'd said her name. She sighed, bit her lip, and tried to move on. "Your dad? Your sister? She must be all grown up now. How are they?"

"Dad lives in Florida – he remarried. And Jana just moved to Ohio – she got a job there, and met a guy. She's twenty-five now." He didn't look particularly happy about any of it, but Joe's family life never had been particularly happy and she regretted bringing it up.

Time to go. "Well … it was, uh, nice to see you." She pointed absently toward the pool tables. "I'm gonna go catch up with Debbie and Kenny."

She started to walk away – when a warm vice closed around her wrist, stopping her. She glanced down to see Joe's large, tan hand – and dear God, moisture surged between her thighs, just from that.

She jerked her gaze up to his, still deep blue and penetrating.

"It was nice to see you, too, cupcake."

Their gazes held for another scintillating moment.

And then he let her go, and she was treading across the floor, but she didn't feel it beneath her, didn't feel the greetings from old friends suddenly being passed her way or the hug from Kenny – all she felt was Joe's stare on her backside and the tingling sensation still pulsing in her panties. And there suddenly wasn't a bleck to be found in her mind. Nope, it was all about wow now. And mmm. And maybe ah.

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