1. Frat Boy got into the neighbor’s kiddie pool and refused to get out.
2. I found my missing glasses … in the goodie drawer.
3. I called a visiting boy by the dog’s name.
4. Alpha Man accidentally locked me out on the deck.
5. Frat Boy pooped out part of my missing scarf.

I mean what do you do in this sort of circumstance? What’s protocol? Scream? Toe him to make sure it’s not a dead body? Or worse, half a dead body? Luckily while I was trying to decide, the body moved, pushed himself up to his knees and told me I had gas.

And he was right. I have gas. Gas to the house, that is …

Hmm. I can barely stay on my paddle board all on my own, so you can imagine why I was a little skeptical. But we packed up the dogs and went to the lake. We decided that given my, um, state of absolutely NO grace, that I should take Ashes on my board. The old lady is quiet, calm and tough as hell. She’s also my self appointed guardian.

So Alpha Man helped me load Ashes on the paddle board with me, and off we went.

Alpha Man loaded himself and Frat Boy on his board. And here’s where it went all bad. Frat Boy didn’t want to be with his daddy. He wanted his mama, NOW. He took one look at me and Ashes about twenty yards down the lagoon and took a flying leap off Alpha Man’s board and started swimming for me.

Have you ever seen a gawky eight month old black lab swim? They do it with their entire heart and soul. Eyes wide, ears flopping, tongue lolling, they slap their HUGE front paws down into the water with each stroke like they’re making for China.

I saw Frat Boy coming at me and Ashes, and I started yelling. “No! Frat Boy, no! Go back!”

Because I knew what was going to happen. Ashes and me, we’re of like minds. We like to stay dry. We like to stay upright. We like to gently float.

And a hundred pound Frat Boy was heading straight for us, with one thing on his mind. FUN! And sure enough, there was no stopping him. Soon as he got close, he made a flying leap out of the water and onto my board, knocking poor Ashes off and me to my knees. So now I’m clinging to the board, precariously perched and desperately trying to stay out of the water because God forbid THE HAIR, THE HAIR CAN’T GET WET OR IT WILL FRIZZ!

Meanwhile, Ashes is in the water, her hair is frizzing all over the place, and she is pissed.

Oh, and Alpha Man? On his board, laughing his ass off so hard he nearly fell in all on his own.

Much later, he kept saying to me, all gleeful and laughing again at the memory, “you scream really loud.” Yes. Yes, thank you, I sure do.

When I recovered, I tried again. With Frat Boy firmly on the shore, hoping he wasn’t missing a party or anything.

It didn’t work, no matter what we did, Frat Boy had to be with me on my board. And I couldn’t get my balance with a wriggly, overgrown puppy on it with me. So we gave up. This was no problem for Alpha Man, who’d much rather be doing something MUCH faster anyway. Like being dragged behind a boat at top speeds.

Boys. They never grow up …

Wrong truck.

So the next time I see it, I’m hesitant to wave, but then I’m sure it’s him and I do anyway, and . . .

It’s not him.

This has been going on for several years now. I’m sure some guy in a truck similar to Alpha Man’s is wondering who the hell the strange lady in town is, the one that always waves to him.

Cut to the grocery store the other night. Alpha Man and I are in the ice-cream aisle arguing over dessert. He wants Rocky Road and I want Strawberry. This guy walks by and Alpha Man starts talking to him. Clearly they know each other. Alpha Man turns to introduce us and the guy grins familiarly.

Crap. I hate it when I know someone and I’ve forgotten who they are. “I’m sorry,” I start, already embarrassed I can’t remember him. “Do I know you?”

“Well, you think you do anyway. You’ve been waving to me for three years now.”

Also, do you have an ereader? Simply Irresistible, my very first Lucky Harbor book, is on sale wherever ebooks are sold for $1.99!! A steal… Click Amazon or BN if you’re so inclined …

But real quick, before you go, what are you reading??

Back cover copy:
After a tragic stint in the National Guards, Adam Connelly returns to Idaho and to Belle Haven, the animal shelter he owns with his brothers. All Adam wants is to be alone. Then he opens the door to the past—the woman whose heart he once broke. Still gorgeous, still tough-as-nails, but this time, unusually vulnerable.

Holly learned the hard way to never depend on a man for anything. Now, of all men, it’s the last one she wants to see, and the only one she needs. Her father has gone missing in the Bitterroot Mountains and she could use someone with tracking skills to help find him.

For Holly and Adam, each with their ghosts, a trek this desperate, this unpredictable, and this intimate, will have its share of risks—including opening their hearts one more time.

Update: Random winners are #28, #44 and #71 … email me!

Original Post:
So it is wrong that I changed Alpha Man’s name in my phone to Roarke, and now when he calls my phone announces “A call from Roarke…”

Or that sometimes I change Roarke to Ranger?

Or that I get a secret little thrill when Ranger actually calls me?

Tell me something silly that you do. Or that you’ve seen. I’m drawing names from commenters today. A few random winners will get a copy of either Lucky In love, At Last, or Forever And A Day.

Seriously.

You see, these three punks had the great idea to rob Rite-Aid, during broad daylight in a store right across the street from the police station, by crawling through Rite Aid’s attic toward the store’s safe. Their route? Directly across some unsupported ceiling tiles.

Genius.

Anyway, I’ve always heard that small town living was much more exciting than the big city I grew up in, but honest to God, until today, I had my doubts. I stand corrected.

UPDATE: Apparently the would be robbers were teenagers, and NOT trying to rob the store. Nope. The defense they’ve given is that they were trying to pull a Jackass stunt. Which would explain the one guy wearing only his underwear and a bandana … Seriously. I couldn’t make this shit up.

I realized the other day that I haven’t really told you about The Chocoholics. How remiss of me! Back when I was writing Head Over Heels, I added a mysterious character to Lucky Harbor. And from the very first moment I put Mysterious Cute Guy on the page, I fell in love. There’s just something about a big, bad, sexy guy that you know nothing about that fires the imagination. But I have to be honest. When he made a cameo in Head Over Heels, (literally a walk-on role only; in fact I believe he only gets a mention or two) I knew nothing about him. Nothing. I never intended to either. He was just one of life’s little (okay big, bad, and sexy) mysteries.

Then my editor called me. She said the first three Lucky Harbor books had done so well that they’d like three more please. And maybe one of the heroes could be Mysterious Cute Guy. It was fun coming up with a story to go with this enigmatic figure, not to mention a name – Ty Garrison. More fun still to give this ex-Navy SEAL a rough, tortured, bad-boy past and a sweet, giving, good-girl heroine (Mallory Quinn, ER nurse). Oh the fun I had with these two: a bad boy trying to go good, and a good girl looking for a walk on the wild side. Hope you have as much fun reading their story, Lucky In Love.

Which, yay, is finally almost here. 5/22!!!

And then, stick around. Because Mallory’s two Chocoholics-in-crime partners, Amy and Grace, get their own love stories on 6/26 and 7/31 with At Last and then Forever and a Day.