The Boy Toy - Nicola Marsh Page 0,107

were strung along the veranda and the fence line, while monstrous bouquets of crimson, fuchsia, and sienna gerberas stood atop tall pedestals.

It looked like a Bollywood dream, complete with the gossiping crowd and shrewd eyes. Samira had wanted them all here. What better way to embrace tradition yet show them a cultural assimilation by marrying Rory in a surprise ceremony?

“Ready, betee?” Kushi appeared by her side, looking resplendent in a peacock blue sari, her hair slicked into a tight bun perched high on her head.

“Ready, Mom.”

Samira bent down to kiss her mom’s cheek. “I love you, Mom. Thank you for everything.”

Tears shimmered in Kushi’s eyes as she brushed her fingertips along her cheek. “I’m proud of you, betee, and I’m so glad you’ve come home for good.”

The first haunting strains of a sitar had them both glancing toward the far corner of the garden, where Rory stood in front of one of Manny’s friends, a marriage celebrant.

Rory wore a navy suit with an ivory shirt open at the collar. Big. Bronze. Broad shouldered. Blue eyes. Casual sexy. All hers. His dad stood beside him, a stern man she’d only met a handful of times, but Garth seemed to adore his grandson as much as Kushi did.

As Samira linked arms with her mom and they strolled toward the celebrant, her heart expanded with happiness, filling her chest to bursting.

When she stood beside the man she adored, professing her love in front of everyone regardless of their judgment, she knew falling for Rory had been unexpected and complicated but oh so right. They had a wonderfully exciting life ahead of them.

She could hardly wait to start living it.

AUTHOR’S NOTE

While I can identify with Samira in many respects (same profession, mixed race, fertility issues, home city), it is Rory I truly connect with in The Boy Toy.

Like Rory, I have a speech impediment.

I’ve stuttered since I was a child and, like Rory, went through many sessions with various speech therapists. I can empathize with his feelings of frustration, embarrassment, and that bone-deep mortification when you stammer in front of a crowd.

Like Rory, I’ve had to deal with people “helpfully” finishing my sentence for me, providing a word I’m stuck on, and the slightly impatient look they get on their faces when it takes me longer to enunciate. And like Rory, while I try to master my stutter most of the time and put techniques I learned many years ago into practice, having to speak in front of a large group or in an interview always terrifies me.

Being an author is the perfect introverted profession for me. And while I’ve never done any drama training, I understand Rory’s confidence when he mentally rehearses before speaking because I do that too.

I hope you enjoyed The Boy Toy and had as much fun with these characters as I did creating them.

Nicola x

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Seeing The Boy Toy published is a dream come true. I had the glimmer of an idea for it many years ago and wrote three chapters before putting it on the back burner. It wasn’t until I connected with my agent, Kim Lionetti, that this idea come to complete fruition. We brainstormed a lot, tweaking the synopsis, swapping characters around, clarifying motivations, until we got it right and thankfully, Cindy Hwang thought so too. So my immense gratitude to the following people:

Cindy Hwang, editor extraordinaire, I’m still pinching myself we get to work together. Thanks for seeing the potential in this story and helping me polish it into a gem. I love working with you. And I’m thrilled Dr. Manny gets his story soon too.

Kim Lionetti, my agent, who is a brilliant brainstormer and always in my corner with sage advice. Shaking things up with this one really hit the mark, Kim. Thanks for the back-and-forth until we nailed it.

Angela Kim, editorial assistant, for being prompt and professional.

Sonali Dev, Spurthi Gowda, and Ritu Bhathal, for their assistance in translating the Hindi words. Any mistakes are mine.

My parents, Olly and Millie, for instilling Anglo-Indian tradition—especially traditions involving food!—in me.

My writing buddies, Natalie Anderson and Soraya Lane, for their ongoing support. Being on the publishing roller coaster with you is fun!

The speech therapist I had over forty years ago. I may not remember your name, but I remember having several before you, and when I walked into your office, you were patient and kind. You’re the inspiration behind Amelia in this story.

My hubby, who likes to think he’s my boy toy but isn’t. Laughs like this are