Not What I Expected - Jewel E. Ann Page 0,108
After I finish this stale cookie, there’s a fifty percent chance my face flushes and I sweat through my clothes.
Hot flashes.
Mood swings.
Seven p.m. mandatory bra removal.
No kid, especially not a young boy, needs to witness such a hot mess.
“Kyle and Emily want him to stay in San Diego. Same school. Close to friends. While I have no desire to live here, I agree with them. The less we have to disrupt his life, the better his chances are of making it through this grieving process and returning to some semblance of normalcy.”
With his aunt Gracelyn—Queen Hot Mess.
“I don’t want you to be overwhelmed.” Mom pulls out a chair and sits next to me, frowning at the baked goods. She’s had her fair share. The emotional eating apple (or cookie) doesn’t fall far from the tree.
“He’s a great kid. I love him to pieces. We’ll be fine.”
“You need a job here.” Mom goes for some sort of chocolate drizzled popcorn. It has to be staler than my cookie.
Yep. She spits it back into the bowl.
I grin. “I’ll make sure he talks to someone, if he doesn’t want to talk to me. I’ll get a job.” Glancing around at the fancy surroundings, I twist my lips. “I doubt we’ll be able to stay here very long.”
“Oh … no.” Mom shakes her head. “The taxes and upkeep on this place must be insane.”
Kyle and Emily splurged on a house they could barely afford when they should have splurged on better life insurance.
“Sell the house. Use the money to raise Gabe and put some back for his college.”
I nod several times.
“Are you sure about all of this?” Mom rests her hand on my leg.
“Absolutely.”
No. Not even close.
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Acknowledgments
This book was incredibly hard to write because it exposed my fears and my doubts. It also healed me and reminded me to always be honest about my needs. Tim, I have to thank you first and foremost for marrying me twenty-two years ago and allowing me to bloom and morph, to chase my dreams, to keep my independence. You’ve been my Craig, but in so many ways you've also become my Kael. No one knows what the future holds, but I think we have a good chance at being geese. Love you, always.
Mom, thank you for being an example of change. Thank you for taking to me to church and then showing me that it’s not a sin to question all the things I learned in that church. Despite what Dad might say, you have taught me to keep an open mind.
This book truly came to life when I asked my readers to share the things about their significant others that drives them crazy. Your response brought tears of laughter and sadness. I felt less alone in my own thoughts and sometimes a little more grateful for the man (men) in my house that drive me crazy. Thank you for your honesty. Thank you for trusting me to share your experiences through these characters so that every reader can feel like me … a little less alone, and maybe a little more grateful.
I think the saying goes something like—behind every great man is a great woman. In my case, behind every great author is a magical unicorn assistant. Jenn Beach, you are my unicorn. And with five book releases this year, you deserve so much credit for my sanity and taking the wheel ninety percent of the time—including formatting and revamping old covers. THANK YOU!
I’ve had the same editor since I wrote my first cringe-worthy manuscript. Max Dobson, thank your for being a mentor to this amateur writer who wanted nothing more than to share these crazy stories in my head. I can’t imagine writing without you. Here’s to a bright future as you take on a new role as my agent with Maximus Literary.
To the rest of my editing team, thank you for scouring through pages of words and making them shine. Monique, you will always be my Number One Bitch. ; ) It’s an honor to have you polish my manuscript with such a sharp eye. Kambra, Leslie, and Sian, thank you for being the first eyes to see all the hideous errors and for loving this story in a special way. And finally, thank you to Sherri, Amy, Bethany, and Shabby for always being so generous with your time to proofread for me. I’m one lucky girl to have you in my circle of awesomeness.
Nina! I found my person this year. In Nina Grinstead’s words—PeRson. Thank you, Nina, for so wholeheartedly immersing yourself into my books, and patiently guiding me through new game plans and exciting opportunities. You are so much more than PR to me. Thank you for assembling an awesome team through Valentine PR to reach new audiences. Christine, Kelley, Brittany, Mary, and all the names I'm probably forgetting … my sincerest gratitude for your hard work and kindness.
Thank you, Letitia Hasser, with RBA Designs for a beautiful cover and to Regina Wamba for the perfect photo.
Thank you to my dear friends, Cleida and Jyl, for being my sounding boards and voices of encouragement. I miss our girl time and hope we can plan epic adventures in 2021.
Finally, a very special thank-you to my three boys, Logan, Carter, and Asher, for defining my life in the most permanent way. I have been and hope to be many things in this life, but by far my favorite is Mother.
Also by Jewel E Ann
Standalone Novels
Idle Bloom
Undeniably You
Naked Love
Only Trick
Perfectly Adequate
Look The Part
When Life Happened
A Place Without You
Jersey Six
Scarlet Stone
Not What I Expected
Jack & Jill Series
End of Day
Middle of Knight
Dawn of Forever
One (standalone)
Out of Love (standalone)
* * *
Holding You Series
Holding You
Releasing Me
* * *
Transcend Series
Transcend
Epoch
Fortuity (standalone)
* * *
The Life Series
The Life That Mattered
The Life You Stole
About the Author
Jewel is a free-spirited romance junkie with a quirky sense of humor.
With 10 years of flossing lectures under her belt, she took early retirement from her dental hygiene career to stay home with her three awesome boys and manage the family business.
After her best friend of nearly 30 years suggested a few books from the Contemporary Romance genre, Jewel was hooked. Devouring two and three books a week but still craving more, she decided to practice sustainable reading, AKA writing.
When she’s not donning her cape and saving the planet one tree at a time, she enjoys yoga with friends, good food with family, rock climbing with her kids, watching How I Met Your Mother reruns, and of course…heart-wrenching, tear-jerking, panty-scorching novels.
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