Blurred Lines (Love Unexpectedly #1)(72)
I spot my parents, who are not only turning a blind eye to the fact that Lori and her boyfriend are making out right in front of them but also seem to be doing a little snuggling of their own.
“I can’t wait until my mom gets up here,” I say.
“Yeah? I don’t think I’ve ever heard her sing. She as good as you?”
“No, she’s terrible. Totally tone deaf. But it’s on her bucket list, so…”
Ben’s hand rests against my back, softly, comfortingly, and I let the gentle touch soak up some of my sadness. My mom made it past the six-month mark, so that’s positive. But she’s still sick. Really sick. The cancer’s still eating at her.
But we’re exploring other treatments. More aggressive ones. She’ll get better. I know she will.
“I can’t believe I let you talk me into coming out on a school night,” Ben says around a yawn.
“Oh, womp womp, Grandpa.”
And then I give him another kiss on the cheek, just because I’m proud of him. Ben got accepted to several business schools in Seattle and Portland.
He settled on here. Right where he belongs.
“Hey, go with those girls,” I whisper. “See if they’ll let us go first.”
“On it.”
He heads off, and then is back by my side in a record two minutes. “Done. We’re up.”
“Nicely done!” I say, impressed. “I didn’t even see any of them give me the stink eye when you pointed at me.”
“Why would they give you the stink eye?” he asks innocently.
I give him a look. “You didn’t tell them I was your friend, did you? What did you tell them about me?”
“I just told them the truth.” Ben holds out a hand to help me onstage before tugging me close.
“Yeah?” I ask. “And what’s this truth?”
His kiss is sweet, as is his response:
“I told them we were best friends.”
TWO YEARS LATER
Mr. and Mrs. James Blanton
request the pleasure of your company
at the marriage of their daughter
Parker Eleanor
to
Mr. Benjamin Robert Olsen
at Seaside Lodge, Cannon Beach, Oregon
on Saturday, the Eleventh of August
at 2:30 in the afternoon.
Karaoke reception to follow.
For anyone who’s ever fallen in love with a friend.
I know firsthand that it can work out quite well. Right, Anth?
Acknowledgments
Every now and then, a story comes upon an author, seemingly out of nowhere, that absolutely must be told.
Some characters and some types of stories don’t care that the author has a million other projects already in flight. These characters and ideas don’t care that they’re not in vogue with current genre trends. Don’t care that they will cause a dozen different people (author included) to have to scramble to make them happen.
Blurred Lines and its characters are such a case. Ben and Parker came to me on a random Wednesday back in 2014, and despite the fact that I was knee-deep in existing projects, I stopped everything I was doing and started writing.
A couple hours later, I had the first four chapters (the exact same chapters you read here) and sent them off to my agent, with an urgent plea for her to get them out into the world.
My agent (the incomparable Nicole Resciniti) didn’t even flinch.
Nicole, thank you for coming through.
Days after my “fit,” Nicole sold it to Sue Grimshaw at Loveswept, which is where the thank-yous must come in.
Without getting too much into the complicated world that is publishing timelines, it must be said that the team over at Penguin Random House made this a book in record time. They didn’t have to, but they must have sensed my Total Crazy about it, because they more or less bent time to do this for me.
I know I thank them in every book (because they deserve it!) but they deserve it extra hard here.
To Gina Wachtel, Kim Cowser, Katie Rice, Lynn Andreozzi, Daniel Christensen, and, most especially, Sue Grimshaw, please know that I’m sending hardcore gratitude your way. I feel so lucky to be a part of your team.
BY LAUREN LAYNE
Sex, Love & Stiletto Series
After the Kiss
Love the One You’re With
Just One Night
The Trouble with Love
Redemption Series
Isn’t She Lovely
Broken
Crushed
Oxford Series
Irresistibly Yours (coming soon)
Other Books
Blurred Lines
PHOTO: ANTHONY LEDONNE
LAUREN LAYNE is a USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance novels. Prior to becoming a writer, she worked in e-commerce and Web marketing. In 2011, Lauren and her husband moved from Seattle to New York City, where she decided to pursue a full-time writing career. It took six months to get her first book deal (despite Lauren’s ardent assurances to her husband that it would take only three). Since then, she’s gone on to publish several books, including those in the bestselling Sex, Love & Stiletto series, with more stories always in the works. Lauren currently lives in Chicago with her husband and their spoiled Pomeranian. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her either at happy hour, running at a doggedly slow pace, or trying to straighten her naturally curly hair.