tarryn fisher

Synopsis Reveal: MARROW by Tarryn Fisher @Tarryn__Fisher



Title: MARROW
Author: Tarryn Fisher
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In the Bone there is a house.
In the house there is a girl.
In the girl there is a darkness.
Margo is not like other girls. She lives in a derelict neighborhood called the Bone, in a cursed house, with her cursed mother, who hasn’t spoken to her in over two years. She lives her days feeling invisible. It’s not until she develops a friendship with her wheelchair-bound neighbor, Judah Grant, that things begin to change. When neighborhood girl, seven-year-old Neveah Anthony, goes missing, Judah sets out to help Margo uncover what happened to her.
What Margo finds changes her, and with a new perspective on life, she’s determined to find evil and punish it–targeting rapists and child molesters, one by one.
But hunting evil is dangerous, and Margo risks losing everything, including her own soul.

I am a real life villain, truly. I drink sick amounts of Starbucks. Most of the time my hair smells like coffee. I was born in South Africa, and lived there for most of my childhood. I moved to Seattle just for the rain. Rome is my favorite place in the world so far, Paris comes in at a close second. I read and write more than I sleep. When I was eleven, I wrote an entire novel about runaway orphans, using only purple ink. I am addicted to Florence and the Machine and will travel to see concerts. I love scary movies and giraffes. I spend way too much time on Facebook. Meet you there?…

Blog Tour Review and Giveaway: Mud Vein by Tarryn Fisher (excerpt + book trailer)


Title: Mud Vein
Author: Tarryn Fisher
Blog Tour organized by: Shh Moms Reading


When reclusive novelist Senna Richards wakes up on her thirty-third birthday, everything has changed. Caged behind an electrical fence, locked in a house in the middle of the snow, Senna is left to decode the clues to find out why she was taken. If she wants her freedom, she has to take a close look at her past. But, her past has a heartbeat…and her kidnapper is nowhere to be found. With her survival hanging by a thread, Senna soon realizes this is a game. A dangerous one. Only the truth can set her free.

It’s so hard to write a review for Mud Vein when everyone else has already expressed their thoughts. So I am going to do the whole “pretend you are talking to a friend!” thing. When I talk to my friends, it is a lot of exclamation marks and capslock and FEEEELINGS. So you’ve been warned. And oh, if you’re looking for spoilers its not my kind of thing so you wont see it here. The least I can offer you is to watch the trailer and have a glimpse of what the book is all about.

“Love isn’t a state of perfect caring. It is an active noun, like struggle. To love someone is to strive to accept that person exactly the way he or she is, right here and now.” –Fred Rogers

What I loved about this book is how DARK it was. And I was surprised at how mature this book was.  It stuck to classic fairytales, the ones where Cinderella’s stepsisters chop off the heels of their feet, Rapunzel’s prince gets his eyes poked out, and the Little Mermaid turns into seafoam. I liked how Tarryn always raised questions about the fairytales and their endings.
Mud Vein was full of absolutely all of my favorite things — a deep, emotional story, shocking twists and turns that left me needing to collect my thoughts. The writing was as beautiful as ever, and Senna’s voice was so spot on.
There’s a major, major plot twist that made me gasp when I read through the scene. HOLY CRAP! I was so stunned and silenced. I needed time to walk away and think about how I felt. And that doesn’t happen often. Tarryn made me feel like Senna’s life was real and I was being asked to lend a helping hand and offer advice. After I finished reading, I felt this spoke volumes for Tarryn’s writing — she has an uncanny ability to make me want to take care of all her characters. (I felt the same way when I read the Love Me with Lies Series)
Honestly, the big sell of this book for me are the relationships, nearly every single relationship highlighted in this novel is complicated and messy as hell and I dug them all so much. Isaac, the doctor, Nick, the lover and of course Senna Richards, the anti-social girl who tend to antagonize, manipulate or treat others either harshly or with callous indifference. Call me crazy but I found it to be a pretty realistic problem that was really interesting to watch play out. If you are weary of captivity from the books description, don’t let that scare you off. It’s not your typical captivity in the least and the novel always makes it clear where the real romantic tension is at. The supporting characters aren’t always likable but that sort of worked for me? They can be the absolute WORST one moment only to redeem himself the next. But I like hot messes of human beings. I totally loved it.
Needless to say, this story touched me deeply. I felt the characters’ desolation in winter; I experienced their enthusiasm and renewal of faith with the coming of spring; I rejoiced with them in the summer of their love, which brought the warmth of commitment and the formation of a bond and feeling confident that together, they can do almost anything. But love can be messy, confusing, and imperfect, just like us, and life itself. It’s what Hallmark cards don’t always tell us…what love isn’t. And this is exactly what Mud Vein is all about. It is a marvelous story of realism, inspiration, hope, and redemption. Often times, we form a lot of ideas about what love is based on unrealistic hopes and standards. We learn what we think it’s supposed to look like, and most of the times, we find ourselves frustrated when reality falls short. And this book made me think and change my perception about love. 

Mud Vein is simply… extraordinary. There’s really no other word for it. From the first page, the first line, the book completely enthralled me. I was the teensiest bit concerned that maybe it wouldn’t live up to my sky-high expectations. I needn’t have worried. But if you ever ask me if I plan to have a re-read soon? Absolutely not! I don’t think I can allow myself to undergo the same intense emotions I felt when I was reading it. I mean, I love angst but I am definitely not a masochist! Perhaps a few months after.
Sure this book is not for everyone but I highly recommend this book to anyone craving for something written in the incredible, poetic way which only Tarryn Fisher can deliver, something that they can sink their teeth into and come away feeling fulfilled. If you plan on reading Mud Vein, read it with an open mind. 

Thank you Tarryn! I thank you immensely for sharing this fabulous story with us. 5 +++ stars!

“No one wants to carry someone when they are heavy from life”

Flawed perfection are the words I would choose to define Tarryn’s writing. Twisting together the ugly, dirty, and the beautiful to give the reader a no nonsense view of life’s love and loss. Her words give you a virtual slap across the face. Waking you up and forcing you to ask questions you don’t want to answer. Mud Vein forces you to question the life you are living and challenges the walls you have built. Tarryn created a journey that is personal and different for every reader. Her words ignite thoughts and feelings that most of us bury deep, not wanting to pop the bubble we create around an already fragile life.

“We are all going to die, but I’m going to die first. In the very last second of my life, I will think of you.”

I should have learned from the Love Me With Lies Series!!! Tarryn is flawlessness. The wicked twists and turns drew me in but Mud Vein, MUD VEIN has turned me into a mess of emotions. I can say with complete honestly that this book, these words disturbed the balance I thought I created for myself.

“I didn’t know I needed someone to dig into my heart and figure out why on some days I wanted to play, and on others I craved solitude…It’s a painful thing to look inside yourself and see the whys and the hows of your clockwork. You are a lot uglier than you think, plenty more selfish than you are ever likely to admit. So, you ignore what’s inside of you. Thinking if you don’t acknowledge it, it’s not really there. Until someone unlikely comes along and cracks you. They see every dark corner, and they get it. And they tell you it’s okay to have dark corners, instead of making you feel ashamed of them.”

Ripped raw best sums it up. I flipped page after page and highlighted more than half of the book. Mud Vein is a real reading experience. Not always pretty but real none the less. If you read one book this year read this one. I won’t recap they story. I don’t want to ruin the experience. Truth be told my words, under no circumstances, would ever do the wicked queen justice.

“Love doesn’t leave. It bears all things.”

Bear the emotions, the pain, and the tears then open a bottle of wine…trust me you’ll need it.

“Tell me something about your life with him,” Isaac urges.
I purse my lips. “Hmmm … so much fuckedupness. Where should I start?”
He blinks at me. 
“A week before I graduated from high school he found a chip in one of our drinking glasses. He came storming into my room, demanding to know how it got there. When I couldn’t give him an answer he refused to talk to me. For three weeks. He didn’t even come to my graduation. My dad. He can make a drinking glass feel like a teen pregnancy.”
I hold out my mug and Isaac refills me. 
“I hate whiskey,” I say. 
“Me too as well.”
I cock my head. 
“Hush,” he says. “You don’t get to judge my turn of phrase.”
I lay my arm across the table and rest my head on it. 
He looks less and less like a doctor nowadays with his scruffy face and long hair. Come to think of it, he’s acting less like one too. Maybe this is rockstar Isaac. I don’t ever remember him drinking during the time we spent together. I lift my head and rest my chin on my arm. 
I want to ask if he had a drinking problem back in the day—when he was actually living his tattoo. But it’s none of my business. We all medicate with something. He notices me looking at him funny. He’s on his fifth shot. 
“Something you want to ask me?” 
“How many more bottles of that stuff do we have?” I ask. The one he’s holding has a third left. I’m thinking we might have some darker days. We need to save the happy juice for sadder times.
He shrugs. “What does it matter?”
“Hey,” I say. “We are sharing family memories. Bonding. Don’t be depressing.”
He laughs, and sets the bottle on the counter. I wonder if he’d notice if I hid it. I watch him walk into the living room. I’m not sure if I should follow him or give him space. In the end, I go upstairs. It’s not my business what Isaac is struggling with. I barely know him. No, that’s not entirely true. I just don’t know this side of him. 
I wrap myself in my comforter and try to sleep. The whiskey has made my head spin. I like it. I’m surprised I never got addicted to alcohol. It’s such a nice way to check out. Maybe I should find a new addiction. Maybe I should find Isaac. 
Maybe…
I am a real life villain, truly. I drink sick amounts of Starbucks. Most of the time my hair smells like coffee. I was born in South Africa, and lived there for most of my childhood. I moved to Seattle just for the rain. Rome is my favorite place in the world so far, Paris comes in at a close second. I read and write more than I sleep. When I was eleven, I wrote an entire novel about runaway orphans, using only purple ink. I am addicted to Florence and the Machine and will travel to see concerts. I love scary movies and giraffes. I spend way too much time on Facebook. Meet you there?…

Book Trailer, Excerpt and Giveaway: Mud Vein by Tarryn Fisher


Title: Mud Vein

Author: Tarryn Fisher

I have waited for this book with a breathlessness that may eventually warrant medical attention.
And HOLY CRAP! It was absolutely worth the wait!

Truth is I already had a hunch I would really enjoy this story. I have fallen in love with Tarryn’s writing ever since The Opportunist and I knew just by the cover and synopsis that Mud Vein will be as intense as her previous works. And sure it did! Simply…extraordinary! There’s really no other word for it!
Watch out for our back to back review on the 25th for our tour stop. In the mean time, please enjoy the mini book trailer we have prepared for this phenomenal masterpiece.


When reclusive novelist Senna Richards wakes up on her thirty-third birthday, everything has changed. Caged behind an electrical fence, locked in a house in the middle of the snow, Senna is left to decode the clues to find out why she was taken. If she wants her freedom, she has to take a close look at her past. But, her past has a heartbeat…and her kidnapper is nowhere to be found. With her survival hanging by a thread, Senna soon realizes this is a game. A dangerous one. Only the truth can set her free.

A week later we took our first trip into Seattle together. It was her idea. We rode in my car since she said she didn’t have one. She looked nervous sitting in the front seat with her hands folded in her lap. When I asked her if she wanted me to put the radio on she said no. We ate Russian pastries from paper bags and watched the ferries cross the sound, shivering and standing as close as we could get to each other. Our fingers were so greasy when we were done we had to rinse them off in a water fountain. She laughed when I splashed water in her face. I could have written another ten thousand words just from hearing her laugh. We bought five pounds of prawns from the market and headed back to my house. I don’t know why the hell I asked for five pounds, but it sounded like a good idea at the time.

“You have one of these,” I said, as we were cleaning the prawns together at my kitchen sink. I ran my finger laterally along its body, pointing out the dark line that needed to be cleaned out. She frowned, looking down at the prawn she was holding.

“It’s called a mud vein.”

“A mud vein,” she repeated. “Doesn’t sound like a compliment.”

“Maybe not to some people.”

She de-headed her shrimp with a flick of her knife and tossed it in the bowl.

“It’s your darkness that pulls me in. Your mud vein. But sometimes having a mud vein will kill you.”

She set down the knife and washed her hands, drying them on the back of her jeans.

“I have to go.”

“Sure,” I said. I didn’t move until I heard the screen door slam. I wasn’t upset that my words had run her off. She didn’t like to be found out. But she’d be back.

I am a real life villain, truly. I drink sick amounts of Starbucks. Most of the time my hair smells like coffee. I was born in South Africa, and lived there for most of my childhood. I moved to Seattle just for the rain. Rome is my favorite place in the world so far, Paris comes in at a close second. I read and write more than I sleep. When I was eleven, I wrote an entire novel about runaway orphans, using only purple ink. I am addicted to Florence and the Machine and will travel to see concerts. I love scary movies and giraffes. I spend way too much time on Facebook. Meet you there?…

Excerpt and Special Announcement: Mud Vein by Tarryn Fisher

Title: Mud Vein
Author: Tarryn Fisher
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SURPRISE!!! Tarryn has now set a release date for this highly anticipated book in 2014!
So the million dollar question…WHEN?
drum roll please…………

April 18, 2014

We are soooo excited to read it!


When reclusive novelist Senna Richards wakes up on her thirty-third birthday, everything has changed. Caged behind an electrical fence, locked in a house in the middle of the snow, Senna is left to decode the clues to find out why she was taken. If she wants her freedom, she has to take a close look at her past. But, her past has a heartbeat…and her kidnapper is nowhere to be found. With her survival hanging by a thread, Senna soon realizes this is a game. A dangerous one. Only the truth can set her free.
You don’t have to be alone. We are mostly born that way though. We grow up being nurtured to believe that the other half of our soul is somewhere out there. And since there are seven billion people inhabiting our planet, chances are one of them is for you. To find that person, to find your soul piece, or your great love we must count on our paths diverging, the tangling of lives, the soft whispering of one soul recognizing another. 
I found my piece. She wasn’t what I was expecting. If you formed a woman’s soul out of black graphite, bathed it in blood, and then rolled it around in the softest rose petals, you still wouldn’t have touched on the complication that was, my match. 
I am a real life villain, truly. I drink sick amounts of Starbucks. Most of the time my hair smells like coffee. I was born in South Africa, and lived there for most of my childhood. I moved to Seattle just for the rain. Rome is my favorite place in the world so far, Paris comes in at a close second. I read and write more than I sleep. When I was eleven, I wrote an entire novel about runaway orphans, using only purple ink. I am addicted to Florence and the Machine and will travel to see concerts. I love scary movies and giraffes. I spend way too much time on Facebook. Meet you there?…

BLOG TOUR: THIEF BY TARRYN FISHER (REVIEW, BOOK TRAILER & PLAYLIST)

Title: Thief
Author: Tarryn Fisher
Hosted by: Shh Mom’s Reading


Note to Self
Love is patient; love is kind.
Love doesn’t boast or brag.
There’s no arrogance in love;
it’s never rude, crude, or indecent-it’s not self absorbed.
Love isn’t easily upset.
Love doesn’t tally wrongs.
Love trusts, hopes, and endures no matter what.
Love will never become obsolete.
I’ll fight for her.
Thief
Caleb Drake never got over his first love. Not when he got married. Not when she got married. When life suddenly comes full circle Caleb must decide how how far he is willing to go to get the aloof and alluring Olivia Kaspen back. But for every action in life there is a consequence, and soon Caleb finds out that sometimes love comes at an unbearably high price.

“You will find as you look back upon your life that the moments when you have really lived are the moments when you have done things in the name of love.”

Does true love really conquer all? A question that is being heavily debated in the minds of many especially those who are looking for answers to heal their pain.

Thief is the 3rd and final book in the Love me with Lies series. This is where all past secrets were revealed and family issues were dealt with.

When I started reading the story, I started having an idea on how I thought the story would conclude and by the end, it was a completely different picture. I love how Tarryn has taken on such a complex subject matter and turned it on its ear, smoothly incorporating marriage, relationship and family issues to build tension and drama.

The powerful love of Caleb and Olivia for each other has been very evident since book one. Their relationship was severely tested when the rest of the world tries to tear them apart. And Ms. Fisher has outdone herself in drawing those raw emotions. She has the remarkable ability to evoke feelings from the reader not just with words, but with descriptions as well. It felt so real! It’s such a tender, sensual component of the story that it balanced out all the other madness. I couldn’t help being emotionally involved with the couple and backed them all the way. The story has the right amount of suspense, intrigue, and unpredictability to keep me wondering particularly if the characters will finally have their happy ending.

Thief is more than just your usual contemporary romance novel. It will teach you a lot of things about love. It will make you realized that we all make mistakes, we all hurt each other at some point but the great thing about it is that you have an opportunity to fix it. People will disappoint you, they will let you down, and they may even hurt you. But, if the love is there and it is real, love can conquer whatever is put before it.

The angst, lust, love, passion, conflict between the characters plus the volatile mix of emotions just made this book a total winner for me. If you like stories with powerful villains, intense, with deep emotions, Thief is the perfect suit for you.

I am a real life villain, truly. I drink sick amounts of Starbucks. Most of the time my hair smells like coffee. I was born in South Africa, and lived there for most of my childhood. I moved to Seattle just for the rain. Rome is my favorite place in the world so far, Paris comes in at a close second. I read and write more than I sleep. When I was eleven, I wrote an entire novel about runaway orphans, using only purple ink. I am addicted to Florence and the Machine and will travel to see concerts. I love scary movies and giraffes. I spend way too much time on Facebook. Meet you there?…

THE OPPORTUNIST
DIRTY RED

THIEF
Hosted by the PLN’s (Passionate Little Nutcases)
Ask Tarryn any questions you have! There will be some trivia questions for giveaways so come prepared with your copy of Thief! We look forward to chatting with you!
November 10th 9pm-10pm EST

Blog Tour: The Opportunist & Dirty Red by Tarryn Fisher (Reviews, Excerpt & Giveaways)

Olivia Kaspen has just discovered that her ex-boyfriend, Caleb Drake, has lost his memory. With an already lousy reputation for taking advantage of situations, Olivia must decide how far she is willing to go to get Caleb back. Wrestling to keep her true identity and their sordid past under wraps, Olivia’s greatest obstacle is Caleb’s wicked, new girlfriend; Leah Smith. It is a race to the finish as these two vipers engage in a vicious tug of war to possess a man who no longer remembers them. But, soon enough Olivia must face the consequences of her lies, and in the process discover that sometimes love falls short of redemption.

Read my review here: The Opportunist

This is your mind…Happy thoughts! This is your mind after a Tarryn Fisher book…#^$(#*^&#^#&*@????? Any questions?

Dear Opportunist,

You thought you could take him from me, but you lost. Now, that he’s mine I’ll do anything to keep him. Do you doubt me? I have everything that was supposed to be yours. In case you were wondering; he doesn’t ever think about you anymore. I won’t let him go….ever.

Dirty Red

Leah Smith finally has everything she has ever wanted. Except she doesn’t. Her marriage feels more like a loan than a lifelong commitment, and the image she has worked so hard to build is fraying before her eyes. With a new role and a past full of secrets, Leah must decide how far she is willing to go to keep what she has stolen.
Book two in the Love Me With Lies series by Tarryn Fisher doesn’t disappoint! Dirty Red gives us Leah’s story…

“I have done a number of things to keep this man. I have lied and cheated. I have been sexy and meek, fierce and vulnerable. I have been everything but myself.
He is mine right now, but I am never enough for him. I can feel it — see it in the way he looks at me. His eyes are always probing, searching for something. I don’t know what he’s looking for. I wish I did. I cannot compete against a baby — my baby.
I am who I am.
My name is Leah, and I will do anything to keep my husband.”

The dirty lies and secrets come out as this story unfolds into a rollercoaster ride well worth the price of admission. When I found out this was going to be a 3 POV series I was on the fence about it. Book two made me love book one even more! Leah is a mix of miserable and down right insane. Forcing a marriage with a child just to prove you have the upper hand, in my opinion, should gift her one back zipping white jacket!

“Caleb is a pretty nice guy.”…”Why would he marry a girl like you?”

I started to feel a little sad and I do mean a little sad for Leah. She was lost as a mother and unable to create a mother/child bond with her daughter. Then again when you have nothing to compare it to how can you blame a woman who is a product of her environment? If Leah is crazy her mother is queen of crazy! If she would have taken five minuets of thought from her evil plans she would have seen that MAYBE a baby was not the answer. She continued to amaze me with every word out of her mouth and as time went on she was NOT winning any mother of the year awards.

Hate and entitlement can destroy a person. Then the crazy takes over! Leah is such person. Her draw to Caleb is an addiction. Like any addiction, the means in which you obtain that high never matter and you don’t care who you hurt in the process.

“Hate is suck a prodigious feeling. It´s hot and oppressive like fire. It starts by burning through your God-given reason until there is nothing left of it but a mound of ash. It moves on to your humanity next, hot tongues flicking across the few remaining threads of innocence until they melt into each other and morph into something ugly. Then, in the rubble of what you were, hate plants a seed of bitterness. The seed grows to a vine chokes what it touches.”

At the heart of Leah pain is the love of a man. A man that she coveted and the thought that she could not have him just might kill her. Although Olivia is not with out blame in this story I still feel that Leah’s actions have far surpassed the crazy train.

“I thought you loved your husband.” She blows air through her nose.
The action reminds me of an agitated horse. Her eyes rove from my shoes and land in disgust on my face. “I love yours too.”

Olivia and Caleb have become pawns in Leah’s dirty fight. Upset rocks the last three words of this book proving that book three will be far from a KO. Leah came to this fight with her hair pulled up and earrings off. Now it will be up to Caleb to provide a TKO! I am keeping my fingers crossed!

“She’s not the enemy. She’s just a dirty fighter.”

Tarryn has created a series that keeps you thinking with twists, turns, and a unique approach to an already crazy story line. The Opportunist drew you in with a story line to rival any daytime soap while Dirty Red provides you the juicy drama to keep you tuned in! Thank you Tarryn! Love Me With Lies is a must read series for me!

I am a real life villain, truly. I drink sick amounts of Starbucks. Most of the time my hair smells like coffee. I was born in South Africa, and lived there for most of my childhood. I moved to Seattle just for the rain. Rome is my favorite place in the world so far, Paris comes in at a close second. I read and write more than I sleep. When I was eleven, I wrote an entire novel about runaway orphans, using only purple ink. I am addicted to Florence and the Machine and will travel to see concerts. I love scary movies and giraffes. I spend way too much time on Facebook. Meet you there?
THE OPPORTUNIST
“I’m not getting in the pool! It is freezing!” 
“It’s November in Florida, Olivia. It’s seventy degrees out. Besides, it’s a heated pool. Man up.” Caleb waded around in his boxers in the turquoise water of the campus swimming pool. I tried to avoid looking at his muscles. 
“You can’t manipulate me into the pool by making a sexist comment,” I said, leaning down to splash him in the face. He grabbed my wrist before I had time to withdraw. 
Our eyes locked. 
“Don’t,” I warned. For a second, I didn’t think he’d have the guts. Next thing I knew, I tumbled headfirst into the freezing water. 
I came up gasping for air, my hair wrapped unbecomingly around my face. Caleb peeled it away, laughing. 
“I can’t believe you did that!” I gasped, shoving him on the chest. It felt like I was pushing on hot rocks. 
“You look good wet,” he said. “It would probably be easier to swim if you took off some of your clothes.” 
Shooting him a searing look, I started a breaststroke toward the side of the pool. 
“Ahh, not one for fun I see.” His voice was light when he said it but there was a definite challenge in his tone. 
“Screw it,” I mumbled, stopping a foot away from the ladder. I was the type of girl that would ‘jump off of a bridge’ to spite my friends. I was wearing my good underwear anyway. I ducked under the water and shed my polyester skin like a snake. I resurfaced seconds later with just my skivvies on. 
Caleb unconsciously mouthed ‘wow.’ 
“To your fun,” I toasted him with my sopping wet clothes and then threw them at his head. He dodged and circled around to where I was treading water. 
“Nice lace,” he smirked, eyeing me without shame. 
“Can you not make it so obvious that you’re looking?” I felt violated. I submerged myself under the water until only my head was visible. 
“I thought our relationship was about honesty,” he smiled. 
“Pffffff,” I snickered, “our ‘relationship’ is based on dares and blackmail.” 
His eyes were twinkling. He had such expressive eyes. I wanted to crush that twinkle and kick him where it hurt. 
“Blackmail is such a harsh word,” he said, as he swam closer. 
“You threatened to tell the school newspaper that I was the reason you missed the shot, Drake.” 
He was way too close for comfort now. I began peddling backwards. There was a scar at the corner of his right eye that I had never noticed before. It was just a faint crescent moon, but somehow it made him look dangerous— in a sexy way. I shook my head. These thoughts were not mine… they were Cammie’s— damn her. 
“How did you get that scar?” I asked. 
I shuffled along the bottom of the pool on my tiptoes to get away from him. He absently reached a finger out to touch it. 
“I stole a pound note from my grandfather’s wallet and when he caught me, he decided to punish me with his walking stick.” 
I felt one of those, ‘this is why he’s messed up,’ moments coming on and I prepared myself to understand him. 
“Really?” 
“No.” 
I felt myself color red. I punched him on the arm as hard as I could. 
“I fell off my bike when I was twelve,” he laughed, rubbing the spot where I hit him. “A very boring story.” 
“At least it’s the truth,” I said, exasperated. “Someone like you doesn’t need to lie to be interesting.” 
“Someone like me?” he asked. “You find me interesting, Libby?” 
“No, I don’t, and don’t call me Libby. You know, you’re really quite simple and boring,” I sniffed. 
He was looking away from me into the water. 
“Did you drop a piece of your jewelry?” 
“What?” His attention had shifted so suddenly, I felt offended. 
“There’s something down there at the bottom of the pool.” He was pointing to a spot between our feet. I narrowed my eyes, trying to see what he was staring at. 
“I’m not wearing any jewelry,” I said impatiently, “it’s probably just a penny or something.” 
I nudged it with my toe. It was bigger than a penny. Before he could say anything else, I ducked my head under the water to retrieve it. When my head broke the surface of the water, Caleb automatically scooted closer. 
“What is it?” he was staring at my clenched fist. 
“Let’s see,” I said theatrically, pulling my fingers slowly away from my palm. It was not jewelry. It was an old penny, flattened, and stamped with a message that entitled its bearer one free shot of affection, a kiss. Before I realized what I was doing, I dropped the souvenir into his palm. 
“You’re full of tricks tonight, aren’t you?” He was laughing… always laughing. 
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” 
Before I could retort with something clever, Caleb reached out and scooped me around my waist. Even in the cold water, his touch felt scorching hot. He pulled me toward him and our bodies were pressed together, belly-to-belly, chest-to-chest. I was so shocked, that at first I made no protest. I hadn’t been this spatially close to another human being since I was an infant. He grinned, his eyes turning smoky with what I perceived as lust. 
I gave up fighting and allowed my lips to be steered toward his. This is for Cammie, I told myself. There was no ‘nice and easy’ with this boy. He grazed his tongue along the inside of my bottom lip. He was gentle at first, trying to coax my stubborn lips into some form of cooperation. I responded with the only thing I knew: frigid prudery. Caleb, undaunted by my lack of enthusiasm, pulled away from me. His hands were wrapped around my waist, his fingers positioned right beneath my panty line. Our foreheads were touching and my breath was coming out in little gasps. It was embarrassing. 
“Kiss me back, Olivia.” His voice was commanding, and for a second, I felt a flare of rebellion like I did when he instructed me to put on my seat belt. I swallowed hard and closed my eyes. I didn’t win that fight. I probably wouldn’t win this one either. I might not even want to win it. 
I could do it. Kissing was a no-brainer, like eating or walking. His lips came back a second time and I bent my head toward him, tilted like in the movies. I was ready this time, willing even. I jumped when we connected and his lips, which were pressed against mine, stretched into an amused smile. He laughed into my mouth. It was infuriating and incredibly sexy. I tried to pull away, but he pulled me back. The kiss. The kiss. The kiss. It was chocolate cake and fizzy passion and goose bumps. No one had ever kissed me like that before. 
Then, he did the strangest thing— he pulled away and held me at arm’s length. The spell was broken. 
“Olivia…” His voice was rough. 
I shook my head. I didn’t want to hear what he was going to say. 
“I have to go,” I said quickly. 
DIRTY RED
She looks the same. Raven hair hanging wildly to her waist. She looks almost gypsy-like in her teal linen pants and a cream sheath shirt that hangs casually off one defined shoulder. I eye her gold hoop earrings, which are big enough to fit my entire hand through. They make her look exotic and slightly dangerous. She has always made me feel plain. 
Her eyes rove over the handful of occupants in the diner, searching for a face she recognizes: an old man, a couple who share the same side of a booth, two servers folding silverware into napkins … and me. 
I see the shock overcome her features — the parting of her lips, the slight spreading of white around her irises. Suddenly, she stiffens. Her eyes chase to the four corners of the room, and I know she is looking for him. I shake my head to tell her he’s not here. I take a sip of my coffee and I wait. 
She moves with purpose toward my table. When she reaches where I am sitting, she doesn’t sit but stares at me expectantly. 
“An old client?” She says dryly. 
“Well, I am, aren’t I?” I motion for her to sit. I’d sent an anonymous message to her office, claiming I was an old client in desperate legal trouble. I’d asked her to meet me at a diner named Tiffany’s. I had no idea if she’d come or not, but it was better than showing up at her office. 
She slides cautiously into the seat across from me, never taking her eyes from my face. 
“Well, what the fuck do you want?” 
I flinch. Louboutins or not, she’s still the same crass piece of white trash she used to be. 
“I thought maybe you could look over this document for me.” I reach into my purse and pull out the papers I’d stolen from Caleb’s filing cabinet. Placing them on the table, I slide them toward her. 
“What is this?” she asks. She eyes me distastefully. How dare she look at me that way? She has singlehandedly ruined my life. I’d have everything if it weren’t for her devious, overreaching hands. 
I’d probably also be in prison. I push that thought away. Now is not the time for gratitude. Now is the time for answers. I poke the document in front of her. 
“Take a look. See for yourself.” 
Without moving her head, she looks at the papers then back to me. It’s a smooth, hard, impressive piece of intimidation. The art of her body language is something to be admired. 
“Why would I want to do that?” she says. 
She’s making me feel chilled. I get a flashback of being on the witness stand, and my heart rate spikes. I practice to see if I can do it too. 
“It’s Caleb’s,” I say, only moving my lips. 
I don’t know whether it’s the mention of his name or if my imitation of her body language is working, but she tenses. 
A server approaches our table. Olivia reaches for the papers. 
“Get her a coffee, two creamers.” I say, waving him away. He hurries off. Olivia, who is reading, briefly glances up at me. I spent almost every day with her for nine months. I know what she likes. 
I sip my coffee as she reads, watching her face. 
Her coffee arrives. Without looking up, she pulls the lids from the creamers and dumps them into her cup. 
She lifts the mug to her lips, but halfway there her hand freezes. Coffee spills onto the table as she slams the mug down. Abruptly, she stands up. 
“Where did you get that?” 
She is backing away from the table, shaking her head. “Why is my name on there?” 
I run my tongue across my teeth. “I was hoping you could tell me that?” 
She bolts for the door. I stand up, tossing a twenty on the table and go after her. 
I follow her into the parking lot and corner her by the newspaper stand. “You are not getting out of explaining why your name is on this deed along with my husband’s!” 
Her face is washed of color. She shakes her head. “I don’t know, Leah. He never — I don’t know.” 
She covers her face with her palms, and I hear her sob. That only makes me angrier. I take a threatening step toward her. 
“You’re sleeping with him, aren’t you?” 
She pulls her hands away and glares at me. 
“No. Of course not! I love my husband.” She is clearly insulted that I would even accuse her of such a thing. 
“I love mine!” My voice cracks. “ — So, why does he love you?” 
She looks at me with true loathing. 
“He doesn’t,” she says simply. “He chose you.” It pains her to give me those words. I can see the emotion spilling from her skin. 
I hold up the deed and shake it. “He bought you a house. Why did he buy you a fucking house?” 
She snatches the deed from my fingers and points to a date. “Did you miss this little detail? Long before you, Leah.” She shoves it back at my chest. “But, you know that. So, why did you really trick me into coming here?” 
I swallow — a nervous reaction. She sees it and smiles cruelly. 
“I should have let them throw you in prison, you know that.” 
She turns away, walking toward her car door. Her statement infuriates me. I follow her, digging my fingernails into my palms, I breathe through my nose. 
“So you could have him?” I blurt. My blood pounds in my ears. I ask myself that question all the time. I say it again. “You should have lost the case so you could have him?” 
She freezes, looks at me over her shoulder. 
“Yeah.” 
I didn’t expect the truth. It frightens me. I open my mouth — force the words out. “I thought you loved your husband.” 
She blows air through her nose. The action reminds me of an agitated horse. Her eyes rove from my shoes and land in disgust on my face. 
“I love yours too.”