Delayed

By Mary Chris Escobar

Carolyn’s life has gone pretty much according to plan. She’s followed all the rules. Her star is rising at work, she’s just gotten engaged to an amazing man and she lives in a perfectly decorated apartment.

A delayed flight throws her life and plans off schedule. What she learns, stuck overnight in the airport, has her questioning everything and puts her face to face with her own missed connection.

This contemporary romance follows twenty-six year old Carolyn’s quarter-life coming-of-age story, the demise of her life as she knows it and the discovery of her own truth.

While it is not a sequel to Neverending Beginnings, readers will enjoy updates on the main characters from that novel, as well.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mary Chris Escobar
• Release date: Nov 3, 2013
• ISBN: 9781311314369

Mary Chris Escobar

Award-winning author Mary Chris writes women’s fiction. She was destined to write romantic comedies from a young age (as a child, her stuffed animals always got their happily-ever-afters). She lives in Richmond, Virginia in a renovated parking garage with her husband. Find her on her website, on Twitter or just about anywhere good coffee or craft beer is served.

Book preview

DELAYED

Mary Chris Escobar

Copyright © 2013 Mary Chris Escobar

All rights reserved

Smashwords Edition

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your bookseller of choice and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

For Mike,

Who didn’t give up

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Other Works

Acknowledgements

About the Author

Chapter 1

Dan Fogelberg’s Same Old Lang Syne had been playing on repeat for the last half hour. Two glasses of wine at dinner, followed by a Kir (or two) was just enough for me to throw my arm over my friend Kate’s shoulder and coerce her into singing along loudly.

That has to be the most depressing song ever, Kate said as we erupted into laughter.

I don’t know what’s more depressing: the song itself, or the fact I’m dating someone who knows all the words to the song, her boyfriend, Ben, teased from the barstool next to her.

You better watch out; when you’re gone in a couple weeks, I’m totally going to run into an old flame, who’s going to invite me to sit in his car in the parking lot and reminisce, and it’ll be all downhill from there.

Kate and I sang the last line at the top of our lungs.

The bartender glared at us.

I leave for five minutes and you two are about to get us kicked out of the bar, my boyfriend Dave said with a wide smile as he took the seat next to me and gave a knowing shake of the head to the bartender, who shook his head back, then smiled.

What would I do without you to smooth things over? I teased.

He just smiled, pulled me towards him and kissed the top of my head. I’m sure you’d be just fine. Perhaps less liked, but just fine.

I playfully pushed him away, then asked the group, How is this place so quiet on New Year’s Eve?

That’s a small town for you, Ben responded. He and Kate had rented a cabin in the mountains just a few hours outside of Richmond, where we lived, and they had invited Dave and I to spend the holiday with them.

Weird, I commented.

It’s sort of awesome. Like we’re famous and have the place rented out just for our little exclusive party, Kate said.

We should have security kick those interlopers down there out. Ben nodded his head to the only other couple in the restaurant, at the other end of the bar, ferociously making out.

Speaking of which, Dave looked at his watch, just five minutes to go.

Kate caught the bartender’s eye and asked if he could turn up the volume on the TV showing the countdown from New York. He did but left Dan Fogelberg crooning in the background, as well.

Ben ordered a round of champagne and we readied ourselves for the big moment. Watching the crowds in New York and looking around the empty, quiet restaurant, I felt like I was missing something. Not specifically that I wanted to be crowded into stalls with thousands of people and no bathrooms. And certainly not that I would change the friends I was celebrating with. I’d spent the last three New Year’s Eves with Dave and couldn’t imagine spending this or any future holidays with anyone else. I was here with my favorite people in the world, so there was nothing I could specifically pinpoint. It was just this whisper of a feeling that things were too ...something.

Earth to Carolyn , Kate said, nudging her shoulder into mine and gesturing at the TV above us.

10 ... 9 ... 8 ... we all chanted in unison. The couple at the end of the bar was still kissing.

7 ... 6 ... We reached for our champagne. I took a deep breath in and looked at Dave. Those big brown eyes. He winked at me and my pulse quickened. I winked back as a huge smile spread across both our faces.

5 ... 4 ... 3 … I glanced at Kate, leaning on Ben’s shoulder, holding her champagne glass slightly up and tilted toward his. How crazy was it that she was back in my life? What are the chances of moving to be closer to your fabulous long-distance boyfriend and finding out your next-door neighbor is your freshman year college roommate, who happens to be in the very beginning stages of a relationship with your boyfriend’s best friend? Yeah, that had been my year.

2 ...

A pretty damn good one by all accounts.

1!

We all raised our glasses to meet each other’s, then I turned to kiss Dave before enveloping Kate and Ben in giant hugs.

In the background, just behind the revelry, Dan Fogelberg was still singing about reaching beyond the emptiness.

Chapter 2

It was snowing. Seriously? This wasn’t in the forecast at all. The coffee pot dripped beside me and the scent of it started to fill the room. I was the first one up and just stood staring at the unexpected flakes falling fast towards the ground. A cozy mountain cabin in the snow; this was the stuff movies were made of, right? The knot of tension that had been threatening me the whole trip settled into the space just under the tip of my right shoulder blade. What was that movie with Kathy Bates and the writer guy? Based on something by Stephen King, I think. I reached my hand back to rub at the knot.

Morning. I jumped at Ben’s voice. Didn’t mean to sneak up on you. What’s all this? He nodded toward the window.

What was that movie with the crazed woman who wanted to murder the writer?

He looked confused.

You know, the one with the cabin and the snow?

"Misery?"

That’s it.

He laughed good-naturedly. That’s your first thought about a cabin in the snow?

I shrugged and grabbed two mugs from the cabinet above the coffee pot. We can’t all be hopeless romantics.

Call me crazy, but I think there’s a step or two between hopeless romance and murder.

You’d prefer a witty romantic comedy, huh? I teased.

He shrugged and sipped his coffee. If it wasn’t a documentary about an artist, an architect, green building trends, or the decline of cities, I probably haven’t seen it.

Is it weird to be done with school? Not to be in the middle of some project? I asked, referencing the fact that he had just graduated a few weeks ago.

It just feels like the normal winter holiday, to be honest.

We sipped our coffee in silence.

Are you going to miss being in school?

Not so much.

I wasn’t even really sure why I asked. Clearly there were things he would miss far more than school. He and Kate were staying here for two weeks to soak up as much time with each other as they could before he moved.

What’s with the nostalgia? he asked.

Huh?

You’re all old movies and missing things and staring out windows this morning.

Whatever, I deflected. The thing is I did feel nostalgic, but I hadn’t the slightest idea why.

What the hell? Dave said, rubbing his eyes and staring out the window as he emerged from the bedroom into the common living space.

I know, I surprised myself at the level of whine in my voice.

Dave was now closer to the window, leaning in toward it to look up at the sky like a little boy.

You have to admit this is pretty cool, he said in my direction as he poured himself a mug of coffee. It was unclear whether he missed my tone or was purposefully ignoring it. My guess was the latter.

I’m supposed to leave for that conference in Philly in the morning, I tried to make my voice level, matter-of-fact, but the whine was still there.

Weren’t you just saying you wished you didn’t have to go? Dave asked.

So this is all your doing? Ben chimed in.

I mean sure, I wasn’t crazy about flying out the day after New Year’s, but now it’s just going to be this crazy back and forth: Is my flight leaving? Is it not? Can I even get to my flight? What is the latest I can leave and still make the presentation? My face was getting hot.

As if on cue, my phone buzzed on from the counter where I had left it charging. See? I picked up my phone, ready to prove my point, and saw a text message from my mom instead.

Or it’s your mom, wishing you a happy new year, Dave said from over my shoulder.

And asking if it’s snowing, I said, smiling just a little.

I took a deep breath and rolled my shoulders back and down. The shoulder knot winced. Dave set his coffee on the counter and rubbed my shoulders, digging his thumb deep into exactly the right spot.

I must say, I’m not going to miss school. But I’m not so sure I’m looking forward to the going to work every day thing, Ben commented, topping off his coffee and making his way to the couch, where he flipped on the TV.

This one’s a little more than we expected folks. Everyone from Virginia to Pennsylvania is seeing snow, the cheery weather man announced. "Looks like the storm has stalled a bit and will be sticking