The Scent of Jasmine

By Lila Bruce

Four years ago Jessica Taylor thought she was ready to leave small town living behind and headed West. Now she's back in Cedar Creek, a little older, a lot wiser, and ready to live the quiet life for a while.

It's been eight months since her fiancée walked out and shattered Grace Donnelly's dreams of a happily ever after. Her friends tell her it's time to put herself out there, but the breakup with Emma was still just too raw for Grace to wash her hands and move on

After a meeting a chance meeting at her brother's bakery, Jessica finds herself unable to get Grace off of her mind. She's sure she feels an attraction from Grace as well, but will Jessica be able to convince Grace to stop living in the past and take a chance on a future together with her...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lila Bruce Books
• Release date: Oct 6, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310490118

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The Scent of Jasmine

Lila Bruce

The Scent of Jasmine

Copyright © 2014

Smashwords Edition

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The Scent of Jasmine

Copyright © 2014 Lila Bruce

ISBN-13: 978-1536917994

ISBN-10: 1536917990

Print Publication: August 2016

Ebook Publication Date: October 2014

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

Chapter One

What you need is a dildo.

The words cut through the nail salon like a knife, silencing all other conversation.

Not one of those little flashlight looking ones. I mean a real by-God dildo. Balls and all.

The stylist at the front nail station suddenly began to move in slow motion, filing the same fingernail very slowly, over and over. A customer at the front of the salon stood by a wall of polishes, a tiny red bottle now the most interesting thing in the world. The host of the Korean variety show that was blaring on the television that hung from the wall seemed to stop what he was doing and stare in the direction of the two women seated at the back of the shop.

I have a purple one. Big old beautiful thing. Would that I can find a man with one to match. Well, maybe not the purple color, but the size…

Grace sank deep in the cracked leather of the massaging chair, wishing that somehow she could become invisible. She cut her eyes at her best friend Kendra, seated in the chair next to her, and silently willed the woman to stop talking.

They make them in glass, but mine is made of this gel material. Feels just like the real thing.

Willing her to stop wasn’t working. Grace glanced down at the tiny, middle-aged woman who was working on Grace’s cuticles. The woman was making a point not to look up or in any way acknowledge the conversation while at the same time hanging on every word.

Even has this suction cup... Kendra flipped the page on the magazine in her lap, continuing her monologue, seemingly oblivious of the effect it was having on those around her. I’ve never actually used it, but it is nice to have that option – you know to be hands free and all.

Please stop talking about dildos, Grace said between clenched teeth, darting her eyes around the nail salon. You’re embarrassing me.

Kendra looked up from the magazine and over at her friend. Seriously? What, like no one here has ever seen the real thing? Please, Grace. To be a lesbian, you are such a prude sometimes. Kendra turned her attention back to the magazine, making it a point to flip the pages loudly.

I’m not a prude. And what does being a lesbian have to do with it? I just think that there is a better time and place to talk about – Grace stopped and glanced around the salon. "To talk about dildos," she said, whispering the last word.

Kendra closed the magazine and turned in her seat to face Grace.

When is a good time to talk about it? It’s been almost eight months since Emma walked out of your life. Eight months! If you are not going to make an effort to find someone else to replace the hussy, then the least you can do for yourself is to start thinking about your needs. And by needs I mean sex.

Kendra, please. I don’t need to be in a relationship to be happy, Grace said the words, not really sure if she believed them herself or not. It had been a long eight months since her fiancée…ex-fiancée now…had walked out on their two year relationship. Everything had seemed to be totally fine between them. They had just started to firm up the logistics for the wedding and had been bouncing around different locales for the honeymoon, when Emma abruptly packed up what clothes and personal items she kept at Grace’s house and moved out. A day later she sent Grace a text message stating that she had had second thoughts and just wasn’t ready to settle down. ‘It’s not you, it’s me’ the text had said. What hurt the most, Grace thought, was that she