When All Else Fails
By J.M. Dabney
4/5
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About this ebook
Out and proud Andrea Slade carries around doubts soul deep, her family and job have taught her hard lessons about love. When she meets Eva Lange and starts working with the beautiful, curvy woman, she wants things to be different. Although, she settles for being her friend and boss.
As time passes, Andrea finds it’s not an ideal situation, but she tricks herself into thinking that it’s for the best. That is until the sexy, femme fatale shows up in her office one day in a figure-hugging outfit with plans for seduction.
Full-figured Eva is in touch with her body, embraces the curves, but part of her looks at successful and gorgeous Andrea and decides friends is better than a failed love affair with the somewhat jaded and commitment-phobic divorce attorney. That is, until she decides to take what she wants.
Despite scars and insecurities, when all else fails, there’s love.
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- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Had Me laughing the entire time. excellent read
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When All Else Fails - J.M. Dabney
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
When All Else Fails
Smashwords Edition
Copyright © 2014 by J.M. Dabney
ISBN: 978-1-61333-774-5
Cover art by Gilded Heart Designs
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work, in whole or in part, in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.
Published by Decadent Publishing Company, LLC
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When All Else Fails
By
J.M. Dabney
Chapter One
The hardwood floor creaked beneath her feet, and the ticking of a clock came close to driving her mad. Moving from one room to another, Eva Lange tried to quiet her mind. Weird how accustomed she’d become to the chaos—kids running in and out, cats hissing as dogs barked and bounced about. What would she do with an entire summer alone?
Bradley and Jenny had gone on vacation with their father. She’d fought the idea of their leaving, but, as teenagers, they didn’t want to spend the summer at home with their overprotective mother. The house was too quiet.
Her steps echoed on hardwood floor. An idea struck her, and she hurried to the living room to grab her phone. Removing it from the charger, she stroked her thumb over the screen, scrolling through the contacts until she found the one she needed.
’Lo?
Rolling her eyes at her sister’s familiar greeting, Eva smiled. Artie, that’s not the correct way to answer the phone. What if I’d been someone important?
You have your own special ringtone, Sis. I always know it’s you.
Artie chuckled on the other end. Going insane without my beautiful niece and nephew?
It’s terrible. Even Samson and Delilah are quiet, and that’s scary enough. You mentioned you were going out tonight. Would having your big sister tag along cramp your style?
Please tell me you’re ready to ditch the granny panties and jump back into single life.
Just because they’re white cotton doesn’t reduce them to granny-panty status.
Plain white cotton seemed to fit her, the administrative assistant with reading glasses perched on her nose.
How about Friday night? Professor Douche,
Artie groaned, hit us with a major research paper today, and I had to change my plans.
Eva snorted. He probably wouldn’t be so hard on you all, if you didn’t refer to him as a douche.
It’s more fun to make him huff. The girls and I are going out Friday night to let off steam because it seems all the professors are on the rag this week. Eight o’clock. Be at my place, and make sure you wear something that doesn’t scream soccer mom.
Eva’s face heated. "Are we going to that club again? I wasn’t fond of it last time." She had shown up in jeans, a dressy blouse, and stiletto boots to find her sister and friends wearing barely-there leather straps. The night hadn’t been the most comfortable of her life, right up there with the day Mark, her ex-husband, had brought his girlfriend with him to deliver the divorce papers.
It wasn’t that bad. But, no, we won’t be going back there anytime soon. There was an incident, of which we won’t speak.
Oh, I’ll get you to talk.
She couldn’t imagine what Artie had done. But I’ll let you get to your paper. I’ll call you Friday to see if we’re still on for going out. Is that okay?
That’s fine. I love you, big Sis, and try to have fun this summer because you never get much of a break. Enjoy it.
Love you, too. I’ll talk to you in a few days.
Ending the call, she plugged her phone back into the charger.
In the five years since her divorce, she’d only had a handful of dates. She padded through the house to the kitchen. It seemed like a wine night. Opening the fridge, she pulled out a bottle of chardonnay then turned to slide a glass from the holder over the island.
Eva strode to the back sliding door, opened it, and headed outside. She plopped onto one of the patio lounge chairs, stretching out her legs, and crossed her ankles. Pouring herself a glass of wine, she then set the bottle aside and took a long sip of the chilled liquid.
***
Eva, have the files for the Sanderson case arrived yet?
She looked up from the computer screen, saving the brief she was typing, and smiled as Andrea Slade perched on the edge of her desk. They arrived a few hours ago, while you were on your conference call. There are two months before the scheduled court date, and you’re meeting with Mr. Sanderson on Monday. He arrives on a 9:00 a.m. flight from DC that morning.
Her beautiful boss roughly combed her long, slender fingers through her short, dark-brown, silver-streaked hair. She was jealous of how the older woman seemed so put together in tailored suits that cost more than Eva made in a month. Over the five years she’d known her, Andrea had always been perfect.
Thank you. Could you please schedule a late lunch at Mario’s on Ninth Street?
Of course. Oh, Natalia called. She’s going to have to cancel your date this evening. Work emergency. She said she will call you when she lands in Milan.
Andrea and Natalia were coming up on three months of dating. They complemented each other—tall and gorgeous, professional and successful.
Andrea sighed. Call and cancel my reservation, please.
Is there anything else? Should I order you lunch?
My usual from Bernie’s Deli, and get yourself something on me.
Eva nodded and dialed the number from memory. She ordered an Italian with fries for Andrea and a salad for herself. Andrea raised an eyebrow, causing her face to flame. A day rarely went by where Andrea didn’t compliment her. Her friend knew Eva’s ex-husband had loved to point out the extra ten pounds she despaired of losing, but each extra curve came from carrying her babies. She looked womanly, and she was fine with her curves. Finished with ordering, she hung up the phone.
How are you doing with the heathens off with their father for three full months?
Eva grimaced, and her friend chuckled. "They just left yesterday, and I’m already going crazy. The house has never been so quiet. Well, not since Bradley was