Then Comes Love: Welcome to Bellhaven, #1

By Sophia Sasson

When she’s invited to the end-of-summer party, small-town waitress Lily looks forward to a rare day of fun, until her dress is ruined by a wine spilling mean girl. Things look up when she meets a handsome soldier. Except he’s not exactly available and Lily is done being second fiddle.

Joe never believed in love, let alone love at first sight, until he sees Lily. Tied between reenlisting in the army or staying to fulfill his obligations to his family, Joe suddenly finds himself needing to choose between keeping a promise he never intended to make, and one he wishes he could keep.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sophia Sasson
• Release date: Feb 4, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524239527

Book preview

Dear Reader:

This novella is a the story of Joe and Lily, two people who are trying desperately to live up to other people’s expectations; at the cost of their own happiness.  Will they find the courage to be with each other?

This story is part of the Welcome to Bellhaven series and serves as a prequel to First Comes Marriage which is available on all online retailers.

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First Comes Marriage Cover

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I hope you enjoy reading this novella. Connect with me on twitter (@SophiaSasson), find me on Facebook (/AuthorSophiaSasson) or my website http://SophiaSasson.com. I look forward to hearing from you.

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—Sophia

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

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Thank you to Linda Ingmanson for editing and polishing this novella

Chapter ONE

OOPSIE!

Lily looked down in dismay to see a big red stain blooming on her cream-colored dress.  The dress that she’d spent way too much money on in the excitement of actually having a summer party to go to. Let alone the end-of-summer party.  Sigh! She should have known Norma Jean didn’t know any fun people.

The offending brunette in the red lace dress who had carelessly tipped her wineglass grabbed a canapé from a passing waiter and popped it in her mouth. She eyed Lily. Sorry, she muttered in a tone that implied she was anything but. Maybe I did you a favor? She twitched her brow in the way snooty women do when they look down on you.

Several choice words came to Lily’s mouth, but she settled on a halfhearted No biggie and moved away before the woman caused more damage, teetering as she was on her red-and-black heels. The restroom was occupied. Lily stood outside the door and watched the well-dressed people walk by. They ignored her as if she were a picture hanging on the wall.

There’s a hallway bathroom on the second floor you can use, a helpful waiter pointed out. She smiled gratefully at the girl and made her way to the grand staircase. When Norma Jean talked about the home of her cousin-in-law Bridgette, Lily had pictured an old farm house in the Mississippi sticks. Instead she was on a plantation estate. One with inside columns, a dance hall, and marble floors, but apparently a shortage of bathrooms. Partygoers of the nineteenth century, which was obviously when the house was built, must not have had bladders.

She made her way upstairs and stopped at the landing. Bridgette had gone to the trouble of decorating the second-floor foyer with a fresh flower arrangement but not a single sign to indicate which way the bathroom might be. Eeny, meeny, miny, moe.

She walked down the hallway to the right, searching for a door that was different.  Although, she wouldn’t mind a peek inside a bedroom or two to get a glimpse of how the Southern aristocracy lived.  She saw a door that was slightly smaller than the rest. She opened it to find a linen closet. She tried the door next to it. Ah-ha!

She slipped into the bathroom, making her way to the sink. She lifted the skirt of the dress, pushing as much of it into the sink as she could while standing on her tiptoes, then turned on the faucet.

Whoosh. Is that the sound of a toilet flushing? She froze, hands bathed in water, her granny panties on display for whoever had just flushed that toilet.

She stared into the mirror, hoping it was some old woman. Nope. Why would luck be with her? The handsomest man she’d ever seen emerged from another door inside the bathroom. Who put a bathroom inside a bathroom?

He stopped when his eyes connected with hers in the mirror. Lord help her, he was dressed in army class A’s, with close-cropped dark hair and hazel eyes that sparkled with amusement as her blue ones widened in horror. And then he lowered his gaze, right to the area where her fanny was hanging out.

Be cool. Excuse me, this bathroom is taken.

His lips twitched, bringing her attention to his generous mouth, full lips against golden-brown tanned skin. Good thing her wrists were already covered with cold water.

I’m pretty sure I was here before you.  Throaty, sexy voice. Life definitely wasn’t fair.

Ever heard of lockin’ a door? she squeaked out.

Ever heard of knockin’ on a door? he drawled.

They stared at each other in the mirror. The water sloshed over the top of the sink, which