Yesterday Once More: A Small Town, Interracial Holiday Romance

By Yuwanda Black

PREVIEW

 

Secrets.

Passion.

Betrayal.

 

Before we were formally introduced, I almost bashed his head in with a baseball bat.

 

Raised to fight, determined to succeed, and suckled on the grist of ruthless determination, Lance Elliot had learned early in life that if you wanted something, you had to go after it.

Here in Pinewood, people help each other out. I remembered Lance's words from that day in his aunt's kitchen, when I'd almost bludgeoned him with a baseball bat. I smiled through her tears at the memory, wondering if that's all I'd ever have of him – bittersweet memories.

***

Lance Elliot

 

Disarmingly cocky with eyes that could make you forget your own name. And ... a heart of stone.

An unwanted child who'd only known the devotion of his dear Aunt Maggie, the only rules he lived by were his own. And then came the call.

 

"It's about your dad," Aunt Maggie said.

Lance stiffened. "What about him?"

"The doctors have given him only three months to live."

Lance inhaled sharply. Let the fucker die.

 

He was willing to let his father take a secret to his grave; a secret that would forever change his life -- if he cared to see the old man.

And for that, I would pay.

He would pay.

Our budding love would pay.

***

 

Mara Evans

 

Lance had a tightly leashed sense of control and fiery glare that made me weak in the knees. It excited and scared me at the same time.

How could he be so cold, yet ignite desires in me that burned hotter than the flames of hell? Maybe it was this very juxtaposition that pulled at me.

As I tried to heal from a painful past, he was the last thing I needed for my future. I should have run the minute he declared, "I may sound like a heartless bastard, but I wish he would hurry up and die."

His words were like bullets, piercing my flesh. If he could harbor such rage against his own flesh and blood, what was to prevent him from turning on me?

His fury reminded me of the last time I'd seen my ex.

***

 

I felt blood in the back of my throat, the warm stickiness of it covering my hand. "You hit me," I moaned.

This had to be a dream, I thought. As his right hand closed around my neck, I felt like I was going to pass out again. That's when I knew it was real. Too real.

"If you ever threaten to take my livelihood away from me again, I'll kill you. Do we understand each other?"

He laughed, a cackling sound that was pure evil.

I twisted my head from side to side.

"I thought you'd see it my way."

***

I shook my head to release thoughts of the past. Lance wasn't Steve. And I was already half way in love with him. 

But could he fall in love with me? Was he looking for a relationship? There was so much I didn't know about him. Was I headed for heartbreak all over again?

Or, could I convince him to confront a past that would free him to unleash the love I felt when I was in his arms?

I wanted the promise of that love ... our Yesterday Once More.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Inkwell Editorial Publishing
• Release date: Dec 11, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393639367

Yuwanda Black

I've been a reader of romance novels since I was a pre-teen. I've read hundreds of them. "Everybody wants to be loved." This is the enduring theme of all romance novels. We all want to be loved and accepted for exactly who and what we are. And that's the beauty of love – it keeps the hope alive in each of us that there is someone out there, somewhere, who will love what is unique about us. This is what keeps me reading romance, after romance, after romance. Professional Background I've been a freelance writer – for businesses – since 1993. More about my businesses can be found below. A Romance Writer Is Born I wrote my first romance novel in 2013 (3 Weeks 'til Forever). I decided to give this type of writing a try because the title popped into my head one day and just wouldn't let go. After finishing up several more romances, I realize that I've finally found my calling. I love reading – and now writing and publishing – love stories. In 2014, I formed Inkwell Editorial Publishing to bring as many stories to readers like you as possible. I hope you enjoy reading these novels as much as I enjoy bringing them to you – whether they’re written by me, or by one of our ghost writers. My Businesses New Media Words (http://NewMediaWords.biz) is my online writing company. I also publish http://InkwellEditorial.com, the leading web portal for info on how to start a successful freelance writing career. I've self-published over 50 non-fiction ebooks, mostly on the business of freelance writing, self-publishing and internet marketing. My writing online writing courses can be found at http://InkwellEditorial.Teachable.com. My fiction titles (romance) can be found at http://InkwellEditorialPublishing.com.

Book preview

Chapter 1

The intention was so innocuous. Something she did every single day.

All Mara Evans wanted was to take a look at her baby’s photos. Glancing at the sleeping child in the crib, Mara reached for the laptop. She had saved every picture she had taken of her daughter from the past two years, including the day she was born: wrinkled, wet, red, and screaming, She recalled the happiest day of her life with both a sigh of regret and elation at how fast Lizzie was growing up.

Mara powered the Mac up and immediately noticed the email in her inbox with the subject line – Re: Apartment. She and her boyfriend Steve shared the same email address. The idea was hers. Although Steve had been reluctant in the beginning, he agreed after she convinced him that most hip couples did it nowadays. She insisted that it made their relationship more significant.

Mara wondered about the subject line as she recalled an old conversation they’d had about moving to a larger apartment back when Lizzie was only a few months old. Curious, she clicked on the email. It was addressed to a real estate company, with a copy sent to someone named Felicia Love.

My girlfriend and I are deciding between the two apartments. Give us till the end of the week to decide, it read.

Mara’s initial reaction was to laugh out loud. Steve still referred to her as his girlfriend after five years of living together. Amusement was immediately replaced by confusion. They’d never gone apartment hunting, and she didn’t know anyone called Felicia, never mind Felicia Love. It sounded like a porn actress’s name to her.

A weird sensation passed through her body. She couldn’t give it a name, but it was definitely there. It was similar to standing behind the door of a haunted room at the fun house and not knowing what was beyond the door. She clamped the panic down. The email could have a totally rational explanation, even though her gut instinct screamed otherwise.

Who the hell was Felicia Love, she thought, giving in to her gut’s reaction. Before she could talk herself out of it, she went on an investigative hunt. She clicked into Facebook and opened Steve’s page. She went through his friend’s list and searched for the name Felicia. She found one, not realizing she was holding her breath as she clicked on the name and browsed through Felicia’s page.

Her idyllic world came crashing down. The woman’s page had pictures of herself and Steve, each one declaring to the world that he was her man. Or, more accurately, that he was having an affair because he was definitely living with me and our daughter. And he most definitely did not belong to a Felicia Love.

Mara felt her body go limp. Her survival instinct dictated she exit the page to be spared of further pain. But she couldn’t have done that if her life depended on it. She’d opened Pandora’s box and there was no closing it. With shaking fingers, she devoured every scintilla of information on Felicia Love’s page.

She was a twenty-eight year old divorcee from Norway. She lived in the next town of Redding. From the dated photos, Mara deduced that she and Steve had been seeing each other for just over two years.

An agonizing memory from two years ago made her whole body shake. Steve was not there when she’d given birth to Lizzie. She recalled that he’d told her that he’d had an important conference to attend; a ‘career-changing’ conference he’d told her. As disappointed as she was, she’d agreed that he shouldn’t miss it, consoling him with the fact that her parents conveniently lived twenty minutes away and that they would be with her when she gave birth. Steve’s promotion in the company had been announced during the conference, and she’d felt guilty about not being there with him.

Mara scrolled back approximately two years and searched the photos on Felicia’s page. Please don’t let it be true, she prayed as she scrolled. Please don’t let it. But she found it; a picture of them cozily sitting in a bar on the day she gave birth to their daughter.

Her brain wanted to deny the evidence in front of her. But as if the good lord himself had decreed that she wouldn’t, a big banner with the name of the conference and the date hung over the bar. Steve’s company’s logo was dead center.

Mara clamped a hand over her mouth as a loud moan escaped. Lizzie stirred gently in her crib. The Mac clicked shut as Mara slid down to the floor. She wanted to cry, to scream and shout, but her body revolted, as if staying still would make it all go away. No...no...no... she moaned softly. Her breathing as labored as the day she gave birth to her daughter; she and Steve’s daughter.

Mara dry-heaved, wildly clawing at the wooden floor, knowing she would faint if she didn’t force herself to breath. She gagged as her whole world turned upside down, memories of everything that was wrong in the last two years suffocating her as they tumbled forward.

Chapter 2

She first met Steve at the company they worked for. Even before they were formally introduced, talk was rife about this really good-looking guy from Marketing who was topping the sales charts month after month.

Mara was with Human Resources and the two departments did not socialize with one another except for annual Christmas parties. That was where they were introduced.

He had penetrating dark eyes, and the way he looked at her was something Mara never experienced before. Being new in Chicago, she had focused her energies on finding a job so she could start paying off her student loans. Guys like Steve didn’t exactly roam the streets of Pinewood, Georgia, the small town she had left behind right after graduation. And even if they had, they certainly wouldn’t have taken notice of her, she thought.

That first meeting had been magical; they’d spent the whole evening talking and dancing. Steve had confided in her about his difficulties managing the sales staff under him.

She remembered how impressed she was that he was worried about not being able to maintain his rank as the top seller of the company. "How can I tell them to be the best, if I’m not the best."

Because of her background in Psychology, Mara had suggested some training programs for his team; training that had nothing to do with the psychology of selling. "Whip smart and beautiful. The kind of woman a man can see a future with."

Mara had felt giddy with his adoration, and soon thereafter they’d been an inseparable item. Their relationship developed at warp speed, the same speed it took her to give him her heart. After six months of dating, Steve had proposed to her in front of the whole department.

A few months after that, Steve was promoted to a senior position making much more money. Mara reluctantly resigned from her job in Human Resources. It wasn’t something she’d planned, but she was so in love, and a comment Steve had made had nagged at her for weeks after he got his promotion.

We work in the same place and all we have to talk about are the people at work. It’s not healthy. And you don’t have to work, you know?

She had wanted their relationship to feel exciting and vibrant and fresh. And although he hadn’t outright asked her to resign, her knees turned to jelly whenever they talked about their work. More often than not, an argument or disagreement followed. She didn’t feel comfortable sharing her career wins or her frustrations, especially when Steve continued to make it more than clear that he didn’t want her to work.

He’d been ecstatic when she’d resigned, and she remembered the knot in her throat as she’d told her supervisor about it.

Chapter 3

Two-and-a-half years ago

But why Mara? You’re a natural for this career. You could head this department one day. And I’m not talking about ten or fifteen years from now. I’m talking three to five, her boss, Aileen Shapiro, said.

I—I had no idea you felt that way about me, Mara said, flabbergasted.

I know I’m not one for every day compliments. But surely you know how highly I think of your skills and work ethic. You remind me of myself when I first started out. Unlike you, I didn’t have a college degree. I worked my way up from the typing pool to this department. Your education coupled with your natural hard and soft skills, makes you a natural. I’ve been at this job for almost thirty-five years. I’m staring retirement straight in the face in a few years. I couldn’t imagine this department being in better hands than yours. I beg of you to reconsider, Mara.

To change her mind was on the tip of her tongue, but her gaze wandered to her engagement ring.

The look hadn’t escaped Mara’s boss. "Be sure you’re doing this because you want to; not for any other reason."

I—I’m not, Mara stuttered.

Very well, Aileen said, looking at Mara’s left-hand ring finger. I reluctantly accept your resignation.

Chapter 4

The present

Mara had never forgotten the disappointed look in her old boss’s eyes. As she stared down the lens of Father Time, she could pinpoint that moment as the day she started to lose Mara, and became ‘Steve’s fiance.

She had tolerated his night out with the boys. She had stopped going out for drinks with her girl gang and former colleagues. Her social circle had whittled down to a ring of one; her friend Abbey from high school. Being left with one friend, she was glad it had somehow been Abbey, who was a veritable genius with social media.

It was Abbey who had brought up the idea that they should sell some of her home-crafted products online. Their little home business took off; with her line of nostalgic photo binders becoming best sellers. They sold fast, which meant inventory had to be replaced fast. Mara plowed all her personal savings into buying more inventory, and hiring independent contractors to keep pace with demand. But as