You Don't Get Joe!

By Monique DeVere

A lot can happen in six days!

There’s no secret that New York columnist Robyn (Robbie) Dare hates Valentine’s Day. So when her editor assigns her the task of writing a column about V-Day, she advises her readers to skip it. Dubbed The Valentine Hater, at least one person is out for blood, leaving Robbie little choice but to beat a hasty retreat back to her family in the UK. It wouldn’t be so bad if heartthrob Joe Langford weren’t right on hand to welcome her back. She used to have a thing for Joe. So did her sister. Five years ago, Robyn pretended to choose her career and walked away, but she always regretted her decision.

There was a time when Joe longed to rectify the mistake he made when he let the woman he loved walk out of his life. Now she’s back and bringing a heap of trouble with her. Good thing Joe likes trouble. He isn’t sure how this mess will turn out, but one thing Joe knows for sure, skipping Valentine’s Day just might be the best thing Robbie ever did!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Monique DeVere
• Release date: Mar 26, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005666729

Monique DeVere

Monique DeVere grew up on a plantation on the beautiful island of Barbados, where her childhood was all about exploring and letting her imagination run free. She moved to the UK as a teen and soon fell in love at first sight with her amazing, strong-silent-type husband. They have four beautiful children and four incredible grandchildren.Monique writes sweet ‘n’ spicy romance, and when she isn’t working on the next novel or movie script, she can be found spending time with hubby and family, armchair travelling, creating recipes, reading about health and nutrition, or working on her spiritual growth. She enjoys going for walks, gardening, or simply crazy-dancing around the house. Monique loves to hear from her readers. You can email her at [e-mail], or contact her by visiting her website: www.moniquedevere.com or blog: http://moniquedevere.blogspot.co.uk to learn more about her books. You can also visit her Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/moniquedevere or follow her on Twitter: @MoniqueDeVere or Instagram: authormdvGet The Forever Deal FREE when you sign up to Monique’s New Release Newsletter Here: https://bit.ly/TFDsignup151220

Book preview

You Don’t Get Joe!

by

Monique DeVere

© Monique DeVere 2021

Smashwords Edition

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and events described herein are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, therefore not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locations, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this story may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author. Except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles or reviews.

You Don’t Get Joe!

COPYRIGHT © 2021 by Monique DeVere

Published by Crystal Swan Publications

United Kingdom

Contact Information: [e-mail]

Cover Designed by Crystal Swan

With thanks to FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Smashwords License Statement

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 reader. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Contents

Back Cover Copy

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Free Story Download

Meet the Author

Back Cover Copy

A lot can happen in six days!

There’s no secret that New York columnist Robyn (Robbie) Dare hates Valentine’s Day. So when her editor assigns her the task of writing a column about V-Day, she advises her readers to skip it. Dubbed The Valentine Hater, at least one person is out for blood, leaving Robbie little choice but to beat a hasty retreat back to her family in the UK. It wouldn’t be so bad if heartthrob Joe Langford weren’t right on hand to welcome her back. She used to have a thing for Joe. So did her sister. Five years ago, Robyn pretended to choose her career and walked away, but she always regretted her decision.

There was a time when Joe longed to rectify the mistake he made when he let the woman he loved walk out of his life. Now she’s back and bringing a heap of trouble with her. Good thing Joe likes trouble. He isn’t sure how this mess will turn out, but one thing Joe knows for sure, skipping Valentine’s Day just might be the best thing Robbie ever did!

Chapter One

Six days ‘til Valentine’s Day

...Three hundred and sixty-five—sometimes sixty-six—days of any given year to find love, and the whole world zeros in on one commercial day. In every city, six short days from now, love-starved hopefuls will pin their collective expectations on the flimsy fantasy that Valentine’s will be the day Mr Right comes along. Or, if you’ve fooled yourself into thinking he’s already arrived, you’ll be waiting with bated breath for him to whisk you off to some romantic restaurant. Ply you with fine wine and rich food, then drop to one knee in the middle of the restaurant filled with other misguided hopefuls, and propose. Let me assure you, ladies, Mr Right doesn’t exist! Like this ridiculous holiday, he’s a fallacy. A myth created by overzealous romantics, and deluded naïvetés.

Do yourselves a favour, and take my advice.

Skip Valentine’s.

It’s a waste of a day!

"Robbie, what were you thinking when you wrote this column?" Her best friend, Cyndi, brandished the magazine under Robyn Dare’s nose.

She empathised with Cyndi’s reaction. Understood why she would be so annoyed. Not only had Robyn dissed Valentine’s. She also managed to get herself—and Cyndi by association—ostracized by everyone she met, and quite a few people she already knew.

Even the gentle Italian grandmother who owned Café Crysta, a popular coffeehouse on the Upper West Side, who usually served her and Cyndi their mocha choco lattes and fresh-from-the-oven chocolate croissants, got more than a little snippy with her today.

Robyn pulled out a chair from under a corner table beside one of the floor-to-ceiling French windows and sat.

That it’s about time someone made a stand.

Robyn’s column usually focused on eateries and the food they served. She was a sort of food critic with an eye on which celebs were eating where. So the whole Valentine’s thing was a step out of her usual subject matter.

Cyndi’s gaze skated around the café. She lowered her voice as she sat on the chair opposite Robyn’s.

Against Valentine’s Day? People expect certain things from your column. Like whether the latest pop star ordered salad or the calorie-laden special. Or if they shared dessert with their date and what they were up to.

I maintain what I said. We should all skip Valentine’s. Even to her, she sounded callous. Robyn ignored a pang of remorse as she shrugged out of her coat. She’d made a promise to herself: toughen up, or accept herself as a push-over forever. She pulled off her cable-knit peaked cap and turned her attention to the snow-covered walkway outside the New York coffeehouse. Café Crysta was known for its creative coffees, and vast selection of fresh-baked pastries and desserts. It was also a hangout for writers, actors and artists, which was how Robyn came to find it three years ago. Since then, she and Cyndi had come here for coffee every day.

You do know they’ve dubbed you The Valentine Hater, right?

Where has originality gone?

"You have to fix this.