Cupid’s Love Net

By Yvonne Moore

CUPID'S LOVE NET is a collection of fascinating romantic stories that will take you across the majestic Brooklyn Bridge during a blackout, the Empire State Building and exotic islands that you have never heard of. It goes to show that Cupid will find you when you least expect. A "must read."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Apr 21, 2014
• ISBN: 9781493195282

Yvonne Moore

Yvonne Moore has spent a lifetime in the healing community. A nurse, family therapist and nurse educator, while Ms. Moore’s passion is teaching, contributing to the relational connections and the wellbeing of children is her touch stone. The birth of her first child grandchild, Sasha, inspired Yvonne to explore the medium of storytelling. To develop her writing craft, Yvonne has attained a diploma from the Institute of Children’s Literature. A student of life and learning, she is currently on hiatus from her PhD studies. When she’s not writing or teaching, she’s usually found with her own, especially her grandchildren, Sasha, Jasper, and Shiloh.

Book preview

Cupid’s Love Net

Yvonne Moore

Copyright © 2014 by Yvonne Moore.

ISBN:                  Softcover                           978-1-4931-9529-9

                            eBook                                978-1-4931-9528-2

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 11/27/2019

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Contents

Starting Over

When The Lights Went Out

Lonely Heart

Nothing To Lose

Betrayed

Holiday Blues

Foolish Heart

Rekindled Love

Unexpected Love

Rebound

The New Neighbor

Daisy

Revenge

Double-Crossed

Humor

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 3:16

God’s love transcends all other love.

Starting Over

Nicole’s gaze shifted from a rainbow hanging over the mountain to the sign below: Welcome to Ocean Bay.

It had been almost six months since she left Ocean Bay after an argument with her fiancé, Nicole had met Bryan at a barbeque at her brother’s house, and there was an instant attraction. She liked his dazzling smile and charming personality. Then a tall skinny model had stormed into town, and Bryan began spending a lot of time with her. Bryan was a reporter for the Ocean Bay News, and she knew that he interviewed a lot people. But there was something about the mysterious stranger that bothered her. Maybe it was because of the rumors of her good looks.

Bryan is spending an awful lot of time with that pretty girl, her friend Lisa had warned.

I trust him. Besides, he’s never cheated before, she had replied.

There’s always a first time.

I know I’m right, she had said, although doubts were beginning to creep into her mind.

Later, she had stopped by his condominium unannounced to find out the truth. Bryan was surprised when he opened the door and saw her. Nicole! I thought you were at work. Are you okay?

I’m all right, she’d told him as she glanced around the apartment.

If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were expecting to find someone hiding in the closet, he’d said laughing.

She had confronted him about the rumors about the model, and an argument had erupted because he was angry about her distrusting him. He had told her she was not behaving like an intelligent person; at that point, love flew out the window, and she stormed out and left him staring after her, holding the engagement ring that she had pulled off her finger and stuck into his hand.

Her thoughts shifted back to the present as she saw the sunset, a beautiful masterpiece that was beckoning her to forge ahead.

Ocean Bay, a bustling seaside town, was a haven for tourists and home to several writers and artists. In the summertime, the temperature lingered in the eighties, and in the winter, it dropped to about sixty degrees.

The hilltop fortress on the outskirts of town and tales of pirates who were regular visitors in years gone by added to the mystique and nostalgia. It was also believed that sunken ships laden with priceless bounties were buried there.

The next street ahead was Elmwood, a quiet tree-lined street. She slowed and turned into the street, drove about a block and into the driveway of a white house with a front porch. She had bought the house from her aunt who had moved to a retirement village.

She parked the car, opened the trunk, retrieved her luggage, and headed for the front door.

Inside, the house looked pretty much the same. Her brother, John, had taken good care of the house while she had been away and had also rented the guest room to a couple who needed a place to stay while they were looking for a house. They had moved out recently after they had found their dream house.

She strolled into the kitchen and checked the cupboards and refrigerator to see if John had bought groceries, but there was only juice and milk. She drank some juice, opened the back door and looked out to an array of hibiscus. Her aunt had planted them many years ago, and sometimes when she went to see her at the retirement village, she would take a bunch of yellow and red ones for her. She closed the door and opened the kitchen window to let in some fresh air.

Thoughts of happier days with Bryan before the drama crept into her mind as she took off her shoes, slumped on the sofa, and closed her eyes.

She awoke from her nap to find the house in darkness except for a full moon peeping in through a window. She turned on the light and glanced at the clock on the mantelpiece. It was 8:00 p.m., and she was hungry because she had not stopped to eat on her way back home.

Got to get some groceries, she muttered, getting up, putting on her shoes, fluffing her short cropped hair, and grabbing her handbag to get to the store before closing time.

She got to Gregg’s Grocery store about twenty minutes before closing and was in the bakery section when she heard a familiar voice talking to one of the clerks—it was Bryan.

Welcome home, Nicole, he said, joining her at the counter.

Nicole noticed that he had lost the sparkle in his eyes, and she cringed, wondering if she had caused it.

Thank you, and how have you been keeping?

Okay.

We’re closing in ten minutes! a voice interrupted.

Take care, Bryan said, strutting off to the cashier with his groceries.

She wanted to hug him and tell him that she was sorry about the way their relationship ended, but she did not.

Lisa had told her that the model had left shortly after she had moved away and only came back to visit once.

I wonder if he’s seeing anyone, Nicole thought.

Back in his bachelor pad, Bryan sat in his recliner watching TV, but his thoughts were on his encounter with Nicole earlier. He thought he had seen a spark in her beautiful brown eyes, but he was not sure.

Was she happy to see him? Could they rekindle the love they once had, or was it over?

His neighbor’s dog, which he’d been taking care of while she was out of town, tugged at his slippers. She should have trusted me. Right, Rove?

Rove wagged his tail.

There’s no reason why I should put up with a jealous hot-tempered woman when there are lots of nice women out there waiting for a good man like me. I must be having a meltdown. Why on earth am I telling a dog about my problems?

That night, Nicole lay in bed tossing and turning, the rustling trees bouncing back and forth at her window.

Was there any chance of them getting back together, or should she close that chapter of her life and move on? After all, I’m not a homely looking person, and I’m only thirty-two. There must be someone out there for me, she thought.

She slept until about 9:00 a.m. then went downstairs to make breakfast. Bacon and eggs will be just fine, and of course, toast and coffee, she told