Lilacs and Love Letters

By Karen Malley

All Jamie wants is to get through her senior year of college and be accepted into medical school. She doesn' t have time for the arrogant rich freshman who started attending her Bible study group, no matter how handsome he is.

Will Tarrington is used to getting his own way. After all, he does come from one of the most prominent families on the Main Line. But after a terrible tragedy, his world is shaken and he heads to college searching for an escape. When he finds himself at a Christian campus group, he just might find the peace and hope he' s searching for, all starting with Jamie, the beautiful girl with the angelic voice.

Enjoy this short prequel to the Chester County Couples series which will introduce you to the younger versions of several characters from the series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: White Rose Publishing
• Release date: Mar 15, 2024
• ISBN: 9781522304647

Book preview

Lilacs and Love Letters

A Chester County Couples Micro-read

Karen Malley

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

Lilacs and Love Letters

COPYRIGHT  by Karen Malley

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or Pelican Ventures, LLC except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

eBook editions are licensed for your personal enjoyment only. eBooks may not be re-sold, copied or given away to other people. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This is a courtesy free read. Free reads are lightly edited or unedited.

Contact Information: [e-mail]

Cover Art by Pelican Ventures, LLC

Pelican Ventures, LLC

www.pelicanbookgroup.com

PO Box 1738 *Aztec, NM * 87410

Publishing History

First Edition, 2024

Electronic 978-1-5223-0464-7

Published in the United States of America

1

Will Tarrington hurried across campus, his hoodie doing little to shield him from the downpour. Water seeped into his shoes as he splashed through puddles. Thunder rumbled overhead. The Pennsylvania air was unseasonably cold for October. Shivering, he ducked into the library entrance to escape.

Escape. He’d hoped to do that by heading to college. He’d never be completely free, though. Not from the controlling expectations of his family or from the guilt and shame plaguing him. Sure, all the parties and the girls distracted him, and the alcohol helped numb the pain, but every morning he had to wake up and face his reality. There had to be a better way.

Oh, he played the Tarrington role well, so no one around him had any idea there was anything wrong. He wore the right clothes, was pledging the right fraternity, and had schmoozed all the professors. No doubt he’d get straight A’s this semester, just as he’d done throughout high school. No, from the outside, everything was perfect.

He stood by the door, waiting for a break in the weather before heading back to his dorm. His gaze landed on the bulletin board. Apartments for rent, tutoring services offered, announcements for on-campus club meeting times…

The library door opened, and a girl with a bright red umbrella exited. She held a stapler and a sheet of paper. She glanced from the bulletin board to Will and back again.

I was going to put this up, but I think you’re the one who needs it. She handed the paper to Will, stuffed the stapler in her backpack, popped open her umbrella, and disappeared around the corner.

What was that all about? Why would he need a flyer? He read the paper in his hand.

Are you tired of pretending to be something you’re not? Do you want love and acceptance no matter your past?

Will’s heart raced. Was that girl reading his mind? He peered around the corner, but she was already long gone. He glanced back at the page. The flyer was for a Christian group that was meeting on campus. Tonight. Why had the girl given it to him? Could this be the sign he needed? Love and acceptance, no matter what? Was that even possible? He folded the paper and put it in his pocket. It couldn’t hurt to check it out. Ignoring the rain, he forged his way back to his dorm.

He swung open the door to find his room empty. Good. He didn’t want to deal with his roommate right now. He needed a few minutes of quiet.

After a hot shower and a change of clothes, he lay on his bed staring at the ceiling. He couldn’t get the girl with the red umbrella out