Romance Stories (4 Books in 1)

pump of hazelnut, double whip, and chocolate drizzle

im in line, didn't seem to mind that the queue at the coffee shop was already out the door. He just needed a big coffee, but

lity that wherever you went was crowded. In the Big Apple, there was no such t

had his venti macchiato or whatever it was already. However, he came to

erry Levenstein, a ruthless older ma

s too long," he said as he slipped behind hi

y grumbled before r

ed. Jerry was a recent recruit to their department, a financial whiz who outwitted John's previous supervisor and fired him for not being a team player (wha

m he works for the left at five o'clock. John didn't leave the house until almost ten o'cl

ularly

they all seemed practically similar. John was utterly disillusioned with his job path due to power-hungry supervisors, browbeaten coworkers, a

ohn wasn't sure how it all worked, but being in a relationship and pursuing her new internet profession appeared to be mutually incompatible. Renee's post was a provocative piece in which she wore as little as possible while lo

h deodorant after another long day. He was able to clock out early and go home at eight-thirty. This evening, the couple next door was already bickeri

something more t

, John's head was still stuck in the doldrums of winter. In the concrete jungle, every day looked the same. An

posite of how he had lived his first eighteen years of life, locked in a one-stoplight town and working on a nearby farm during the summers. His adolescent self believed ther

to his origins. He yearned to return to the lush meadows and attend the local county

easoned that you couldn't take the boy's

r, a troubling tendency offended his instincts. Jerry likes to cut shortcuts and manipulate figures that jeopardize the finance department's t

serting purposefully incorrect ma

on't do it?" Jerry yell

nonsense," John answered. "I

is department understa

ren't team players because we aren't g

skating on thin ice right now, "J

many times. The contact wouldn't have been too horrible on its own, but when combined with

it str

s personal belongings. "You may fudge

ay for a few seconds. Several of John's coworkers did as well,

xcellent. It's all for the best. I can't have someo

e discreetly packed his belongings and exited via th

obvious solution to his position was to begin looking for work. He

e working much too long hours? While

that alternative seemed. He'd been circling the a

r him. He didn't want to

t he felt homesick. He want

well, and he had a sizable savings account. He couldn't afford to take a year off wor

cally hope to return to the city at some point. It was a question he couldn't answer and

weekend. It was strange to see the city fade into the distance in the rearview mirror, only to be replaced by miles of open hig

unned expression when she opened t

you doing here?" She shouted a

hn replied, a little h

him. "You've got some serious ex

t less than thirty seconds to give him a place to stay. Despite her surprise at seeing h

had become like a surrogate mother to him. His cousin Lisa, his only daughter, had moved away years ago with her army spouse, and they were pres

g. It lacked the staleness and rancidity that the city was known for. Even as he drove about town, he wasn't shocked that everything looked like he had left it eight years be