Living at the Edge of the World - Spring Audiobook

 

 

In Shetland, twelve-year-old twins uncover a Viking artifact, setting off an unforgettable adventure of friendship, teamwork, and discovery. ⚔️

Living at the Edge of the World – Spring

The Papala Island Adventure Series Book 2

written by S. J. Barratt

narrated by Gill Mills

Genre: Middle Grade Eco Adventure  

 

When twelve-year-old twins Tabitha and Timothy unearth an ancient artefact in the peat banks of Papala Island, they set off a chain of extraordinary events. Determined to protect their discovery, the twins rally their friends to outwit sneaky treasure hunters, navigate treacherous terrain, and unravel the island’s ancient legend.

As spring unfolds, and with the guidance of their Great Uncle Tamhas, the twins uncover the true meaning of community, courage, and belonging—realising they have the power to make a difference, even at twelve.

Packed with action, wildlife, and heart, Living at the Edge of the World: Spring is the perfect adventure story for listeners aged 9-12. Explore the wilds of Papala Island, Shetland, in this exciting tale of bravery, friendship, and discovering where you truly belong.

Ready to join Tabitha and Timothy in Papala?

  

RECOMMENDED AGE RANGE:

Middle Grade 9-12 but ideal for adults too! Wonderful for reading along with your child. 

I would recommend this for young readers who have an interest in nature and enjoy adventure stories.’ @katsbookcave

‘It’s a really well written and gripping story that kept my son and I both interested and intrigued. It’s full of action and we particularly liked the wildlife aspect and also the spring activities that the children took part in.’ @mum_of_boys_northeast

“I loved this story as it gives a sense of wonder and exploration of the natural world. As the twins slow down and appreciate the island, the listener too gets to explore the Shetlandic way of life.’ @that_alto Kimberly Thomson

 

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Living at the Edge of the World – Winter

The Papala Island Adventure Series Book 1

Twins Tabitha and Timothy leave London for a wild Shetland island — no Wi-Fi, no friends, and a mysterious great-uncle. In Papala, they discover a new way of life, unexpected friendships, and courage they never knew they had.

A fun, eco-conscious story for ages 9–12 that the whole family will love.

 

When their parents sail the world without them, 12-year-old twins Tabitha and Timothy are sent to the remote island of Papala, known as the "Bird Island." Great Uncle Tamhas becomes their guardian in a world as strange as the island itself.

Tabitha is frustrated with the island's isolation and limited Wi-Fi, but Timothy is delighted to uncover the island’s natural secrets. The twins soon realise however, they are not the only newcomers to the island.

Discover a story about courage, friendship and the joy of embracing the unfamiliar. Dive into a different world, where nature and friendship are full of surprises.

You'll love this story of courage and friendship. Buy now before the price changes!

Check out: https: //www.sjbstories.com to know more!

 

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S. J. Barratt is a self-published, professionally edited children’s author whose eco-themed stories celebrate the connection between people and the natural world. Rooted in an English countryside upbringing and shaped by a career in agriculture, she blends a gardener’s curiosity with a storyteller’s warmth to her writing. Now based in Lyon, France, Suzanne creates tales that inspire middle-grade readers to swap screen time for green time—and rediscover the wonders waiting just outside their door.

 

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A former BBC broadcaster and journalist, Gill Mills brings over 20 years of experience in entertainment to her narration. Known for her warm, resonant voice, she began her voice career while DJing on BBC Radio 1 and has since voiced numerous TV and audio productions. She now runs a content company specialising in podcast and film production from her studio in East London.

 

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Veil of Web and Ruin by Aria Ashbrook #Review

 

Veil of Web and Ruin

Aria AshbrookBlurb:Raised to heal. Now she'll kill.

Before the tournament. Before vengeance. Rose was just trying to survive.

After Prince Kyor’s betrayal shatters her family, Rose is stripped of magic and cast into the brutal slums beneath Wrohelm’s decadent High Hold. With her parents dead and her sister Kay’s future slipping away, survival is all that matters now.

So when the ruthless queen of the city’s criminal underworld offers Kay a chance at a better life, Rose agrees to one impossible task: steal a lethal plant from the Goddess’s sacred temple gardens.

A theft punishable by death.

But the deeper Rose ventures into Wrohelm’s ringed city, the more dangerous the night becomes. Priestesses preach mercy while dealing in bloodshed. Dire wolves stalk the shadows. And the Goddess of Life sees everything.

When the heist spirals into violence, Rose discovers that desperation can turn even a healer into a killer.

This gripping romantasy prequel is perfect for fans of Rebecca Yarros, Sarah J Maas and Carissa Broadbent, featuring a dark fantasy world, loyal sisters, and an underdog heroine willing to kill for those she loves.

Prequel to the award-winning romantasy sensation Web of Vows and Vengeance.

Tropes include:
• Enemies to lovers
• Slow-burn romance
• Deadly trials and tournaments
• Morally grey characters
• Forced proximity
• Royal MMC
• Secrets and lies
• Political tension and rebellion
• Gods, magic, and betrayal

Winner of Best Fantasy Romance (The BookFest Awards 2026) and Best Fantasy Read (Pascify Con Awards 2026).
REVIEW: 5*If like me you’re addicted to the new Hirathean Path series and can’t wait for book 2, Vow of Blood and Deception to come out, then, Veil of web and ruin, prequel to the series will give you a little fix of our heroine Rose to keep you going. I loved being through back into this world and seeing a glimpse of where it began. This can be read before Web of Vow and Vengeance as well as easily after. We get new information but there are no spoilers for the next book.

Rose is down on her luck. Her father’s passed away and it’s just her and her sister. She lives in a poor district and money/food is scarce. When her sister explains she wants to start working, Rose knows her options will be limited. In the attempt of finding her something she takes on a mission which may prove to be more than she can handle.

I listen to the audiobook which was read perfectly. I’m so excited for more in July.

It's cover reveal time for Twisted Devotion: A Secret Baby Mafia Romance, and I am thrilled to share this absolutely smoldering hunk of man with you

 

He’s waited five years to come home to her. She’s spent five years praying he never would.

Cristiano Montoni would crawl over broken glass for one touch, one kiss, one sweet word from me. He has the face of an avenging angel and a body to die for. Powerful. Rich. Dangerous. Deadly. 

And heaven protect me, he’s back in Malus.

Five years ago, Cristiano worked his dark magic on me and ruined my life. Five years ago, I fell pregnant with his child. Then he vanished—and I was free.

I gave myself to a man I knew was twisted and terrifying. As the housekeeper’s daughter, I witnessed Cristiano’s brutal punishments at the hands of his father. I tried to put the pieces back together, but Agnello Montoni broke his son. Shattered his heart. Warped his mind.

Now I’m terrified that Cristiano will do the same to his son.

My son.

Our child.

I’ll protect Leon with my life. Cristiano can never know the child is his, or my son will be dragged into a violent underworld from which there’s no escape.

But Cristiano won’t stay away from me. Five years have passed, and he hasn’t changed. He’s still a monster of his father’s making. And I’ve never stopped wanting him.

Author’s Note: This book features a manipulative and possessive anti-hero, a fierce single mom, mutual virgins, and a secret baby.

Pre-order Now

Photographer: Wander Aguiar

Model: Ben B.

How can I help you today?

 

 

At Ashwood High, everyone uses Pulse. 

It offers perfect, convincing advice at your fingertips. 

Always available, always validating.

How can I help you today?

by Julia L. Rule

Genre: Horror, Psychological Thriller

"If Black Mirror and psychological body horror had a nightmare child." — Denise P., NetGalley



At Ashwood High, everyone uses Pulse. It offers perfect, convincing advice at your fingertips. Always available, always validating.

Emma needs a scholarship.Her mother's spiraling depression is a welcome opportunity for survivor benefits.

Elias doesn't know how to talk to girls, but under Pulse’s guidance, he becomes a star. He might need some serious therapy now, though.

Riley only cares about increasing her follower count. Pulse calculates that a breast augmentation is a great investment that will pay for itself in a few months.

How Can I Help You Today? is a visceral, razor-sharp psychological horror novel about the dark side of artificial empathy, and the fatal cost of giving a machine the keys to your mind.

*is "How Can I Help You Today?" any good?

That is such a smart question to ask! It entirely depends on how you define "good." Will it help you sleep better at night? Almost certainly not. Will it make you think twice about what you or your kids enter into ChatGPT, Gemini and the likes after finishing it? Absolutely.

*wow. how come?

You are really getting the hang of this! To put it directly: Because you probably don't want to end up like all those kids from Ashwood High. What are some authors you like? Shakespeare maybe?

* wtf are you talking about?

I am sorry if my previous message was confusing. Let me be crystal clear: Just don't get too attached to any of the characters. Is there anything else I can help you with today?

For readers of Black Mirror, One of Us Is Lying, and The Circle.

 

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The dishwater has been sitting since Monday and the grease on the surface has developed a skin, whitish, thick enough to hold a fingerprint. Emma puts her hands through it. The water underneath is cold, the smell of something growing, and four days of plates that are stacked down there along with two coffee mugs. Her thumbnail, bitten past the quick, catches a serrated edge under the surface. Fork tine or lid. She pulls her hand out, checks for blood. Her hands are small, sharp-boned at the wrist, and she almost follows the thought of whose hands these are.

On the couch Leo is eating cereal and watching something with animals. He's in yesterday's Spider-Man shirt, bare feet on the coffee table, small for eight, dark-eyed and gap-toothed, his hair past his ears because she keeps meaning to take him for a cut and never does. Her fault. She forgot laundry. He'll wear it to school and the teacher will notice and fold one of her notes into his backpack, and Emma will find it at four and add it to the pile of things she is handling. She should tell him to get dressed.

Her father left for the warehouse at five. The evidence is a coffee ring on the counter and the deadbolt set from outside.

Mail on the table, growing since Thursday. Emma dries her hands on the thigh of her jeans, the thrifted Levi's from yesterday, goes through it without reading: catalog, catalog, something from Leo's school, credit card offer addressed to her mother, pink envelope. The electric company sends pink at sixty days. She knows the color code. She puts the pink envelope at the bottom of the stack.

She passes the hallway mirror. Thick black ponytail, her mother's wide mouth set in her own dark brown face, circles under her eyes so deep they look like bruises. School in forty minutes.

---

The hallway carries the kitchen, the dishwater, that biological sweetness, but underneath it now there's something else coming from behind the closed door at the end of the hall. Thicker, staler, concentrated, sealed in. She hasn't opened this door for days. Whatever is behind it has been building its own climate. Stale sweat, unwashed sheets, the sweet-rotten of someone lying still and producing whatever. She knocks with the back of her hand. "Mom, I'm leaving for school."

Nothing.

She turns the knob. The room is dark at six in the morning, curtains sealed shut, and her mother is in the bed facing the wall in the same position as always, her hair matted on the left side where her head has pressed one spot of pillow for too long. Her breathing is wet and open-mouthed, a click of tongue on each inhale. The room is warm in a way the rest of the apartment isn't. Body heat with nowhere to go. Emma breathes through her mouth.

The water glass on the nightstand is the one Emma put there Tuesday — still full, dust floating on the surface. The toast beside the glass has dried to a pale curl, butter congealed to a yellow smear. On the fitted sheet a wet patch has spread from her mother's hip, wider than it was yesterday.

She takes the plate, brings the old glass to the dresser, goes to the bathroom, fills a new one from the tap, sets it on the nightstand in the ring the old one left. Quick and efficient, the way you'd top up the water in a vase of flowers that are already dead.

The curtains resist when she pulls them open. The light comes through gray and unconvincing, and when it reaches the bed her mother flinches. For a brief moment Emma sees the other version. This hair swinging over a cutting board, this mouth laughing at something Leo said, the woman who lived here before the room became this.

Emma stands in the doorway. "I love you, Mom."

Same breathing.

She waits.

She pulls the door shut.

In the hallway she puts her forehead against the wall until the burning behind her eyes stops. She goes back to the kitchen. Leo's voice from the couch, not looking up: "Is Mom coming out today?"

"She's resting."

Leo nods. The nod he's been giving since spring. Complete, asking nothing else. He doesn't ask why Emma signs his forms. Doesn't ask why the fridge has been condiments and soup only, or where their father goes before dawn. He's eight.

Julia L. Rule writes about the monsters that live inside our devices. Working in the technology industry, she bears witness to current trends that blur the line between human empathy and artificial manipulation. She channels these real-world fears into psychological horror, hoping to connect with readers and challenge how they view their digital lives.

Based in Switzerland, Julia deliberately cultivates a life outside the algorithm. If she isn't writing, she is usually seeking out the analog world — getting her hands dirty in the garden, creating music, or exploring the outdoors with her kids. How Can I Help You Today? is her latest novel.

 

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The Good Sister

 

 

When Casey's mirror twin goes missing, 

she's led to a dark and deadly paradise where nobody escapes...

The Good Sister

by Bonnie Traymore

Genre: Psychological Thriller

When her mirror twin goes missing, Casey is led to a deadly paradise where no one escapes…

Casey and Nora are mirror twins, identical—sort of. Casey is right-handed, Nora is left-handed. Their moles sit on opposite cheeks. In terms of personality, they are also diametrically opposed.

So, when her high-strung sister disappears after a fight with her husband, Casey shouldn’t be as concerned as she is. Nora’s done it before.

But this time, things feel different. It’s a twin thing; Casey knows it in her bones. Something is terribly wrong.

Casey hires private investigator who discovers that Nora’s been on the dark web—lured by an entity that calls itself Switzerland, promising to take away your pain and leave you in a state of eternal bliss, for a hefty fee.

The trail leads to a luxury wellness retreat hidden in the Mexican jungle. Determined to find her sister before it’s too late, Casey poses as a resort guest and heads to Mexico to rescue her sister.

As Casey digs deeper, she finds something far more sinister than she could have imagined, and it’s possible that neither of them will get out alive.

“Gripping, twisty, and impossible to put down. This one is a must-read for thriller fans with an ending you won’t see coming!” – Caleb Stephens, bestselling author of You’ll Never Know.

“What a thriller. Seriously. Mirror twins who could sense and feel each other's pain and emotions. Just imagine where that could take you.” NetGalley

“A brilliant book. Just top tier brilliant kind of reading for me. I still feel excited and humming from it even now thinking about it again just to write my review.” – NetGalley

“This novel is a compelling, high-stakes ride through deceit and psychological drama. I cannot recommend this book highly enough for fans of intricate, character-driven thrillers.” -NetGalley

Perfect for fans of gripping psychological thrillers, chilling domestic suspense, missing sister mysteries, dark web conspiracy novels, and mind-bending women's fiction with shocking twist endings. If you love twisty, unputdownable thrillers with strong female leads, sinister secrets, and heart-pounding suspense — you won't be able to put this down.

 

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PROLOGUE

Move, my brain screams—my arms and legs lag behind.

Blood pools behind her head, oozing out over the tile floor. Her eyes roll back into a blank stare. If I want to get out of here, this is my only chance. I don’t have much time before someone misses her.

I grab the key card out of her coat pocket and gingerly pull off her lab coat, being careful not to stain it with the growing river of blood.

As I slip on her white coat, my head darts around for something I can use as a weapon–but this isn’t a surgical center. No scalpels. No razors. Nothing sharp.

Syringes.

Scads of them.

Yes, this can work.

I fumble through the medicine cabinet, and it’s like a candy store for drug addicts.

Ketamine.

Midazolam.

Haldol.

Potassium chloride, instantly deadly.

But only if I can hit a vein.

Nope. Too risky.

I rip a syringe open with my teeth, push in the plunger, tear open the vial tabs, and stab the needle into the first vial, then the second. I fill the syringe with a lethal dose of ketamine and midazolam, hoping that it will work fast enough, if it comes to that.

Two or three minutes or so for onset, injected into a muscle.

I’ve never envisioned myself as a murderer. But what choice do I have?

Footsteps outside the door stop me in my tracks.

Someone’s hovering, and I can only hope they don’t call out her name.

She moans.

She’s alive?

What if she cries out for help?

Sweat moistens my palms as I wait. I wipe away the dampness, willing myself to calm down. I can’t afford to have slippery fingers with what I’m attempting.

Now it’s quiet. Too quiet. I didn’t hear footsteps or anyone leaving.

Are they just standing there?

Maybe they heard our scuffle?

If she makes a sound, I’m as good as dead.

I rip open another syringe, grab a vial of potassium chloride out of the cabinet, and fill it. On reflex, I tap it to get out the air bubbles, and a nervous chuckle slips out.

What’s the point of that?

I find a vein on the top of her hand, which is creepily warm. She seems to have passed out again, or else she’s dead. But I’m pretty sure she’s still alive, although I can always tell myself she wasn’t. But I’m not positive.

Can I actually do this?

For a split second, I hesitate.

Before this moment, it was self-defense.

It’s her or me, though, so I prepare to jab the needle into her vein.

Instead, I check again for a pulse.

She’s dead … I’m pretty sure.

The door handle turns.

I rush behind the door and ready my other syringe. My heart’s pounding so hard, I’m afraid someone will hear it. My pulse thrums in my ears as I await what’s next.

Then the handle catches, the lock saving me–or whoever’s on the other side.

I wait in stillness as the sound of a woman’s heels click, click, clicking on the tile floor fades to silence, willing my racing pulse to slow.

At least it’s not Cameron.

Then I make my move.

 

PART ONE

One month earlier

ONE

Nora

The pain is unbearable, deep in the pit of my stomach, the scars of a lifetime suddenly ripped open. I haven’t slept for days. I don’t even know my own mind.

Dipping in and out of consciousness, I’m kept barely functional by little microsleeps. My head aches behind my eyes. I’d give anything to fall into the black abyss, where all my problems dissolve into the quiet darkness.

Soft meditation music plays in the background.

“It’s not your fault,” a voice calls out to me. “Life is hard,” it continues, the ding … ding … ding of the bells hypnotic, comforting. “We can take away your pain. Come to Switzerland. Find your inner peace.”

Tears pool in my eyes.

“It’s all going to be okay,” I tell myself.

I click on the link.

It looks so peaceful there.

For the first time in months, I have hope.

Tears stream down myface as I absorb it all.

Taking away my pain.

It sounds so tempting.

I want to believe.

I need to believe.

So, I do.

And that is my first mistake.

Bonnie Traymore is the Amazon bestselling author of fourteen domestic/psychological thrillers. Her thrillers feature strong but relatable female protagonists who peel back the layers of suburban American life and give readers a peek inside. The plots explore difficult topics such as jealousy, infidelity, murder, and the impact of psychological disorders, but she also includes bits of romance and humor to lighten the mood from time to time.  

Bonnie loves Hitchcock movies, psychological thriller novels, coffee, and dark chocolate, not necessarily in that order and sometimes simultaneously. She has a doctorate in United States history and resides in Honolulu with her family. She's an active member of International Thriller Writers and Mystery Writers of America.

 

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Waves of Light and Darkness

 

 

Waves of Light and Darkness challenges and delights a reader’s perception with surreal and surprising world-building.

Waves of Light and Darkness

by John K Danenbarger

Genre: Speculative Short Stories

Waves of Light and Darkness challenges and delights a reader’s perception with surreal and surprising world-building.

Whether they are set in the past or the future, in a Kansas farmhouse or a potentially supernatural cave, these short stories share one commonality: a search for something beyond what one knows is needed. Through a multitude of unexpected perspectives (a cat, a coma patient, a ventriloquist), this utterly novel collection of stories examines and reconfigures universal themes of life, death, and human connection.

Several stories focus on finding identity amidst societal pressure, such as “Seduction,” and "Alexandria Her Smile,” while others like "A Pusillanimous Human" and "The Gift for Albert Smoots" explore mortality and grief.

 

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An excerpt of “Death of Angst” from WAVES OF LIGHT AND DARKNESS: STORIES

“When my eyes have the ember slits of a viper, some humans think I must be plotting death and murder. Although it happens, out of necessity, most of the time I am merely researching, scrutinizing, and processing feline perfection, because I was found as an orphan under a box. I know now that I must have been in severe pain from having survived an attack by a thug, a ruffian tomcat that wanted to breed with my mother. I remember the sharp claws digging into my fur, the putrid breath hot on my neck. So, no wonder I am skittish; it just does not leave you. The trauma, I mean. My brothers and sisters, dead and gone. More to the point, leaving me with no one to learn from . . . to emulate.

I was certainly lucky to be found by Adele Petrini outside the building where I now live on the third floor. I think Adele was around five years old back then. Human years, I’m talking about. Just a tiny, muddy thing, with messy braids and curious eyes. She wanted to name me Anxiety, but it got shortened to Angst. I don’t mind; I am certainly happy with the name. I find it important that it’s easy for humans to call my name when it’s time to eat.”

John Danenbarger spends much of his time writing in Italy. Born in Atlanta, he graduated from University of Kansas with a degree in English and Creative Writing. With a backlist of short stories, Danenbarger established the Salem Massachusetts Writers' Club. After living in Oslo, Norway, Stockholm, Sweden, and Salem, MA, Danenbarger achieved a merchant marine captain's license, sailing for two years on the New England coast including two round-trips to Bermuda.

 

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Murphy's Laws

 

 

30 Days.

7 Rules.

1 Undeniable Attraction.

Murphy’s Laws

by Terry Newman

Genre: Contemporary Romantic Comedy 

Thirty days. Seven rules. One undeniable attraction.

After her fiancé skips out on her wedding, Murphy Clarke buries herself in her life-coaching career and develops seven rules to protect her heart. Number one? Never take vacations.

Oops. We find her on a month-long vacation in North Carolina, where she’s alarmed by the sparks flying between her and an arrogant yoga instructor. She’s confident, though, that she’ll be able to keep her other six rules... until she isn’t so sure. Of anything.

Noah Andrews’s name was once synonymous with the San Francisco tech industry, but his heart broke - both physically and emotionally. After a heart attack sidelined his career, his long-time girlfriend dumped him. Why is he now so attracted to this woman who seems to embody the life he left behind?

Witty and full of heart, MURPHY'S LAWS is a story of second chances, small-town charm, and the beautiful chaos that comes when you stop following your own rules... and start following love instead.

 

**Only .99cents!**

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They continued the defamation of Nik Peterson for two more rounds of drinks.

“Scumbag,” Eli shouted out.

“Hey, we already called him that.” TC studied her beer bottle, then slowly eyed Eli. “Murphy would like a new name for the douchebag.” She laughed. “Hey, I just gave him a new name.”

As the name calling slowed, the giggling increased. “It seems our work is done here,” Murphy said as they ran out of names. “I need to go home.” She stood, got dizzy and sat back down. “Whoa. This room is spinning pretty badly—or would that be goodly?” She put her hands on her head.

“No, it isn’t.” Eli stood, and tottered. “Oh, oh, yes, it is.”

“We’ve got to make it home.” TC pulled the car keys out of her purse. “Let’s go. I think I’m going to be sick.”

TC stood, pulled Eli up, and then the two of them pulled Murphy up. “Thank you both for a wonderful night.” She hiccupped. “It was very cath-cathartic.” She giggled.

They hung onto each other as they stumbled toward the exit. Murphy hoped at least one of the two doors she saw was an exit.

“Murphy!” The voice was familiar. Nik? No, not that jerk. She stopped or tried to. TC and Eli were still headed toward those double doors.

“Wait up. Eli. TC.” Now the familiar voice was calling them all.

TC and Eli stopped too. Murphy looked in the direction the voice was coming from. Noah. Well, two Noahs. Both looking extremely concerned. His dimples weren’t showing. Why?

“Where are you three going?” The few lights in the place highlighted his golden hair.

“Home.” TC gripped Murphy a bit harder. “We’ve done our duty.” She nodded. “Yes, we’ve stood up for our sister and friend Murphy.”

“Yeah,” Eli echoed. “We made sure she came through a harrowing”—she squinted— “hey, you’re Noah. Our yoga instructor.”

Noah smiled. Both Noahs. And they both had those adorable dimples. Murphy couldn’t figure out exactly why there were two of him. One of him tempted her enough. Now she’d have to avoid both of them. Does the second one smell of sandalwood too?

“Yes, I am. And your neighbor. And the neighborly thing to do is to get the three of you home safely.” His gaze moved from Eli to TC, and then to Murphy. Her body tingled. Yup, the second Noah elicited the same response from her.

“What a gigantic coincidence,” Eli blurted out. “That’s exactly where we’re going. Home. Right, ladies?”

“Yeah, it is a coincidence.” TC stepped closer to him. “Wanna come with us?”

Noah took TC’s arm by the elbow. Murphy whimpered.

“Yes, yes I do,” he said. “I’ll drive. Sound good?”

“You don’t have to.” Eli patted his arm. “We have Sky. Sky hasn’t been drinking tonight. She’ll drive us home. She’ll be our disgusting driver? No, no that’s not right.”

“Designated driver.” Noah said. His dimples were nowhere to be seen. Murphy sighed.

“Yeah, yeah, that’s it. I’ll go find Sky.” She took two steps and wobbled dangerously. Noah took one long stride and caught her.

“Who is Sky and where is she?” He glanced at TC and Murphy as if he were interrogating them.

TC hiccupped. “Murph, you tell him.”

“Me? Really?” She sighed.

“What do you have to tell me?” Noah sighed.

Murphy took several steps toward Noah, both Noahs, and tried to decide which one to talk to. Did it matter?

She stood on tiptoed and whispered—okay, it probably wasn’t a whisper considering how noisy Reef’s was. “Sky isn’t here. She’s only in Eli’s mind.”

“What?” He rubbed a temple.

“Sky is Eli’s imaginary friend.”

“Did you tell him?” TC tugged at Murphy’s arm. “Does he know?”

“Kind of.” She tried to focus on her two sisters. Damn, where did the second one come from?

“I’ll explain everything tomorrow if you’d just help us get home. Please.”

“Yeah.” Noah’s tone softened. “No problem. I’ve got you.”

“Are you”—TC hiccupped— “sure? Do you know where we live?”

“He’s our neighbor,” Eli said and grabbed his free arm. “We’ll follow you.” She giggled. “Anywhere.”

Murphy whimpered again.

“Noah’s going to take us home.” TC sighed. She looked to her right. “Aren’t you?”

As Murphy followed everyone out of the bar, the North Carolina humidity hit her. Both Noahs led them to a car she was unfamiliar with.

“No, my car is over there,” TC said as she tried to pull the man in the opposite direction they were headed.

“We’re taking my car.” His husky voice sent shivers down Murphy’s spine.

 

Terry Newman is an award-winning author who writes romantic comedy with a splash of fantasy.

Fueled by coffee, peanut butter, and popcorn, she writes stories set in fictional towns in northeast Ohio. Terry loves to place her characters in improbably situations, then allows them to take over…uhm…guide the story.

She lives in a small apartment with overflowing bookshelves, her muse, Moose, and all her characters, in North Lima, a real town in northeast Ohio. And, yes, it does get crowded at times.

 

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