The Congressman’s Wife
by Charlene Keel
GENRE: Contemporary Romance
BLURB:
EXCERPT:
Love
at First Sight
This
was an important night and Eden
was at her best. Her makeup was flawless
and she’d pulled her honey-blonde hair up, letting it cascade down her back in
a waterfall of curls. Her Norma Kamali gown, a dark emerald green that made her
eyes sparkle, clung to her body and defined every curve.
Mitchell
took her elbow and steered her towards the entrance to the ballroom, and the
photographers followed them inside. They
had missed cocktails, partly because Mitchell wanted them to make an entrance,
but mostly because he didn’t want her to have access to freely flowing liquor
so soon after they’d had a fight. The
row they’d had earlier had been a big one.
He
didn’t like it when she told him he was getting ahead of himself. As soon as he’d decided to run for congress,
he’d started spending, running up the balance on their credit cards. There was no guarantee he’d win, she’d argued,
even though he was well known on the political scene. His family had owned a few dozen acres in
this part of Long Island for over a hundred
years, and his father had been a state Supreme Court judge. Mitchell was convinced that, along with his
mayoral record, it was enough to guarantee him a seat in congress.
The
fight tonight had started when she’d reminded him that if the dinner didn’t go
well, his campaign would be over before it got started. This was their first formal fundraiser. At five hundred dollars a plate, she was
worried they wouldn’t meet their goal.
Their
argument had been pointless—like most of them.
When he had his mind set on something, Mitchell didn’t want to hear that
his scheme of the moment was imperfect, and he especially didn’t like being
told it wasn’t smart to spend money they didn’t have. They both had ample designer wardrobes, but
he had insisted on the expensive gown for Eden
and a new tuxedo for himself. The limo
had been his campaign manager’s idea and she thought it ridiculous. Mitchell, however, had been delighted.
All
she had been able to think of as she got dressed was that their credit cards
were almost maxed out—again. Whether he
won the election or not, she would have to get a second job if she didn’t want
him to ask his mother to pay them down—again.
His law practice, which could have been successful if he would stay
focused on it, was suffering because of all the time he was putting into the
campaign.
Mitchell
didn’t cope well with any kind of disappointment and if tonight was a washout,
he would be impossible. She was so tired
of taking care of him, doing everything for him, especially the constant,
incessant ego stroking he required.
As
they walked into the Ocean Club, appreciative murmurs swept through the
crowd—most of the comments she’d heard before.
Mitchell and Eden Bancroft were the glamorous, golden couple—beautiful,
bright, young, sophisticated and well-connected pillars of the community. Suddenly, a new insight dawned on her.
Except
for his height Mitchell was completely unremarkable. Having her at his side transformed him into a
mysterious, even sexy man. To look as
ordinary as he did and still get a woman like Eden made him sexy. This unexpected epiphany delighted her. Laughter bubbled up in her throat as she
flashed her million-dollar smile.
That’s
when Kaleb saw her. He had gone out to
the dining room to consult with the maître d’ and as he started back to the
kitchen, he heard the full, rich sound of her laughter. He’d turned to see where it was coming from
and at that moment, for him, time stopped.
It was as if every moving part of the universe froze in a weird kind of
suspended animation. For a moment he
could hardly breathe. He couldn’t take
his eyes off her.
She
was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.
Her dress was emerald green, slightly darker than her eyes, and her
just-right tan accented her soft, blonde hair.
It looked soft anyway, and her skin looked dewy and inviting. Kaleb stared at her in awe. Doris, a waitress who had worked all day at
her regular job and was doing the gig tonight to pick up a few extra bucks,
followed his gaze to the amazing woman.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Charlene Keel has written over a dozen novels and how-to books as well
as multiple episodes of popular TV shows such as Fantasy Island
and Days of our Lives. Her Dell book,
Rituals, was the basis for the first made-for-syndication soap opera. Recently she co-authored The Tracks, a YA
supernatural trilogy. Shadow Train, the
final installment, won a Paranormal Romance Guild Reviewer’s Choice Award. Keel has also written screen adaptations of
novels by bestselling authors, and has worked as editor or managing editor for
a few international magazines. In her
spare time she ghostwrites books and screenplays for celebrities, doctors,
corporate moguls, spies, strippers and anyone who has an interesting story to
tell.
For more information:
Website: CharleneKeel.net -
http://www.charlenekeel.net/
Follow Charlene on Twitter - https://twitter.com/CharleneKeel
Charlene Keel on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/charlene.keel.1
Blog: Red Sky Book Blog - https://redskybookblog.wordpress.com/category/charlene-keel/
Arie Pavlou is a popular chef who attended Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and then perfected his craft at some of the
top-rated Michelin restaurants in France
and New York. He has lived and worked in France, Cyprus
and the U. S.
and is an avid world traveler who speaks five languages. He enjoys all sports and has a talent for
knife-throwing, which he perfected at Le Cordon Bleu. Currently Chef de Cuisine at the renowned
Bridgehampton Inn in New York,
his specialties include Caramelized Baked Alaska, Winter Salad, Roast Lamb
Fondue, Wild Game and Poached Pears with Mint Ice Cream. The Congressman’s Wife is his first novel,
and he’s currently writing a cookbook.
For more information:
Arie Pavlou on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/arie.pavlou
1st in Series
Cozy Mystery
Asdee Press (July 22, 2016)
Print Length: 309 pages
ASIN: B01FOVMCPK
About The Author
