Today, Wild Women Authors focus is on Chance Meeting, a contemporary closed-door rom-com, written by Christine Columbus, released by the Wild Rose Press.
About the Book:
Melody is
fostering her niece while her sister, Captain Opal Erickson, is deployed to
Kuwait. A chance meeting at work with Clayton, a construction manager, awakens
feelings of love and romance. Everything is perfect until Opal reveals a family
truth and swears Melody to secrecy.
To honor her
sisterly pledge, Mel attempts to reject any advances from Clayton until he
guesses the truth. Torn between loyalty to Opal and love for Clayton, she pours
herself into work, making a mess of everything. When the dust settles, Mel
wonders if she can put the pieces of her life back together.
An Excerpt:
Paula, her
administrative assistant, jogged over the pewter vinyl tiles in lime-green,
high-heeled sandals. She wore a faded and frayed denim skirt under an oversized
man’s white dress shirt. “You just missed him.”
“Humph,” Melody
sighed, glancing past the queen of chic’s messy blonde bun and down the long,
tiled hallway. “I’m not seeing anyone.” She shrugged and stepped back into her
temporary office.
“Did you not hear
me say the word missed?” Paula tap-danced into the office. “A tall,
dark-haired, brown- eyed man, without a wedding ring, was here.”
Melody scanned the
mess on the floor. “Just my luck. Mr. Right shows up, and I’m in the bathroom.”
“Memos for floor
covering? I don’t think you’ll be starting any trends.” She teased. “You really
should have refused the request from upper management. You already have too
much on your…” Shrugging, she smiled. “I was going to say desk, but you solved
that problem. But the good news is he did mention he’d be back.”
She turned toward
Paula. “Did he mention who he was?”
“General Manager
of Construction Dunn Wright. You know, the company Bill hired for the office
remodeling.” Paula raised an eyebrow. “Mr. Good- Looking wanted to go over some
changes.”
“What?” Melody
tossed her hands up. “Could the day get any worse? I’m wearing unbecoming jeans
and a wet, clingy coffee-stained sweater, and I might have forgotten to comb my
hair.”
“You don’t look
too bad.” She cocked her head to the side. “Just run your fingers through your
hair and pinch your cheeks for some color. Rough morning with Kansas?”
“In two months,
when her mom comes home, I will miss these hectic mornings, but living with a
six-year- old is work. We were running late. When I found Kansas, she was
cleaning the bathroom floor with my electric toothbrush.”
“Sorry.” Paula
smirked. “I’ll make sure all of Bill’s meetings show up in your calendar.” She
paused in the doorway. “Anything else?”
Melody shook her
head and waited a moment before letting out a long sigh. Mr. Good-looking.
Chance and romance. When will Paula learn happily ever after is only for books?
In the center of the office, she stood glaring at the files overflowing from
the cabinets, the blinking desk phone, and three computer monitors. “I should
have said no to Leo’s request to manage Bill’s meetings and emails for two
weeks.”
Another mess to
clean up. Squinting, she sighed. What are my odds of encountering something
sticky or creepy crawly? Swallowing her reservations and discomfort, she
dropped to her hands and knees and crawled slowly under the workstation.
Gathering the last document, she heard an unfamiliar voice echoing outside the
door.
“Is Melody back
yet?”
She gazed beneath
the desk. Work boots stood on the threshold of Bill’s office. She stopped
breathing as her gaze traveled higher to a pair of denim jeans. She tensed. The
general manager? She inhaled through her nose. Please go away.
Tap-tap-tap.
Paula’s
glow-in-the-dark, high-heeled sandals and spray-tanned legs moved next to the
boots and jeans. “She was in her office a moment ago,” Paula said.
Would I rather be
a frazzled woman in a coffee- stained sweater or a person who is impossible to
get a hold of? Mel sucked on her bottom lip and debated the options.
A sharp, hot pain shot down her left calf and seized her thoughts. “Cramp,” she
mumbled with a backward, one-legged crawl. “Just so you know, you’re not
meeting me at my best.”
A deep chuckle
filled the room.
“What are you
doing?” Paula shrieked.
Melody didn’t stop
crawling until her head cleared the desk. She stood with as much grace as a
toddler with an armful of toys. She met his gaze. Paula is right. He is
handsome. She blew a blonde strand of hair from her eyes.
He held out a
hand. “Hello, Clayton Westby. And you must be Melody Anderson.”
She dropped the
mess of papers onto the desk. “Yes.” She stretched her right arm out.
His eyebrows drew
together, and his gaze narrowed as his warm hand encased hers. “Have we met
before?”
“No,” Melody
blurted. “I am certain I would have remembered you.”
Chance Meeting can
be purchased at:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/220664230-chance-meeting
https://www.bookbub.com/books/chance-meeting-by-christine-columbus
https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0C5RX93QD
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/chance-meeting-christine-columbus/1146434329
https://books.apple.com/hn/book/chance-meeting/id6737235283
https://www.booksamillion.com/p/9781509259694
We had time to
talk to author Christine Columbus and asked, “what makes your featured book a
must-read?” If you crave a five-star adventure packed with
laughter, a standout heroine over forty, and a twist you won't see coming, Chance
Meeting is calling your name.
Or perhaps
you want to support a spirited old lady author (me) who wants to write happily
ever after. I appreciate every reader, review, and person who reads
this...Thank you.
Here’s more about
Christine:
Eighteen
years ago, while living in Minneapolis, Minnesota, I published children’s
stories, creative non-fiction, poetry, and flash fiction, then stumbled into
romance, writing several short stories and a novel with The Wild Rose Press.
Then
I took a fifteen year break and traveled the US with my husband volunteering at
National Wildlife Refuges, Army Corp of Eng and Oregon State Parks. And now, I
am thrilled to be back writing with Chance Meeting and I’d Rather
Kiss You Goodnight coming out soon. These novels culminate my passion for
storytelling, and I can’t wait to share them with you.
Christine can be
reached at:
https://www.ColumbusChristine.com
https://www.facebook.com/christinecolumbus/
https://www.instagram.com/Christine_Columbus/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinecolumbusnet?
https://bsky.app/profile/christinecolumbus.bsky.social
https://www.bookbub.com/profile/christine-columbus
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