Author: MJ Abraham
Title: Resplendent
Release Date: Summer 2013
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Chicklit
Cover Designer: B Design
Title: Resplendent
Release Date: Summer 2013
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Chicklit
Cover Designer: B Design
Blurb:
Savannah Martinez and Andres Rivera have been
friends since high school. She knew him better than anyone else and he was the only one she confided in.
But fate wasn’t on their side. When she gave him the chance to turn their relationship into something more, he let her go.
But fate wasn’t on their side. When she gave him the chance to turn their relationship into something more, he let her go.
Heartbroken,
and with time against them, she kept her distance in more ways then
one. Now, years later, Savannah is back in town for good and he realizes
how big the hole she left in his heart is.
When a secret comes to light, forcing a deeper wedge between them, Andres finds himself fighting for the one woman he may have already lost. Will he ever get a second chance to live his life with the woman of his dreams? Andres is determined to win her back, and sometimes there is no better time than the present
.
Prologue
Savannah
It takes a lot more energy to bury pain then it does to confront it.
Savannah
closed her eyes and tried to focus on the humming of the bathroom vent.
She didn’t want to care about what was going on; it was just hair after
all. She had cried enough during and after the funeral in front of her Madrina and
her family. If Lola saw her shed any more tears she’d probably get
angrier at Carmin for being so careless. There was no need for more
fighting—everyone was under stress and adapting. They kept tiptoeing
around her like she might break.
She
didn’t want the tears that threatened to spill over her cheeks. Right
now, all she wanted to focus on was the vent. But the hair clippers kept
breaking into her thoughts.
Clip, clip, clip.
She squeezed her eyes to hold in the waterfall and said a small prayer for strength.
This was silly. It
was just hair. It would grow back. But her hair had been
beautiful; almost to her waist and a dark brown that could be confused
with black if there was no sunlight hitting it. Everyone commented on
the thickness and slight curl at the tips. It
was exactly like her mom’s hair and that’s what hurt her the most. She
took in a deep breath to calm her nerves.
“I’m sorry about this Nena,”
Lola, her godmother, said. “You’ve always had such great hair… like
your Mami. I used to tease her that I was going to chop off her hair so
they could make a wig out of it for me.”
When Savannah didn’t reply, Lola
continued, “The good thing is your hair grows quickly. I promise I will be sure that Carmin doesn’t let this happen again.”
No! Carmin was already in trouble. What more could she get punished for?
Savannah
opened her mouth to speak and felt her lip crack. It was as if all the
water in her body was being held behind her eyes, leaving her lips as
dry as the Sahara. She swallowed the lump
that was logged in her throat before speaking.
“No,
Madrina. It was an accident. Carmin apologized. And this hair was
difficult to style anyway, I wanted a cut for my new school.”
It
was a half lie. Yes, it took a lot of work to get it styled slick
straight and she did want a new haircut—but really just the tips, not
eleven inches. She didn’t say any of that, though. Being new to their
home, the last thing she wanted was to
be a bother.
Her
godmother stayed quiet but Savannah could see through the corner of her
eye how tense she was with her pinched lips and careful movements.
Taking one final snip, she lowered her eyes to the floor where the long,
dark strands had fallen. Strands that were clumped up and held together
by dry, nasty, Dubble Bubble gum. Ready to be swept away and discarded.
Like her parents had been swept away from her life. Her chin started to
tremble and Savannah bit her tongue hard in an effort to calm down.
“There,”
Lola said and put down the hair brush. They both looked up into the
bathroom mirror at her reflection. Trying to imagine herself without the
red eyes and slumped posture, Savannah still hated it. Was it bad? Did
it look hideous? No, but she hated the change. She clenched her hands to
keep her fingers from touching it. Another unwanted change.
“I
have something for you, something I found in my box of old albums,”
Lola said and grabbed her hand, pulling her into the master bedroom.
While
Lola went inside the walk-in closet, Savannah stopped to look at the
small pencil markings that showed how tall Carmin was growing. She
smiled when she ran her finger up the wall and noticed she had been
added. She remembered Lola insisting she be measured as well, so she and
her husband would always be able to see how tall both girls were
getting. Savannah, usually taller than most of the guys in her class,
used to wish for Carmin’s average height. Carmin envied Savannah’s long
legs. At the age of thirteen, neither one were satisfied with how they
looked. “Your mother made this for me a few years ago, and I thought it
would be best if you kept it.”
She
turned and tried to keep her composure when she saw Lola with watery
eyes and her arms outstretched holding what looked like a photo album.
It
was soft brown leather with that hint of what Savannah called closet
smell. The smell of storage and past memories. Savannah opened it to
reveal a scrapbook of pictures. She turned each delicate page and felt
lightheaded when she saw how detailed her mother had been. What started
out with just pictures of her mother and Lola became more of a family
album. There was writing, important dates, and information on each page.
She stopped
to pull out a picture of her with her parents in front of a log cabin
in Colorado.
“Navidad 1996: First time seeing snow. We spent the day playing with it and then went out for hot chocolate.”
That
picture took her back to such a wonderful time, when she didn’t have a
care in the world. She looked up at her godmother and smiled; her first
genuine smile since she’d moved in with her, and couldn’t help walking
to her for a hug. Lola gently rubbed her back as she cried on her
shoulder. There are only so many tears you can hold back before you feel
like you might explode.
“I
thank your mother for taking those pictures of all of us and of me and
my family. She always had a camera in her hands and was so good at it.”
Savannah sniffed and pulled back to wipe at her eyes.
“I
remember she gave me my first real camera just a few years ago. I had
started to learn some tricks she had picked up in her classes.”
Lola
nodded and twirled a finger around Savannah’s hair. “Yes, you both have
that creative gene. Pictures are so important, especially at times like
these. A little treasure you can always go back to.”
Savannah
agreed and went back to her bedroom—the one she shared with Carmin, who
was still lying down on her bed and sniffling. Savannah knew Carmin was
ticked off about having her TV privileges taken away. The punishment
was only for two nights, but she understood. She knew how bad it felt
when what you loved and
enjoyed was taken away. Taking in a deep breath, she put the album down
on the dresser and walked the few steps to Carmin’s full-size bed and
lay beside her, facing her back, and wrapped her arm around her waist.
Carmin had dark hair as well, but curlier and thicker. Just as gorgeous, even though Carmin hated it.
“I’m sorry about your hair…”
Savannah hugged her tighter. “I know you are.”
“I can’t believe I fell asleep with gum in my mouth.”
“It’s ok Carmin; I should have been laying down on my own bed anyway.”
She turned around then and looked at her. Her eyes were big and brown. She always had pretty eyes.
“But I like it when you lay down with me; it’s as if I have a sister.”
She brought up her hand to
brush the now short strands behind Savannah’s ear.
“Do you like your new hair style?”
Savannah didn’t want to say the truth and make her feel worse so she nodded.
Would
she really be able to fit in with her family? They’d known each other
their whole lives, their moms had been best friends when they were
little - but spending time with someone on weekends and holidays versus
living with them day in and day out were two different things.
Still, Savannah smiled at Carmin’s endearment.
“I thought you didn’t want a sister.”
It
was meant to tease her but when Carmin lowered her eyes, she felt
guilty instead. She remembered a conversation where Carmin told her she
didn’t want siblings so she wouldn’t have to share. They had both
laughed and cheered that they were lucky to be only children. But that
was years ago, she shouldn’t have said that.
Savannah took her hand in hers and squeezed. “Sisters forever.”
Carmin
smiled back and leaned in to hug her. A drunk driver might have taken
her parents away from her. But now, she gained a sister.
About the Author:
Contact her at:
Twitter: MJAbraham12
Website: www.mjabraham.com
Happenstance Links:
Barnes and Noble
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