Hey, folks, how you holding up? What a year this has been, eh? But I’m feeling hopeful. I think a lot of necessary change is on the horizon and I am 100% READY FOR IT. If you’re ready for a little entertainment, keep on reading for a new excerpt from Learning to Love! 🙂
I’m skipping to a different scene for the next little while. One of my favourite parts of writing this story is that it features a two-for-one love story. The second romantic pairing was first introduced in Steeped in Love, and they are none other than Hannah Barker and Kent Clarkson (a.k.a. Dog Leash Dude). Enjoy! 😀
It had been the perfect morning.
And then, of course, she spotted one of those stupid, cheesy posters plastered to a lamppost far too close to her storefront for her liking. In the center of the poster was an image of a dog climbing a tree, and the caption below read, ‘Don’t leaf your leash at home. Keep your dog from barking up the wrong tree. A campaign for concerned citizens.’ She pressed a hand to her forehead and groaned.
The poster plasterer, or Dog Leash Dude, as he’d been not-so-affectionately nicknamed, had been tacking up the dang things all over this town and the neighboring ones. For the entire summer. “This has got to be the corniest one yet, right, Muffykins?”
“I thought it was pretty clever, personally.”
***End of WWW post, but carry on to finish this sequence.***
Hannah jumped a foot in the air, spinning around to face Dude himself. “Clever would be knowing when you’ve made your point.”
“But I obviously haven’t made my point,” he said, nodding to a leash-less Muffy. He shifted his gaze to Hannah’s chest, and she might have slapped him if he hadn’t explained what caught his eye. “New piece of jewelry? Or is the dog walking you now?”
She clutched the leash she’d hung around her neck because the urge to slap him had actually increased.
Here’s the blurb:
Rebecca Ledgerwood is a physical education teacher who’s ready to invest some sweat equity into a lasting romance. On a whim, she has her palm read before summer vacation ends, and she’s told she’s an old soul who’ll find happiness with a younger man.
William Whitney leaves an unfulfilling career to pursue teaching and gets placed at Rebecca’s school for his physical education practicum. He’s desperate to make a difference, convinced that the choices he made in the past contributed to his younger sister’s death. Kendal High School is nothing like the prep school he attended as a teenager, but he’s determined to make the most of his time there, especially if it makes Rebecca notice him.
Though they come from vastly different backgrounds, there’s an undeniable chemistry that sparks between the two. They resist, as they must, until his practicum ends, but when he’s offered a teaching position at his former prep school, will he take the easy way out, or fight for what’s right in front of him?
Thanks so much for stopping by and be sure to visit the other Weekend Writing Warriors!
I’ve been sticking to my 1k words per day for over three weeks now and The End is in sight! I absolutely cannot wait to share this story in its entirety with the world. It’s become not only a love story for my characters, but a love story about the teaching profession itself, and I’m reminded every day why I do what I do. 🙂 Anywho, I wish you all a wonderful week ahead and I’ll see you next Sunday! xo
Award-winning romance author & PE teacher who plays sports, sings, juggles, dances, has a sneaker obsession, & lives on PB! 
I love this confrontation! She gives as good as she gets. A romance here?
Absolutely a romance! A very grudging one at that. 😉 Thanks, Diane!
Outstanding! Your humor on full display.
I love that you invited in a bit of Steeped in Love to visit these pages, lol
😀 I couldn’t resist! Glad you approve! Thanks, my friend!
Ah yes, I remember them from Steeped in Love. Looks like you will be busy for the next foreseeable future if you have a third couple in mind. Cute excerpt. You’ve created a small town that I’d like to visit.
My third couple was briefly mentioned in Steeped in Love, and they’ll have a bit more shine time in Learning to Love. Theirs will be a Christmas romance. 🙂
Well not being a dog person, I can’t really comment on the central controversy here (re leashes)…but I do think you’ve set up an excellent ‘meet cute’ between them which should lead to fun developments on the romantic front. Lots of potential!
I think this is called a leash-cute. 😉 Thanks, Veronica! Happy to hear you enjoyed the snippet!
Love this! And I particularly love 2 for 1 love stories in the same book! You are an Everyday Writing Warrior!
Aww, thank you, my Bunny! I’ll change the title to EDWW! 😀 I couldn’t do it without your encouragement! xo
This is, of course, a great meet-cute — and I’d expect no less from you. The last time I wrote a 2 for 1, readers said the secondary love affair overshadowed the main love story. That was NOT what I’d intended.
You’re too kind, Ed! Good to know! I’ll be careful not to let Hannah and Kent outshine my hero and heroine. 🙂
Sparks are flying here! Not the good kind . . . yet.
Love the confrontation. Very playful.
Charmaine Gordon is love-ing always. Dear Julie, I so enjoy every word you write. Hugs, dear friend, always.