Another page-turning contemporary romance in the Tavonesi Series featuring love, suspense and adventure!
THERE WAS NOTHING PARKER LIKED BETTER THAN A great party. Well, almost nothing. He did like winning a ball-busting polo match and the satisfaction of a great grape harvest.
He stared out at the party he’d arranged for his brother’s birthday. The band blared out a brilliant cover of “Stand by Me.” Dancers shouted and raised their hands over their heads on the dance floor, and Beau gave him a thumbs-up from across the room.
But his thoughts weren’t caught up in the swirl of lights, pulsing music and celebrating dancers.
Five minutes before the first guests had arrived, Juliet’s email had arrowed into his life, upsetting the smooth facade he preferred to show to the outside world.
He hadn’t heard from Juliet since the day of the Sommelier shoot, two and a half months ago. Except for her formal thank-you for his donation to the seal rescue center. On letterhead. Typed.
A week later he’d sent her the email announcing the party for the First Flight launch. He’d added a postscript reminding her that if she ever needed him, all she had to do was ask. She’d responded by checking the response box that said Not Attending.
Though he appreciated what social media made possible for marketing his business, he preferred old-fashioned, face-to-face communication. It left less to interpretation.
To the imagination.
He didn’t blame Juliet for taking off without saying goodbye. Just as he couldn’t be angry with his sister. He regretted his insensitive remarks, but by the time he’d heard of their conversation, the damage had been done.
Perhaps Zuri’s truth-telling had been for the best. He wasn’t relationship material. And a woman like Juliet deserved a man who was.
After the wine launch, he’d thrown himself into hard riding, harder work at the vineyard and crafting the perfect elaborate party for Beau’s birthday. As if the fiendish buzz of busyness would salve the regret that tugged at him.
He skirted the dance floor and walked along the rose-lined garden path that led to his library. A tap of his finger and Juliet’s message lit his computer screen.
Her simply worded email alarmed him.
I need you for a matter of great importance. Come to Zantos. I’ll explain when you arrive.
The three short sentences were already pulling him across the thousands of miles to Greece. Knowing her, she’d had to swallow her pride to even ask him for help.
He owed her. Big-time. More than she knew.
The magazine cover and five-page article had shot First Flight and his vineyard to world prominence. He’d sold out the vintage and had orders for the next. The cover photo of him and Juliet kissing had gone viral. No one could buy publicity like that.
He stared at the cover he’d had framed to hang on the wall of his library. Like a sentinel guarding a world beyond his grasp, the cover glared at him, mocking him.
How could memories be both delicious and disturbing at the same time?
He could still feel the lushness of Juliet’s lips and the heat of her skin beneath his hand. He’d loved the spunky way she’d sparred with him. Loved? Maybe too strong a word. He wasn’t sure he was cut out for that fine emotion.
He ignored the voice of warning whispering in the depths of his mind as he put his fingers on the keyboard. She’d asked for help, he would give it.
With a few clicks, he had a reservation for a flight to Athens the next evening. And a flight out to Zantos Island after he had time to clear customs. Another few clicks, and a few typed words that didn’t reveal any of the mixed emotions roiling through him, and he’d informed Juliet of his arrival.
release, so much so, that the Bay area author has drawn comparisons by
reviewers to Nora Roberts.Pamela Aares writes romance books that she loves reading, particularly those
that entertain, transport and inspire dreams while captivating and tugging at
the heart. She takes her readers on a journey with complex characters in both
contemporary and historical settings who are thrown in situations that tempt
love, adventure and self-discovery.
Before becoming a romance author, Aares wrote and produced award-winning films including Your Water, Your Life, featuring actress Susan Sarandon and NPR series New Voices, The Powers of the Universe and The Earth’s
Imagination.
If not behind her computer, you can probably find her reading a romance novel, hiking the beach or savoring life with friends. You can visit Pamela on the web
at http://www.PamelaAares.com.
