Diners, Dives & Dead Ends (37 page)

Jacks stopped by every
morning with a latte and a fresh danish. 

Even Janelle dropped in,
bringing my graded assignments with her.  I looked them over and knew my major
would never be in accounting.  She also brought me a gift from Tariq, something
called a Knuckle Zapper.  It looked like brass knuckles, but acted like a stun
gun.  It was very cool.

Dane came as well and
brought flowers.  “Rose.”  He dropped next to me on the futon.  “I should have
stuck to you like glue throughout all this.  I feel responsible.”

I patted his leg.  “You’re
not responsible any more than I am.  Steve Gunderson was a nutball.  No one
knew.  Apparently he pulled this stalker shit on his ex-girlfriend and she was
too scared to report it.”

He picked up my hand and
kissed the back of it.  “As soon as you’re feeling up to it, I want to take you
out.  Anywhere you want to go.”

I smiled, gently pulling my
hand from his grasp.  “I can’t.”

“Why not?”

Because I’d killed a man and
it had changed me.  I’d do it again.  It was Steve or me and I chose me.  I
didn’t feel guilty about it, not exactly.  But I didn’t feel okay about it,
either.  And I couldn’t just go back to my life like nothing had happened.  I
certainly couldn’t think about dating.

“I’m a mess, Dane.  I can’t
be with anybody right now.”

“Is it Sullivan?”

God, I was so tired of men
and their fragile egos.  “No, Dane.  But it’s not you, either.  I’m not what
you want and I don’t know if you’re what I need.”

“You are what I want and I’m
not going to give up on you, Rose Strickland.”

“Now you’re starting to
sound like Kevin.”

“That was cold.”

I nodded. 

That was the first week.  On
day eight at five a.m. on the button, I threw on jeans and a Ma’s Diner t-shirt
and went back to work.  Ma protested, as did Ray.  But Roxy set the salt shakers
in front of me.  I ignored everyone and refilled them.

By the middle of my shift, I
was exhausted.  All the sleepless nights and the stress had taken their toll. 
Ma made me sit down and eat.  I felt weird, sitting at the counter with the
customers, eating breakfast.  But I did it, then finished my shift. 

They wouldn’t let me help
clean up, though.  Ma sent me packing just as soon as she flipped the closed sign.

I drove home, and when I
pulled up to my building, I saw him standing there, waiting for me.  He leaned
against the hood of a black Lexus sedan. 

After I parked, Sullivan
walked toward me.  I met him halfway and we stood awkwardly in the middle of the
parking lot. 

The autumn sun made his skin
seem more honeyed than usual.  He looked handsome in his dark tailored suit.

“How are you, Rose?”

The wind picked up a strand
of my hair and blew it across my cheek.  Sullivan reached out and tucked it
behind my ear.  His fingers brushed lightly over my still bruised jaw.

“Better.  You?” 

“I wanted to make sure you
were okay.”

“I’m fine.”

“No you’re not.  But you
will be.”  He dipped his head toward mine, his lips grazing my cheek.  “If
you’re ever in trouble again, promise you’ll call me.”

I wasn’t about to promise
him anything.  I had just rescued Axton, outsmarted Thomas Sullivan, and survived
a psycho.  I was Rose Freaking Strickland, and I was a badass. 

1.
     
Rose went to great lengths to rescue
Axton.  Would you have done the same?  How far would you go to save a best
friend?  Would you put yourself in danger?

2.
     
Which secondary character was your
favorite and why?

3.
     
Some of the characters have questionable
ethics.  Roxy used to steal, Axton uses drugs, and Sullivan is a criminal.  Do
the positives outweigh the negatives in these characters?

4.
     
Compare and contrast Rose’s “adopted”
family with her real family.  What are the positive and negative traits of both?

5.
     
Rose’s mother, Barbara, repeatedly tells
Rose to do something with her life.  Is she wrong to pressure Rose to get a
degree and find a better job?

6.
     
Did Rose evolve over the course of the
book?  Why or why not?  If so, what brought about the change?

7.
     
Who is more successful, Rose or Jacks? 
Why?

8.
     
Do you think Rose regretted her decision
to break away from her family and gain her independence?

9.
     
What were the major themes throughout
the book?

10.
  
Which character do you relate to the
most and why? 

11.
  
Do you wish the characters had done
something different or made a different choice?

12.
  
Describe what you liked about the
writer’s style.

New Mystery: Cropped to Death

 

Former US Army JAG specialist, Faith
Hunter, returns to her West Virginia home to work in her grandmothers' scrapbooking
store determined to lead an unassuming life after her adventure abroad turned
disaster. But her quiet life unravels when her friend is charged with murder –
and Faith inadvertently supplied the evidence. So Faith decides to cut through
the scrap and piece together what really happened.

 

With a sexy prosecutor, a determined
homicide detective, a handful of sticky suspects and a crop contest gone bad,
Faith quickly realizes if she’s not careful, she’ll be the next one cropped.

 

 

Available November 2012

For more details, visit
www.henerypress.com

 

 

THANKS FOR READING!