It's hard enough being famous and not rich. When a stalker enters the picture, reality TV has never seemed so real. Ambitious personal trainer Cassidy Novak has gained fame for starring on Sink or Swim, a hit reality show. Not only does she lose and have to walk the plank, but after the game show ends, the terror begins. Upon returning home, Cassidy discovers she has attracted a stalker masterminding his own twisted game. She struggles to focus on her health club job and celebrity endorsement opportunities, but her stalker has other plans. As her former competitors get knocked off one-by-one, Cassidy refuses to play by the stalker's bizarre rules.
She's also being shadowed by hunky cowboy photographer Zach Gallagher, who has been assigned to capture her personal moments for a spread in the local newspaper. She wants to trust the mysterious Zach, yet fears he may not be what he seems. When the stalker forces a showdown, Cassidy must once again walk the plank...this time for her life. A #1 Kindle Bestseller in the Women Sleuths and Romantic Suspense Categories, a Nook Top 100 Bestseller, and a fun beach read endorsed by contestants from Survivor, Big Brother, and The Amazing Race.
EXCERPT:
Look! There she is!" A few
hundred spectators pointed and gawked as Cassidy entered the ballroom of the Starlight
Sensation. She gulped and smoothed down her sleeveless emerald pantsuit.
Deniz Jewell had called the
other day with an offer for Cassidy’s first public appearance, and
conveniently, it was only forty-five minutes from home. A cruise line had asked
her to headline the grand preview of a new luxury ship, docked at the Black
Falcon Terminal in the South Boston Waterfront District. They wanted her to
sign autographs and socialize with the guests who’d paid to attend a cocktail
party and information session.
Cassidy would have preferred
something more fitness-related, like an exercise video or sneaker endorsement,
but Deniz said she was putting out feelers and that in the meantime, her client
should take any work she could get.
Although a cruise ship wasn’t
what Cassidy had hoped for, she appreciated the marketing department’s interest
in her and liked that the event was in Boston
Lynn, the cruise line’s six-foot
plus brunette director of publicity, rubbed her hands together in anticipation.
Barrettes fastened sausage black curls off her rawboned face, lengthening her
giraffe neck. Her springy ringlets bounced as she talked. "We’re delighted
to have you here, Cassidy, especially on such short notice. We just knew you’d
be the perfect ‘face’ of the Starlight Sensation. When we have our
maiden voyage this fall, we’d love for you to cruise with us. We could do a
huge publicity campaign."
"Oh ... wow, that sounds
like fun," Cassidy said.
First SOS. Then the cruise
runner-up prize. Now this. How many ships was she doomed to ride?
"As you can see, you’re a
big hit." Lynn
Good to know, but Cassidy
half-wished she’d jumped out of the limo a few miles back at Castle Island, a
spacious urban park and her favorite spot in Boston. She loved walking or
jogging around Castle
Island Pleasure Bay Logan International
Airport Fort
Independence
As Lynn
"No kidding." Alison
scrawled into her wire-bound notebook. With her sleek helmet of blonde locks
and designer wardrobe, she looked more like a TV anchorwoman than a small-town
newspaper reporter.
Zach Gallagher, her
photographer, pulled his Nikon digital camera out of a padded bag and removed
the felt Stetson from his wavy black hair. "I wouldn’t mind taking a trip
on this baby myself." His flash blinked, triggering a half-dozen cameras
from other parts of the ballroom.
"Cassidy! Cassidy!" An
acne-scarred young man rushed over to them. Lank greasy blond strands hung
ragged past his shoulders, limp as a used mop, and a torn tee-shirt with
Cassidy's blurred likeness fell to the waist of his ripped jeans.
He cupped a camera to his heart.
"Please, could I pose for one picture with you? I know this is a huge
favor, but I can’t stay that long."
She positioned herself beside
the kid and Lynn
His lip trembling, the kid
stared at Cassidy. "You don't know what this means to me. You should have
won. Reggie was a loser."
How could he say that? Reggie
was dead. There were more important things than winning. Like living. Cassidy
clamped down on her lip to keep from retorting. Telling off a fan wouldn’t
exactly endear her to the cruise line. Being the "face" of the Starlight
Sensation could mean a lot of money in her bank account. They were already
shelling out $1,000, plus the expense of a limo, for her to scribble her name
and act amiable.
Luckily, the rest of the fans
acted more restrained. Cassidy spent a pleasant hour and a half smiling and
signing autographs. Afterwards, the last group streamed out the French doors,
heading to the theater for the travel spiel. She snagged a finger sandwich and
a couple wedges of cubed melon off a platter before strolling toward Alison,
Zach and Lynn in back of the room.
"Great. I’m still shocked
all those people waited in line to meet me. Thanks so much for inviting me
today." Cassidy popped a piece of fruit into her mouth.
As Alison asked the publicist a
few questions, Zach plucked a long-stemmed red rose off a vacant chair and
extended it to Cassidy. "For you, my lady."
She looked at him over the blood
red petals. Young face, mature eyes. Wisps of dark bangs straggled under the
brim of his cowboy hat, which he had replaced after he finished taking
pictures. He definitely improved the view around here. The harbor outside had
nothing on him.
"Thanks," Cassidy said
after she swallowed the melon.
Zach offered a sheepish grin,
tanned olive skin setting off even white teeth. "It's not from me. I would
have bought you a dozen if I knew you liked them. A little girl asked me to
give it to you."
Cassidy read the tag taped to
the stem. "You're the flower of my life. My love for you is blooming.
Miles."
Hair on the back of her neck
bristling, Cassidy dropped the rose to the hardwood floor and spun around. All
she saw were white-jacketed waiters, glittering crystal chandeliers and their
own reflections in the mirrored walls. "Was she with a man? What happened?
What did the girl look like?"
"She was five or six. Long
blonde hair pulled to the side, pink shirt, blue jeans. She came up to me on deck while I was walking
around and said, 'This has to go to Cassidy.' I said, sure. I didn't see a
parent, but I wasn’t paying much attention. You okay?" Frowning, Zach
touched her arm.
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Very nice of you to tease us with that wonderful excerpt, Stacy! Again, the best of luck to you...
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for reading, Lisa!
ReplyDelete