When Jase meets Ali, he figures a little lie about who he is can't hurt. Ali thinks differently and doesn't want a man who lies to her.
Ali, a woman who operates a promotions business from her new house, bids for the contract for a grand opening of a bakery in Syracuse. Her new neighbor is Jase, owner of the chain, but he doesn't let on who he is. They've begun to date and he's pleased to think her interest is in him and not his money. He's sure the deception can't hurt.
But when she learns of his deception, she is deeply hurt because of a painful experience with her former fiance who lied to her too.
And then disaster strikes.
Excerpt
Ali drove through the rain that had been falling throughout the night to the local Dutch Treats, her favorite bakery. She could get a croissant to eat on the way to her first appointment.
In the bakery's gravel parking lot, she steered around the puddles and headed for the empty slot on the end near the door to the shop. As she turned a choked scream escaped her lips. In her peripheral vision, she saw a man exiting the store, but she saw him too late to stop. Her tire hit the brimful pothole and sprayed a high arc of muddy rainwater right toward him.
He stood paralyzed, his gaze fixed on the spray heading his way. Ali could only watch, knowing there was no possible way he could avoid getting soaked. At the last moment he managed to raise his white, waxed-paper bakery bag above the barrage that hit his chest full blast. He bent at the waist and uttered a cry.
In seconds it was all over. Muddy streams of water ran down his white uniform. He looked over at her through the windshield and their gazes locked.
"Oh, no! Not Jase. Not my new neighbor," Ali croaked.
A story set in 10 years time where two bodies are found in the river NITH in Dumfries, south west Scotland. One is a blind musician and police informant while the other is Poppy, a young girl. It brings Mark and Carla together with different views i
