The announcer started the final countdown, and a buzz went up among the hovering guests. Claire smiled at people as they stepped in front of her, but then looked around them to lay eyes on one of three extremely pricey items up for auction. Items that were small enough for someone to walk away with. A man stood in front of the pair of diamond earrings. The woman with him smiled as he wrote his name slowly. Next was a sapphire-and-diamond tennis bracelet where a lone woman was also writing her name. Then there was a Victorian brooch that was previously owned by some famous woman Claire didn’t know. The starting bid was twenty thousand dollars. But at last look, the bid was nearly double that. It, too, was where it needed to be. “Three, two, one. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, it’s time to step away from the auction to enjoy the rest of the evening.” With the final direction from the announcer, she heard the first chords of a guitar strummed from the stage. The band hired for the evening welcomed everyone. The coordinators for the event started to push in as the guests dispersed. Her gaze ignored…

Instead of trying to find your perfect match in a dating app, we bring you the “Author-ReaderMatch” where we introduce you to authors as a reader you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to present Catherine Bybee! Writes: My newest novel, My Way To You, has a central romance between Parker, a strong, independent heroine and Colin a man who helps her get through the tragedies she faces. But beyond that, it’s about the journey of allowing Parker to love herself. About: I was born in Southern California. However, my parents divorced when I was two and my mother moved us to Washington State where I was raised. Four days after I graduated from high school I returned to So. Cal and never left. I was an RN who spent the majority of my career in a level 2 trauma center until a career ending injury.  I have always been a gifted storyteller. But it wasn’t until I was back in school to become a nurse that I was told I had the ability to ‘write’ a story. I had taken a creative writing course in college for my English credit and it was that teacher who pulled me aside and told me I should…

AJ gave her a head start and slowly made his way behind her. A small amount of traffic offered him some disguise. The fact that the sun had set aided him in his effort to go unnoticed. A lift in his chest filled him with a ray of hope when Sex Kitten stayed on the road leading to Richter. Maybe he should bug off now and follow her again on another night from a different starting point. Memories of his sister’s smile kept him moving forward. AJ peered out at the nearly deserted road and eased off the gas. Sex Kitten didn’t bother with a directional when she turned on one of the last twists in the road that would take her to the school. He should just drive past. Only as the turn drew closer, he knew he couldn’t. He rounded the corner and his heart skipped several beats. No taillights. None. Not hers. Not anyone else’s. There was at least a mile between this point and the turnoff to the school. “Where the hell did you go?” he asked himself as he sped up. He made it four hundred yards before his windshield was flooded by a single…

Shannon moved up the beach by half a mile and settled into one of only two second-story suites the boutique hotel offered. With the uninterrupted views of the ocean and a private patio that had its own plunge pool, this hotel was exactly what she envisioned while staying in Tulum for a vacation. She was on the balcony when she heard Avery enter the room. Shannon stood from the shady spot she’d propped herself up on to greet her friend. Avery held her welcome drink in one hand and her purse in the other. “Eeeeek. This place is awesome,” Avery said, tossing her purse aside and offering Shannon a one-arm hug. “Beautiful, isn’t it?” The bellhop placed Avery’s bag in the room and asked if there was anything else he could assist with. Shannon tipped the man and closed the door behind him. “Check out the balcony.” Avery didn’t need to be asked twice. She wandered outside and tossed her arms wide. “A private pool?” More like an oversize hot tub, but yeah. “A great place to wash the salt water off after a day in the ocean.” “This is fabulous.” They talked briefly about her flight and drive from…

“You’re chasing me,” Trina said as she answered the phone. The thing rang at nearly the same time it had the night before. Wade’s name popped up and made her smile. She’d thought about calling him twice during the day, and then life distracted her to another closet, and in this case, another safe for the locksmith to crack open. “Guilty.” His voice was pure southern charm. “Why?” He paused. “That’s a complicated answer.” “Try.” She sat looking out the second story window at the rain falling in steady sheets. “Do you want the short answer or the long one?” She wasn’t looking for a compliment, and a long answer would seem as if she were. “The short one.” “Okay, then. You’re not chasing me.” Not the answer she had expected. “Oh.” “I have more reasons.” “No, no … I asked for the short version. I bet a lot of women chase you.” As in hundreds. “They do.” That might have sounded cocky, but Wade said it with an exhausted sigh. “That must make it hard on your girlfriends.” He chuckled. “Funny you should say that.” “Why is that amusing?” “What are you doing this weekend?” Trina stopped watching the…

Exclusive Excerpt: Fool Me Once by Catherine Bybee “You’re American, right?” The married and engaged party of four was from Sicily. All of them spoke English. “Oh my God, Shannon, I almost forgot. We were supposed to meet those French guys on the main pool deck when we pulled out of port.” Shannon caught on quickly. “Oh, that’s right.” She put her arm through Trina’s and turned her away from the Italians. “Lovely meeting you. I’m sure we’ll see you again.” Lori held back to sign for the bar tab. One of the Italians muttered something about the French before they took their drinks to another part of the lounge. By now, the barkeep was elbow deep with orders. With tractor-beam eyes, she watched the man in hopes of gaining his attention. “The death stare usually works faster.” Lori felt her lips peeling back in a smile before pivoting her head toward the amused male voice. She took him in from the ground up. Slacks, not jeans or shorts like many of the men milling about on deck. Trim waist that bloomed into thick shoulders covered by a pullover, three-button shirt. Arms that spent some time holding something other than…