Sara' Smile, Sandra Bunino
As an architect who specializes in restorations, Sara Wiley is a genius at returning neglected structures to their former glory. But when it comes to her own life, she has no idea how to reclaim the ruins, which are all that remain of her first true love.
When the biggest opportunity of her career and a sexy contractor comes her way, she’s thrilled…until she learns that the client is the long-ago boy who captured her heart and continues to invade her dreams. Is it a bittersweet coincidence or might there be a chance, after all, for Sara to revisit the mistakes of her past and build the future she has wanted for so long?
Excerpt 1
A familiar voice drew Sara Wiley’s concentration from her Blackberry to the crowded Fifth Avenue corner where she stood waiting for the crossing signal to change.
The source was revealed by a quick scan of the sidewalk. Her eyes locked on a back view of broad shoulders outlined under a slate grey suit jacket. Gazing upward, she recognized the head of dark hair that skimmed the top of his collar. Sara sucked in a breath and her heart quickened. There was no mistaking the confident stance as he talked with the man standing next to him. Unable to speak or move from her spot beneath the street sign as the light changed, Sara simply watched as he was swallowed up by the crowd.
Longing, mixed with painful tinges of regret and sadness, engulfed her heart as she fought back tears. Thank God her feet wouldn’t move, because her first instinct was to chase him down that busy New York City avenue and to feel those protective arms around her body while she nestled her face into that perfect spot between his shoulder and neck.
Shit, Sara, it’s been five years. Get it together. She rarely allowed those feelings to get the best of her and there was no time for a breakdown. I need to be on my game today, she thought as she stepped inside the coffee shop next to her midtown office building for her second non-fat latte of the spring morning.
Due to luck and great timing, the managing partners of Richards + Rodgers Architects had assigned Sara to the Hanson House restoration, a Greenwich, Connecticut sixteen-room Victorian. Normally, one of the partners of would have claimed such a large project but none of them wanted it because of the hands-on attention it would require through the spring and summer months. The wealthy Greenwich businessman who recently purchased the mansion contracted with the firm to restore it to its original splendor, and Sara had jumped at the chance to lead the project. What the hell, it was the perfect opportunity to show the partners what she could do. After all, she had no grand plans for the summer. Her social life was mediocre at best and her love life was sadly nonexistent.
After drawing up the plans, bids were sent to a dozen construction companies, which she then narrowed to a short list of four. One of which was at the top of her list: Pennington Construction. PC was one of the fastest-growing and highly respected construction businesses in the metropolitan area. The PC bid came within budget and was accompanied by an impressive portfolio of restoration projects. Sara flipped through the glossy pictures of Victorians and stopped at the picture of a home she knew. It was a mansion on North Water Street in Martha’s Vineyard, on the same street where she had spent numerous summers with her best friend, Cat. Small world, she thought wistfully.
Sara had purposely scheduled the interview with Pennington Construction last, as she wanted to give each construction firm equal consideration, rather than risk being swayed by her first choice. She walked by the office receptionist, Mary, on her way to the meeting in her firm’s conference room. Mary was closer to her mother’s age than her own, and she continually tried to set Sara up on blind dates.
“Hey, you picked a good day to look sexy. Have you seen Mr. Pennington yet?”
“Mary, ‘sexy’ wasn’t the look I was after. Really, you think this outfit looks sexy? I was going for professional.” She chose her outfits carefully. Knowing she looked even younger than her twenty-five years, she felt it was important that she look professional. She’d decided on a black pencil skirt with a narrow ruffle at the knee-length hem and a light blue silk blouse. Black heels completed the ensemble. She wore her hair in a low knot at the nape of her neck, but her locks had a life of their own and, by the ten-thirty meeting with Pennington, wisps of hair had already loosened from her bun.
Mary surveyed her from head to toe. “Okay, you are a sexy professional. More importantly, Michael Pennington is very good looking and is just your type. Plus he’s not wearing a wedding ring. I checked it out when he signed in,” Mary said with a wink.
“You are too much. Besides, I want to hire this guy, and you know my rule. I don’t date men I work with,” Sara said over her shoulder as she walked toward the conference room.
“You may want to rethink the hire, then.”
2nd Excerpt
Why am I doing this? she asked herself when she climbed into the cab, the next evening. Having dinner with him certainly isn’t going to help me get him out of my dreams.
As she got out, in front of O’Reilly’s, she was startled by her own reflection, and silently thanked Cat for assembling her outfit of dark skinny jeans, pink chiffon top with spaghetti straps and strappy silver sandals. At Cat’s insistence, she had worn her hair long and loose, and she had added her favorite dangling silver earrings and a matching chain and pendant just before she walked out the door. If clothing was armor, she was as well equipped as she could manage for the coming conversation.
She found Will at the crowded bar, where he kissed her on the cheek and gave her his seat.
“What are you drinking?” he asked.
“I’ll have whatever you’re having.”
He ordered two martinis, and they began talking about the Hanson House. From there, the conversation turned naturally to their jobs. As Sara had expected, Will explained that he traveled all over the world and spent only a few weeks out of the year at his apartment in Santa Monica.
While he spoke, she stared at his mouth, remembering how his kisses felt on her lips. A glance at his hands awoke her memory of the way they had encircled her waist as she made love to him.
Stop it, she ordered herself sternly, and shook her head.
“Are you okay?”
Oh shit. I didn’t say that out loud, did I? “Y-yeah, I’m fine,” she answered with a laugh.
“Now that we’ve made a dent in these martinis,” he said, looking down at his glass, “I have to tell you… You broke my heart, that last night. I really loved you, Sara.”
“And you don’t think I felt the same way? Will, I made a clean break between us for you, as much as me. It never would have worked out, given our situations. You were traveling the world on the fast track to success, and I had a challenging course schedule. Look at us now, with everything we wished for. Our hard work paid off.”
Will’s gaze sharpened. “Have you ever regretted it? You know, not giving us a chance?”
Sara paused and looked into his eyes. Every day. That was what she wanted to answer, but instead she said, “I think our table is ready. Come on. Let’s go sit down.”
Over dinner, they reminisced about the summers they’d spent in Martha’s Vineyard. By the end of their meal, they noticed a band setting up, so they decided to have one more drink and listen to the music.
The bar was noisy and crowded. Will found Sara a barstool but had to stand close to her so that they could hear each other speak. She couldn’t help noticing the feel of his legs against hers as he leaned in to speak in her ear.
“I’ll be right back,” he said with a smile.
“What are you up to?” she asked, but he was gone before she could finish the question.
A few minutes later, Sara heard the first chords of a familiar tune. And it seemed that she wasn’t the only Hall & Oates fan in the bar, because many of the patrons clapped when the song started to play.
Will returned as soon as the band’s singer began. Sara looked at him and smiled.
He grinned. “Did you think you were going to get away without hearing this song tonight?”
They sang along, as did most of the people at the bar. At the end of the song, everyone clapped, and Sara hugged Will. His body felt wonderful, touching hers. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, as familiar feelings came flooding back…
And then she froze. What am I doing? He’s leaving in a day or two. There’s no future with him, any more than there was, back then.
She looked at her watch nervously. “We’d better go,” she said abruptly, and lead the way out of the restaurant, pausing only to ask the hostess to call a cab for her.
Once outside, they moved away from the door, and Sara leaned against the wall to wait for her cab. Will stood in front of her and braced his hand on the wall. The heat from his body drew her close.
“I had a really great time tonight, Sara,” he said, locking eyes with her.
“I did, too,” she said, looking up at him.
“Would it be okay if I kissed you?” he whispered.
She nodded, and he bent down and gave her a soft, slow kiss. He pulled away but Sara kept her eyes closed, feeling her strap slip off of her shoulder, sensing his nearness…
“I don’t want this to end,” he said.
His fingers traveled up her arm and slid the strap back onto her shoulder. She was trying to decide whether he meant the night or something more, when she heard the cab honk from the street.
Author Bio
Sandra Bunino began a love of romance stories while penning a creative writing assignment in high school. The story ended with the heroine receiving a long stem red rose in her locker on Valentine’s Day. Since then, all of her stories feature the hero presenting the heroine with roses. Sandra is constantly searching for different ways to achieve a heart-pumping, stomach-flipping, breath-catching reaction from her readers.
These days, Sandra lives on a wooded mountaintop not far from New York City with her family. She always looks forward to hearing from her readers and she may be contacted at sbunino@gmail.com. Come back often to find out more about her current and future releases. You can also follow her on Facebook and Twitter (@sandrabunino). Remember, following is sexy!
