"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a romance writer who hasn't gotten laid in a while experiences the worst kid of writers' block," said the review. I kept scanning the comments on Amazon of my first novel, an eBook titled "Adieu to Morning Creek". None were as kind to my breakout ebook, and with every 2-star review my heart sank a little deeper. I had taken my entire vacation and sick leave to sit in my parents' lake house and write this novel, which was supposed to get me noticed and hopefully lead me out of data entry and into a deal with a publisher. But now I had the weekend to pack up and get back to the city, back to my normal life, which at that moment seemed less arousing than death.
I looked out the glass door that faced the water, my reflection getting washed away in the blinding sunset. When I cloud shrouded the sun for a brief moment I saw myself in desperate denial. I was 5"6', with flowing red hair and eyes that changed from grey to green depending on my outfit. I was wearing a one-piece swim suit that was as ratty and puckered as I felt, and a sweatshirt. Maybe a new swim suit would help me feel less bad right now. A little retail therapy could only help.
I drove to the local strip mall and parked in front of Droplet Wave. The cashier ran to the door to open it for me, and as I thanked him I discovered that he was quite handsome. He was a few inches taller than I, with onyx black hair and the sun kissed physique that comes from doing water sports. He smiled as he told me about the store's promotional offers , but I don't recall a single one of them.
"My name's Chris, let me know if you need anything." "Thanks," I responded timidly. Chris offered a quiet laugh, his dimpled cheeks flexed in friendly response.
I went to the back of the store where the two-piece suits were displayed. I looked over my shoulder and saw Chris fixing the displays in the front of the store, and I felt at ease. I took 7 or 8 suits into the dressing room to try on. The lighting in the room was not very good, so I had to walk out to the big mirror in the main store to examine each possibility. I strutted out to the trendy music blasting in the background and began to relax. This was fun. I started to shake it and move it and really enjoy myself, when volume lowered for a brief announcement.
"Attention shoppers, the store will be closing in 15 minutes. Please bring your final selections to the front counter for purchase."