#MFRWhooks Blog Hop - Excerpt from CHRISTMAS AT SOLACE LAKE - I'm Worried About My Sister

In today's excerpt from CHRISTMAS AT SOLACE LAKE, Drew corners Celeste to pump her for information. He recently came to work at the Lodge and just found out his eighteen-year-old sister Carrie, who works in the Lodge's kitchen with Celeste, has a new boyfriend who's ten years older and has been in the military. Drew is afraid Carrie is in over her head.

CHRISTMAS AT SOLACE LAKE is currently on sale at all major online retailers for .99 cents until December 7.

Excerpt:

Celeste turned to leave. Drew grasped her arm, dropping his fake smile and all pretenses in his desperation. “Please Celeste. Talk to me. Is she making a big mistake getting involved with him? Is he going to hurt her? If I stood by and did nothing while he took advantage of my baby sister, I couldn’t live with myself.”

She glanced around the restaurant. Drew followed her gaze. Staff members were bustling around, getting tables ready for the dinner rush, some of them watching their exchange with open interest.

He withdrew his hand. He had no business accosting her and embarrassing her in front of her co-workers. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have—”

“Why don’t you come over to my apartment? I’d like to be there when my daughter gets home from school, and we can talk privately. I’ll make you a cup of coffee, if you like.”

Drew blinked at her surprise offer, then quickly accepted. “Sure. Thanks.”

He followed her outside and over to the event center, the large building next to the lodge where weddings and other events were held. The building had been clad in weathered barnboard that gave it the appearance of being the same age as the lodge’s seventy plus years instead of less than three years old. An owner’s apartment had originally been built for Harper on the second floor, but after she’d married Ethan, Drew heard that the small two-bedroom apartment had been given to Celeste and her daughter.

They climbed the enclosed outdoor stairs to the second-floor apartment, with Celeste leading the way. At the top of the stairs, she unlocked the door and stepped inside, turning to him as she held the door open.

“Please come in.”

The apartment was small, but the sun streaming through the large windows made it feel bright and airy. Celeste put their coats in the closet and then stepped behind the kitchen island and poured water in the coffee maker. Drew sat on one of the stools at the island and watched her. Every movement Celeste made was graceful. The word regal popped into his mind when he looked at her. The way she moved, even the way she held her head, spoke of quiet elegance.

She measured coffee into the basket and started the machine. “Carrie’s a sweet girl, but she’s no pushover. I think you should trust her.”

“I do trust her. It’s Ryan I don’t trust. Despite Carrie’s mathematical gymnastics, he’s ten years older. He’s been in the military. He’s probably seen things, and done things, that a sheltered girl like her can’t even begin to fathom. What’s in it for him if it’s not to use her for sex?”

To Drew’s surprise, she laughed. “For heaven’s sake, Drew. You make Ryan sound like some sex-crazed monster. Don’t let your imagination run away with you.”

“I can’t help it. I don’t know anything about him, so my imagination goes wild. Nobody will tell me anything, not really.”

Her expression softened. “I understand. You’ll meet him in a couple of days, and you’ll be able to judge for yourself. Just keep an open mind, okay?”

“Why do I need to keep an open mind?”

Celeste frowned. “You’re so suspicious. No wonder Carrie kept Ryan under wraps.”

Drew threw up his hands. “Fine! I’ll keep an open mind.”

“Good.”

The coffeemaker made some spitting sounds, signaling it was finished brewing. Celeste pulled a couple of mugs from a cupboard and filled them with coffee.

“Why don’t we take our coffee to the living room?” she said.

They sat next to each other on the sofa. Drew set his mug on a coaster on the coffee table. “You really think Carrie’s okay?”

“I do.” Celeste sipped her coffee before putting it on the table. “Considering her age, I think your sister is a remarkably mature young woman. She’s not stupid, Drew. She knows what she wants.”

“If she’s been seeing this guy for weeks, why is this the first I’ve heard of him? As far as I know, she hasn’t said anything about him to our parents, either. Why the secrecy?”

“Maybe because of their age difference, she didn’t want you and your parents to judge him before she had a chance to figure out her feelings.”

Judge. There was that word again. Why did Celeste, and Carrie, feel they had to protect Ryan? Why did they believe he’d be judged? The thought made him uneasy.

Blurb:

Widow Celeste Bishop has made a comfortable life for herself and her nine-year-old daughter in the three years she's worked, and lived, at Solace Lake Lodge. But this Christmas, Celeste is unsettled by a series of thefts that has staff suspecting one another. Then Drew Barnes arrives and totally upends her comfort, making her feel things she never thought she’d feel again.

An emergency brings Drew to Solace Lake Lodge. He’s sure that’s the only reason his uncle asked him to fill in as bookkeeper. No one in his family has believed in him since his mistake got him fired from his previous job.

As Drew gets to know Celeste, the pieces of his life tumble into place. He doesn’t care that she’s nine years older. But while he's falling in love, she's pulling away. She’s afraid to risk loving and losing again.

As Christmas approaches, the thefts increase. Drew is determined to stop the thief and redeem himself in his family’s eyes—and his own. But can he convince Celeste they deserve the gift of a happily-ever-after this Christmas?

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