Can’t
Always Get What You Want
By:
Chelsey Krause
Releasing
January 13th,
2015
Loveswept
Fans
of Ruthie Knox, Rachel Gibson, and Molly O’Keefe will love this
deeply romantic and uplifting debut novel about losing everything you
thought you wanted—and getting exactly what you need.
Sophie
Richards has been looking forward to a much-needed girls’ night
out: a Rolling Stones tribute-band concert, a few drinks, a
distraction from her grueling nursing shifts in acute care. But when
her best friend bails, Sophie gets stuck with a blind date.
Although
Brett Nicholson may be the hottest carpenter alive, and Sophie may
technically be single, she isn’t exactly on the market. Six years
ago she found The One. He was everything Sophie dreamed a man could
be—and then she lost him. In an instant, her whole life changed,
and she forgot all about happily ever after.
But
as she gets to know Brett, Sophie starts to wonder about the future
for the first time. With a broken heart still clouding her mind,
jumping into a new relationship feels impossible. When she’s in his
arms, walking away feels even harder. Now Sophie faces an impossible
choice: living in the past or choosing love in the here and now.
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“I don’t want to
meet anyone new,” I say.
Samira’s smile
droops.
“I know,” she
says quietly. “But you’re going to have to get back out there
sometime. It’s been five years.”
She needn’t have
reminded me.
I remember every
day.
“I have tried
dating. I put myself out there, and what do I find? Guys like Joel.”
“Sorry, didn’t
mean to pressure you. Just looking at options.”
She smiles, but I
can tell she’s disappointed. I tip my head back and look skyward.
“Fine,” I
relent. “If you vouch for Brett, then I’m sure he’s a good
guy.”
Samira’s smile
couldn’t be any brighter. Damn perfect teeth. If I didn’t love my
best friend so much, I’d resent her for being so beautiful.
“So that’s a
yes? You’ll ask him to go to the concert?”
“Yes.”
“I think you’ll
really like him.”
“Do you have any
pictures of him? I mean, since he and Narayan are business partners
and all?”
“Hmm . . .” she
says, flipping through her iPhone. “Nope, can’t find any.”
“Well, what about
Facebook? Maybe he’ll have some pictures on there.”
We manage to find a
Facebook page for Narett Construction, but the only photos are either
company logos or a large group shot from which Brett is conveniently
missing.
“Are you sure
Brett even exists?”
“No, no, he’s
real,” Samira says.
She scrolls through
her phone’s contact list.
“Here’s his
number. Why don’t you give him a call, and see if he’s
interested?”
I smirk. “In me or
the concert?”
“Both?”
“Okay, give me his
number.”
Samira and I jump
onto the couch and sit with our legs tucked under us. Clutching
pillows to our chests, she watches as I hesitantly dial his cell
number. I feel like we’re prank-calling someone.
I’d be lying if I
said I wasn’t a little excited. It’s not every day that you ask
someone you haven’t met before on a date.
He picks up on the
third ring.
“Hello?” a deep
masculine voice says.
“Erm, hello. Is
this Brett? Brett Nicholson?”
“Yes. Who is
this?”
“My name is
Sophie. I’m friends with Samira and Narayan.”
He pauses for a
moment.
“Sure, I think
I’ve heard Samira mention you.”
“Yeah, we’ve
been best friends for forever.”
Awkward pause.
“Anyway, this
might sound weird since you don’t know me, but are you free
tomorrow night?”
I hear a surprised
chuckle.
“Okay . . .” he
says.
“I have an extra
ticket to see the Jagger Bombs. They’re a Rolling Stones tribute
band playing at Hawrelak Park. Sam was supposed to go with me, but
she’s ditching me for Narayan.” I laugh, shooting Sam a mock
dirty look.
She’s clutching a
pillow to her chest and looking at me with a face-splitting grin.
You’d think we were still thirteen, talking to our first boy on the
phone.
“The Jagger
Bombs?” he asks, sounding amused.
“Yes. The Jagger
Bombs. Their music is fantastic, and Sam suggested I take you. She
said you’re a Rolling Stones fan?”
“Who isn’t?”
he replies.
“Exactly!” I
laugh. “So, the concert is tomorrow night at seven. Would you like
to go with me?”
“Umm, sure.
Sophie, right?”
I laugh. This is so
weird.
“You got it.”
We agree on a
meeting place and describe what we look like. I tell him that I’m
about five-two, have light blond hair, and will be wearing a mint
green dress. He describes himself as being tall, with dark, sandy
blond hair, and will wear a white shirt and ball cap. And that’s
that. I have officially arranged my own blind date.
I turn off my phone,
and notice Samira gaping at me.
“I can’t believe
he actually agreed to it,” she says.
“What do you
mean?”
“Brett hates
meeting new people, almost as much as you do. It’s so out of
character for him. He must’ve liked the way you sounded over the
phone,” she says.
“Yeah, because I
have such a sexy voice,” I say, making my voice husky.
“I think you’ll
like him, Sophie,” Samira says, while turning Mad Men back on.
Ha. Fat chance.
I
was born and raised in Canada, and live with my husband and two
children. I’ve been a nurse since 2009. An essay I wrote on
intercultural nursing has been published in a nursing anthology.
I
love thrift shops, repurposing old junk and learning new belly dance
moves. I can’t decide if my favorite movie is either “Bridget
Jones’ Diary” or “Fight Club.”
I’ve
always wanted to be a writer and in the spring of 2013, I finally sat
down and wrote my first book. Now that that’s done, I’m working
on my second.
And
then read some more.
I
absolutely love books and would live at the library if they’d let
me.
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