by Diana Orgain | Jun 14, 2021 | Roundup Crew, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
Did you miss part one of Chapter One? From Trigger Yappy Chapter One Continued… Yolanda and Fran craned to see what was happening between Gus and me, although for all I knew they were checking out his backside. I mean, that’s what I would have been doing if I had their vantage point. “Stop being such a nervous Nellie, Cornelia!” Fran screamed into her phone. Gus ignored them, leaning in closer toward me. “I missed you. I wanted to talk to you about something.” He freed my hand and ran his fingers through his dark thick hair. I poured him a glass of the Verdant Vines Merlot and watched him work his lower lip. Uh-oh. He’s nervous about something. Does he have bad news for me? My stomach clenched at the thought. “It’s about the restaurant.” He fixed his dark eyes on mine. “I think I need to keep it closed awhile . . . I need to . . . you know . . . figure things out.” I knew Gus had recently inherited one hundred percent of the restaurant from his partner and had some restructuring in mind, but I couldn’t guess what was causing him such distress at the moment. I pushed the glass of wine toward him, but he reached for my hand again instead of the glass. He laced his fingers through mine and said, “Maggie, I got an offer I want to discuss with you.” “That’s not even close to a fair price!” Fran shouted at Yolanda. Gus glanced over his shoulder at Yolanda and Fran’s table. Fran had hung up the phone...
by Diana Orgain | Jun 14, 2021 | Love or Money, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
Did you miss Chapter One? Did you miss Chapter Two? Did you miss part one of Chapter Three? From Third Times a Crime Chapter Three Continued… I nodded, pulling away from him. I rubbed at my eyes and face, and tried to keep my head from exploding. This had come as such a surprise. I’d known things were awkward between us, but I never suspected he didn’t love me anymore. Before Scott, I’d been left at the altar and now all the feelings of betrayal came rushing back at me, hitting me square in the solar plexus. I sucked air in greedily, hoping it would calm my racing heart. “Not remember things exactly,” Scott said, barely noticing that I was practically hyperventilating. “That’s not the right word. I remember things, but it’s as if those memories belong to someone else. As if I’m not invested in them somehow.” He’s been in a severe accident, I reminded myself. He’d been in a coma. Head injuries take a lot of healing time. We’d been so lucky he’d mostly recovered quickly. The doctors had all said it might take time for life to return to normal. I just hadn’t thought that that diagnosis had included our relationship. There was life before the accident and life after the accident. “I’m like Humpty Dumpty,” he said. “No,” I said. “Not Humpty Dumpty.” “Yes,” he said. “They couldn’t put him back together again.” Before I could argue, footsteps sounded behind us. I turned to look, but no one was there. “Did you hear that?” I asked him. He shrugged. “Hear what? Are you listening to...
by Diana Orgain | Jun 14, 2021 | Love or Money, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
Did you miss Chapter One? Did you miss Chapter Two? From Third Times a Crime Chapter Three Scott stiffened at Becca’s comment, and patted my knee, but it somehow felt a bit insincere. I stood, the entire table looked at me and I grew hot and uncom‐ fortable. “I’m going to get some air.” Scott excused himself from the table and followed me. “Hey, wait up,” he said. “I need to talk to you about something.” The serious expression on his face made my heart plummet into my stomach. I reached for his hand, only he wasn’t expecting it and our hands bumped awkwardly. Ordinarily, Scott would have made a joke about it and wrapped his arms around me, but tonight we both dropped our arms to our respective sides and walked out of the room together in silence. What was going on with him? Outside of the main dining area, the castle was frigid. There were drafts running throughout every room and passageway, the broken window in the prayer room only made matters worse. I shivered and said, “I think it’s warmer outside than it is inside.” Scott shuffled his feet next to me. “Yeah. This time of year, it’s like that in this area.” We walked outside. The grounds were enormous. We descended the back porch steps and went past the empty swimming pool onto the rolling grass. There was a large garden area surrounded by shrub‐ bery and in the distance we could see planted vegetables, olive and grape groves, and wheat fields. “The historical society’s done a good job of keeping up the castle,” I...
by Diana Orgain | Jun 14, 2021 | Love or Money, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
Did you miss part one of Chapter One? From Third Times a Crime Chapter One Continued… Once inside the castle, the creep factor only escalated. The inside of the building was a like a maze with steps and hallways spinning in every direction, vertically and horizontally. The stairs were worn and creaked as the cast and crew climbed them to what was known as the prayer room. A strange smell filled the room, like sulfur mixed with stale kerosene that someone had attempted to mask with a flowery perfume. “Whoa! Do you smell that?” the psychic asked. “It’s a presence! Most certainly a presence!” The man claiming to be a psychic was the least likely person I would have expected. I figured Cheryl would have a cast a pretty blond young lady, but instead the man before us was as large as a lumberjack complete with a burly red beard. I’d liked him immedi‐ ately, even though, of course, I couldn’t believe a word he uttered. I wrinkled my nose. “I think the room’s probably been closed up a long time.” “No, no,” the docent disagreed. She worked at the Golden Castle as one of the tour guides. “We air it out every day, but the smell always returns.” Fingers tickled the back of my neck and I involuntarily jumped as Scott leaned in close to me, his lips touching my ear. “Oooh,” he whis‐ pered. “Creeeeeppppy.” “I thought you were here to protect me, not freak me out,” I said. He pressed his forehead to mine, looking into my eyes. “You certainly don’t need my protection, but you...
by Diana Orgain | Jun 14, 2021 | Love or Money, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
Did you miss Chapter One? From Third Times a Crime Chapter Two I was the first one out the door, flying toward the rickety staircase that led to the first floor. Scott’s voice called out behind me, “Georgia, no! Don’t go. Hold up! Hold up.” I ignored him, racing down the windy, spiral staircase, holding the banister to ensure I wouldn’t fall. “Let them pass!” Scott yelled. More footsteps sounded behind me, crashing against the rotting wood of the old stairs. Than an eerie sound of fluttering wings, followed by high-pitched screams. The blackbirds have broken through the window. It suddenly sounded as if a colony of bats had infiltrated the castle. Scott was right behind me, he reached out to grab me, his hand skimming my jacket. “Georgia!” I jumped to the bottom of the last stair and bounded toward the front doors, my palms pressing them open. Scott reached me and gripped my arm. “Don’t go out there, it could be dangerous.” “And stay in here with the birds?” I asked. Dr. Arch barreled past us. “Let me see, let me see! This is extraordinary,” he said, as he raced outside into the gardens. The fresh air buffeted my face as I followed Dr. Arch outside. The sky was dark, covered with a full blackbird migration, swarms of them passing the castle. On the grassy area in front of the castle were literally hundreds of dead blackbirds, as if they been steamrolled by an imaginary vehicle. Behind me, Scott and Karen Kenley emerged from the castle, followed by several more cast, crew, and cameramen. Scott laced his...
