The Mandolin Lunch Read online

  The Mandolin Lunch

  Synopsis

  Children’s book illustrator Garet Allen has just escaped her most recent ill-fated relationship and accepts a temporary teaching position at a rural public school. After all, how hard can teaching kids about art really be? Apparently, pretty hard because her first day on the job is a complete disaster, and that has nothing at all to do with the fact that Tess Hill, the captivating and overly conscientious music teacher, shares the same classroom.

  Tess, a dedicated teacher and single mother focused on creating a stable life for her daughter, is immediately attracted to the handsome, cavalier Garet for all the wrong reasons. Everything about Garet says short-term, and Tess refuses to consider anything less than forever. She’s not about to give her heart away to someone she can’t count on.

  Can Garet and Tess survive three months sharing the same classroom without killing each other…or falling in love?

  What Reviewers Say About Missouri Vaun’s Work

  The Sea Within

  “This is an amazing book. The Sea Within by Missouri Vaun is an exciting dystopian adventure and romance that will have you reading on the edge of your seat.”—Rainbow Reflections

  Chasing Sunset

  “A road trip romance with good characters that had some nice chemistry.”—Kat Adams, Bookseller (QBD Books, Australia)

  “Chasing Sunset is a fun and enjoyable ride off into the sunset. Colorful characters, laughs and a sweet romance blend together to make a tasty read.”—Aspen Tree Book Reviews

  “This is a lovely summer romance. It has all the elements that you want in this type of novel: beautiful characters, great chemistry, lovely settings, and best of all, a nostalgic road trip across the country.”—Rainbow Reflections

  “I really liked this one! I found both Finn and Iris to be well fleshed out characters. Both women are trying to figure out their next steps, and that makes them both insecure about where their relationship is going. They have some major communication issues, but I found that, too, realistic. This was a low key read but very enjoyable. Recommended!”—Rebekah Miller, Librarian (University of Pittsburgh)

  “The love story was tender and emotional and the sex was steamy and told so much about how intense their relationship was. I really enjoyed this story. Missouri Vaun has become one of my favourite authors and I’m never disappointed.”—Kitty Kat’s Book Review Blog

  Spencer’s Cove

  “Just when I thought I knew where this story was going and who everyone was, Missouri Vaun took me on a ride that totally exceeded my expectations. …It was a magical tale and I absolutely adored it. Highly recommended.”—Kitty Kat’s Book Reviews

  “The book is great fun. The chemistry between Abby and Foster is practically tangible. …Anyone who has seen and enjoyed the series Charmed, is going to be completely charmed by this rollicking romance.”—reviewer@large

  “Missouri Vaun has this way of taking me into the world she has created and does not let me out until I’ve finished the book.”—Les Rêveur

  “I was 100% all in after the first couple of pages and I wanted to call in sick, so I could stay home from work to immerse myself in this story. I’ve always enjoyed Missouri Vaun’s books and I’m impressed with how she moves between genres with such ease. As paranormal stories go, this one left me thinking, ‘Hmm, I wish I was part of that world,’ and I’ve never read a book featuring vampires or weres that left me with that feeling. To sum it up, witches rock and Vaun made me a believer.”—Lesbian Review

  Take My Hand

  “The chemistry between River and Clay is off the charts and their sex scenes were just plain hot!”—Les Rêveur

  “The small town charms of Take My Hand evoke the heady perfume of pine needles and undergrowth, birdsong, and summer cocktails with friends.”—Omnivore Bibliosaur

  Love at Cooper’s Creek

  “Blown away…how have I not read a book by Missouri Vaun before. What a beautiful love story which, honestly, I wasn’t ready to finish. Kate and Shaw’s chemistry was instantaneous and as the reader I could feel it radiating off the page.”—Les Rêveur

  “Love at Cooper’s Creek is a gentle, warm hug of a book.”—Lesbian Review

  “As always another well written book from Missouri Vaun—sweet romance with very little angst, well developed and likeable lead characters and a little family drama to spice things up.”—Melina Bickard, Librarian, Waterloo Library (UK)

  Crossing the Wide Forever

  “Crossing the Wide Forever is a near-heroic love story set in an epic time, told with almost lyrical prose. Words on the page will carry the reader, along with the main characters, back into history and into adventure. It’s a tale that’s easy to read, with enchanting main characters, despicable villains, and supportive friendships, producing a fascinating account of passion and adventure.”—Lambda Literary Review

  Birthright

  “The author develops a world that has a medieval feeling, complete with monasteries and vassal farmers, while also being a place and time where a lesbian relationship is just as legitimate and open as a heterosexual one. This kept pleasantly surprising me throughout my reading of the book. The adventure part of the story was fun, including traveling across kingdoms, on “wind-ships” across deserts, and plenty of sword fighting. …This book is worth reading for its fantasy world alone. In our world, where those in the LGBTQ communities still often face derision, prejudice, and danger for living and loving openly, being immersed in a world where the Queen can openly love another woman is a refreshing break from reality.”—Amanda Chapman, Librarian, Davisville Free Library (RI)

  “Birthright by Missouri Vaun is one of the smoothest reads I’ve had my hands on in a long time.”—Lesbian Review

  The Time Before Now

  “[The Time Before Now] is just so good. Vaun’s character work in this novel is flawless. She told a compelling story about a person so real you could just about reach out and touch her.”—Lesbian Review

  The Ground Beneath

  “One of my favourite things about Missouri Vaun’s writing is her ability to write the attraction between two women. Somehow she manages to get that twinkle in the stomach just right and she makes me feel as if I am falling in love with my wife all over again.”—Lesbian Review

  All Things Rise

  “The futuristic world that author Missouri Vaun has brought to life is as interesting as it is plausible. The sci-fi aspect, though, is not hard-core which makes for easy reading and understanding of the technology prevalent in the cloud cities. …[T]he focus was really on the dynamics of the characters especially Cole, Ava and Audrey—whether they were interacting on the ground or above the clouds. From the first page to the last, the writing was just perfect.”—AoBibliosphere

  “This is a lovely little Sci-Fi romance, well worth a read for anyone looking for something different. I will be keeping an eye out for future works by Missouri Vaun.”—Lesbian Review

  “Simply put, this book is easy to love. Everything about it makes for a wonderful read and re-read. I was able to go on a journey with these characters, an emotional, internal journey where I was able to take a look at the fact that while society and technology can change vastly until almost nothing remains the same, there are some fundamentals that never change, like hope, the raw emotion of human nature, and the far reaching search for the person who is able to soothe the fire in our souls with the love in theirs.”—Roses and Whimsy

  Writing as Paige Braddock

  Jane’s World and the Case of the Mail Order Bride

  “This is such a quirky, sweet novel with a cast of memorable characters. It has laugh out loud moments and will leave you feeling charmed.”—Lesbian Review

 
The Mandolin Lunch

  Brought to you by

  eBooks from Bold Strokes Books, Inc.

  http://www.boldstrokesbooks.com

  eBooks are not transferable. They cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement on the copyright of this work.

  Please respect the rights of the author and do not file share.

  The Mandolin Lunch

  © 2021 By Missouri Vaun. All Rights Reserved.

  ISBN 13: 978-1-63555-567-7

  This Electronic Original Is Published By

  Bold Strokes Books, Inc.

  P.O. Box 249

  Valley Falls, NY 12185

  First Edition: January 2021

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission.

  Credits

  Editor: Cindy Cresap

  Production Design: Susan Ramundo

  Cover Design By Tammy Seidick

  eBook Design by Toni Whitaker

  By the Author

  All Things Rise

  The Time Before Now

  The Ground Beneath

  Whiskey Sunrise

  Valley of Fire

  Death by Cocktail Straw

  One More Reason to Leave Orlando

  Smothered and Covered

  Privacy Glass

  Birthright

  Crossing the Wide Forever

  Love at Cooper’s Creek

  Take My Hand

  Proxima Five

  Spencer’s Cove

  Chasing Sunset

  The Sea Within

  Writing as Paige Braddock:

  Jane’s World: The Case of the Mail Order Bride

  Acknowledgments

  A few things happened to jump-start this story. Evelyn and I visited a small, charming town called Dillsboro, North Carolina, and I thought to myself, this would be a great setting for a romance novel. I made notes and took pictures, embellished a bit, and kept the location in a drawer for a couple of years until the actual story presented itself. That part happened one night over dinner with our friends Renee and Karen. We were each retelling “how we met” stories. Theirs involved a mandolin repair at a music shop and an accidental lunch (I’m taking some narrative license here), but the end result was an encounter that I started calling “The Mandolin Lunch.” So, special thanks to Renee and Karen for allowing me to use this as the title for the book. And, Renee, I really appreciate all your input about music, performing, and the mandolin. Renee is part of a Bay Area band called Blame Sally. Do yourself a favor and look them up.

  I would also like to add a special thank you to Jenny Harmon. Her years as a teacher made her a huge asset in the crafting of this story.

  As always, gratitude to the Bold Strokes dream team: Rad, Sandy, Cindy, Ruth, and Carsen. You guys are the best. And to my beta readers, Vanessa, Alena, Rachel, and Karen. And to my wife, Evelyn, whose love inspired me to write romance in the first place.

  My intention was to write a sweet, hopeful story for a time when we need one most. To my readers, I hope you enjoy it.

  Dedication

  To Renee and Karen

  Chapter One

  Garet Allen stood in the middle of the upstairs bedroom with the empty duffel bag drooping from a strap across her shoulder. Welcome to the beginning of another end. She and Jillian were over, finished, done. All that remained was the last scene and then—exit, stage right. Garet exhaled, a long slow breath.

  The antique oak dresser squeaked in complaint as Garet tugged the drawer free. A picture frame on top of the dresser wobbled and loudly plunked facedown. Balancing the drawer on her hip with one arm, she righted the small frame. It was a photo of Jillian and her at a black-tie fundraiser for the Human Rights Campaign right after they’d first started dating. She shifted the drawer, holding it in front of her as she studied the photograph. Jillian had insisted on buying her the suit. Jillian was wearing a sleek black dress, and her slender, pale arm was draped through Garet’s casually as they’d posed for the photo. From the outside, they probably looked like a perfect match.

  The truth was never that simple.

  Relationships were nothing but layered complications beneath a veneer of attraction. Maybe that was the problem. Garet got so distracted by the attraction part that she failed to notice all the ways a relationship would never work in the long-term. Half the time she wondered if it really was all her fault. If relationships failed because she aspired to be the person she thought her partner wanted her to be, rather than the person she really was. Usually, she was unable to maintain the I’m-a-grownup facade for more than a couple of months. That’s when problems started to show up. Luckily, Garet had a system, more accurately, an exit strategy for when the problems began to reach a critical level, as they inevitably did.

  Garet’s basic strategy, for her own sanity, was to keep the level of commitment limited to one drawer. Regardless of how in the beginning she thought every relationship would last forever. What did forever look like anyway? Anything more than one drawer of clothing stored at your girlfriend’s place and you were bound to lose something valuable, including your autonomy.

  Everything Garet needed to pack was in one dresser drawer, except for the suit that mocked her from the open closet door. She should never have allowed Jillian to buy it. She’d looked like a Jane Bond imposter the entire evening.

  Garet had given Jillian the wrong impression right from the start. Garet had let Jillian think her wardrobe, and her life, needed improvement. Both probably did, but any improvement was bound to be short-lived because the truth was Garet liked herself the way she was.

  Just after college, Garet had fallen head over heels for a therapist, Kelly. People might say falling for a therapist was her first mistake, but she was certain her larger mistake was filling up an entire dresser with clothing at Kelly’s apartment. She was too young to know that was three drawers too many. She’d lost several of her favorite T-shirts in the breakup. Because inevitably when you’ve got several drawers full of stuff at someone’s house, something is bound to be in the hamper waiting to be washed when you hurriedly pack to leave.

  It’s hard to move freely when you’re traveling with too many things.

  It was also impossible for Garet to ever win an argument with Kelly. Therapists were always taking every situation apart to examine the inner workings, or Garet’s inner workings. Either way, Garet had gotten in over her head, with the drawers of stuff to prove it.

  That breakup with Kelly taught Garet some hard lessons.

  That epic breakup was the genesis of the one-drawer rule. Sorting out her inner workings still hadn’t happened, not by Garet or any of the well-intentioned exes who’d come after Kelly. In Garet’s opinion, if you took something apart—separated it into too many smaller pieces—they never fit back together again. Better not to put things under a microscope, especially messy things like needs and feelings. Besides, Garet didn’t really want to change.

  With a sweeping motion, Garet upended the drawer into the duffel bag on the floor at her feet.

  “Go ahead, leave.” That sounded like a dare. Jillian, her ex-girlfriend as of five minutes ago, stood in the bedroom doorway with her hands on her hips.

  Wasn’t that exactly what she was in the process of doing— leaving?

  “You’re so immature.”

  “Sticks and stones, Jillian, sticks and stones.” Garet wasn’t going to get pulled into another argument she would inevitably lose. This six-month relationship had lasted four months longer than it should have. She chided herself for not packing up her single drawer sooner.

  She glanced up at Jillian’s reflection in the mirror over the dresser. Jillian’s pencil skirt and dark, fitted blazer hugged her subtle curves. Sh
e’d obviously come straight from the law office. Whereas Garet was in her usual I’m an artist and I work from home attire. Her faded, ripped jeans were only one rung above flannel lounge pants. Her short hair was askew, falling into her eyes, and she’d only just noticed a coffee stain on her gray T-shirt. She and Jillian were a case study in opposites and why, even if opposites initially attract, they inevitably repel each other like inverted magnets.

  “I should have known you’d never really commit to this relationship. Just like everything else in your life. You’re afraid of anything that gets too serious. Afraid to actually need someone or, heaven forbid, for them to need you.” Jillian didn’t even raise her voice. She was in lawyer mode—calm, tactical, and self-righteous.

  Garet wondered if it was tiresome for Jillian to always be right.

  “That’s not entirely true.” Garet zipped the duffel with one swift swipe.

  “Which part?”

  “I do take things seriously.” She stood and faced Jillian with the bag in her hand. “Look, I’m doing you a favor. Be honest, you’re not even that upset about this. And now you can go find someone who’s a better fit for you. Someone who makes six figures and drives a BMW. That’s who you really want and you and I both know it.” That sounded a little callous, but it was also true.

  “So, I should thank you?”

  “Well, only if you really want to.” She didn’t mean to sound like a jerk, but she feared she was treading very close to jerk territory. They’d been arguing a lot and she just wasn’t in the mood to argue any more. It was all such a waste of mental energy.

  Jillian deserved a serious girlfriend, a girlfriend who’d lie in bed on Sunday and read the New York Times with her. A girlfriend who liked her coffee in a French press. Jillian deserved a serious, adult girlfriend—a grown-up—and that was not Garet. She knew it and she was sure Jillian knew it too. This whole breakup scene was simply a formality for something that should have happened weeks ago.