Flavor of the Month Read online

  Flavor of the Month

  Synopsis

  Charlie Stetko had a life to envy. A penthouse in Manhattan, a beautiful girlfriend, and a high-octane marketing career. Or so she thought. When her girlfriend sends her packing, Charlie ends up unemployed. Without a place to live or money of her own, she’s forced to do the one thing she vowed she never would: go back to Shaker Falls, Vermont. Back to her parents and back to the small town life—and the people—she left behind. Back to a part-time job in the new bakery in town.

  Emma Grier thought Charlie was the love of her life until that uppity Manhattan entrepreneur swept Charlie off her feet. Charlie left everything in Shaker Falls behind, including Emma’s shattered heart. But Emma picked herself back up and now owns a popular restaurant in town. As for her love life? She doesn’t need one. Something else she doesn’t need? Charlie waltzing into her restaurant to sell her the bakery’s pie.

  Praise for Georgia Beers

  Fear of Falling

  “Enough tension and drama for us to wonder if this can work out—and enough heat to keep the pages turning. I will definitely recommend this to others—Georgia Beers continues to go from strength to strength.”—Evan Blood, Bookseller (Angus & Robertson, Australia)

  “In Fear of Falling Georgia Beers doesn’t take the obvious, easy way…romantic, feel-good and beautifully told.”—Kitty Kat’s Book Review Blog

  “I was completely invested from the very first chapter, loving the premise and the way the story was written with such vulnerability from both characters’ points of view. It was truly beautiful, engaging, and just a lovely story to read.”—LesBIreviewed

  The Do-Over

  “You can count on Beers to give you a quality well-paced book each and every time.”—The Romantic Reader Blog

  “The Do-Over is a shining example of the brilliance of Georgia Beers as a contemporary romance author.”—Rainbow Reflections

  “[T]he two leads are genuine and likable, their chemistry is palpable…The romance builds up slowly and naturally, and the angst level is just right. The supporting characters are equally well developed. Don’t miss this one!”—Melina Bickard, Librarian, Waterloo Library (UK)

  Calendar Girl

  “Calendar Girl by Georgia Beers is a well-written sweet workplace romance. It has all the elements of a good contemporary romance…It even has an ice queen for a major character.”—Rainbow Reflections

  “A sweet, sweet romcom of a story…Calendar Girl is a nice read, which you may find yourself returning to when you want a hot-chocolate-and-warm-comfort-hug in your life.”—Best Lesbian Erotica

  The Shape of You

  “I know I always say this about Georgia Beers’s books, but there is no one that writes first kisses like her. They are hot, steamy and all too much!”—Les Rêveur

  The Shape of You “catches you right in the feels and does not let go. It is a must for every person out there who has struggled with self-esteem, questioned their judgment, and settled for a less than perfect but safe lover. If you’ve ever been convinced you have to trade passion for emotional safety, this book is for you.”—Writing While Distracted

  Blend

  “You know a book is good, first, when you don’t want to put it down. Second, you know it’s damn good when you’re reading it and thinking, I’m totally going to read this one again. Great read and absolutely a 5-star romance.”—The Romantic Reader Blog

  “This is a lovely romantic story with relatable characters that have depth and chemistry. A charming easy story that kept me reading until the end. Very enjoyable.”—Kat Adams, Bookseller, QBD (Australia)

  “Blend has that classic Georgia Beers feel to it, while giving us another unique setting to enjoy. The pacing is excellent and the chemistry between Piper and Lindsay is palpable.”—The Lesbian Review

  Right Here, Right Now

  “The angst was written well, but not overpoweringly so, just enough for you to have the heart-sinking moment of ‘will they make it,’ and then you realize they have to because they are made for each other.”—Les Reveur

  “[A] successful and entertaining queer romance novel. The main characters are appealing, and the situations they deal with are realistic and well-managed. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good queer romance novel, and particularly one grounded in real world situations.”—Books at the End of the Alphabet

  “[A]n engaging odd-couple romance. Beers creates a romance of gentle humor that allows no-nonsense Lacey to relax and easygoing Alicia to find a trusting heart.”—RT Book Reviews

  Lambda Literary Award Winner Fresh Tracks

  “Georgia Beers pens romances with sparks.”—Just About Write

  “[T]he focus switches each chapter to a different character, allowing for a measured pace and deep, sincere exploration of each protagonist’s thoughts. Beers gives a welcome expansion to the romance genre with her clear, sympathetic writing.”—Curve magazine

  Lambda Literary Award Finalist Finding Home

  “Georgia Beers has proven in her popular novels such as Too Close to Touch and Fresh Tracks that she has a special way of building romance with suspense that puts the reader on the edge of their seat. Finding Home, though more character driven than suspense, will equally keep the reader engaged at each page turn with its sweet romance.”—Lambda Literary Review

  Mine

  “From the eye-catching cover, appropriately named title, to the last word, Georgia Beers’s Mine is captivating, thought-provoking, and satisfying. Like a deep red, smooth-tasting, and expensive merlot, Mine goes down easy even though Beers explores tough topics.”—Story Circle Book Reviews

  “Beers does a fine job of capturing the essence of grief in an authentic way. Mine is touching, life-affirming, and sweet.”—Lesbian News Book Review

  Too Close to Touch

  “This is such a well-written book. The pacing is perfect, the romance is great, the character work strong, and damn, but is the sex writing ever fantastic.”—The Lesbian Review

  “In her third novel, Georgia Beers delivers an immensely satisfying story. Beers knows how to generate sexual tension so taut it could be cut with a knife…Beers weaves a tale of yearning, love, lust, and conflict resolution. She has constructed a believable plot, with strong characters in a charming setting.”—Just About Write

  Flavor of the Month

  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.

  Flavor of the Month

  © 2020 By Georgia Beers. All Rights Reserved.

  ISBN 13: 978-1-63555-617-9

  This Electronic Original Is Published By

  Bold Strokes Books, Inc.

  P.O. Box 249

  Valley Falls, NY 12185

  First Edition: April 2020

  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

  Editors: Ruth Sternglantz and Stacia Seaman

  Production Design: Stacia Seaman

  Cover Design by Ann McMan

  eBook Design By Toni Whitaker

  By the Author

  Turning the Page

  Thy Neighbor’s Wife

  Too Close to Touch

  Fresh Tracks


  Mine

  Finding Home

  Starting from Scratch

  96 Hours

  Slices of Life

  Snow Globe

  Olive Oil & White Bread

  Zero Visibility

  A Little Bit of Spice

  Rescued Heart

  Run to You

  Dare to Stay

  What Matters Most

  Right Here, Right Now

  Blend

  The Shape of You

  Calendar Girl

  The Do-Over

  Fear of Falling

  One Walk in Winter

  Flavor of the Month

  Acknowledgments

  When this book materialized in my head, it was originally about pie. And then as I wrote and got to know the characters, it became about…not second chances so much as forgiveness. I found myself exploring the age-old question, “Can people change?” Or are we doomed to make the same mistakes over and over? Do we deserve to be forgiven for our mistakes or is lost trust gone forever? Do those mistakes define us? Or can we come back from them and prove ourselves worthy again? I know what you’re thinking: is this a romance or a discussion on existentialism and philosophy? I promise you it’s a romance. I also promise that there’s pie. So, really, it’s all good, right?

  And now on to the things I repeat each and every time I write these acknowledgments, as they are things that really, really bear repeating.

  Thank you to Radclyffe, Sandy Lowe, and the entire staff at Bold Strokes Books. This publishing a book thing could be really difficult and stressful, but you all make it run so smoothly and easily, and I consider myself very lucky to be on board.

  This was my first outing with Ruth Sternglantz as my editor. The entire process was different, yet comforting, and I thank her for that. I look forward to many, many more discussions on romance. Stacia Seaman (who I refer to in my head as Eagle-Eye Stacia) did her usual stellar copy editing and I’m forever grateful that she helps make me look good.

  I couldn’t do any of this without my daily support system: my dear, dear friends Melissa (who also served as my title guru and came up with this one), Carsen, Rachel, Nikki, Kris, Fiona, Aurora, my family, and more. These are people who get me, and there is nothing in the world more comforting than that. I’ve said it many times, but writing is a terribly solitary job. And even though I love my quiet alone time, it’s comforting to know that I have people a mere keystroke away if I need them. I love all of you guys!

  Finally, and always, I can never say thank you enough to my readers. Your emails, your Instagram photos and collages, your reviews and podcasts and messages, they all keep me going on those days when I’m pretty sure I have zero idea how to write a book. Thank you from the bottom of my very, very grateful heart.

  Prologue

  “You know she’s only trying to get in your pants, right? Tell me you’re not this naïve.”

  Snark. That’s what Charlie heard in Emma’s voice, right through the phone line, clear as if she was standing in front of her. It was a sure sign she was getting angry. A coping mechanism when she heard something she didn’t want to. Or something that hurt. A child slapping her hands over her ears and shouting La, la, la at the top of her lungs.

  “Wow. Thanks for that vote of confidence.” Trying to make Emma feel bad about her words wasn’t something Charlie was proud of, but she did it. Mostly because it was the only way she could keep from feeling bad. A weird, vicious cycle.

  “You’ve spent three semesters telling me all about her reputation, how she’s known for snagging a new girl every time she does a visit at your school, and now you’re going to run off to New York City with her? Are you fucking kidding me?”

  Charlie flopped down onto her dorm room bed, phone pressed to her ear, and leaned back against the concrete block wall that was painted what might once have been a sunny yellow but had faded and aged and looked less like sunshine and more like vomit now. Her sigh was loud, purposefully, trying to downplay Emma’s concern and the obvious worry that came with it. Emma was giving her very little credit, and that pissed her off. “I’m not running off with her. It’s a job. A business opportunity.”

  “Mm-hmm.” How Emma was able to fit oodles of skepticism into that one small sound, Charlie would never know. “You know she gets away with her behavior because she’s a woman, right?”

  “What?” Were they seriously going there now?

  “Come on, Charlie. You know as well as I do that if Darcy Wells was—I don’t know—Daniel Wells, you’d find him creepy, and you’d run in the other direction.”

  “I don’t think that’s true.” Yes, it was. Absolutely true. Emma knew her so well—something Charlie used to love, but lately it had shifted somehow. Felt smothering, like she had no privacy, no right to her own thoughts. Ridiculous, she knew, but still. It grated. And in that moment? She hated how right Emma could be. The anger began to simmer in the pit of her stomach, a sour, bubbling liquid.

  “It’s totally true.” Always right.

  Take a breath. Count to five. She didn’t want to fight with Emma, but it seemed like that’s all they did lately. Exhausting and depressing. Trying a different tack, she softened her voice and said, “I just wish you could be happy for me. This is an amazing opportunity, you know? It’s a big deal, Em.”

  Emma’s sigh was weighted. Defeat? Like most of the wind had been taken out of her sails. “I know,” she said, and her voice was quiet. “And I am happy for you. And I’m so proud of you. It’s just…” Another sigh, an almost unnoticeable crack in her voice. “I miss you.”

  Again, they were doing this. Going to different colleges had been harder on them than they’d expected, though neither wanted to admit it. The hanging on at this point was merely a formality, a way to avoid admitting defeat. They’d done okay freshman year, but things only got harder after that. Classes and new friends and homework and off-campus projects took up more and more time. Texts became spaced out, more sporadic. Phone calls and FaceTimes were few and far between because who had time for either? Visits, aside from going home during the holidays, were nonexistent, as they were seven and a half hours from each other, and only Charlie had a car, and not a terribly reliable one.

  Yeah, the distance had taken a toll. A big one. Farther and farther they’d drifted, and now they were barely hanging on.

  Dwelling was not an option. Ignoring was easier, though Charlie was aware how unproductive that was. She’d given herself time to be sad about the whole thing, but she knew that Emma was a shining star at her culinary school, that she was going places. It was grueling, the hours, the pace, and the last thing Emma needed was a needy, clingy girlfriend whining for more time. That’s what Charlie told herself. Plus, this opportunity had cropped up for her. Darcy Wells, well-known entrepreneur, wanted Charlie to come work for her in Manhattan. Manhattan! A chance to not ever have to go back to Shaker Falls. An opportunity to finally leave small-town life behind and do something. Be something.

  “I miss you, too,” she said, and it was the truth. Friends since they were kids, inseparable all through high school. They’d discovered their sexuality together. “But this is a big deal for me. I can’t pass it up.” Could she hear Emma’s brain working? The wheels turning as she absorbed the words, tried to figure a response? Emma was a person who thought before she spoke, always. She took her time, weighed pros and cons, ran scenarios in her head.

  “I know it is. I get it. I do. You know me—I just worry.”

  “You do.”

  “Be careful around her, okay? You’re so trusting, and she makes me nervous.”

  “I will. I promise.” It wasn’t an easy admission for Emma, and Charlie knew it. She could picture Emma googling everything she could find about Darcy Wells—she probably already had—and there was a lot out there. Darcy was successful and wealthy and famous in certain circles and ridiculously attractive…and she wanted Charlie. For work. Of course. For work. It wasn’t anything beyond that. Charlie was
sure of that. Almost. Kind of. Okay, maybe not really.

  “Just…don’t become her flavor of the month, okay?” Emma tried to play it off as a joke, but Charlie knew her well enough, heard the fear in her voice, and she tried to shake it away. This was the right thing. They’d already drifted. They just had to drift a little bit more, and they’d each be able to move on with life. It would be better for both of them.

  It wasn’t that Charlie didn’t love Emma. She did. Absolutely. She always had. Emma and her mom had moved to Shaker Falls when she and Charlie were eight years old. They’d been instant best friends. They’d had each other’s backs. First kiss, first sex, first love, all Emma.

  There was no doubt Charlie loved her.

  But she wanted more. More than what they had. She wanted a future beyond their small little lives.

  Emma was going places, would end up in some fancy high-end restaurant cooking up creatively delicious meals. Charlie had no idea where, but she knew Emma would make a name for herself. And Charlie was going to do the same thing. It had simply become clearer and clearer over the past year that they were most likely going to do it in different cities. And not as a couple.