New Release Spotlight: Two-Date Rule by Tawna Fenske + Excerpt

Happy release day to Two-Date Rule by Tawna Fenske! This story is all about finding the sweet spot between planning for the future and living in the moment and is sure to leave a smile on your face. Be sure to check out the excerpt below and grab your copy today!


New Release Spotlight: Two-Date Rule by Tawna Fenske + Excerpt | About That Story
Two-Date Rule (Smokejumper #1) by Tawna Fenske


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Willa Frank has one simple rule: never go on a date with anyone more than twice. Now that her business is providing the stability she’s always needed, she can’t afford distractions. Her two-date rule will protect her just fine...until she meets smokejumper Grady Billman.

After one date—one amazing, unforgettable date—Grady isn’t ready to call it quits, despite his own no-attachments policy, and he’s found a sneaky way around both their rules.

Throwing gutter balls with pitchers of beer? Not a real date. Everyone knows bowling doesn’t count.

Watching a band play at a local show? They just happen to have the same great taste in music. Definitely not a date.

Hiking? Nope. How can exercise be considered a date?

With every "non-date" Grady suggests, his reasoning gets more ridiculous, and Willa must admit she’s having fun playing along. But when their time together costs Willa two critical clients, it's clear she needs to focus on the only thing that matters—her future. And really, he should do the same.

But what is she supposed to do with a future that looks gray without Grady in it?


teaser
New Release Spotlight: Two-Date Rule by Tawna Fenske + Excerpt | About That Story


excerpt
“Ladies.” Grady pulled out a chair and gestured Annabelle toward it. “Your seat, madam.”

Giggling, the five-year-old gathered her ruffled skirts and hoisted herself onto the chair with all the ceremony of a queen ascending her throne. “Thank you.” Annabelle adjusted her tiara and regarded Grady with a regal air. “Daddy told me to say ‘please’ also.”

Willa smiled and seated herself beside the little girl. “What nice manners you have.”

“Yeah.” Annabelle surveyed the restaurant where a dozen children in frills and ribbons were settling in with their families. “You also have to say ‘excuse me’ when you interrupt or burp or step on someone’s foot.”

Grady winked at Willa. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

The little girl frowned. “What bridge?”

Covering a laugh, Willa sipped her water as Grady did his best to explain figures of speech. He was good with kids, that was clear. And his rhinestone tiara was on point, just like the sash he wore proclaiming him to be the “#1 Princess.” God, the man was adorable.

“I’ve got about a million nieces and nephews,” Grady had explained to Willa in the car on their way to pick up Annabelle. “It’s the reason Bobby trusted me with this.”

Not the only reason, Willa guessed. Grady practically radiated trustworthiness. How unlike her own father, who could be charming and charismatic but as reliable as a cheesecloth condom.

“Daddy says they only do the tea party one time a year,” Annabelle was explaining. “And Grandma couldn’t take me because someone had to drive Daddy to the doctor.”

“That’s right.” Grady picked up the teapot and poured a little bit into each of the three dainty porcelain cups. “He was real sad not to be here with you, but it’s good for him to get fixed up.”

“Yeah.” Annabelle frowned, looking unsure. “I like you well enough.”

Willa stifled another laugh, wondering where  the girl had picked up that line. “I like him well enough, too.” That was an understatement of epic proportions, and Annabelle eyed her like she might suspect as much.

Grinning, Grady spread his napkin across his lap. His hand skewed the princess sash across his broad chest, and Willa resisted the urge to reach over and adjust it.

“Thanks,” he said, still grinning. “I’m honored to have a date with two beautiful princesses.”

Willa smiled and took a sip from her cup as Grady winked at her again. Not a date, he mouthed.

She laughed, sputtering her tea as Annabelle looked on in dismay.

“Grown-ups are weird.” The girl picked at one of the tiny tea sandwiches and regarded Grady through her frame of perfect blond ringlets. “Did you get hurt, too?”

Grady shook his head, easily  finding  his  place in the conversation. “I was on the same fire as your daddy, but I’m okay.” He picked up his own teacup, which looked like a dollhouse prop in his big hand. “Your daddy’s very brave.”

“Yeah.” Annabelle plucked  a  sugar  cube  out of the dish in the center of the table and nibbled a corner of it. “Was it a big fire?”

“Not too big,” Grady assured her. “Lots of smoke, though.”

Wrinkling her nose, Annabelle regarded him with a haughty look. “That’s why you smell.”

Laughing, Grady grinned at Willa. “Can’t argue with that. It’s tough to get rid of the smoke smell when you’ve been close to a fire. Would you believe I’ve showered four times already since I got home? Guess I should do it again, huh?”

“Yeah.” The girl pointed at Willa. “Maybe she can help get behind your ears and stuff.”

“That’s an excellent idea,” Grady said as heat flooded Willa’s cheeks.

She focused on choosing from the platter of tea sandwiches so she wouldn’t have to meet Grady’s eye. It wouldn’t do to find herself mentally undressing the man in front of a child.

“My dad stinks lots of times, too,” Annabelle declared proudly. “He said you saw a bear this time.”

Willa looked up in time to see Grady scrub a hand over his chin.

“That’s true,” he said. “But it was a long way off and not dangerous at all.”

Willa sipped her tea, not sure whether he was trying to reassure her or Annabelle. Like Bobby’s injury wasn’t enough of a reminder how dangerous a smokejumper’s job could be. How Grady could be gone at any moment.

It’s why you’re not getting attached. One of a million reasons this can’t go beyond two dates.

Something Willa would do well to keep in mind.

She ordered herself to stay focused on the conversation. Grady was telling Annabelle about the different animals he’d seen on recent forest fires.

“…Lots of coyotes and a couple of bobcats,” he was saying. “And birds. On this last fire, we had an owl that wouldn’t stop hooting the whole night long.” He hooted and flapped his arms like wings, making Willa smile and Annabelle dissolve into giggles.

“I like owls,” the girl announced.

Willa tried to think of something to add. She didn’t have nearly as much practice as Grady at being around kids. “Did you know owls are nocturnal? That means—”

“Owls are not turtles.” The girl shook her head, making her curls bounce. “You’re silly.”

Grady burst out laughing, shaking his head as he refilled everyone’s tea. “Can’t argue with that.”


about-the-author
awna Fenske, Author
When Tawna Fenske finished her English lit degree at 22, she celebrated by filling a giant trash bag full of romance novels and dragging it everywhere until she’d read them all. Now she’s a RITA Award finalist, USA Today bestselling author who writes humorous fiction, risqué romance, and heartwarming love stories with a quirky twist. Publishers Weekly has praised Tawna’s offbeat romances with multiple starred reviews and noted, “There’s something wonderfully relaxing about being immersed in a story filled with over-the-top characters in undeniably relatable situations. Heartache and humor go hand in hand.”

Tawna lives in Bend, Oregon, with her husband, step-kids, and a menagerie of ill-behaved pets. She loves hiking, snowshoeing, standup paddleboarding, and inventing excuses to sip wine on her back porch. She can peel a banana with her toes and loses an average of twenty pairs of eyeglasses per year. To find out more about Tawna and her books, visit www.tawnafenske.com


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