“Shopping! Shopping! I just love shopping,” Mac gushes enthusiastically. “All these shops! And I have some money to spend.”
Lyn transfers her weighty bag to the other hand. She heaves a sigh. “Crap! I went crazy too fast and now I have to lug this stuff around.” She gazes longingly into a shoe display in a nearby window. “And I so
need a pair of those.”
Mary presses her nose to the glass eyeing the shoes as well.
“You have too many shoes already,” she exclaims. “I bet you have forty pairs.”

Patsy points to a Starbucks. “Lynn Spangler said she would meet us over there and I would die for an iced latte right now.” She strides purposefully into the street. “Iced latte and a big fat maple bar. YUM!”
She dances to the side as a black limousine nearly takes her out.
“Jerk!” She shakes her fist at the departing vehicle. Another car whizzes by.
“Uh…” Lynn Spangler calls from across the street. “You might want to try the crosswalk. This is a pretty busy street.”
Mac grabs Patsy’s arm and pulls her onto the safety of the sidewalk. “We cross at the crosswalk,” she says. “Didn’t your mother teach you that!”
Patsy scowls, lips pursed. “I just want that latte – now!”
“The crosswalk is right here.” Mary pats Patsy’s massive arm. “We’ll be there in two shakes of a lamb’s tail.”
Tables line the sidewalk in front of Starbucks. Brightly colored umbrellas cover the seating area, shading the patrons from the mid-day sun. An outside case displays the varied and wondrous fair to the strolling shoppers. Resistance is futile.
Mac drops into a chair. Beads of perspiration dot her forehead. “My feet are killing me.” She grins. “But it so worth it. Great places to shop, my good friends and now this. If it wasn’t so hot, I’d have a cappuccino.”
“I’m having something cold and wet,” Lynn Spangler plops down. Her gaze is drawn to a young male entering Starbucks. Tall, handsome and ripped. Dark spiked hair enhances the masculine beauty of the guy. “Oh my,” she fans herself. “Those tight jeans …”
“It’s what’s beneath the jeans that matters,” Mary whispers, arching her brows.
“This looks to be the perfect viewing spot.”
Lyn’s head whips round, trying to get one last look before he disappears into the gloom of the shop. She rests her long feet on a nearby chair.“This looks to be the perfect viewing spot.”
“I’ve been here a lot,” Mary’s full bosom expands as she inhales, sniffing the wondrous scents wafting from the interior of Starbucks. “Great coffee and the…uh…scenery is to die for.”
A gaggle of body builder type males strides by, heading for the counter. The women’s eyes fairly pop with appreciative awe.


A buxom blonde waitress in short shorts leans over their table, handing out menus. “My name is Heather and I’ll be taking care of you.” Pen ready, she waits.

Too many choices - lattes (hot and cold), cappuccinos, sandwiches of every type, La Boulange, a specialty item, a limitless listing of pastries including donuts, glazed and plain, yogurt with fruit, scones of all varieties, chocolate mousse pudding and carrot cake.

More hunky males walk by and disappear into Starbucks.
“Good grief,” Mac exclaims. “Do they grow them like that around here?”
Lynn Spangler grins. “There’s a gym right around the corner and I thought you just might like a few moments to gaze.”
Mac leans back, a look of pure bliss covers her face. “Food, drink and feasts for the eyes! What could be better?”
“Enjoy, Ladies,” Lynn Spangler laughs. “There’s more to come.”
WHISKEY WHISPERS OF THE PAST
Blurb:
Kendra thought her life was her store; Chance thought his revolved around his addiction. What if they’re both wrong?
Looking for a new start, Chance Daniels moves from hectic, big city living to a small town in South Central Pennsylvania. He decides opening his own music store on Main Street will help him beat the demons of his alcoholism. He discovers the beautiful business owner from across the street may be the lift he needs to beat his addiction. But little does he know that parts of his past unbeknownst to him are about to come to light. Chance receives strange objects in the mail and the woman he falls in love with is nearly run down by a crazed driver.
Kendra Strafford, owner of Strafford’s Candle Creations, finds herself drawn to the tall, handsome man from Los Angeles after starting a standing weekday coffee date with him. She can’t help but fall in love with him, despite his addiction and the strange happenings that seem to surround him. Her own brush with death only draws her closer to Chance.
Was her accident just an accident or was it part of a more devious scheme arising from Chance’s hidden past and will they overcome the bizarre occurrences besieging them to explore their developing love?
Excerpt:
"I hear someone is looking at the old Donaldson's building."
Kendra peered out the front window of her candle shop, Strafford's Candle Creations, toward the brick façade of the adjacent building. She saw the local real estate agent and her good friend, Nancy Lewis, walking toward the old structure. The converted row house had once contained Donaldson's Hardware Store, which had been a fixture of Main Street, right across from Kendra's establishment.
"Oh, yeah? I wonder what business someone would put in there," her assistant Deanna commented.
Kendra frowned as she sipped the now lukewarm coffee then set the cup on the glass shelf beside her. "I don't know. Rumor has it it's someone new to the area. A guy looking to make a fresh start, from what Nancy told me. She said the buyer told her he needed a change of pace and a new locale. Why he'd end up in such a place as Jonerstown is beyond me. This area isn't known as a hotbed of business like York or Harrisburg."
"I don't know. Jonerstown is a nice town. Perhaps its charm won him over."
Kendra nibbled her lip — a habit of hers when deep in thought. "Maybe." A quick glance at her watch indicated it was nearly time to open the shop. "How's our merchandise looking? Do we need to restock anything?"
"No, we're good. I took care of that chore last night while you were in the dungeon replenishing our inventory."
Kendra stepped to the counter, which was tucked in the back corner of the sales floor. "Really? A dungeon? Where I come from it’s commonly called a basement. Hand me the duster. It's time to open and I haven't completed the dusting yet."
Glancing around her shop, she surveyed the three rows of gleaming glass shelves filling two walls of the sales floor. Floor units graced the center of her shop, reflecting the brilliance of the morning sun against the ceiling of the store. The shelves were stocked with candles in a vast array of sizes, shapes, colors, and scents. She inhaled, marveling at the combination. Oh, how she loved the fruits of her labor. Every day her wares brought a feeling of warmth and pride.
She strode to the storefront, unlocked the door, flipped the Closed sign to Open, and went about dusting the shelves while rearranging a candle or two along the way.
"Wow. You've got to see the guy meeting up with Nancy."
Kendra spun around, gazed out the window again, and was greeted by a pleasant surprise. The man shaking Nancy's hand stood about six feet tall at a guess. He was dressed in well-worn blue jeans and a black t-shirt that fit snugly over his arms and chest. "Hmm. At least we'll have some eye candy to stare at. He reminds me of a boxer with the trim, muscular build."
"I like the spiky hair sticking out in every which direction. Too bad we couldn't see his face."
Yeah, too bad. The body is killer.
Author Bio:
I live in South Central Pennsylvania with my wonderful, loving husband and my beautiful daughter. I also have a son who is currently serving in the U.S. Navy. I have a cat named Kolzig and a dog named Cede who allow us to live with them. I love to write and read. I also make jewelry when the mood strikes. I'm a huge sports fan. I love football, NASCAR, and hockey. I'm also a bit of a game show freak. I love old game shows from the 70's and 80's like Match Game and $25,000 Pyramid. Television shows like Criminal Minds and The Voice are also favorites of mine.
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