A story about realizing who you are through self-deception, love, heartbreak, and, finally, self-discovery.
#Synopsis:
Catie Bloom has it all.
A gorgeous husband, cooking skills to rival Julia Child, a wildly successful column for Simply Chic magazine, and The New York Times just labeled her the younger, hipper Martha Stewart for the next generation.
Except, it’s all a lie.
No husband. She can't cook. She can't even organize her underwear drawer.
It all comes to a head when Catie's boss invites a TV crew into her home to film a homecoming special featuring the latest media darling—panty-dropping Max Euston, a travel journalist whose latest assignment left him wounded, recovering from amnesia, and a national hero. Now Catie needs to learn to cook, fake being a Domestic Goddess, and find a husband in less than a week. And it all needs to seamlessly come together while being filmed on national TV.
#Excerpt
The thing is, my whole life is built on a lie. No, a lot of lies.
Lie Number One: I can cook.
It all started out so small. When I first began my lifestyle and interior design blog, Blooming in the City, I wanted to post some recipes along with my design tips. I asked my sister, Natalie, who was in culinary school at the time, for some original dishes, and she happily provided them. At the time, no one read my blog except my mom and her friends, so what did it matter. Right?
Then The Huffington Post picked up one of my posts—“10 Design Hacks I Wish I’d Done When I Was Twenty-One”—and suddenly my blog blew up. My new exposure led me to a chance meeting with Patrick Simon, now my editor at Simply Chic, and two weeks later, I was hired at the magazine.
Lie Number Two: I’m a Domestic Goddess.
Give me a blank room and I can throw beautiful paint on the walls, fill it with chic furniture that dazzles the eye, and transform it into a masterpiece of modern design. Ask me to maintain it, clean it, and keep it organized—as I expertly advise my readers every month—and I fail every time.
Lie Number Three: I have a husband.
Okay, this one is easy to explain. I flat-out lied.
Sam rakes his hands through his hair, his face steaming. “Everyone is turning their lives inside out for you. I have given you a husband, everything so you won’t lose your job. Natalie is working her ass off and getting no credit from anyone, including you, and Patrick has been lying for you for years, and now you’re willing to throw it all away for some fling?”
Heat shoots up my neck. “You volunteered to do this. I didn’t force you. And Natalie’s a big girl. Hell, this was her idea. And Patrick…well, you’re right about Patrick; he didn’t sign up for any of this. But he never told me to stop either.” I’m right in Sam’s face, unfaltering. “Who cares if I kiss Max? He wanted to kiss me. I mean, I know you play at liking me, but it’s always just been a game.”
Sam is fidgeting and avoiding my eyes. Suddenly he doesn’t look angry—he looks vulnerable. And scared.
Oh. My. God.
“You can’t like me,” I say in dismay.
He shoves past me.
“Even if you think you do, it’s a lie. You go out with a different woman every week. Every day! You’re a total player.”
Sam explodes. “Because I can’t have the one girl I really want! I know you think I’ve been asking you out for four years so I can tick off some notch on my belt, and I’ve let you think that. Because if you really knew…if you knew the truth…”
My hands are covering my gaping mouth.
“Please tell me this isn’t some ploy to get me to sleep with you,” I finally manage.
“Of course, I want to sleep with you! I’m in love with you!”
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#MeettheAuthor
After her own misadventures in New York City, LA, and London, Brooke Stanton now lives in sunny South Florida. She’s an award-winning author who has contributed to Natural Awakenings Magazine, wrote a column for Examiner.com (The Santa Monica Community Examiner), and is the author of The Bloom Sisters series. Visit her website and blog at brookestantonbooks.com.
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