“What could be a better place for a picnic than on the beach at the lake?” Lyn says, as the hostesses climb out of Mary’s yellow Mustang convertible.“Not only a picnic,” Lilly replies excitedly. “According to Megan, we’re going to get to meet the cast of the reality show Leftover.”
Debby pats her big blonde hair. “I heard Cane Trevino, who plays a medic on the show, is quite handsome.”
Mary gives Debby a poke in the ribs and whispers. “Don’t you remember Brooke told us Megan is interested in Cane.”
“Oh well,” Debby says with a sigh. “Perhaps I can be an extra on the show.”
“Look, over by the picnic tables, there’s Oliver grilling the hot dogs and hamburgers,” Laverne says. “Don’t they smell wonderful?”The hostesses wave at Oliver.
I understand there’s s'mores cake for dessert,” Lilly adds.
Mary rubs her hands. “And a BBQ, with fresh buns.”“There’s Megan,” Lyn says pointing to an attractive girl with sandy hair standing near the water's edge.
The hostesses hurry across the sand, Lyn’s large feet spraying puffs of sand.
“Hi, Ladies,” Megan says with a smile. “Do you believe it? I’m on a reality TV show.”
“You’re going to find the protection piece and be the lone survivor,” Lilly says. “We all have total confidence in you.”
Megan’s cheeks turn pink. “I don’t know about that. But my sister Molly says the same thing.”
Mary smiles and pats her shoulder. “Your sister is right. You can do this.”Laverne glances around at the crowd. “Where is Molly?”
Megan lowers her voice. “She’s expecting and not feeling well today. That’s why I’m taking her place on Leftover.”
“Doing the show will be fun,” Debby said, giving Megan a wink. “Especially with Cane Trevino on the set with you.”
The hostesses all raise their glasses of iced tea to Brooke Williams and her new release, The Leftover.
THE LEFTOVER
Megan Malone is the ultimate homebody. When her sister talks her into taking her place on the local version of the TVshow Survivor called The Leftover, she isn’t sure she’ll make it past the first vote. Cane Trevino is nursing a broken heart by joining the show as a medic. With time away from his regular job and a host of contestants to distract him, he hopes he can finally get over the woman he thought was “the one.”As the contests ramp up, Megan faces her shortfalls as well as the bullies that hit the beach alongside her while harboring a crush on the show’s medic.
How far will Megan get on the show? Will Cane get over his broken heart? Join a host of characters for contests filled with laughs, blind sides around every corner, and the ultimate showmance. Who will be The Leftover?
blurb:
“Hey, everyone!” Wendy waved her hand at the contestants. “You might recognize me as Wendy Weathersby, an important part of the KETO weather team. But for the next week and a half, I’m Wendy Weathersby, host of The Leftover. And let me tell you, Wendy Weathersby is excited about this journey.”
Could she say her name another time, please?
“As Wendy Weathersby . . .”
There you go.
1st Chapter Excerpt“You want me to do what?” Megan Malone tilted her head as she pressed her ear against the cell phone. She needed to hear every word.
“Take my place on the show.”Her sister Molly wasn’t asking. It was more of a demand. But that was how Molly operated.
“You’re kidding, right? I’m not what they’re looking for.” Megan paced circles around her couch. She loved her sister and there wasn’t much she wouldn’t do for her, but go on a reality TV show in her place? Not happening.
Megan could imagine her sister biting her lip. People often thought they were twins. Fraternal twins, of course, since they looked nothing alike. Their hair was the same shade of sandy blonde, but Molly’s hair was sleek and straight while Megan’s was “wavy”—the hairdresser’s nice way of saying “frizzy mess.” Megan sported wire-rimmed glasses, which partially hid her blue-gray eyes, especially because her head was usually tilted down. Megan didn’t like making eye contact with people. Molly had perfect vision and ocean blue eyes that sparkled even in dim light. Occasional sparks of envy flared when Megan compared her own short stature with Molly’s tall, toned one, but Megan wasn’t one to hold grudges. Her sister was the most important person in her world.
“Why can’t you do it, anyway?” Megan frowned. Being on the local Nebraska version of Survivor was nearly all her sister had talked about for the last month.
Molly sighed. “I wanted to tell you in person . . .”
“Come on, Molly, what gives? You’ve wanted to go on this show since KETO announced they were doing it. Why would you back out now?” Molly had a minor obsession with Survivor, so much so that she had auditioned for the actual show three months ago. Megan remembered how devastated she was after getting cut in the final round of auditions. Luckily, two weeks later the local TV station had announced they were doing a version of Survivor that would feature contestants from their city. Molly had been gushing about it ever since.
“I know, I know, you’re right,” Molly admitted. “When I auditioned at KETO, all I wanted was a chance to prove I could compete—you know, show those Survivor people what they missed.”
“And you got onto the local show. So what’s the problem?” Molly was stalling and Megan was ready to get to the bottom of the issue.
“It’s not about wanting it or not wanting it. The medic that works for the show . . . found something.”
Megan stopped pacing and clutched the phone. As much as she complained about her sister, she loved her more than life. Their mother had Megan when Molly was just thirteen months old. They hadn’t gotten along in their early years, but when they were twelve and thirteen years old, their mother left their father for a younger man and they were forced to shuttle back and forth between two houses. The sisters began to rely on each other as constants. Megan sometimes felt like she was living in the shadow of her outgoing, beautiful, genuine sister, but she had accepted long ago that being jealous was exhausting. Megan was who she was and while she wasn’t always okay with that, the fact that Molly loved her anyway made her sister all that much more special.“What did he find?” Silence.
“Molly, come on. You have to tell me.” Megan sat on the arm of the couch. The news had to be huge. She needed to prepare for the worst. There was no way Molly would back out of the show without a grim diagnosis of some sort.
Megan tried to imagine Molly, full of life and energy, reduced to a sickbed, gaunt and hairless like their grandmother had been in the final stages of breast cancer. She shook the thought away.
“Molly, tell me this—”
“I’m pregnant.” Molly whimpered.
“Pr–pregnant?” Megan stood, her voice almost squeaking at the end of the word. Her heart pounded in her chest, but relief flooded through her. Pregnancy wasn’t the end of the world. In fact, it was the beginning of another life. “How can that be? You and Derek have been married for less than a year!”
“It doesn’t take a year to make a baby.”
The Leftover links
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2pQ8Mm6
Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/2vFj7DE
BLURB:
Brooke Williams is a stay-at-home mom/freelance writer/author. She attributes her humor to her two young children who allow her to see the bright side of every challenge. Brooke is a former radio announcer and producer who also did a brief stint as a TV traffic reporter. Now, she writes novels as well as articles, blogs, and copy for clients on a freelance basis during the one-hour a day her daughters allow her the time.
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