Loving Goldie: A Pineville World Novella (Perfectly Imperfect)

Loving Goldie A PINEVILLE WORLD NOVELLA PERFECTLY IMPERFECT SERIES DEBRA ELISE Copyright @2023 Debra Elise Cover by: Dragonfly Media, Ink Edited by: Dragonfly Editing Ink All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, without prior written permission. This Book is your personal copy. This Book may not be sold to other people. To obtain permission to excerpt portions of the text, please contact the author at the email address listed below. Debra Elise/HEA Productions LLC www.debraelise.com Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental. NOTE: This is a romance novel and contains steamy sex scenes which are not suitable for children 17 or younger. 2023/ Loving Goldie Contents About Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Epilogue About the Author About GOLDIE I've been in semi-permanent fight-or-flight mode for almost a decade--searching for a loser ex who doesn’t want to be found; watching my only child fight, then thankfully beat cancer; and suffering in silence (mostly) for years with endometriosis. That last one has kept me from living life to the fullest and giving my daughter what she’s always wanted: a family. Then, at the exact right time, things seem to finally be going my way. After leaving almost every job I’ve ever had out of boredom, six months ago I landed a new position that could finally be the one. But there’s one obstacle even I didn't see coming. It’s a six-three, nerdishly sexy problem who thinks I’m the one. But I’m not looking for love, just a job that finally challenges me and has a great health plan. FORD Work is crazy. My family is crazier. And my personal life? I’m not going to lie, it’s been pretty dull and a bit lonely, okay, a lot lonely. I tell my friends I don’t have time for love. But what I haven’t told anyone, especially my mom or my nosy cousins, is that I’m a romantic at heart. I know the one is out there. And at 42, I may have just hired the woman of my dreams. Convincing her proves challenging. But I'm not worried, I enjoy a good challenge. And Goldie is the best one yet. And I'm not giving up until she's mine. She says she's broken and not interested in love, but all I see are her perfect imperfections. * * * There are numerous ways to differentiate one person from the next. Hair or eyes color, personality, sense of humor, and so forth. For some, it's a medical diagnosis. While that can be life-altering, it also doesn't define you. However, it can shake you, change you, shape you. But our core remains-the need for acceptance, love. We're here to give those that are perfectly imperfect their beautiful, heartwarming happily ever afters. Chapter 1 GOLDIE The relief of being pain free was…well, to be honest, I’m still trying to get used to it. Even the twinge of discomfort I feel almost a month after my surgery has nothing on the years long grip endometriosis had on me, keeping me from so many life events—or myself, but especially for my daughter, Lily Ann. The saying “New Year, New You,” couldn’t be more apt for me. At almost four weeks out from a hysterectomy and at forty-one years old, I was ready for the next chapter in my life. Better health, a new career, and now finally my own home. No more renting. This new year was going to be our best yet. Even if I couldn’t give my daughter the one thing she’s asked Santa for year after year since she could talk—a sibling. She’d been forced to grow up too fast after having and beating childhood cancer and growing up without her real father in the picture. Sighing, I didn’t want to go down that particular part memory lane; I pushed all thoughts of what I couldn’t give my daughter, preferring to focus on the positive as I waited for Kiersten, one of my closest friends, to arrive for lunch. Although it was my first official day back to work at Carter Security, I felt no guilt in taking a longer lunch. Typically, I brought my lunch. The company I worked for had a nice break room and, as a scheduling operator, I had my own caseload of clients. We specialized in all forms of protection for high-profile athletes, multi-million-dollar businesses or wealthy clients who required various forms of personal security, on-site protection services or system-wide technical expertise. I felt like I’d found my place with this company. It provided the best life possible for me and Lily Ann. “Hey, sorry I’m late. I offered to drop off a last-minute order not far from here.” Kiersten sat down and grinned at me, then reached across the table and squeezed my hand. “Hey, I know that look. What’s up? I seem to remember you telling me that brooding over things you couldn’t change was behind you now that you’ve had the surgery.” Leaning back, she scanned the menu just as the waiter arrived. Giving him our orders, we declined his offer of a bottle of wine. “Maybe next time, we have to go back to work after this.” He gave me an unexpected once-over before leaving me in shock. When was the last time a man checked me out? I mean, he was at least twenty years younger, but still he was cute. My heart sped up at his attention. “Look at you. You’re practically glowing over there, getting lingering looks from young, hot guys. I’m telling you, Goldie, this is your year. I’m so happy you’re healthy. Lily’s happy and healthy too,