Not Quite Crazy
by Catherine Bybee
Series: Not Quite, #6
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: March 6, 2018
In Not Quite Crazy, California transplant, Rachel Price, doesn’t understand the ramifications of driving into Manhattan from Connecticut every day; in every type of weather…especially snow. When she runs the charming Jason Fairchild off the road, sparks fly. Too bad Jason is her new boss and dating him is out of the question. Everyone knows it’s occupational suicide to date your boss.
Determined to keep her distance romantically, the two dive into a friendship. It isn’t long before those sparks ignite and neither one of them can deny their attraction. Throw in a teenage ward that Rachel has taken on after the death of her best friend, and biological grandparents that seek custody; and this heart warming love story is bound to whisk you away.
While I was writing Not Quite Crazy I took an impromptu trip to Manhattan last March. I purposely chose a winter month where I might be able to absorb what it felt like to be in the city when snow covered the ground. That might sound silly for those of you who live in the city, but for me, a woman who has lived in Southern California since she was eighteen years old, I had no idea just how snow impacts day to day life.
On the drive in from the airport, I was immediately struck by the bikes chained to posts and buried by snow. I observed a man digging his car out and effectively covering his neighbor’s car in the process. The plows did a great job of clearing the path for those cars actually moving, but did an equally fantastic job of making sure some vehicles couldn’t move for days. Trash piled up on the sidewalks would have to wait to be picked up until the thaw. It was astonishing to see. But the best experience for me, and one that made it into the pages of Not Quite Crazy, came when I took my first ride on the subway. You see, I was on my way uptown, from downtown to meet with my agent. Keep in mind, Manhattan is only five miles long. But it was St. Patrick’s Day and I completely forgot about the parade. I ordered an Uber, as one does, and sat bumper to bumper for nearly two hours. After arriving extremely late to my lunch, my wise and savvy agent gave me the instructions I needed to ride the subway back to my downtown hotel. I’m a grown woman, riding a subway shouldn’t intimidate me… but if I were honest, it did. So, with my purse strapped to my shoulder and zipped on the inside of my jacket, and my eyes wide open, I crowded into the underground train along with just about everyone else in the city. Street performers jumped onto the car and started singing for change. Tourists chatted enthusiastically while locals looked bored with the whole process.
Rachel, my heroine in Not Quite Crazy is an extension of everyone I know that has lived in California. Here on the west coast we all have cars. We’re in them all the time. Public transportation is a joke when the distance between downtown LA and Orange County is so far away. The concept of always relying on public transportation to get to work every single day isn’t something most Southern Californian’s do. So when Rachel showed up on the page, I made sure she personified my own stubbornness about independently driving to and from wherever she needed to go. Even if it takes her two hours more than it should.
I hope you all enjoy this final chapter in the Not Quite Series and find room on your keeper shelf for Not Quite Crazy.
Cheers,
Catherine
No one drives in New York City. Everyone knows that, including California transplant Rachel Price. But that doesn’t stop her from driving into the city. From Connecticut. Every single morning. Rain or shine…or snow.
When she runs the charismatic and good-looking Jason Fairchild off the road, their immediate spark is met with bad timing. There is also one tiny little detail: Jason is her boss. And a woman as intelligent and dedicated to her career as Rachel knows not to date her boss.
As CEO of a private jet company, Jason Fairchild is more used to flying than driving. But if he hadn’t chosen to drive home one night, he wouldn’t have met the slowest—and most irresistible—driver in the entire metro area. Jason has never had time for love. Or dating. Or really anything that doesn’t involve work. But when he finds out that Rachel is the newest superstar in his marketing department, he can’t help wondering if fate has other plans…
Rachel found the stack of mail on the dining room table. She fingered through a few bills and tossed the junk to the side to add to the recycle bin. The box Owen had spoken of didn’t have a mailing label. In fact, all that was written on the plain brown box was her name, her first name.
She peeled away the tape, not knowing what to expect. Once she folded the lid back, she saw a handwritten envelope on top of a white canvas bag. It took a little effort to lift the noisy bag from the box—the sound of metal hitting metal struck her as odd.
Chains.
Chains for the tires on her car.
“Who…?”
She opened the note and a second paper fell out.
Rachel
Thank you for braving this stranger in a storm and keeping me from frostbite. Welcome to Connecticut.
Jason
Below his name was a phone number
Something inside her stomach flipped, the buzz a teenage girl feels when she notices a popular boy watching her from the other side of the classroom. Or maybe she was reading into it. Maybe this was just a thank-you, a friendly gesture from a grateful, stranded traveler.
Her cheeks warmed.
Assuming he gave her a mobile number, Rachel decided to send a text.
Hello Jason. I received your gift. They were incredibly thoughtful. Thank you.
She read her note over, twice, then pressed “Send.” Off it went, in wherever notes went as they traveled faster than Superman in cyberspace.
The phone in her hand buzzed, reminding her she was holding it.
Is this Rachel?
She grinned.
Do you leave gifts on everyone’s doorstep in town?
Dot. Dot. Dot. It is nearly Christmas.
Was he flirting? It had been some time since she’d sent a text to anyone outside of the friend zone, so she couldn’t tell.
So you double as Connecticut’s Santa Claus?
Shhh. Don’t tell anyone. It’s a secret.
Well, he wasn’t not flirting.
I’ll keep my mouth closed on one condition.
Oh? What’s that?
I want to meet Vixen. She’s always been my favorite.
I thought Vixen was a he.
She giggled.
A boy named Vixen. That’s just cruel. Good point. I’ll see what I can do. The team is on a strict curfew until after the holiday.
Rachel found a rolling eye emoji.
She peeled away the tape, not knowing what to expect. Once she folded the lid back, she saw a handwritten envelope on top of a white canvas bag. It took a little effort to lift the noisy bag from the box—the sound of metal hitting metal struck her as odd.
Chains.
Chains for the tires on her car.
“Who…?”
She opened the note and a second paper fell out.
Rachel
Thank you for braving this stranger in a storm and keeping me from frostbite. Welcome to Connecticut.
Jason
Below his name was a phone number
Something inside her stomach flipped, the buzz a teenage girl feels when she notices a popular boy watching her from the other side of the classroom. Or maybe she was reading into it. Maybe this was just a thank-you, a friendly gesture from a grateful, stranded traveler.
Her cheeks warmed.
Assuming he gave her a mobile number, Rachel decided to send a text.
Hello Jason. I received your gift. They were incredibly thoughtful. Thank you.
She read her note over, twice, then pressed “Send.” Off it went, in wherever notes went as they traveled faster than Superman in cyberspace.
The phone in her hand buzzed, reminding her she was holding it.
Is this Rachel?
She grinned.
Do you leave gifts on everyone’s doorstep in town?
Dot. Dot. Dot. It is nearly Christmas.
Was he flirting? It had been some time since she’d sent a text to anyone outside of the friend zone, so she couldn’t tell.
So you double as Connecticut’s Santa Claus?
Shhh. Don’t tell anyone. It’s a secret.
Well, he wasn’t not flirting.
I’ll keep my mouth closed on one condition.
Oh? What’s that?
I want to meet Vixen. She’s always been my favorite.
I thought Vixen was a he.
She giggled.
A boy named Vixen. That’s just cruel. Good point. I’ll see what I can do. The team is on a strict curfew until after the holiday.
Rachel found a rolling eye emoji.
What a wonderful read! This book had romance, friendship, family, emotion, and tons of heart… and is one of my favorite reads this year!
There were so many things to love in this book. Jason was everything you want in a man – he’s wealthy and good looking, but also down to earth, thoughtful, and just a nice guy. Rachel is so giving and compassionate, but she’s also smart, driven, and committed to doing what’s right and keeping her promises. Jason and Rachel fit together perfectly…except for that one little issue of him being her boss! Jason knows he has found someone special in Rachel and isn’t about to let the fact that she works for him stand in the way of trying to win her heart. Rachel knows that a workplace romance can jeopardize her career, but trying to resist Jason proves to be impossible – and once she decides to give a relationship a chance, I love that she was all-in and committed to making it work.
In addition to Jason and Rachel’s relationship, I really loved Owen in this book. He’s a typical 15 year old boy and the author did a fabulous job keeping his character real. Watching Rachel and Owen together made me smile – they both were still grieving and I loved how they supported one another. And it was wonderful to see the trust and bond form between Jason and Owen. The bit of drama that unfolds with Owen added an additional dynamic to the story that I think worked well with the romance.“Don’t overanalyze this,” he told her.
“How can I not?”
“Just don’t.” He had a goofy smile, and the paint smear on his face had her grinning.
“But you’re my—”
He shook his head, stopped her words with a finger to her lips. “I’m just a guy, falling for a girl.”
“Jason.” How could he say that?
“And you’re just a girl, falling for a guy.”
“You make it sound so easy.”
“It doesn’t have to be complicated.”
But it was, and they both knew it.
The supporting characters in the book were important parts of Jason and Rachel’s story. From the tight family bond that Jason shares with his brothers and their wives, to the tension between Rachel and Owen with Owen’s father’s family, all of these sub-plots that surrounded the romance were well done and important to both Jason and Rachel individually and as a couple.
This is the first book by Catherine Bybee that I have read and it will definitely not be my last. She has a wonderful writing style that is easy to read but full of emotion. This one definitely belongs on any romance lovers shelf!
Raised in Washington State, Bybee moved to Southern California in hopes of becoming a movie star. After growing bored with waiting tables, she returned to school and became a registered nurse, spending most of her career in urban emergency rooms. Catherine now writes full-time. Fans can learn more at www.CatherineBybee.com.
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