Destiny's Calling
by Tracy Broemmer
Genre: Contemporary Romance/Time Travel
Release Date: October 15, 2021
In the year 2000, Rae Warner is an up-and-coming attorney, with a pretty quiet social life. She’s been out on a couple of lukewarm dates with a new guy, and she’s (not terribly) excited about where it might go.
So when she stumbles into what she thinks is Barney’s Tavern in 2000 to grab a quick bite to eat and a cold drink on the way to a meeting and collides with blond, muscle-bound Chip Andrews and realizes she is actually in the Hi Hat Tavern in 1980, she fantasizes about never going home. What’s wrong with staying in 1980?
Everything, of course! Her life is in 2000. Her big brother (who’s most likely responsible for sending her back twenty years in time,) her career, and her home are in 2000. However, as long as she’s here, and blond, muscle-bound Chip wants to flirt with her, it won’t hurt to flirt back, will it?
Rae soon realizes she’s not very good at casual flirting, and the more time she and Chip spend together, the more she likes him. Not just his blond, muscle-bound good looks, but his smile and the fact that he likes to dance and he likes pina coladas and the way he makes her laugh…
What would it hurt to stay in 1980? Rae finds it harder and harder to remember why she needs to get back to her life, to 2000. She might be in love with Chip Andrews, so maybe she could just stay in his time and find happiness with him. Except, suddenly, she finds herself back on Broadway standing outside Barney’s Tavern…in the year 2000.
Instead of being happy to be home, Rae is desperate to get back to 1980 for just one last kiss…So, how does she convince her brother that she really did jump from 2000 to 1980 and back to 2000 and how in the world can she get back to Chip, if only to say goodbye?
Copyright 2021 Tracy Broemmer
Rae groans as she collides with what feels like a brick wall. She looks up, unnerved to find herself face to face with a drop-dead gorgeous kid. He looks like he could be romance novel cover model material with his longish, dirty blond hair that curls around his neck and his ears. His brown eyes. Rae is so close to him, she can see tiny little flecks of gold in them. His tanned face looks soft, but the line of his jaw is firm. Five o’clock shadow covers his lower jaw and chin. Rae finds herself wondering what that five o’clock shadow would feel like if he kissed her. Maybe if he kissed her neck. Her stomach.
Embarrassed, she ducks her head again. What on earth is wrong with her? Fantasizing about kissing a total stranger, one who doesn’t even look legal to be in a bar as a matter of fact. She swallows hard, reminds herself she needs to get in touch with Charlie so she can get some cash to pay for her dinner. She really needs to eat.
“Hi.” The kid’s voice is gravelly and sexy. Much too sexy for his age. And for her good. “Let me help you out,” he offers.
“No, thank you. I just need to call my brother.”
“Really,” he says and smiles as he reaches to pull a bill‐ fold from his pocket. “Lemme get it for you.”
Rae watches as he pulls out the bills to cover her meal. She looks back at the bartender who is watching her with more interest than suspicion. He’s not concerned she’s going to bolt out the door without paying for the food she’s ordered.
“Okay,” she concedes. “But let me go ahead and call Charlie. He can bring me the cash to pay you back before you go.”
“Whatever.”
Rae steps around him and remembers the feel of his body up against hers. Lean and hard with muscle. She shakes her head again and hurries to the back of the bar. Now this makes her nervous. Standing in the back of a tavern with a bunch of men in the room behind her and the men’s room two steps away. She might be a black belt, but she’s not too excited about needing to use those moves.
She looks back over her shoulder. Money Boy is watching her. He offers her a reassuring smile. It should make her feel better that someone is watching her back. But she can’t help but picture his lips again, so soft-looking, and the five o’clock shadow and the way it might feel to kiss him. To hear his sexy voice say her name.
A wave of heat tingles inside her. It starts in her belly and crawls lower. She feels it out to her fingertips. How ridiculous. It’s not like it’s even been that long since she’s seen Paul.
Not like Paul has ever made you burn with anticipation over a simple kiss, either.
“Stop it!” she hisses to herself. She digs for change and curses when she chips a nail. She drops the coins to assess the damage. A bit of the burgundy is now gone from the acrylic tip of her index finger.
“Dammit!”
“Everything okay, miss?” Money Boy calls.
“Yes!” she snaps and then feels bad. He’s only trying to be helpful. “Thank you.”
Rae groans as she collides with what feels like a brick wall. She looks up, unnerved to find herself face to face with a drop-dead gorgeous kid. He looks like he could be romance novel cover model material with his longish, dirty blond hair that curls around his neck and his ears. His brown eyes. Rae is so close to him, she can see tiny little flecks of gold in them. His tanned face looks soft, but the line of his jaw is firm. Five o’clock shadow covers his lower jaw and chin. Rae finds herself wondering what that five o’clock shadow would feel like if he kissed her. Maybe if he kissed her neck. Her stomach.
Embarrassed, she ducks her head again. What on earth is wrong with her? Fantasizing about kissing a total stranger, one who doesn’t even look legal to be in a bar as a matter of fact. She swallows hard, reminds herself she needs to get in touch with Charlie so she can get some cash to pay for her dinner. She really needs to eat.
“Hi.” The kid’s voice is gravelly and sexy. Much too sexy for his age. And for her good. “Let me help you out,” he offers.
“No, thank you. I just need to call my brother.”
“Really,” he says and smiles as he reaches to pull a bill‐ fold from his pocket. “Lemme get it for you.”
Rae watches as he pulls out the bills to cover her meal. She looks back at the bartender who is watching her with more interest than suspicion. He’s not concerned she’s going to bolt out the door without paying for the food she’s ordered.
“Okay,” she concedes. “But let me go ahead and call Charlie. He can bring me the cash to pay you back before you go.”
“Whatever.”
Rae steps around him and remembers the feel of his body up against hers. Lean and hard with muscle. She shakes her head again and hurries to the back of the bar. Now this makes her nervous. Standing in the back of a tavern with a bunch of men in the room behind her and the men’s room two steps away. She might be a black belt, but she’s not too excited about needing to use those moves.
She looks back over her shoulder. Money Boy is watching her. He offers her a reassuring smile. It should make her feel better that someone is watching her back. But she can’t help but picture his lips again, so soft-looking, and the five o’clock shadow and the way it might feel to kiss him. To hear his sexy voice say her name.
A wave of heat tingles inside her. It starts in her belly and crawls lower. She feels it out to her fingertips. How ridiculous. It’s not like it’s even been that long since she’s seen Paul.
Not like Paul has ever made you burn with anticipation over a simple kiss, either.
“Stop it!” she hisses to herself. She digs for change and curses when she chips a nail. She drops the coins to assess the damage. A bit of the burgundy is now gone from the acrylic tip of her index finger.
“Dammit!”
“Everything okay, miss?” Money Boy calls.
“Yes!” she snaps and then feels bad. He’s only trying to be helpful. “Thank you.”
An only child, Tracy Broemmer grew up with a wild imagination. An avid reader from a young age, she spent a lot of time with her nose buried in books and a lot of time making up her own stories. She penned her first book in grade school and hasn’t stopped writing since then.
When she’s not writing, you might find her with a book in hand, or maybe a glass of wine, or maybe a book in one hand and a glass of wine in the other. Tracy enjoys spending time with her family, traveling with her husband of twenty-eight years, music, NFL, and MLB. Tracy is the author of the Lorelei Bluffs women’s fiction series, the Williams Legacy, and several stand-alone women’s fiction novels. She has recently dabbled in contemporary romance, as well.
Tracy’s books have been called gripping, emotional, and timely, and readers describe her characters as real and relatable.
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