#SALE .99 THE UNEXPECTED WEDDING by Debra Elizabeth

Blurb:

Lady Elizabeth Tyndale has endured a string of bad dates. She’s not sure if sharing her opinions and business sense scared potential boyfriends away, but what’s the point of having an opinion if she never expresses it? When her brother and sister-in-law invite her to join them on a trip to San Diego, she reluctantly agrees. Besides, what does she have to lose? She’s certainly not burning up the dating scene in England.

Computer Programmer Jackson ‘Jack’ Stanfield doesn’t date much. He’d rather bury himself in code because computers are simple, but people are complicated. When his college buddy invites him to a BBQ, Jack reluctantly agrees to attend. He’s not prepared for his intense reaction when he meets Elizabeth Tyndale. Can the British beauty draw Jack out of his shell and open his heart to love?

Buy link: https://www.amazon.com/Unexpected-Wedding-Loving-Billionaire-Book-ebook/dp/B07XY8KQC5

Excerpt:

 “Probably around ten days this time, but you should come visit us in England sometime,” Keira said. “We’d love to have you and I’m sure you’d like the solitude.”

Jack gave her a nod. “Thanks. I just might take you up on your offer. Always wanted to spend some time in England. Now, what does a guy have to do to get a beer around here?”

Lea chuckled and pointed. “Over by the back door in the cooler. Help yourself.”

“Thanks. Be back in a minute.” Jack walked toward the back door. When he was almost there, he saw a vision—a stunning young woman with blonde curls cascading down her back. When she turned at his approach, the last rays of the sun enveloped her silhouette, giving her an ethereal dreamy quality. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, and he felt the breath leave his body as he stood staring open-mouthed. He’d never had such a reaction to a woman before. It was new and an unnerving experience.

“Did you want something?” she asked.

Jack continued to stare, totally captivated by this woman and her beautiful cornflower blue eyes. He knew she was talking, but he didn’t hear a word, just a lyrical melody.

The young woman waved her hand in front of his face. “Hello, can I get you something?”

That broke his trance and Jack felt heat climb up his neck. “Huh? Oh god. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to stare,” he stammered.

“It’s quite all right. Now do you want something, a beer perhaps?” she asked.

“You’re British?”

The young woman’s eyes traveled down to her feet and back up again before she looked at him. “Last time I looked, yes,” she chuckled.

What an asinine thing to say!

He inwardly cringed. For as long as he could remember, he’d been tongue-tied around beautiful women, and this young woman clearly put every single one he’d ever met to shame. She was perfection in his eyes, and he felt like a fly caught in her web unable to move or turn away.

“Shall we start again?” she asked. “I’m Elizabeth and you are?”

Jack gave himself a mental shake. “Oh, please forgive me. I’m not used to making a complete fool of myself before I’ve even uttered a single word. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Elizabeth. I’m Jackson, um Jack, that is.”

“Well, Jackson um Jack, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Now, would you like a beer?”

He chuckled. “Yes, please. That would be good.”

Elizabeth reached into the cooler and passed a can of Coors Lite to him.

“Thanks,” he said, reaching for the beer. He racked his brain for something witty to say, but his mind was blank. He had to think of something fast before she walked away. “Did you eat already?”

Elizabeth nodded. “Yes. We’ve been here for a while, but please, don’t let me stop you from eating. The food is great.”

“I’m fine, thanks. I was late because I got caught up trying to fix some code.”

“Oh, you’re a programmer?”

Jack nodded. He saw no reason to elaborate the details about his profession. Most people understood programmers wrote some indecipherable code that was all mumbo jumbo to them. Telling people he was a programmer was usually enough explanation. Not many people had any interest beyond that. He’d learned to keep talk about his work to a minimum whenever possible to save himself from seeing those glassy-eyed looks folks got whenever he went into detail about his work. “Would you care to sit?”

“Sure.”

Jack led her over to a bench and waited for her to sit before joining her. “I take it Cade is your brother?”

“Right again. You’re very astute for a programmer,” Elizabeth said with a smile.

Jack chuckled. “Sometimes, I even surprise myself, but don’t count on it.”

That got a genuine laugh from her. “A sense of humor too. You’re a multi-talented guy, Jackson um Jack. So, how do you know Lea?”

His muscles started to relax now that his initial awkwardness was behind him. “Mike and I were college roommates. I was the one who introduced him to Lea and the rest is history.”

“Oh, that’s a lovely story.”

“They’re my one and only success story. I figured I might as well stop matchmaking with a perfect record.”

Elizabeth nodded. “Good idea.”

“Is this your first trip to the States?” Jack asked.

“Yes. Southern California is quite pleasant. It hasn’t rained once since we’ve been here,”

“Unfortunately, it doesn’t rain much here. We’ve been in a drought situation for a number of years now.”

“Wow, that’s distressing,” Elizabeth said, sweeping a lock of her hair behind her ear. “I thought we were having a lucky streak while we’ve been here. Back home, it rains quite a lot, most especially when you don’t want it to.”

This was the longest conversation Jack had had with a woman in a long time, and he was quite enjoying himself. After his initial guffaw, he found Elizabeth delightful to talk with. “How long are you staying?” Jack inwardly cringed. How lame. He had just asked Keira the same question.

Elizabeth shrugged. “I’m not sure, maybe a week or so. It all depends on Cade and how long he feels he can be away from Barrett Castle.”

He wanted to spend more time with Elizabeth before she went back to England. He hadn’t been on a date in a while, and he had no idea what she’d like to do, but he had to try.

It was now or never. Might as well give it a try.

He blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “Would you care to go to the zoo with me tomorrow?”

Jack held his breath. It seemed a lifetime before Elizabeth answered. While he waited, his stomach did a series of flip-flops, and he was glad he hadn’t eaten earlier.  

“Yes, thank you. That would be delightful,” she said.

Jack slowly let out the breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. The zoo? Geez, what kind of date is the zoo? He could only hope that Elizabeth enjoyed animals or it would be a total disaster. Maybe there was somewhere else she’d rather see. “We could do something else if you prefer. I’m open to suggestions.”

Elizabeth shook her head and golden strands of her hair floated around her face.

He’d never had such an urge to touch a woman’s hair as he did with Elizabeth. It looked as soft as silk.

“The zoo is fine. I’d like to see it.”

“Good. It’s a world-renowned zoo, so I hope you’ll enjoy it.”

“I’m sure I will.”

Once he had secured a date with her, the rest of the night went by in a pleasant blur. It was so easy to talk with Elizabeth, and he never made it back to Lea’s table. It seemed like he’d just arrived when he had to say goodbye to Elizabeth. “I had a wonderful time tonight.”

“I as well. I’m glad you were thirsty,” she said with a chuckle.

“Me too. Where are you staying?” he asked.

“At the Manchester Grand Hyatt, penthouse suite,” she said.

“Excellent. Shall I pick you up at eleven o’clock tomorrow?”

“That’s perfect. See you then,” Elizabeth said, giving his arm a quick squeeze. When her hand touched him, a delightful shiver traveled down his spine. He wondered if she felt it too. As Jack watched Elizabeth leave with Cade and Keira, Mike slapped him on the back.

“I see you’ve managed to talk with Elizabeth tonight. She’s quite a beauty.”

Jack turned toward Mike. “Not only that, but she’s agreed to go out with me tomorrow.”

Mike staggered backwards and threw up his hands. “What? You’re kidding? The reclusive Jackson Stanfield has a date? Have to say I didn’t see that one coming. Where are you taking her?”

“The zoo.”

Mike burst out laughing. “Oh boy.”

Jack frowned. “What? What’s wrong with the zoo?”

“Hmmm…”

“What can I say? I panicked and it was the first thing that popped into my head.”

Mike punched Jack in the arm. “Sorry, man. I’m just messing with you. Look, there’s nothing wrong with the zoo. Just make sure you take her someplace nice for dinner afterwards.”

Mike’s words did not instill any kind of confidence in Jack for tomorrow’s date. Now he wondered if he’d made a mistake by asking the British beauty out in the first place. A woman like her could have any man she wanted. Why would she want to go out with his geeky self? It didn’t help that Mike thought taking her to the zoo was not the best choice.

“Hey, don’t look so serious. I’m sure you guys will have a good time together. You seemed pretty in-sync tonight,” Mike said.

Jack nodded, but a frown marred his handsome face as a cloud of doubt pushed into his mind.