Three Things to Hold Onto by Sandy Nicks

Three Things to Hold Onto

by Sandy Nicks

“I know it sounds crazy.”

Chelsea and Ally simultaneously rolled their eyes.

“Cass,” Chelsea began, “There’s nothing wrong with you. You’re human.”

Cass fiddled with her car keys before slipping them into her purse. She looked at the store window. “But it’s not right.”

“It’s not wrong, either,” Ally chimed in.

Cass wrapped her fingers around the doorknob of Briar’s Country Kitchen. Part of her wanted him to be there. The other part, the sensible part, hoped he wasn’t.

When they entered, Cass immediately looked to her left to the long counter that lined the wall…to where she knew he’d be standing. The instant they made eye contact, her heart began to pound. She’d been coming to the store for over a year and yet every time she saw him, she felt a wave of emotion roil within.

“What are you doing here so early?” he asked.

“Hey Patrick,” she replied. “My friends are visiting. I wanted them to try your great cooking.”

Patrick leaned against the corner of the refrigerated case housing the various homemade salads and lunch meat. “The specials are on the board.”

Chelsea and Ally looked up at the menu, but Cass couldn’t take her focus off of Patrick.

He flexed his muscles. “The Giants are playing tonight.”

Transfixed by the contours of his forearms and biceps, she hadn’t heard what he’d said. “Pardon me?”

He cocked his head to the side and smiled. “Football. My team is on tonight.”

“Oh,” she replied. She looked down at the floor. A surge of heat swept across her face. She had to stop making a fool of herself. She wasn’t a teenager.

“We’re ready to order,” Chelsea said.

Cass’s nerves continued to jumble. She needed air. As Ally and Chelsea gave Patrick their orders, she fled to the coffee stand in the back of the store.

Her hands trembled as she poured herself a cup. Why couldn’t she control herself? Patrick was a young man. She was at least seven years his senior. More importantly, she was engaged. She poured a sugar packet into the coffee cup. She had to stop this infatuation. She had to force away the images of what it would be like to kiss his lips.

“Cass,” Ally whispered from behind. “I can understand why you’ve got yourself in a tizzy over this guy. Who wouldn’t?”

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Sandy Nicks grew up surrounded by family members who loved to read, write, dance and draw. Her dad enjoyed writing, her mom was a voracious reader, her aunt was a Rockette in the 1930’s and her sister and grandmother loved to draw portraits and landscapes. In a house filled with laughter and creativity, she found her passion for writing after realizing she couldn’t dance or draw a stick figure. Her grandmother taught her to read at a very young age and it was her grandmother’s made-up bedtime tales that Sandy says sparked her creative flame and inspired her to tell her own stories.

In 1993, she joined Romance Writers of America and the New Jersey Romance Writers. She served on the NJRW board for many years in various positions. The friendships formed and the support provided by NJRW and RWA are invaluable and very dear to her heart.

Her publishing credits include a short romantic story (written under the name Sandy Ferguson) in the 1999 anthology Romance Recipes for the Soul by Pisces Press Publishing, greeting card copy, newsletters and freelance pieces.

In 2008, Falling for Autumn won first place in the Celtic Hearts Romance Writers “Golden Claddaugh” contest in the Mainstream with Romantic Elements category.

Sandy grew up in northern NJ, but spent childhood summers in Seaside Heights with her family. She currently resides close to the Jersey shore with her family and many spoiled pets, but says it won’t be close enough until she has an office with a beautiful view of the ocean.

She wrote Falling for Autumn with the belief that love and a sense of humor go hand-in-hand. Falling for Autumn is Book 1 in the Sisters for All Seasons Series, Crazy Days of Summer is Book 2, and A New Trend for Spring is Book 3, to be published in 2011.

Her newly released Circle of Eternity, is a time travel romance, with elements of her signature style subtle humor.