Secrets, Lies, and Online Dating: Three Generations Learn to Love Again (Women's Fiction) Read online

  Secrets, Lies, And Online Dating

  Sylvia McDaniel

  Virtual Bookseller, LLC

  Contents

  Blurb

  Copyright

  Also By

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Epilogue

  Thank You!

  Sneak Peek

  Also by

  About the Author

  One Lie Changes The Course of Three Lives

  When Marianne Larson uncovers a truth about her marriage, she sets out to change the course of her life, finding herself along the way. But that journey doesn’t come easy as her mother and daughter decide to take a ride of their own–a ride that just might change all of their lives.

  While discovering secrets, lies, and the truth about men & dating, three generations and three very different personalities recreate their lives and strengthen their female bond. But what they find might just be what they knew all along…

  Reviews

  “Three generations of women fight, love and laugh. If you are a mother or daughter you will love this book and not be able to put it down!” ANON

  “This book was a very pleasant surprise for me in that it took me to places I wasn't expecting, and had me laughing out loud, wanting to go into the story and smack people on the back of the head to wake them up, and to just hug those ladies and be friends with them. When you can get into a story that way it is a rare experience.” Literature Litehouse

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  Secrets, Lies, and Online Dating

  Published by Virtual Bookseller: April 2016

  Cover Design by Rogenna Brewer

  http://sweettoheat.blogspot.com/

  Editing and Formatting by Laurelle Procter

  [email protected]

  Copyright © 2016 by Sylvia McDaniel

  This book and parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise—without prior written permission of the author and publisher, except as provided by the United States of America copyright law. The only exception is by a reviewer who may quote short excerpts in a review.

  Short Description: Can three generations recreate their lives, and learn that the bond between them is stronger than secrets, lies, and thrilling new loves?

  ISBN: 978-1-942608-14-1 (paperback)

  ISBN: 978-1-942608-15-8 (e-book)

  {Contemporary Romance – Fiction}

  {Romantic Comedy – Fiction}

  {Romance – Fiction}

  www.SylviaMcDaniel.com

  Also By Sylvia McDaniel

  Western Historicals

  A Hero’s Heart

  Ace’s Bride

  Second Chance Cowboy

  Ethan

  American Brides

  Katie: Bride of Virginia

  The Burnett Brides Series

  The Rancher Takes A Bride

  The Outlaw Takes A Bride

  The Marshal Takes A Bride

  The Christmas Bride

  Boxed Set

  Lipstick and Lead Series

  Desperate

  Deadly

  Dangerous

  Daring

  Determined

  Deceived — Coming Soon!

  Scandalous Suffragettes of the West

  Abigail

  Bella

  Callie – Coming Soon

  Faith

  Mistletoe Scandal - November 2016

  Southern Historical Romance

  A Scarlet Bride

  The Cuvier Women

  Wronged

  Betrayed

  Beguiled

  Boxed Set

  Box Sets

  Courting The West

  Wild Western Women

  Wild Western Women Ride Again

  Wild Western Women Spring Into Love

  Wild Western Women Mistletoe, Montana Coming 11/1

  Contemporary Romance

  My Sister's Boyfriend

  The Wanted Bride

  The Reluctant Santa

  The Relationship Coach

  Secrets, Lies, & Online Dating

  Short Sexy Reads

  Racy Reunions Series

  Paying For the Past

  Her Christmas Lie

  Cupid’s Revenge

  Science/Fiction Paranormal

  The Magic Mirror Series

  Touch of Decadence

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  Chapter 1

  Marianne Larson stood before the apartment door of her husband’s latest fling with his two suitcases in hand, determined, scared, and mad as hell. Birds twittered happy songs in the early spring afternoon in North Dallas, but it could have been a death dirge for all she cared.

  Like an overcooked steak, she felt fried, burnt to a crisp, and emotionally overdone. She had finally let go of the idea that marriage is forever. Each breath she took felt like a fifty-pound bowling ball resting on her chest.

  Marianne dropped the two bulging suitcases onto the concrete walk and waited for the constable to step out of sight. She shoved her blonde hair away from her face, yanked back her shoulders, and lifted her shaking fingers to the doorbell.

  Her new life was about to begin.

  A shadow filled the peephole, and hushed, panicked voices echoed from inside the apartment. She recognized her adulterous, soon-to-be ex-husband’s voice. The door opened as far as the security chain allowed.

  A blonde woman peeked through the gap with a too-wide, fake smile. Marianne blinked in disbelief at the girl’s thigh high boots, clinging thong, and bustier. A leather whip was still in her hand, the perfect accessory to her dominatrix outfit.

  “Marianne! What a surprise.”

  For a moment, Marianne stared, stunned, before hysterical laughter bubbled up from deep within her. She recognized the girl from the company picnic, but leather? Whips?

  At her laughter, the girl’s russet eyes darkened.

  “Yes, a surprise for both of us. I never knew Daniel was into…” Marianne stumbled over the word “…games.” She gathered her wits. “I brought Daniel his clothes.”

  The woman’s dark eyes widened. “Here? Whatever for?”

  “Look, I know Daniel is inside. His BMW is in the parking lot. You’re not the first one to climb on top of him while earning a promotion, though I see you have a unique way of securing your advancement.”

  Daniel’s reddened face appeared in the doorway, his body hidden by his dominatrix. “Marianne, what are you doing here?”

  “Bringing you your clothes.”

  Marianne gazed upon her college sweetheart, her heart void of the love it once held. Daniel shoved his lover aside, slid back the security chain, and yanked the door open.

  “Honey, you know this means nothing.”

  The view of her husband with a leather choke collar around his neck and a leather thong clinging to his loins brought uncontrollable laughter spewing from her like a fountain. How could sh
e not have known that he was into sexual games?

  The constable standing to the side muffled his snicker.

  “You’re right. Your cheating means nothing anymore.”

  Daniel flinched.

  She handed the bulging suitcases to the man she’d once loved.

  “Here are your things,” Marianne said, trembling from nerves, though she’d never felt more certain in her life. “And Constable Warren has something for you.”

  The constable stepped into the breezeway. “Are you Daniel Larson?”

  “Yes?”

  The officer shoved the paperwork into Daniel’s hand. “Consider yourself served.”

  “Marianne?” Daniel questioned, his voice rising as he tore open the envelope. “What the hell is this?”

  “It’s called a divorce. You’ve cheated on me for the last time.”

  His dark eyes widened as he scanned the contents of the document.

  Daniel lifted his shocked gaze to her. “You can’t be serious! You locked me out of our home?”

  “Yes. I’ll see you in court,” she said, wanting to escape before the scene turned ugly.

  His tone became cajoling. “Marianne, honey, we’ve been married a long time. Because of me, you live a comfortable life. You need me to take care of you.”

  God, no wonder Daniel was top salesman year after year. “You know, that line worked the first hundred times you used it, but not any longer. I’m done, Daniel.”

  Marianne walked off, certain they’d said everything.

  Daniel followed her, barefoot, his dog chain clinking on the ground. At noon, most people were at work, but a few stopped to stare.

  “Don’t do this, Marianne. Think of our daughter.”

  She kept marching, each determined step finishing what she should have ended years ago.

  “I’ll end the affair. I’ll change,” Daniel promised.

  Marianne whirled around to face him. “Why?”

  He stopped, his chain rattling, his expression perplexed by her question. “Because – because you want me to.”

  “Do I?” She paused, considering his remark for a few seconds. “And that would last until the next pretty blonde in your office offered you a little booty, and then you’d cheat again.”

  Daniel stood half-naked in the open parking lot, a baffled expression on his handsome face. He didn’t seem to know how to react.

  “Don’t do this,” Daniel begged. “I won’t give you a divorce.”

  “Fine. I wanted to make this quick and to protect our daughter from knowing the truth about her father, but we can do this the hard way. A long, drawn-out legal trial will force me to parade your extra-marital affairs through the courtroom. In the end, I’ll be entitled to sixty percent of our assets instead of the normal fifty. And our daughter will know what a douche bag her father is.”

  His dark eyes burned her. “You wouldn’t dare.”

  “And this little escapade will make for interesting viewing in the courtroom. Wave at the camera, darling.”

  The detective she’d hired moved from behind the van and waved at him, the red light of the video camera beamed as it recorded his stunned expression. Part of her felt despicable for being so brutal, but the rational part knew he deserved this and more. This time he would not brainwash her into believing she had no choice but to stay.

  “You planned this,” he said in awe.

  “Yes, I did,” she admitted, proud that she had pushed aside her fears and done what should have happened years ago.

  Daniel gave her a pleading look that reached inside, igniting all the fear locked away. Never again would she return to being the same wife who had tolerated his cheating for at least three years.

  “Marianne,” his voice changed to the sweet seductive tone that normally convinced her to see things his way. “We’ve been married a long time, baby. You don’t play these kinds of games with me. We have a good life together. We have a daughter.”

  “I want out.”

  “You’ve spent the last eighteen years a stay-at-home mom. Are you going to get a job?” He tried to take her hand, but she stepped out of his reach. “Who’s going to hire an older woman with no skills?”

  He’d gone for the jugular, and for a moment, her breath lodged in her lungs as bitter bile filled her throat. Wasn’t this how he always lured her back? Reminding her of her faults, how she couldn’t take care of herself, how she depended on him for her easy life.

  The constable cleared his throat, reminding her he was still there.

  “You got pregnant so that you wouldn’t have to finish college. You need me, honey,” he said, his voice soft and persuasive, like a preacher trying to coax a sinner to return to his faithful flock. The words left her feeling like a giant lizard had just licked her, leaving behind a coating of slime.

  Was it true? Had she been afraid of flunking out and deliberately gotten pregnant to keep from finishing college? Maybe she couldn’t take care of herself and Katie. Maybe she…

  “Stop!” Marianne commanded as much for herself as for him. She drew a deep calming breath, and her nostrils filled with the sweet scent of roses. Slowly she released the frozen air in her lungs, her armor once again firmly in place. “I deserve a man who is faithful to me.”

  “You need someone to take care of you,” Daniel corrected. “And I need to have a little fun every now and then.” He waved his arm toward the blonde’s apartment. “This isn’t serious. You’ll come back to me, you’ll see,” he said with enough confidence to rattle her.

  Marianne gave a strained smile and dug deep within herself to find a well of resources to bolster her courage. “If you don’t want our daughter to know the truth about her father, you’ll give me a divorce.”

  Marianne walked away with the constable following her. Underneath the pain, she felt stronger than she had in decades. Until today, she’d had no plan for what to do with her life once Daniel was gone. Now she would go back to college and finish what she’d started years ago. Now she had a plan.

  Brenda Jones glanced around the country club pool, gazing at the rich old cows that bobbed in the water, waiting for class to start. Steam rose from the heated pool, and the scent of chlorine saturated the air, like the constant prickliness that permeated Brenda. Damn George for dying and leaving her alone!

  Since the death of her husband, Brenda’s life appeared as empty and alone as that old house she rattled around in. Thirty minutes, three times a week at the pool, was hardly time to reconnect to the outside world.

  And these women were like trying to connect to a dead battery. No sizzle, no spark, and no battery operated bouncing bunny.

  Brenda shoved her morbid thoughts aside as her friend Liz entered the pool.

  “Hi,” Brenda called and jumped into the warm water, eager to visit with Liz.

  A month had passed since she’d seen Liz at water aerobics, and every time Brenda phoned her, she only spoke to the answering machine.

  Brenda made her way to the woman who had once been her best friend. “How have you been? I haven’t seen you lately.”

  Her long-time friend turned to her, a small smile lifting the corners of her mouth, her bottled hair color 70B Plum Brown hairdo outshining her fake grin. “Dean and I just returned from France with Jane and her husband Fred.”

  Liz had seemed distant since George’s death, as if she’d drawn up the bridge over the moat to keep Brenda at bay. But then, nothing had been the same since George died.

  “That sounds like fun. I remember when we all went to France that year. We had a great time.”

  The couples had been close, the very best of friends, until George’s heart attack. Then they’d disappeared along with her husband, leaving Brenda alone in her darkest hour.

  Liz gave her a guilty little smile. “Yes. So what have you been doing with yourself?”

  “Trying to stay busy. I don’t see many of our friends anymore. It almost feels like my friends are avoiding me.”

  Liz pursed her
lips and fidgeted.

  “It’s true,” Brenda said, realizing her suspicions were correct. Her stomach clenched at the unfairness of their rejection.

  Her friend shifted nervously in the water and refused to look at Brenda. “People are uncomfortable with George gone. It’s just not the same.”

  A ripple of unease scattered through Brenda. “George didn’t want to die. We had so many plans, and none of them included a heart attack.” She paused, understanding dawning. “This is why I never see you and Dean anymore?”

  “Maybe you should join that widows group at the club. The one where they all go to dances and out to dinner together,” Liz said.

  The ugly truth that her best friends no longer sought her companionship, when Brenda needed their friendship the most, left her reeling with shock. The warm water turned cold, giving her a chill.

  “So who do you play cards with on Friday nights?” Brenda asked, and like lightening it dawned on her. “It’s Jane and Fred, isn’t it? You hate Jane.”

  “She’s all right,” Liz defended.

  A woman that Liz had often called an old hag had replaced her. Brenda clenched her fists, anger skipping along her spine and slamming into her gut. She’d lost her best friend, George. Did she have to lose her other friends as well?

  “We’ve been friends since grade school,” Brenda said.

  “Yes.”

  “But, because I’m no longer part of a couple, I’m being excluded?” Brenda asked in disbelief, the realization leaving a bitter taste in her mouth.

  Liz released a heavy sigh, rolled her eyes, and faced Brenda for the first time. “Not really excluded. At dinner parties, it’s always hard to sit a single. And I just can’t bring myself to place you with another man. I mean, you and George were together for so many years.”

  “Yes, but I’m not dead, and I miss my friends,” Brenda said, her voice rising with resentment that rose like a thermometer on a hot summer day.