"Filled With Unexpected Twists and Turns"
Reviewed by Susan Dyer
Posted August 4, 2013
Romance Contemporary
FOR EVERLY was my first read by author Raine Thomas. It is
the story of
Everly Wallace and Cole Parker. Everly has had a very hard
life. Tragedy
hit her family when she was young and her father left them
and her mother
just couldn't deal with all of that. She became an addict to
deal with all the
pain and it slowly killed her. She has basically been
raised by her grand
father, Pee Paw. She also tends to keep people at arms
length and has
never shared her past with anyone. She is going to school
to become a
physical therapist and one of her teachers introduces her to
his brother,
professional baseball player Cole Parker.
Cole had an injured shoulder and it is his contract year.
He wants to fix the
shoulder but not let anyone know he is injured. His
brother, Wyatt comes
with the idea of Everly treating Cole and she is scared to
death. She has
always been a fan of his and isn't sure if she is up to
spending so much
time alone with Cole. He offers her a ton of money and she
really needs it
to help with the nurse she hires to help Pee Paw. She
agrees and now the
fun begins. Everly has many secrets and she is not sharing
them with
anyone especially Cole. As soon as he meets Everly he
becomes very
protective f her but not in a smothering kind of way.
Slowly but surely he
finds them out and while she is sure they are going to
change his opinion of
her she is wrong. They only strengthen his feelings for
her.
I really enjoyed their story and fell in love with Cole
almost instantly. Once I
started reading, the book flowed very easily for me and I
was soon caught
up in Everly and Coles' relationship. What's not to love
about a naive
woman and a hot hunky baseball player? There is romantic
tension in FOR
EVERLY that at times, will have you laughing out loud. I
kept turning the
pages because the suspense was killing me. There are
unexpected twists
and turns and FOR EVERLY keeps you interested until the
very last page.
SUMMARY
Determined to overcome a dark and tragic past, college
student Everly Wallace is only months away from earning her
degree in physical therapy. She's consumed with school,
caring for her ailing grandfather, and figuring out how to
pay the next bill. The last thing she wants is a
relationship, but it just might be the one thing she needs. Major League pitcher Cole Parker hasn't fought for anything
in his life. He went from a privileged upbringing to a
multimillion dollar All-Star career. But when his pitching
shoulder starts to give him trouble at only twenty-four
years old, he faces the possibility of his injury becoming
public knowledge and costing him everything. In a desperate bid to save his career, Cole decides to hire
someone to treat his injury, someone who will keep things
off the record and out of the media. He finds the perfect
solution in Everly. As mysterious as she is beautiful, she
provides an enticing distraction from his pain. Soon,
physical therapy is the last thing on his mind. When an act of betrayal brings the truths they both fear to
light, Cole will have to fight for the first time in his
life...not just for his career, but for Everly's love
ExcerptChapter 1
Cole knew when he hit the first curb that he'd had too
much to drink. He cursed as he jerked the wheel to bring the
car back into the correct lane, nearly swiping a garbage can
on the dark residential street. Pain shot through his
shoulder as he righted the wheel, generating a more vicious
curse.
You dumbass! The thought penetrated the haze coating his
mind. Don't ding the Maserati.
Focusing intently and clutching the wheel until his
knuckles went numb, he registered he was less than a mile
from home. He wanted to get there before he ended up with a
DUI. Management would likely bench him for half the coming
season if he screwed up like that.
His marinating brain decided this meant he should go
faster. Get home quick before getting caught. He picked up
speed, weaving along the back streets leading to his house.
Thank God the downtown Atlanta nightclub was less than five
miles from home.
Just as his driveway came into sight, the glaring lights
of an oncoming car pierced his windshield. He slammed on the
brakes and swerved to avoid the collision. The Maserati hit
a patch of ice. The world spun as the other car passed
without impact.
The last thing Cole registered was the large bulk of a
magnolia tree speeding toward him and the fleeting thought
that his beloved car was about to get much more than a ding.
* * *
A persistent beeping sound brought him back around. He
slowly opened his eyes. A speckled ceiling came into focus.
One of the beeping sounds increased as he registered his
surroundings. Sunlight filled the spacious hospital room.
"Cole? Cole, honey?"
He glanced over at the sound of his mother's voice. She
sat on his left side holding his hand. The moment he looked
at her, she gave it a tight squeeze.
"Can you hear me, honey?" she asked. The tears in her
brown eyes tugged at Cole's conscience.
Before he could answer, his dad's rumbling southern drawl
filled the room. "‘Course he can hear you, Brenda. He only
has a concussion, for heaven's sake." He moved closer to the
bed, towering over his wife. He put a reassuring hand on her
shoulder and caught Cole's gaze. "Crash sure didn't help his
god–awful looks, though."
"Rick!" his mom gasped.
Cole found himself comforted by the normal banter. He
hadn't yet looked down at his body, afraid of what he might
see.
Lifting a corner of his mouth, he said, "Yeah, Ol' Man.
You're scarring my sensitive psyche here."
His dad guffawed at that. "Well, at least she didn't call
me Richard Dale Parker. Then I'd know I was in real
trouble."
"You two," his mom censured, shaking her head. Her bob of
sable–colored hair waved around her pretty face. She
focused on Cole. "How are you feeling, honey? Do you
remember what happened?"
"I remember," he replied, adding a private sort of. "And
I feel fine, actually."
The answer surprised him. It had been a while since he
last remembered being pain–free. For a terrifying
moment, he feared he was paralyzed. But he moved his fingers
and toes and felt the blanket and sheets against his skin.
Lifting his arms, he tested for injury.
A movement just outside his room's door caught his eye.
He spotted his brother Wyatt talking with someone wearing a
lab coat. Though he tried, he couldn't read Wyatt's
expression since he was mostly turned away from him.
"We told Avery not to worry about making the trip out
here," his mother said. "The doctor assured us it wasn't
serious, and I didn't want her to have to worry about Sam."
"Of course," Cole agreed, grateful his older sister
wasn't hauling his five–year–old nephew across
town at the crack of dawn. "I'll call her later. No need for
all of the fuss."
"You're one lucky son of a buck," his father said, the
words drowning out the machines in the room. "If you'd been
going even a little faster..."
The guilt resurged. Cole prayed that wasn't moisture he
saw in his father's gaze. His dad never cried.
Wyatt saved him from responding when he entered the room.
After looking between each of them and quickly assessing the
situation, he said, "Mom, Dad, why don't you have a word
with Dr. Rosen about Cole's aftercare? Then grab a cup of
coffee and a muffin or something. Put it on my account."
As a cardiologist on staff at the hospital, Wyatt would
make sure their parents were taken care of, Cole knew. They
nodded and Brenda bent down to kiss Cole's forehead.
"You're my baby, you know," she murmured. "You're not
allowed to scare me like that."
He winced. "Sorry, Mom."
She ruffled his hair and let his dad lead her from the
room. Wyatt closed the door behind them.
Seeing Wyatt's expression when he turned back from the
door, Cole groaned. "Don't start with me."
"Don't start with you? That's asking an awful lot when
you've been a complete dumbass."
Cole glowered at Wyatt as he settled into the chair their
mother had abandoned. It was the only chair in the room and
sported a tilted round seat and an off–center,
triangle–shaped back. Somehow, Wyatt managed to sit in
it without his long legs ending up in his ears.
"What the hell is that thing?" Cole wondered.
"Our hospital's failed attempt at becoming more ‘hip and
trendy,'" Wyatt responded. "Don't try and deflect from the
fact that you ended up here with a concussion and bruised
face because you were driving under the influence."
"What about my face?" Reaching up, Cole gently prodded
his cheeks. He didn't feel anything unusual.
"The airbag nearly broke your nose," Wyatt explained, his
sandy brows drawing together. "You likely lost your grip on
the steering wheel before impact or you'd probably be
suffering from a broken arm or two, as well."
Cole considered that. "I don't feel bruised."
"You don't feel much of anything. You were given a hefty
dose of Codeine shortly before you woke up. Mom was carrying
on about how much pain you'd be in, so Dr. Rosen allowed
it."
"Remind me to kiss the doc on my way out."
"Cole, get serious for a minute," Wyatt said sharply.
"I've managed to keep your intoxication out of the official
records. Fortunately for you, the guy who made you swerve
into that tree was conscientious enough to see if you were
all right, and he happens to be a fan of yours. He kept
rambling on to anyone who would listen that it was all his
fault. Between that and you being my brother, no one tested
your blood alcohol level."
"Then why do you think I was—?"
"Don't even go there, Cole. You reeked of alcohol. You
still do."
Raising his left arm, Cole gave himself a sniff test.
Then he shrugged.
Wyatt pushed up from the chair and leaned over the bed.
Cole knew his brother nearly matched his own six–foot,
three–inch height, and his hovering position had a
dominating effect.
His voice was much quieter when he said, "Cole, for God's
sake, you could have killed yourself. You could have killed
someone else—a kid. What the hell were you thinking?"
The combination of Wyatt's posture and tone made another
dent in Cole's conscience. He'd always sought his older
brother's pride, and he knew now that he had disappointed
him.
"I'm sorry, Wy."
Whatever Wyatt read in his expression must have convinced
him he was sincere. Sighing, Wyatt returned to the
chair–like contraption.
"What's going on, Cole? You don't normally drink yourself
stupid when you go out with your friends."
Cole considered blowing his brother off. He could easily
say it had been a one–time slip and it wouldn't happen
again, blah, blah, blah. Then he'd go back to living his
life.
But he had to tell someone.
Rubbing a hand down his face, he asked, "Can I talk to
you under the doctor–patient privilege rather than
brother to brother?"
"Cole..."
"Wyatt, this is important, okay?"
After a pause, Wyatt nodded.
Cole took a deep breath. "Okay. The truth is, I think
I've blown out my pitching shoulder. I've been drinking and
taking pills to relieve the pain."
The quickly–issued confession didn't make Cole feel
any better. If anything, it made his non–physical pain
that much keener. Still, it did help a little to share his
burden. He was facing the possibility that his pitching
career was over at the age of twenty–four. It had
seemed more than he could bear before this moment. Now, he
had hope.
He had Wyatt.
"When do you think the injury occurred?" Wyatt asked at
last.
Grateful for his brother's unshakable calm, Cole replied,
"I experienced twinges several times last season when I
pitched. It got worse in October. Once the season ended, I
tried to work it out, but it's been a few weeks and the pain
isn't going away. It's getting worse."
"Have you spoken to your team doctors or—?"
"Wy, if I tell anyone I'm having issues in my throwing
arm, it'll be all over the news. My contract comes up for
renewal at the end of this coming season. I have to be in
prime condition...no rumors about pain or treatment or
surgery."
Wyatt frowned. "You can't continue on without an
evaluation, Cole. You have to see what's going on. It could
be something treatable without surgery."
"I want you to treat me," Cole said. "I can trust that
you'll do it secretly and the press won't find out."
Wyatt was shaking his head before Cole finished. "If this
was a heart condition, we might be having a different
conversation, but—"
"Then one of the doctors you know. Get them to treat me
off the record so it stays quiet."
"You're asking me to go to my colleagues and ask them to
risk their medical licenses to treat you without properly
documenting it?"
That made Cole frown. He wasn't about to put his brother
in that position.
"Look, it's only the first week of November. You're still
months away from spring training. Assuming you don't need
surgery and you start rehab now, you should be fresh and
ready to go by the time you report."
Cole rolled his eyes. "Sure. I just have to figure out a
way to get the rehab I need without the public finding out
about it. That means it has to be done outside of a center
and not by anyone bogged down by licensure and professional
ethics. How the hell am I going to get effective treatment
with all of those restrictions?"
Wyatt leaned forward. "I'll make you a deal. If you stop
drinking it up at the clubs and downing pills, I'll figure
out a way to make this work."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah."
There really wasn't any other choice. He nodded. "You've
got yourself a deal."
What do you think about this review?
Comments
No comments posted.
Registered users may leave comments.
Log in or register now!
|