Charity Jones finally feels she has found a place to put down roots. Raised by a mother that never stayed long in one place, Charity finally emancipated herself her senior year in high school. She worked her way through college, and found an excellent job, but when she was offered the job as City Planner for Fool's Gold, California, she jumped at the chance. This community called out to her heart -- the people, the job. Everything and everybody felt like they had just been waiting for Charity to get there -- including world champion cyclist, Josh Golden.
Josh belonged to the citizens of Fool's Gold after his mother abandoned him when he was a child. His story is a poignant one from that day until the present, but Josh can conquer any obstacle in his way. He has retired from racing and has come home to heal his body and soul. Josh finds Charity very appealing and admires her loyalty and spirit. He just isn't in the market for a relationship right now. There aren't but two what one would call eligible bachelors in Fool's Gold, and Josh is number one. Chastity really doesn't want to fall in love with him as he is a celebrity and she shuns the limelight. However, the other bachelor is rather boring and self- centered. Hey, who needs a man anyway?
Outstanding protagonists aided by an excellent group of supporting characters thrusts CHASING PERFECT into the category of readerlicious! There is romance, humor, mystery, and surprises galore awaiting the reader in this rapid paced commencement to Susan Mallery's new series.
There is only one thing wrong with the charming community of
Foolβs Gold, California: the men donβt stick around!
This problem has to be fixed, fast, and Charity Jones may be
just the city planner up to the challenge. Charity
immediately falls in love with all the storybook town has to
offer β except its sexy, famous world-class cyclist Josh
Golden. With her long list of romantic disasters sheβs not
about to take a chance on another bad boyβ¦but it may just be
what they both need!
EXCERPT
Charity Jones loved a good disaster movie as much as the
next personβshe would simply prefer the disaster in
question not be about her life.
The sharp crack of an electrical short, followed by a
burning smell, filled the conference room on the third
floor of City Hall. A thin wisp of smoke rose from her
laptop, pretty much ending any hope of her Powerpoint
presentation going smoothly. The presentation sheβd stayed
up nearly all night perfecting.
It was her first day on the job, she thought,
breathing deeply to ward off panic. The first official hour
of her first official day. Didnβt she get at least a
sixteenth of a break? Some small sign of mercy from the
universe?
Apparently not.
She glanced from her still smoldering computer to the
ten member board from California University, Foolβs Gold
campus, and they did not look happy. Part of the reason was
theyβd been working with the previous city planner for
nearly a year and still hadnβt come up with a contract for
the new research facility. A contract she was now
responsible for bringing to life. She would guess the
unpleasant burny smell was the other reason they were
shifting in their seats.
βPerhaps we should reschedule the meeting,β the head
guy said. He was tall, with graying hair and glasses. Mr.
Berman. βWhen youβre more...β He motioned to the smoldering
computer. βPrepared.β
Charity smiled warmly when what she really wanted to
do was throw something. She was prepared. Sheβd been on the
job all ofβshe glanced at the clock on the wallβeight
minutes, but sheβd been prepping since she accepted the
position as city planner nearly two weeks ago. She
understood what the university wanted and what the town had
to offer. She might be new, but she was still damned good
at her job.
Her boss, the mayor, had warned her about this group
and had offered to put off the meeting, but Charity had
wanted to prove herself. Something she refused to let be a
mistake.
βWeβre all here,β she said, still smiling as
confidently as possible. βWe can do this the old fashioned
way.β
She unplugged her computer and took it out into the
hall where it would no doubt stink up the rest of the
building, but her first priority had to be the meeting. She
was determined to start her new job with a win and that
meant getting California University at Foolβs Gold to sign
on the bottom line.
When she stepped back into the conference room, she
walked over to the dry erase board and picked up a thick
blue pen from the small rack attached to the board.
βThe way I see it,β she began, writing the number one
and circling it, βThere are three sticking points. First,
the length of the lease.β She wrote a number two, βSecond,
the reversion of improvements on the land. Namely the
building itself. And three, the freeway off-ramp signal.β
She turned back to the ten well-dressed people watching
her. βDo you agree?β
They all looked to Mr. Berman, who nodded slowly.
βGood.β Charity had reviewed all the notes on the
previous meetings and talked to the mayor of Foolβs Gold
over the weekend. What Charity couldnβt figure out was why
the negotiating process was taking so long. Apparently the
previous city planner had wanted to be right more than he
wanted the research facility in town. But Mayor Marsha
Tilson had been very clear when sheβd offered Charity the
jobβbring businesses to Foolβs Gold and fast.
βHereβs what Iβm prepared to offer,β she said, making
a second column. She went through all three problems and
listed solutions, including an extra five seconds of left
turn time on the signal at the top of the off-ramp.
The board members listened and when she was done,
they once again looked at Mr. Berman.
βThat does sound good,β he began.
Sound good? It was better than good. It was a once-in-
a-lifetime deal. It was everything the university had asked
for. It was zero calorie brownie with ice cream.
βThereβs still one problem,β Mr. Berman said.
βWhich is?β she asked.
βFour acres on the county line.β The voice came from
the doorway.
Charity turned and saw a man entering the conference
room. He was tall and blond, good-looking to the point of
being almost another species, and he moved with an easy
athletic grace that made her feel instantly awkward. While
he looked vaguely familiar, she was sure theyβd never met
before.
He gave her a quick smile. The flash of teeth, the
millisecond of attention, nearly knocked her into the wall.
Who was that guy?
βBernie,β the stranger said, turning the mega-watt
grin on the group leader. βI heard you were in town. You
didnβt call me for dinner.β
Mr. Berman actually looked interested. βI thought
youβd be busy with your latest conquest.β
Blond guy shrugged modestly. βI always have time for
anyone from the university. Sharon. Martin.β He greeted
everyone else at the table, shook a few hands, winked at
the old lady at the end, then turned back to Charity.
βSorry to interrupt. You come highly recommended and
under normal circumstances could deal with this problem
without breaking a sweat. But thereβs something you donβt
know. The reason we donβt have a deal isnβt the lease
reversion or the traffic light.β He moved close and took
the pen from her hand. βItβs the four acres the university
has been offered by a very wealthy alumni family. They want
their name on the building and theyβre willing to pay for
that privilege.β
He flashed another smile at Charity, then turned back
to the Board. βIβm going to explain why thatβs a bad idea.β
And then he started talking. She had no idea who he
was and probably should have told him to get out, but she
couldnβt seem to move or speak. It was as if he projected
some space alien force field that kept her immobilized.
Maybe it was his eyes, she thought, gazing into the
hazel green depths. Or his sun-bleached lashes. It might
have been the way he moved or the heat she felt every time
he walked by her. Or maybe sheβd simply inhaled some weird
gas when her computer had sparked, flamed out and died.
While she enjoyed a boy-girl encounter as much as the
next woman, sheβd never been mesmerized by a man before.
Certainly not during a professional meeting that she was
supposed to be running.
She knew the type, though. Had seen the power of the
havoc they brought with them everywhere they went. Self-
preservation stated she should stay far, far away. And she
would...just as soon as the meeting was over.
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