This is the 2nd excerpt from My book :) Hope ya'll enjoy it!



<3 6 Months later…

The sound of a ringing telephone woke bailey from her light sleep. She jumped, surprised, and searched for her cell phone, disoriented. She had fallen asleep at her desk again. Shuffling papers, Bailey found her phone and slid it open, answering.
“Hello?” She asked sleepily.
“Bailey McGuiness?” A male voice asked hesitantly, in a deep southern drawl.
Bailey looked around for a clock. 9 AM.
“Yes, this is she,” She said, confused “Who’s calling?”
“My name is Chad O’Dell” The man explained, “I’m calling from O’Dell Industries, in Willette, Louisiana. I hear you’re the best damn Civil Engineering Designer, North of the Mason-Dixon” There was a smile in his voice.
“Oh hello Sir. Thank you,” She said a bit more alert now. “What can I do for you?”
“You can get on a plane and fly your pretty little self down here.”
Bailey was confused and looked at her phone to make sure she wasn’t hallucinating.
“Hello?” Mr. O’Dell asked.
“Yes, Sir, I’m here.” She assured him. “I’m afraid I may have misheard you. You want me to fly to Louisiana?”
“That’s right Miss McGuiness. I want you to come here and be the lead designer on the reconstruction of the Willette-Jordan bridge. She was wiped out by Katrina and I’ve recently been commissioned to rebuild her.”
Bailey liked the way he referred to the bridge as being female. She did that too, and caught a lot of flack from her co-workers for it.
“Wow, Mr. O’Dell,” She began but was cut off.
“Now you can call me Chad, Miss McGuiness” There was a smile in his voice again.
Bailey smiled too. “Chad,” She began again “I really do appreciate the offer. However, I have projects here, and family. I can’t just pick up and move. Besides, I cant really afford it.” She finished sheepishly.
“Miss McGuiness,” Chad began. This time, Bailey cut him off.
“Please, call me Bailey.” She said grinning.
“Ok, Bailey.” Chad continued “What if I gave you two weeks to tie things up, there in New York? And I will personally cover all the expenses you may incur during the moving process.”
“Two weeks?” She asked. Could she do it in two weeks? The thought intrigued her.
Chad knew he had her. There was a laugh in his voice now.
“Two weeks. You send me all, and I do mean all, of your receipts and I’ll reimburse you for moving expenses. Better yet, I’ll send you a bonus with your contract, which you can use towards it as well. I already have a new two bedroom apartment on hold for you. So, as soon as you’re ready, you’re welcome.”
“Sir…Chad, that’s very generous of you. Still, could I please have a few days to think this through? How did you find me, sir, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“I can give you forty-eight hours, Bailey. That’s all the time I can afford to waste.” He completely ignored the latter of her questions.
“That’s all I need, Chad.” She answered immediately.
“Wonderful” The smile was back again.
“I’ll email my number and some other contacts to you. You get a hold of me when you’re geared up.”
“Thank you Chad. I will call you as soon as possible.” Bailey said, hoping he’d hear the excitement in her voice.
“Thank you for your time, Bailey. I’ll be waiting.” He promised.
And then there was silence. Bailey hung, her end of the call, up. She looked around trying to determine if she’d been dreaming. No, there was definitely a call record in her phone.
“How unusual” she thought.
Two hours later, Bailey and Logan sat at an outside table in front of La Bella, their favorite café. Bailey was sipping her green tea and Logan sat looking astonished. Bailey was sure it was the same look that she, herself, had been wearing during her conversation with Chad. She waited a full two minutes before she waved her hand in front of Logan’s eyes. She started and looked at Bailey with a huge grin spreading slowly across her mesmerizing face.
“Bailey! That’s amazing!” She said loudly. Several café patrons turned to eye them speculatively.
“Shhh!” Bailey quietly chided her, looking around.
“Sorry,” She said, now in a much quieter tone. “But that is mind-blowing! I’m so happy for you! When do you leave? Oh, can I come?! I love this. An adventure!”
Bailey put up her right hand in a gesture to stop Logan from continuing. Logan fell silent and looked at her expectantly.
“I’m not sure that I’m accepting the position.” She clarified. “I love New York. I have friends and family here. How can I just up and leave?”
“Easy. Just pack your things and let’s go!” Logan said. “We can fly out first thing in the morning. I can run my store from anywhere that has internet.”
She paused and the looked horrified for a moment.
“They do have internet in Louisiana, don’t they?”
“Of course they do,” Bailey laughed “But be reasonable. This is a huge decision. There is a lot to plan. I can’t just do this overnight!”
“You don’t have to. He gave you two weeks, right?”
When Bailey nodded, Logan continued.
“So take the two weeks and get your ass together. This is an remarkable opportunity. How can you say no?”
Bailey paused and was thoughtful for a moment.
“Maybe.” Was all she could commit to.
“What more do you need to make that maybe a yes?” Logan asked.
“I don’t know.” She thought for a second. “What if…I don’t know. What if John wants me back?” She asked shamefacedly.
Logan looked at her horror struck once more.
“Are you kidding me? Screw him! Not literally of course. Bailey, he broke your heart. He walked all over you, and left the footprints to prove it. You deserve better then that. And if he decided that he wants you back, then you tell him that you’ve moved on to bigger and better things.”
The tears burned behind her eyes but she pushed them back. She would not allow him to control her anymore.
“Maybe you’re right.” Bailey said thinking now. “Maybe this is the best thing for me. And it wouldn’t be permanent. I can come home as soon as the bridge is done. I only have to be there for the design not the full construction.”
“There you go, love. That’s the way to think about this. It’s a big change, you are right about that. On the other hand, it’s a chance for you to make a change in you. It’s like I said when you guys first split up. You need something new. And who knows, maybe you’ll find your bliss. Maybe you’ll find someone who makes you happy.”
Bailey thought about that and then answered.
“I don’t know if I’m ready for all that, but we’ll see what this brings.”
Logan sat up straight in her chair, “Is that a yes?” she asked excitedly.
Bailey paused for a moment to make sure this was really what she wanted.
“That’s a yes!”
Logan jumped up and moved around the table. She flung her arms around Bailey and cried out.
“YES! Oh this is so exciting!”
This time, Bailey didn’t even try to quiet her.

After calling Chad and talking to her mother, Bailey sat in her apartment packing. Her mother was pleased that Bailey was excited but she cried when Bailey left. Her mother and she had always been extremely close. Baileys father had left when she was just a child, no more then five. Her mother, Tanya had raised her brother and she, on a low income. But she had pinched and saved so that her children could go to college. With help from a full scholarship Bailey had received for her academics, her brother had also been able to go to school. Now both children sent there mother money from time to time to help with the bills. Tanya hated that her children did this, and often sent the money back. Bailey kept all the returned money orders in a box and saved them for a day Tanya really needed them.
Chad had been thrilled when Bailey called to tell him she was accepting the position. He had immediately sent the contracts over. Bailey had signed them and sent them back just as fast. The next morning there had been a very generous deposit made to her account. It was more then enough for Bailey to move her things from New York to Louisiana. She still had a large chunk left, after paying the movers and the shipping company.
Logan was pleased to be moving with Bailey. She had been staying at Baileys loft for the last few nights after already subletting her apartment in Albany. Bailey was leaving her apartment under the care of her brother, Griffin. He would be staying there the duration of Baileys trip. Which Bailey had recently found out, could be up to two years, or longer. Tomorrow morning Bailey and Logan would depart from Albany International Airport. Chad would be meeting them at the airport in Louisiana to show them around, and bring them to their new apartment.
Bailey sat in the middle of her bedroom and let the memories wash over her. Her heart was aching, but there were no more tears. She had made her piece with John and his choices. She had emailed him to let him know she was leaving, and he never responded. That was fine with Bailey. It made leaving that much easier. She felt like she had said all she needed to say and now she was ready to move on with her life. A part of her heart would stay here in New York with John, probably always would. On the other hand, it was her time now. Her time to shine, her time to be brave. And she could hardly wait.
After she sealed up the last box, she crawled into her bed and pulled the covers up to her chin. She looked around her room one more time and turned the light off. It would be a while before sleep claimed her, but right now, here in this room… She was peaceful.

Yay Louisiana! Woohoo I'm hooked! More more more

@IrishLove1988: me too! this is so very good! thank you so much for sharing!

Thanks guys! :) Glad you enjoy it! I'll keep posting as long as there is enough demand for it :D

Oh i love it i hope you get it finished and published so i can buy it to add to the rest of my collection.

Thanks Brat! That's the idea lol I'm working on finishing it, and sending out a few copies to see what kind of response I get from publishers...

@IrishLove1988: tell us how it goes please? very best of luck, and hope ur feeling better now

@James: I can't tell you how it goes! That would ruin the suspense! lol You'll just have to wait until the book comes out :) And I'm feeling a bit better, Thanks :D

@IrishLove1988: i meant with the publishing of the book lol, and yeah i'm gonna want a signed copy, and good to hear your better too