TLC Book Tours: Sisters Like Us (Excerpt)

Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: MIRA (January 23, 2018)
The grass is always greener on your sister’s side of the fence…
Divorce left Harper Szymanski with a name no one can spell, a house she can’t afford and a teenage daughter who’s pulling away. With her fledgling virtual-assistant business, she’s scrambling to maintain her overbearing mother’s ridiculous Susie Homemaker standards and still pay the bills, thanks to clients like Lucas, the annoying playboy cop who claims he hangs around for Harper’s fresh-baked cookies.
Spending half her life in school hasn’t prepared Dr. Stacey Bloom for her most daunting challenge—motherhood. She didn’t inherit the nurturing gene like Harper and is in deep denial that a baby is coming. Worse, her mother will be horrified to learn that Stacey’s husband plans to be a stay-at-home dad…assuming Stacey can first find the courage to tell Mom she’s already six months pregnant.
Separately they may be a mess, but together Harper and Stacey can survive anything—their indomitable mother, overwhelming maternity stores and ex’s weddings. Sisters Like Us is a delightful look at sisters, mothers and daughters in today’s fast-paced world, told with Susan Mallery’s trademark warmth and humor.
“Fresh and engaging… There’s a generational subtext that mirrors reality and the complexities of adult relationships…filled with promise of a new serial that’s worth following.” -Fort Worth Star-Telegram
“Mallery enthralls [and] thoroughly involves readers in the lives of her characters as they face realistic, believable problems and search for their own happy endings.” -Publishers Weekly
Purchase Links
Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble
EXCERPT (beginning of Chapter 4)
To see the full excerpt tour, click here. Also look for my review post on February 7th!
Becca
Szymanski carried her suitcase and backpack into the living room and let both
fall to the carpeted floor. She was happy, sad, mad, annoyed and relieved all
at once, and her chest wasn’t big enough for that much emotion.
She’d
known her mom was totally going to overreact to the dogs and she hadn’t been
wrong. Just once, just one single time, she would really appreciate it if her
mother would listen and respond like a thoughtful person instead of always
jumping to the conclusion that not only would it go badly but it would all be
Becca’s fault because she wasn’t responsible enough.
Becca
was
responsible. She’d gotten through her parents’ divorce without letting either
of them know how devastated she was. She’d gotten through her best friend’s
moving away without anyone seeing how shattered she was inside. She lived a
thousand emotions her mother knew nothing about…and never would.
Becca
collapsed to the floor and started to cover her face with her hands only to
hear a faint whimper. She looked up and saw Jazz standing just inside the front
door, her expression worried, her brown eyes questioning.
“Oh,
Jazz, I’m sorry. I forgot you were there.” Becca bit her bottom lip. Did saying
that make her mother right?
No, she told herself quickly. Of course
not. She’d been home five seconds—it would take a while for them all to adjust
to a pet.
She
shifted onto her knees, then held out her arms and said softly, “Jazz, come
here.”
The
black-and-tan Doberman approached, then sat obediently. Becca threw her arms
around the dog and hung on. “It’s okay,” she whispered against the dog’s warm
body. “You’re going to be safe now, I promise. I’m going to be here for you.”
She
drew back and looked into Jazz’s face. “Thor is going to stay with our friend
Lucas, and Bay will be with Aunt Stacey. Lucas is a good guy. He’s a detective
with the Los Angeles Police Department. He’s been my mom’s client for about a
year now.” She smiled. “He’s a grown-up, so you know what that means, although
he’s pretty cool with me.” She wrinkled her nose. “He always has really young
girlfriends. It was creepy at first, but finally I asked him if I had to worry
that he would want to date one of my friends in a couple of years.”
Jazz’s
ears perked up, as if she were interested in the answer.
“He
said the younger woman thing was because of trauma and that he promised he
would never embarrass me that way. He said he wanted me to know that he totally
respected me and my mom and that he would be there if we needed something.” She
stroked the dog’s head. “To be honest, he has been really supportive and stuff
with us. I’m telling you this so you won’t worry about Thor.”
She
thought about her aunt Stacey. “I’m sure Bay will be good with Kit and Stacey.
They have a nice house and a yard. Uncle Kit’s really fun and Aunt Stacey is
super smart. She’s going to cure MS or maybe help people with MS have less
symptoms. I’m never sure when she talks about her work.” She hugged Jazz. “I
get it. Even though you know everyone is okay, you’re going to miss your friends,
though, aren’t you? I so get that. I miss Kaylee, but she’s
off having fun with her new friends. You should see what she posts on Instagram
all the time.” Becca waved her hands in the air. “Look at me! Look at me!”
Jazz’s
steady gaze never wavered. Becca dropped her arms to her side.
“You
have no idea who I’m talking about, do you,” she said with a sigh. “Sorry.” She
thought briefly of pulling out her phone and showing Jazz the videos, then told
herself the dog still wouldn’t care. Because this was all new to Jazz and no
matter how well trained she was, she had to be scared.
“I
remember the first night my dad left,” Becca admitted in a low voice as she sat
on the floor and continued to pet the dog. “I was crying, my mom was crying, my
grandmother kept asking my mom what she’d done wrong. It was horrible. Uncle
Kit and Aunt Stacey had just gotten married and were on their honeymoon, so she
wasn’t here.”
Becca
sighed. “I don’t know if anyone’s told you this, but Great-Aunt Cheryl is gone.
She was really old and she died.” She shifted so she sat directly in front of
Jazz. “I promise I will always take care of you, Jazz. I’ll be here. I have to
go to school and stuff, but then I’ll come home. You belong here now. With me.”
She
smiled. “I always wanted a dog, but Mom said we couldn’t because Dad was
allergic. After the drive home, I guess he really is. Anyway, I want you to
know I’m going to take care of you. I have the book of instructions Great-Aunt
Cheryl left me. I’ll get copies to Stacey and Lucas. You have to believe in me,
okay? I’m going to be here. I’m not going to die like Great-Aunt Cheryl, and I’m
not going to leave you like my dad.”
Tears
unexpectedly formed. Becca brushed them away. It was one thing to be upset
about the dogs, but she refused to cry over the divorce. It had been two years
and she should be over it. At least that was what everyone else seemed to
think.
She
knew, compared to some of her friends, she had it easy. She wasn’t shuffled
from house to house and she didn’t have to deal with a bunch of new
stepbrothers and sisters. In fact, she rarely saw her father. He was too busy
with his new life and Alicia.
About Susan Mallery
Thanks for featuring this excerpt for the tour!
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