{"id":51635,"date":"2020-04-22T08:00:37","date_gmt":"2020-04-22T12:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=51635"},"modified":"2020-04-20T06:10:59","modified_gmt":"2020-04-20T10:10:59","slug":"excerpt-reveal-my-favorite-souvenir-by-vi-keeland-penelope-ward","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=51635","title":{"rendered":"Excerpt Reveal: My Favorite Souvenir by Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

MY FAVORITE SOUVENIR<\/strong><\/h4>\n

A Standalone Contemporary Romance<\/strong><\/h4>\n

New York Times Bestselling Authors Penelope Ward & Vi Keeland<\/strong><\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

Release date April 27th, 2020<\/strong><\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amazon Paperback Pre-order<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Audio Pre-order<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n

Sign up for Penelope & Vi\u2019s mailing list<\/a> now,<\/strong>
\nand be the first one notified when it goes live!<\/strong><\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

Blurb<\/strong><\/h4>\n

My planned trip for two unexpectedly turned into a trip for one. Rather than let my breakup get me down, I packed my bags and decided a week at a luxury resort was just what I needed.<\/p>\n

But one calamity after the next, and suddenly I was stuck without a hotel room, along with a few hundred other people. It looked like my fancy vacation was about to turn into me sleeping on the hotel lobby floor.<\/p>\n

Until I overheard a gorgeous man pretending to be someone he wasn\u2019t in order to steal a reservation from a guest who hadn\u2019t shown up yet. When I realized there were two rooms, instead of calling him out, I pretended to be his sister. That\u2019s how the story of \u201cMilo and Maddie Hooker\u201d began.<\/p>\n

We were the Hookers.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

My depressing trip quickly made a U-turn into an adventure.<\/p>\n

My fake brother spent the next few days showing me around his hometown. When it was time to leave, neither of us really wanted to go yet. So, instead of flying back to our respective homes, we ventured on a road trip. At every stop, we\u2019d pick up souvenirs.<\/p>\n

But as hot as our chemistry was, we never crossed the line.<\/p>\n

Milo knew I\u2019d just come out of a tough relationship and didn\u2019t want to mess with a vulnerable woman.<\/p>\n

So instead, at the end of our trip, we made a pact to meet again in three months.<\/p>\n

It was always my intention to meet him.<\/p>\n

But when I got back home, reality hit in a big way.<\/p>\n

And I worried I may have lost my handsome stranger forever.Was there a place for him in my future?<\/p>\n

Or had the memory of him just become my favorite souvenir?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Add to Goodreads<\/a><\/strong><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

Excerpt<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Chapter 1<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cGood afternoon. You\u2019ve reached the Four Seasons Resort, Vail, Colorado. How <\/span><\/p>\n

may I direct your call?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I took a deep breath. \u201cHi. I checked out early this morning. My reservation was <\/span><\/p>\n

for ten days, but I only wound up staying two nights. Is there any chance you might still <\/span><\/p>\n

have my room available? Or any room, for that matter? My flight was canceled because <\/span><\/p>\n

of the storm.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLet me take a look. What\u2019s your last name?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAppleton.\u201d I shook my head. \u201cActually, the reservation was under Ellis. My <\/span><\/p>\n

fianc\u00e9\u2019s last name.\u201d Or ex-fianc\u00e9.<\/i> But I\u2019d let her call me Mrs. Ellis at this point if it <\/span><\/p>\n

meant I could have a place to sleep tonight.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGive me one moment and I\u2019ll check.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThank you.\u201d<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

I sat down in the lobby of the Best Western, the third hotel I\u2019d been to in the last <\/span><\/p>\n

two hours. It was dumb of me to check out this morning. Though, at least I was <\/span><\/p>\n

consistent. After making the bad decision to go on my previously planned honeymoon <\/span><\/p>\n

alone, I\u2019d brilliantly decided to check out only two days into the trip\u2026without<\/i> looking at <\/span><\/p>\n

the weather report for Vail. When I arrived at the airport, I had no idea that a blizzard was <\/span><\/p>\n

on the way. But the airline had assured me my flight was still scheduled as planned. And <\/span><\/p>\n

they\u2019d kept their word right up until five minutes before we were supposed to board, <\/span><\/p>\n

when they announced a two-hour delay. Two hours turned into three, and three turned <\/span><\/p>\n

into five, and when we hit six hours of sitting on uncomfortable plastic seats outside the <\/span><\/p>\n

gate, they finally admitted it wasn\u2019t going to happen. Every other flight had been <\/span><\/p>\n

canceled by then. And now, every hotel seemed to be full.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHi, Mrs. Ellis?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I cringed at being called that, but answered anyway. \u201cYes?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry. After you checked out, your room was rebooked. We\u2019re actually sold <\/span><\/p>\n

out for the night because of the storm.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I sighed. Of course you are.<\/i> \u201cOkay. Thank you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

This was just my luck lately. I called four more hotels, until one said they might <\/span><\/p>\n

have a few rooms available. Apparently they had guests that hadn\u2019t checked in yet and <\/span><\/p>\n

were in the process of making calls to confirm whether they would still be arriving today. <\/span><\/p>\n

Rooms would be freed up on a first-come, first-served basis. So I decided to take a <\/span><\/p>\n

chance and head on over. It was already seven o\u2019clock at night, and there was no point in <\/span><\/p>\n

sitting here anymore. Surprisingly, Uber was still running, even though the airport had <\/span><\/p>\n

called it quits hours ago. <\/span><\/p>\n

Out front, the snow was coming down hard. A giant SUV with snow chains on the <\/span><\/p>\n

tires pulled up in front of the door. I couldn\u2019t check the license plate or get a look at the <\/span><\/p>\n

make and model of the vehicle since it was covered in snow, so I walked over to the car <\/span><\/p>\n

and motioned for the driver to roll down the window. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAre you Hazel?\u201d the older woman behind the wheel asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

I smiled. \u201cYes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHeading over to the Snow Eagle Lodge?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, please.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Even though the next hotel was only two miles away, it took fifteen minutes to get <\/span><\/p>\n

there. By the time we pulled up, the conditions were almost white-out. It couldn\u2019t be safe <\/span><\/p>\n

driving in this anymore.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGod, it\u2019s really terrible out here,\u201d I said as I pulled up the hood of my jacket. \u201cBe <\/span><\/p>\n

careful driving tonight.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I will, honey. The next place I\u2019m driving is home. I only picked you up <\/span><\/p>\n

because you were on my way. Good thing you\u2019re at your hotel now. No one is going to <\/span><\/p>\n

be on the roads tonight anymore.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Great.<\/i> This place really better have a room for me. <\/span><\/p>\n

As I climbed out of the SUV, a gust of snow smacked me in the face, despite the <\/span><\/p>\n

fact that we were parked under the building\u2019s overhang. The wind made it look like <\/span><\/p>\n

someone had shaken a snow globe, hard. Inside the hotel, I wiped flakes from my <\/span><\/p>\n

eyelashes and glanced around the lobby.<\/span><\/p>\n

Oh no.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

This didn\u2019t look good. A line of at least thirty or forty people snaked five rows <\/span><\/p>\n

deep, waiting to get to the reception desk. I sighed and wheeled my luggage to behind the <\/span><\/p>\n

last person. More than half an hour later, I finally reached the front. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHi. I called earlier, and the person I spoke to said some rooms might become <\/span><\/p>\n

available, that you were going to contact guests who hadn\u2019t showed and see if they were <\/span><\/p>\n

still coming?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The woman nodded with a frown. \u201cYeah. I can put you on our waitlist. But we\u2019re <\/span><\/p>\n

still making calls, and to be honest, it\u2019s not looking too good.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

My shoulders slumped. \u201cOkay. Well, I guess please add me to your wait list.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The woman lifted a clipboard and set it down on the counter. She thumbed <\/span><\/p>\n

through a few pages and turned it to face me, pointing at the next available line, which <\/span><\/p>\n

was two from the bottom of the page. \u201cJust add your name and cell phone number.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I scribbled both and let the pages above the one I\u2019d been writing on fan back into <\/span><\/p>\n

place. Noticing the sheet at the top looked just like the one I\u2019d signed, five or six pages <\/span><\/p>\n

down, I glanced through all the papers. There had to be at least a hundred names and <\/span><\/p>\n

telephone numbers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAre these all<\/i> on your waiting list?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The hotel clerk nodded. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow many people haven\u2019t checked in?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think about a dozen.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Oh God. This really wasn\u2019t good. But maybe people had just added their names <\/span><\/p>\n

and left, like in a packed restaurant. Maybe the bulk of people ahead of me on the list had <\/span><\/p>\n

found other hotels.<\/span><\/p>\n

Turning around, whatever hope I\u2019d talked myself into immediately deflated. <\/span><\/p>\n

Every seat in the lobby area behind me was taken. Some were even sitting on the floor, <\/span><\/p>\n

leaning against their luggage. With very few options, I wandered over and found an <\/span><\/p>\n

empty space on a carpeted area of the floor, not too far from the concierge desk. Though I <\/span><\/p>\n

knew it was futile, I took out my iPad and continued to search for a hotel with <\/span><\/p>\n

availability. Even if I found one, getting there would be a miracle on its own at this point.<\/span><\/p>\n

The nearby concierge desk had been empty while I scrolled and made calls, but <\/span><\/p>\n

now two women walked over. One I recognized as the manager, since I\u2019d spent a half <\/span><\/p>\n

hour staring at the people behind the front desk while I\u2019d waited in line. The other had on <\/span><\/p>\n

a nametag and held a clipboard. I couldn\u2019t help but eavesdrop on their conversation from <\/span><\/p>\n

where I sat.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThese seven we still haven\u2019t reached,\u201d the manager said. \u201cAll of the other rooms <\/span><\/p>\n

have been checked in, or we\u2019ve reallocated them to people from the waiting list.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The employee flipped through the pages and looked around the full hotel lobby. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJeez. And this storm is supposed to stick around for days.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a guy standing on the other side of the <\/span><\/p>\n

concierge desk. His back was to the ladies talking, but he craned his neck, and I thought <\/span><\/p>\n

he, too, might be eavesdropping. Figuring he was probably just as bored as me, I went <\/span><\/p>\n

back to my iPad search\u2014until a few minutes later when I noticed him scribbling <\/span><\/p>\n

something with a pen on the inside of his hand. <\/span><\/p>\n

What the hell is he doing?<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

He wrote for a few seconds and then seemed to go back to eavesdropping. The <\/span><\/p>\n

manager had walked away, leaving the employee to make her phone calls. She hung up <\/span><\/p>\n

from one call and dialed again. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHi. This is Catherine from the Snow Eagle Lodge. I\u2019m trying to reach Milo or <\/span><\/p>\n

Madeline Hooker.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

The minute she said the names, the eavesdropper scribbled on his hand again. <\/span><\/p>\n

Catherine continued leaving her message. \u201cI just wanted to confirm whether <\/span><\/p>\n

you\u2019d still be arriving this evening. Your reservation is guaranteed, so we\u2019ll hold it as <\/span><\/p>\n

long as you need. However, if the storm has perhaps caused a change in your travel plans, <\/span><\/p>\n

we do have a long wait list of guests who could use the two rooms you have booked. My <\/span><\/p>\n

number here is 970-555-4000, if you could please return my call at your earliest <\/span><\/p>\n

convenience. Thank you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The same thing went on with the next two calls. Catherine left a message and the <\/span><\/p>\n

eavesdropper scribbled. Curious about what he was up to, I kept my eye on him. After the <\/span><\/p>\n

hotel clerk finished making her calls, she went back to the front desk. Eavesdropper <\/span><\/p>\n

picked up his backpack and casually strolled down a nearby hallway. I leaned to watch <\/span><\/p>\n

where he was going, and he eventually pulled up his hood and exited out a side door I <\/span><\/p>\n

hadn\u2019t even noticed was there. <\/span><\/p>\n

I thought it was odd, but I figured the show was over. <\/span><\/p>\n

But a few minutes later, a guy with the same ski jacket walked through the front <\/span><\/p>\n

lobby door. He pulled his hood down, and I got a look at his face for the very first time.<\/span><\/p>\n

Damn, he was handsome. Medium brown hair that was kind of shaggy and <\/span><\/p>\n

needed a cut, full lips, hazel eyes, and tanned skin. His warm skin tone really stood out <\/span><\/p>\n

against the pasty color of most people in Colorado this time of the year, including me. It <\/span><\/p>\n

was a shame I loathed men right now, because he was seriously gorgeous. He dusted <\/span><\/p>\n

some of the snow from the shoulders of his jacket and went to wait in line. It was much <\/span><\/p>\n

shorter now, with only two men in front of him, mostly because people weren\u2019t braving <\/span><\/p>\n

the storm anymore. I had no idea what possessed me to do it, but I decided to get up and <\/span><\/p>\n

wait behind the guy. Maybe I was imagining things to keep myself entertained, but I had <\/span><\/p>\n

the distinct feeling he was up to something.<\/span><\/p>\n

When it was his turn at the front desk, I moved as close as I could to listen <\/span><\/p>\n

without seeming like a stalker.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHi. I\u2019m checking in,\u201d the man said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGreat. What\u2019s your last name, sir?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He cleared his throat. \u201cHooker. Milo Hooker.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I squinted. The guy was totally full of shit. I knew it!<\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n

The unsuspecting hotel clerk punched a bunch of keys on her keyboard and <\/span><\/p>\n

smiled. \u201cI have your reservation right here. Two rooms for two nights, breakfast <\/span><\/p>\n

included. Is that right?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cUhhh\u2026\u201d The guy nodded. \u201cYeah. I booked two rooms. But it turns out I\u2019m only <\/span><\/p>\n

going to need the one.\u201d He looked over his shoulder. \u201cLooks like you won\u2019t have a <\/span><\/p>\n

problem filling the other one, though.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She smiled. \u201cNo, we definitely won\u2019t. I\u2019ll just need a credit card and a picture ID <\/span><\/p>\n

please, Mr. Hooker.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I waited. This was the moment of truth. If he wasn\u2019t actually Milo Hooker, he was <\/span><\/p>\n

going to have to make up some excuse. <\/span><\/p>\n

The guy reached into his front pocket like he was going to pull out his wallet. For <\/span><\/p>\n

a second, I thought I might\u2019ve been wrong, but then he pulled out a wad of cash.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI lost my wallet on the slopes today. Luckily, I had some cash sent over through <\/span><\/p>\n

Western Union before the storm got too bad. Can I just pay cash?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The young woman hesitated. \u201cYou don\u2019t have any ID at all? I\u2019m not supposed to <\/span><\/p>\n

check people in without photo identification.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Fake Milo poured on the charm. He leaned forward and showed off a set of <\/span><\/p>\n

cavernous dimples. \u201cWe could take a selfie together?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The woman giggled. She actually giggled.<\/i> \u201cLet me just check with my manager.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She disappeared into the back and returned with the manager a few minutes later. <\/span><\/p>\n

A crazy idea popped into my head. She said there were two rooms\u2026<\/i> I made a <\/span><\/p>\n

spur-of-the-moment decision and approached the counter.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere you are, Milo.\u201d I rested my hand on the guy\u2019s shoulder. \u201cMy flight was <\/span><\/p>\n

canceled. I hope they still have our rooms.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Fake Milo turned and looked at me with his brows furrowed. <\/span><\/p>\n

He was going to blow it if I didn\u2019t do something, so I turned my attention to the <\/span><\/p>\n

two hotel employees. \u201cMy brother and I booked rooms here for two nights, but I was <\/span><\/p>\n

trying to get out before the storm. Obviously I had no luck. I spent the entire day in the <\/span><\/p>\n

airport. Please tell me you still have my room? I\u2019m dying for a hot bath.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Milo looked at me, then the hotel employees, then back at me. I smiled and arched <\/span><\/p>\n

a brow. For a second, I almost felt bad for the guy. He looked so bewildered. Since he <\/span><\/p>\n

still seemed to be at a loss for words, I figured I should continue talking. \u201cWe went <\/span><\/p>\n

skiing early this morning and had our backpacks stolen. Between that and the storm <\/span><\/p>\n

coming, I figured it was a sign that I should get back home early. Apparently Mother <\/span><\/p>\n

Nature had other plans. We should have two rooms\u2014Milo and Madeline Hooker. <\/span><\/p>\n

Someone actually just left me a message on my cell asking us to confirm. Her name was <\/span><\/p>\n

Catherine, I believe.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The desk clerk nodded. \u201cThat was me. The storm has a lot of people stranded here <\/span><\/p>\n

unexpectedly without rooms, so we were checking in with guests that hadn\u2019t arrived yet.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The manager looked back and forth between Fake Milo and me. \u201cWe\u2019ll have to <\/span><\/p>\n

take a hundred-dollar deposit for incidentals on each room since you don\u2019t have a credit <\/span><\/p>\n

card.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I smiled. \u201cOf course.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She nodded to her employee. \u201cCheck them in. It\u2019s fine.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The man next to me still had his mouth hanging open. So I dug into my purse, <\/span><\/p>\n

being careful not to show my wallet, which was supposed to have been stolen, and <\/span><\/p>\n

scooped out all of the cash. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow much are the rooms?\u201d I asked the clerk. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s see. With tax, they come to three-hundred-and-forty-two dollars each, for <\/span><\/p>\n

the two nights, and then we have to collect the hundred-dollar deposit.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

<i?Shit. I didn\u2019t think I had that much cash. I counted the money in my hand and slid <\/span><\/p>\n

it over in front of Fake Milo. \u201cCan you spot me forty dollars? You know I\u2019m good for it, <\/span><\/p>\n

bro.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cUh, yeah. Sure.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

After we paid and got the room keys, we walked side by side to the elevator bank <\/span><\/p>\n

in silence. It wasn\u2019t until we were alone and the elevator doors slid shut that Milo turned <\/span><\/p>\n

to me. \u201cWhat the hell just happened?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I laughed. \u201cWe just got rooms, that\u2019s what happened.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He shook his head. \u201cBut who are you?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI noticed you standing near the concierge desk and eavesdropping while she <\/span><\/p>\n

called the guests who hadn\u2019t arrived yet.\u201d I reached forward and took the man\u2019s hand, <\/span><\/p>\n

opening it to display blue ink. \u201cYou wrote down the names of the guests. I thought it was <\/span><\/p>\n

odd, so I followed you to the front desk to see what you were up to. When you made up <\/span><\/p>\n

that bogus story about losing your wallet so you could justify not having any ID, I knew <\/span><\/p>\n

you were full of shit.\u201d I shrugged. \u201cWhen the woman said there were two rooms on the <\/span><\/p>\n

reservation, I saw an opening and took it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow did you know I\u2019d go along with it?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I smiled. \u201cI didn\u2019t. But that\u2019s what made it so much fun!\u201d I covered my chest with <\/span><\/p>\n

my hand. \u201cMy heart feels like it\u2019s trying to ricochet out of my ribcage at this moment. It\u2019s <\/span><\/p>\n

been a long time since I did anything risky like that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

His eyes roamed my face. I got the feeling he still wasn\u2019t sure what to make of <\/span><\/p>\n

me, even though I\u2019d just explained what I\u2019d done. He looked down at my lips, which <\/span><\/p>\n

were still curved in an excited smile. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhy is that?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

My forehead wrinkled. \u201cWhy is what?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhy\u2019s it been a long time since you\u2019ve done anything risky? It looks to me like <\/span><\/p>\n

you enjoyed it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I blinked a few times, not having expected a question that would tug at my <\/span><\/p>\n

heartstrings, and my smile fell. \u201cI don\u2019t know. I guess I kind of turned into a different <\/span><\/p>\n

person over the last few years.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Fake Milo\u2019s eyes locked with mine. We\u2019d gone from pulling off a crazy stunt and <\/span><\/p>\n

laughing, to an odd seriousness. His eyes flickered to my lips and back once again. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a shame. You have a great smile.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Warmth spread through me, and I couldn\u2019t seem to unlock my eyes from the <\/span><\/p>\n

stranger\u2019s\u2014at least until the elevator dinged and the doors opened on the third floor. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is us,\u201d he said. \u201cRooms 320 and 321.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh. Right. Okay.\u201d I stepped out and followed the signs to our rooms. Since we <\/span><\/p>\n

were, of course, family, they\u2019d put us right next to each other. We stood a few feet apart <\/span><\/p>\n

as we opened our respective doors. As my lock unlatched and I turned the handle to go <\/span><\/p>\n

inside, something dawned on me. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI almost forgot! I owe you forty dollars for the room.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He smiled. \u201cDon\u2019t worry about it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, don\u2019t be silly. I just didn\u2019t have enough cash and didn\u2019t want to hand the <\/span><\/p>\n

woman a credit card when we weren\u2019t supposed to have ID. I\u2019ll just throw my bag in the <\/span><\/p>\n

room and go downstairs to find an ATM. They must have one somewhere.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI thought you couldn\u2019t wait to take a hot bath, or was that part of the act?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I laughed. \u201cNo, it actually wasn\u2019t. I wasn\u2019t lying when I said I spent the entire day <\/span><\/p>\n

at the airport. A hot bath sounds pretty amazing right about now. But I can grab your cash <\/span><\/p>\n

first. It won\u2019t take me long.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Fake Milo scratched at the stubble on his chin. \u201cI\u2019ll tell you what. I\u2019m going to <\/span><\/p>\n

take a quick shower and then go downstairs to the bar for a drink. Take your bath. You <\/span><\/p>\n

can find me there afterward to give me the money.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

We looked at each other for a moment. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAlright, well, enjoy your soak, sis.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I smiled. \u201cThanks, Milo. I\u2019ll see you later.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Check out our Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward Spotlight<\/a>
\nfor more fantastic reads from this writing duo<\/strong><\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

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About the Authors<\/strong><\/h4>\n

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Vi Keeland<\/strong> is a #1 <\/span>New York Times,<\/span><\/i> #1 <\/span>Wall Street Journal,<\/span><\/i> and <\/span>USA Today <\/span><\/i>Bestselling author. \u00a0 With millions of books sold, her titles have appeared in over a hundred Bestseller lists and are currently translated in twenty-five languages. She resides in New York with her husband and their three children where she is living out her own happily ever after with the boy she met at age six.<\/span><\/p>\n

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FACEBOOK FAN PAGE<\/a>\u00a0 | \u00a0PROFILE<\/a>\u00a0 | \u00a0AUTHOR PAGE
\n<\/a><\/strong>WEBSITE<\/a>\u00a0 | \u00a0TWITTER<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0| \u00a0INSTAGRAM<\/a>\u00a0 | \u00a0GOODREADS<\/a>\u00a0 | \u00a0MAILING LIST<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u00a0<\/strong>Check out our Vi Keeland Author Spotlight<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n

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Penelope Ward<\/strong> is a New York Times, USA Today and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of contemporary romance.<\/span><\/p>\n

She grew up in Boston with five older brothers and spent most of her twenties as a television news anchor. Penelope resides in Rhode Island with her husband, son, and beautiful daughter with autism.<\/span><\/p>\n

With over two million books sold, she is a 21-time New York Times bestseller and the author of over twenty novels. Her books have been translated into over a dozen languages and can be found in bookstores around the world.<\/span><\/p>\n

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FACEBOOK<\/a> | WEBSITE<\/a> | TWITTER<\/a> | INSTAGRAM<\/a> | GOODREADS<\/a> | FB FAN GROUP<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Check out our Penelope Ward Author Spotlight<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  MY FAVORITE SOUVENIR A Standalone Contemporary Romance New York Times Bestselling Authors Penelope Ward & Vi Keeland   Release date April 27th, 2020   Amazon Paperback Pre-order\u00a0 |\u00a0 Audio Pre-order Sign up for Penelope […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":50485,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","yasr_overall_rating":0,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[290],"tags":[301,132,349],"class_list":["post-51635","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-book-news","tag-excerpt","tag-penelope-ward","tag-vi-keeland"],"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":false,"span_bottom":false},"number_of_votes":0,"sum_votes":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/My-Favorite-Souvenir.jpg?fit=200%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7gaNL-dqP","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51635","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=51635"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51635\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/50485"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=51635"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=51635"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=51635"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}