Just One Reason Read online

  Table of Contents

  Synopsis

  Praise for Jaime Clevenger

  Other Books by Jaime Clevenger

  About the Author

  Acknowledgment

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-one

  Chapter Thirty-two

  Chapter Thirty-three

  Epilogue

  Bella Books

  Synopsis

  What would you do for forty-one million dollars?

  For Elizabeth Samuels, it’s not some hypothetical what-if. It’s the very real inheritance she stands to gain if she follows the stipulations in her grandfather’s will when she takes over his family practice. The only problem? The stipulations mean a life she doesn’t want.

  Terri Anderson knows better than to get involved with her resident. She’s had a work romance before—it didn’t end well and she doesn’t want to be part of the gossip mill all over again. But with Sam, keeping her distance is easier said than done.

  When Sam considers walking away from medicine, Terri knows she can’t let her make that huge mistake. But changing Sam’s mind means getting close. A little too close.

  With so much at stake, now is definitely not the time to fall in love.

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  Praise for Jaime Clevenger

  All the Reasons I Need

  One of the reasons I love Three Reasons to Say Yes so much is that Clevenger wrote such strong secondary characters in Kate and Mo. I fell for them almost as much as the main characters, so to have them get their own book I was excited. This is a story about two best friends since college that have a ton of chemistry but have never done anything about it. …If you are looking for a well written, angsty romance, look no further. This is an easy romance for me to recommend. I think with this series, Clevenger is at the top of her writing game and I can’t wait to see what she puts out next.

  —Lex Kent’s Reviews, goodreads

  This book is the second installment in Clevenger’s Paradise Romance series. It’s not necessary to read the first book, Three Reasons to Say Yes, to enjoy Kate and Mo’s story… All the Reasons I Need is a thoughtful summer romance full of emotion. It let me imagine myself on a tropical beach, napping in a hammock, and sipping an exotic drink with a little umbrella in it. There’s just something about beautiful sunsets and waves crashing on the beach that make falling in love seem easy.

  —The Lesbian Review

  Three Reasons to Say Yes

  This is without a doubt my new favourite Jaime Clevenger novel. Honestly I couldn’t put it down from the first chapter. …All in all this book has the potential to be my book of the year. Truly, books like this don’t come around often that suit my reading tastes to a tee.

  —Les Rêveur

  …this one was totally my cup of tea with its charming relationship and family dynamics, great chemistry between two likable protagonists, a very convincing romance, some angst, drama and tension to the right extent and in all the right moments, and some very nice secondary characters. On top of that, the writing is technically very good, with all elements done properly. Sincerely recommended.

  —Pin’s Reviews, goodreads

  This was a really easy story to get into. I sank right in and wanted to stay there, because reading about other people on vacation is kind of like taking a mini vacation from the world!

  It’s sweet and lovely, and while it has some angst, it’s not going to hurt you. Instead, it’s going to take you away from it all so you can come back with a smile on your face.

  —The Lesbian Review

  Party Favors

  This book has one of the best characters ever. Me. Or rather you. It’s quite a strange and startling experience at first to be in a book, especially one with as many hot, sexy, beautiful women in it who, incidentally, all seem to want you. But believe me, you’ll soon get used to it. …In a word, this book was FUN. It made me smile, and laugh, and tease my wife. I definitely recommend it to everyone, with the caveat that if you don’t like erotica you should probably give it a pass. But not only read it, enjoy it, experience it, also find a friend, or a spouse, or even a book buddy online to talk to about it. Because you’ll want to, it’s that great.

  —The Lesbian Review

  I’ve read this book a few times and each time changed my decisions to find new and inviting destinations each time. This is a book you can read time and time again with a different journey. If you’re looking for a fun Saturday night read that’s sexy and hot as hell then this book is 100% for you! Go buy it now. 5 Stars.

  —Les Rêveur

  The story is told in the second person, present tense, whichis ambitious in itself—it takes great skill to make that work and for the reader, who is now the narrator, to really connect to the thoughts and actions that are being attributed to them. Not all of the scenes will turn everyone on, as we all have different tastes, but I am pretty sure there is something for everyone in here. And if you do as you’re told and follow the structure the author uses, you can dip into this book as much or as little as you wish. An interesting read with some pretty hot interactions.

  —Rainbow Book Reviews

  Other Books by Jaime Clevenger

  Bella Books

  Call Shotgun

  A Fugitive’s Kiss

  All the Reasons I Need

  Moonstone

  Party Favors

  Sign on the Line

  Sweet, Sweet Wine

  Three Reasons to Say Yes

  The Unknown Mile

  Waiting for a Love Song

  Whiskey and Oak Leaves

  Spinsters Ink

  All Bets Off

  About the Author

  Jaime Clevenger lives in Colorado with her family. She spends her days working as a veterinarian, but also enjoys swimming, teaching karate, playing with her kids, and snuggling the foster kittens and puppies that often fill her home. She loves to hear a good story and hopes that if you ever meet her, you’ll tell her your favorite. Feel free to embellish the details.

  Copyright © 2020 by Jaime Clevenger

  Bella Books, Inc.

  P.O. Box 10543

  Tallahassee, FL 32302

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a ficti
tious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

  First Bella Books Edition 2020

  eBook released 2020

  Editor: Medora MacDougall

  Cover Designer: Judith Fellows

  ISBN: 978-1-64247-154-0

  PUBLISHER’S NOTE

  The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  Acknowledgment

  Thank you to all of my beta readers and writer friends. I appreciate you so very much, and this story is infinitely better because of your advice. Thank you, Corina, for always being willing to read a scene one more time. You make me a better storyteller—and better person in general. Thank you, Katie, for pushing me to think more deeply about relationship dynamics. Thank you, Dawn, for reminding me of the benefits of good timing and pacing. Thank you, Sandy, for convincing me to go for those happily ever afters. Thank you, Medora, for another fabulous editing experience. Thank you, Jessica, for letting me use my own picture for the cover. I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to know that it’s the same beach where these two fall in love. And finally, thank you, dear reader. I love that you are willing to go on another adventure with me and I truly hope you find your own paradise.

  Chapter One

  Between yes and no there were a whole line of maybes. That one seemingly innocent word had gotten Terri Anderson into more trouble than any other. But never had maybe gotten her signed up for a ballroom dance class.

  “You promised.”

  “I didn’t promise. I said maybe.” Terri rubbed the back of her neck, willing away a headache. The last thing she wanted to do tonight was learn how to waltz. If she ever got to the bottom of the stack of charts she needed to write, she still had at least an hour’s worth of patient phone calls to make. “Besides, I don’t see why you need me. You’ll have Julia.”

  “And I need you for moral support. Please? Pretty please?”

  Terri smiled, not that Reed could see. “You sound like one of your kids. Just don’t say with a cherry on top.”

  “Pretty please with a cherry on top?” Reed chuckled. “You can’t stop me. We aren’t even on the same floor. I’m all the way up on seventh and you’re probably stuck on third.”

  “You should see how fast I run those stairs. I’m like a little billy goat. Wait, what do they call girl goats? Hold on a minute.” Terri held the phone away from her ear and motioned to the intern who had popped out of room 306. “We need a urine sample from that patient. Did you remind her?”

  “She says she doesn’t need to pee.”

  Terri struggled to remember the intern’s name. Too many new faces had appeared in the last month. July was always barely managed chaos. A fresh class of interns filled the halls, tempers flared along with the heat—welcome to Sacramento General—and there were no slow days. “She might not feel like she has to pee, but after two liters of fluid she needs to pee. Trust me.”

  Terri held the phone back up to her ear. “I’ve had a hell of a day, Reed, but I’m saying yes because I owe you for that carcinoma case. How you spotted that lesion, I’ll never know—”

  “You’re the best, Terri. By the way, girls are called nanny goats. Can you make it by seven?”

  “Nanny goats?”

  “I read it in one of my kids’ books. Bryn decided she wanted to move to a farm, but Carly had a breakdown because she’s terrified of chickens. We compromised by getting all the library books on farming. The good news is I finally understand crop rotation and I’m pretty sure I could milk a cow.”

  “Seriously, no one knows more useless facts than you.”

  “So you’ll be there?”

  Terri glanced at her watch. Half past five. If everything went according to plan, she’d have enough time to race home for a shower. “I’ll make it. But I still think you can do this without me.”

  “You’ve seen me dance. I need my personal physician on standby. And my therapist. You happen to be both.”

  Terri almost felt bad for Reed. Except she was engaged to an amazing woman and only needed to get through one song. “You might be making this into a bigger deal than it is.”

  “Everyone’s gonna be staring at us. What if I choke and forget how to move my feet?”

  “Better than stepping on Julia’s feet.”

  “Very funny,” Reed grumbled. “We’re meeting at the pub next to the dance studio for drinks first. I’ll text you the address.”

  “You hoping alcohol is going to make you Fred Astaire?”

  “No. I gotta be realistic. I’m hoping I’ll look like one of those inflatable tube men at a car lot.”

  Terri laughed loud enough to get a sharp look from the nursing station. She waved off the eye roll from JoAnne, her favorite stodgy nurse.

  “Excuse me, Dr. Anderson?” The intern had reappeared in the hallway. Her scrubs were wet and she tugged on the fabric with a look that promised tears were on their way.

  “Reed, I gotta go. See you tonight.” Terri ended the call and studied the intern. “Looks like that didn’t go so well.”

  “I was helping her out of bed and she peed. On me.”

  “Did you catch any?”

  “No.” She dropped her gaze to study her shiny new Danskos.

  “It’s okay. We’ll get that sample.” Terri sighed. “Why don’t you go get changed and grab something to eat. You still want to be a doctor, right?”

  Slow nod.

  They’d both had a long day and she couldn’t run the kid too hard. “Get your patient some juice and then sit down and talk. Eventually your new friend will pee.”

  * * *

  Ten minutes into the walk and beads of sweat dripped down her back. The city seemed subdued, as if all of Sacramento was considering a siesta. Even on Sixteenth Street the traffic seemed to only inch along.

  Terri longed to go back to the cool shower she’d raced through or at least her living room with the A/C blasting. After another twelve-hour day, kicking her feet up on the sofa for a Netflix binge sounded perfect. Instead…ballroom dancing.

  She crossed at the intersection, her tank top already sticking to her damp skin, and angled toward a blinking neon sign advertising the pub with a giant bottle of beer. The dance studio next door had a more subtle sign.

  “Terri!” Julia, Reed’s fiancée, waved as she hurried up the sidewalk. “I’d give you a hug but it’s too hot.”

  “No joke. When is July going to be over?” Of course August wouldn’t be any better. At this rate, the heat would last until the pumpkin spice lattes appeared. “You look fabulous. New skirt?”

  Julia nodded. “I told Reed I’d wear something to distract her. She’s been stressing all week about this. And I don’t know what she said to get you here, but thank you.”

  “This is probably good for me. I keep saying I need to get out more, but then I come home and take my shoes off and the rest of the night is history.”

  “Maybe you’ll meet someone tonight.”

  “While waltzing? Highly unlikely.” She’d given up on randomly meeting anyone. She’d also given up on her online prospects. Once she’d settled on being happily single, reentry in the dating world seemed more hassle than it was worth. “If we get Reed through this dance class, I’ll call the evening a win.”

  “We’ll both call it a win,” Julia agreed. “I told her that a wedding dance was no big deal, but she insisted we needed a class. Then after we were signed up, she started worrying that everyone else would be straight.”

  “I don’t think it’s the straight people she has to worry about. Have you seen her d
ance?”

  “I have.” Julia frowned. “She has many, many other talents.”

  They stepped inside and a wall of delicious icy air greeted them. Terri took a moment to adjust to the dim lighting. If only they could spend the rest of the evening here.

  “Mo and Kate said they might come, but then they both had work commitments tonight…” Julia scanned the crowd. “Reed did manage to convince one of her residents.”

  “She asked a resident?”

  “Her name’s Sam. Reed says she’s Family, but that’s all I know. Oh, there’s Reed.” Julia gave a soft moan. “Sometimes I don’t know how I got so lucky.”

  Terri would have teased her for the moan, but she was stuck on the detail that Reed had invited a resident. No amount of air conditioning could make her interested in small talk with a resident. Later she’d give Reed a hard time for not warning her.

  Reed pushed her Clark Kent glasses up on her nose and headed their way. In a few strides, she’d passed the other tables to wrap her arms around Julia. The two shared a big kiss, seemingly uncaring of any onlookers. Tall, slightly nerdy, and enough of a butch to make her irresistible, Reed was a polar opposite to Julia, who fit the bill of a curvy, fashionable femme with an extrovert’s ability to win over anyone. But they were a perfect couple.

  After another deep kiss, Terri cleared her throat. “All right, you two lovebirds. Save it for the wedding.”

  Reed pulled back. She at least had the decency to look extremely satisfied with her luck in love.

  “I brought you a surprise,” Reed said.

  Terri cocked her head. “You brought me a surprise?”

  “Think of it as the cherry on top. You’re going to hate me at first for it, but then I know you’re gonna thank me later.”

  “Okay, now I’m worried.”

  “You probably should be. I’ve never tried matchmaking.”