Got Your Number

Roxann."
    "And you're going to stay lonely if you don't stop manipulating people—what you did was a terrible thing." She stuck out her hand. "Give me back my key."
    He removed it from his front shirt pocket and placed it in her palm. She poked her tongue into her cheek, not even wanting to think about how often he'd been over there when she wasn't.
    "I'm sorry," he said. "I just wanted a friend."
    She sighed. "Mr. Nealy, you need a friend who's a little closer to your age."
    "I don't know anyone."
    She drew mightily on her patience. "Go down to Rigby's Diner and ask to sit in Helen's section. And be nice . If you're lucky, she might go out with you." She shook her finger. "But don't you ever do anything like this again."
    "I won't," he said.
    She slowly walked back to her duplex, marveling that the antics of one old man could have unleashed such pandemonium in her life. Proof, she realized, of the power her deep-seated guilt had had over her life.
    Capistrano was leaning over the counter when she walked in. "You're not going to believe—" She stopped when she saw he was marking through something on a piece of yellow legal paper. "What are you doing?"
    He grinned and held up the life list she'd once crumpled. It had been ironed flat. "I found this in the items the police returned and thought you should keep it."
    He had discreetly crossed through number thirty-three with a black marker. She smiled. "Thank you." Then she stopped. "Hey, wait, someone crossed off number one—backpack across Europe."
    "Sounds like a great honeymoon to me."
    She vaulted into his arms and checked her watch. "Right now, it's seven p.m. in London."
    "Wait a minute," he said with a frown. "You did agree to marry me, didn't you?"
    She pulled away and rummaged in one of the boxes until she came up with her Magic 8 Ball. She closed her eyes and held the toy reverently. "Should I marry the great Detective Joe Capistrano and live as his sex slave for the next forty—"
    "Fifty."
    "—fifty years?" She opened her eyes and turned over the toy.
    Yes, definitely.

    The End

A note from the author

    Thank you so very much for taking the time to read my romantic mystery GOT YOUR NUMBER. I hope you enjoyed it! I’m a big believer in life lists, so I was happy to incorporate them into a novel. (If you’re interested in creating your own life list, see the next section.)
    Every book is fun to write in its own way, but for this book, I confess that Angora made it fun. Sure, Roxann was my main character, but Angora was a pure delight to write. Most authors will tell you, the most emotional, the most dysfunctional characters are the most interesting...just like actors will say that playing a villain or an unstable character is far more interesting than playing the good guy!
    And the men were a joy to write in this book—Capistrano was just so alpha, and lawyer-farmer Mike was such a hero to me when he stood up to Angora’s mother! I love that scene. (I can say that because I didn’t so much write it as Mike made me write it.)
    Anyway, every book and cast of characters is a different, wonderful writing experience. If you enjoyed GOT YOUR NUMBER and feel inclined to leave an Amazon review, I would appreciate it very much.
    And are you signed up to receive notices of my future book releases? If not, please click here to enter your email address . I promise not to flood you with emails and I will never share or sell your address. And you can unsubscribe at any time.
    Also, although I can’t count the times this book has been edited and proofed, I’m human, so if you do spot a typo, please email me at [email protected] to let me know! Thanks again for your time and interest, and for telling your friends about my books. If you’d like to know more about some of my other books, please scroll ahead to the next section.

    Happy reading!
Stephanie Bond

Other works by Stephanie Bond

    If you enjoyed GOT YOUR NUMBER and are intrigued by the idea of Life Lists (I tend to evangelize them!), you might be interested in the nonfiction short companion piece GET A LIFE! 8 STEPS TO CREATE YOUR OWN LIFE LIST. (It’s only 99 cents.) This brief how-to will show you how to create a customized life list on your own, or with family and friends!

    "I just read this book while fixing supper and, as a result, made a rudimentary life list. Even better? Already started checking off some things that had been nagging at me for a while. Bond's enthusiasm simply bubbles