Story Sample: Take a Chance on Me from All in for Love: A Lucky 7 Anthology

Title: Take a Chance on Me from All in for Love: A Lucky 7 Anthology
Author: M.J. Schiller
Blurb:

Leaving the Midwest to follow her boyfriend to Victory, New York was a mistake.

When he gambles away her college savings, and is caught with a prostitute, it is clear that Harper gave her heart—and ATM card—to the wrong man. Embarrassed, and having no means to get home, she tries to pick up the pieces of her life in Victory. But when she witnesses her friend’s murder, her luck turns even colder, and the stakes are raised.

He wants to rid his little part of the world of crime.

But a certain red-headed dealer at La Bonne Chance casino is a distraction he can’t turn away from…and he’s not sure he wants to. When Harper is hunted by mobsters, Cash will do anything to keep her safe, even if it means going all in and putting his heart on the table.

Will Cash find Harper before the mob can?

And even if he does, will he be able to convince her to take a chance on him when everything around her is a lie? Harper is on the biggest losing streak of her life. But with the bad guys hot on her trail, is Cash a winning bet? If she makes another mistake, it could be her final wager.

Will they be lucky in love, or are they running out of chips?
Excerpt: 

Cash slowly pulled his keys out of the door, examining them. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing. Right, Ian?”

“Nothing. Like she said.”

Cash closed the door and set his keys on the table. “Uh-huh.” He stuck his hands in his pockets. “What’s behind your back?”

“You’re on your own.” Ian ducked into the kitchen.

“Coward,” she mumbled out the side of her mouth.

Cash moved forward and she took a step back. He lunged, catching her, and she screamed. He wrestled the bottle out of her hand and brought it out where he could see it. Ian ran in, then stopped when he saw everything was fine and put a hand over his heart, leaning against the side of the archway between the two rooms.

“Hmm.” He tilted the bottle. “Is this my Jäger?”

They looked at each other with open mouths, but neither spoke. Cash ambled over to the coffee table and clinked the bottle against the shot glasses as he set it down. “So—and correct me if I’m wrong—it looks like, while I’ve been out working my ass off, the two of you were busy getting snockered.”

“Oh, no. We were working hard, right, Ian?”

Ian made an attempt to stand straight, but swayed comically. “We were working hard.” He nodded his head, but turned to Harper. “What were we working hard at again?”

“Looking at the mug shots.”

“Oh. Yeah. That’s right. We were looking at the mug shots.” He faced Cash. “And doing shots.”

“Sh-sh-sh. It’s a secret.” Harper laughed.

Ian chuckled along with her. “Oh, yeah.”

Cash put his hands on his hips. “Well, I hate to tell you, friends, but the cat’s out of the bag now.”

“Cat? What cat?” Harper cracked up again.

“He has a cat?” Ian seemed genuinely confused, looking around for the feline. “You never told me you had a cat.”

For some reason she still thought this was hysterical.

Cash put his feet on the coffee table, spreading his arms out along the top of the couch. “Whose idea was this anyhow?”

They both pointed at each other.

“It was mine?” Harper asked. Ian nodded. “Oh. It was mine.” She smiled and didn’t try to hide her pride.

Cash shook his head and pulled out his phone. “Okay, Ian. I’m calling you an Uber.” He punched some buttons. “Chrissy’s gonna kick your butt. And the next time she sees me, she’s gonna kick my butt.” He looked at his screen. “Two minutes away.” Coming over to put his arm around Ian, Cash steered him to the door.

“I’m leaving?”

Cash grabbed his jacket off a recliner. “Yes, you are. Maybe the night air will sober you up some.”

“I doubt it.”

Cash laughed. “I doubt it, too. And you, little missie—” he swung around to point to her.

She looked about, then put a finger on her chest and mouthed “Me?”

“Yes, you. Don’t think you’re off the hook. I’ll deal with you when I get back.”
Purchase Link(s): Amazon
Author Bio:

M.J. Schiller is a lunch lady/romance-romantic suspense writer. She enjoys writing novels whose characters include rock stars, desert princes, teachers, futuristic Knights, construction workers, cops, and a wide variety of others. In her mind everybody has a romance. She is the mother of a twenty-two-year-old and three twenty-year-olds. That’s right, triplets! So having recently taught four children to drive, she likes to escape from life on occasion by pretending to be a rock star at karaoke. However…you won’t be seeing her name on any record labels soon.

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Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6479377.M_J_Schiller

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