(On Hold Series Book #1)

by Julia Kent and Elisa Reed

Having it all is a fantasy, right?

Chloe Browne knows all about fantasy. Fantasy is her job.

And she’s very, very good at what she does.

As director of design for the O Spa chain, a sophisticated women’s club that is trending its way into being the Next Big Thing, Chloe’s ready to take on the world.

One baby at a time.

Her home study’s done, and she’s about to adopt, a thirty-something single mother by choice. Who needs to put her life on hold for the right guy when the right baby is waiting for her?

Besides, talk about fantasy.

The right guy?

Pfft. Right.

And then in walks Nick Grafton, with those commanding sapphire eyes and wavy blonde hair and a sophisticated mouth that only smiles for her.

He’s perfect.

But the last thing Nick wants is to start fresh with a new baby as his college-age kids fly the coop. A single father for more than fifteen years after his wife walked out on her family, Nick finally tastes freedom.

But he likes the taste of Chloe more.

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Our Options Have Changed is a standalone contemporary romance, the first in the On Hold series by New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Julia Kent and journalist-turned-fiction-writer Elisa Reed. The characters in the On Hold series are part of the O Spa, a location that appears in Julia Kent’s Shopping for a Billionaire series. Cameo appearances from that series are in this spinoff, so readers who love Declan, Shannon, Andrew, Amanda, Marie, Chuckles and more can enjoy a new series while experiencing visits from old book friends.

 © 2016 by Julia Kent and Elisa Reed

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal  Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher.

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Learn more about Julia Kent and join her newsletter at jkentauthor

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Learn more about Elisa Reed at elisareedauthor

Acknowledgments

To Elisa, who came to me with this idea and all it took was pixie dust and cat herding to make it happen. Note: I am the cat. Meow.

To my husband, who reads all my books first and declared this one "the best book ever." But he says that about all of them, so I am suspicious, though grateful. I think he has an agenda.

To unnamed people who helped with the adoption issues that arise in this book. This is a sensitive topic, and I hope we've addressed it with grace.

To all the people who decide to be an adult, even when it's not fun. You deserve to be acknowledged.

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-- JK

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To Julia, for making my dream come true. Most. Fun. Job. Ever.

To every reader with a dream, never give up.

To my 'booster rocket,' never fall away.

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-- ER

Chapter 1

Chloe

My desk at work is one smooth sheet of inch-thick glass. It’s called a waterfall. It’s utterly simple and uncomplicated, and every night when I leave my office, I leave that surface perfectly clear. Free of stress.

Gleaming.

So when I walk in this morning and see what appears to be a bound report lying open on my otherwise beautifully empty desktop, I am not happy.

There goes my chi. And it’s only seven a.m.

I can tell from across the room that the page has been highlighted in a shade of day-glo pink so bright it hurts my eyes.

It still hurts my eyes.

Whatever this document is, someone has helpfully previewed the contents for me.

I stow my tote bag in the closet, pulling out my laptop, cell phone, and my heels.

I push my empty cardboard container of coffee far down in the small rattan wastebasket. At O, the women’s spa (and so much more) where I am director of design, visual clutter is not in keeping with corporate standards. My next coffee this morning will be sipped from company china: a white mug outlined with a pale grey rim. O.

Just…O.

Sitting in my chair, I squint at the alarmingly pink page. It’s the color of Pepto-Bismol. I doubt that’s a coincidence.

Access: The Consolidated Evalu-shop team conducted its initial assessment of O’s flagship location in downtown Boston at 11:30 am on a weekday. As our vehicle approached the retail shop, it became apparent that neither street parking spaces nor garage facilities were available within an easy walk of the entrance. Investigators were forced to park two blocks away in a metered space requiring $2 in quarters for two hours, with no refill option after time expired. Grade: C.

Recommendation: Complimentary valet parking service should be instituted at the door immediately.

Sigh.

Okay, the good news: Operations at O are not my area of responsibility. The not-so-good news: Presentation is. Once you enter our door, if you can see it, I am responsible for it. And now it seems that my spa—my career baby—has been deemed average.

Average. Grade C. Middle of the bell curve.

I flip quickly to Section 3 and skim down the page. Thankfully, no highlighter. I can open my eyes. A random paragraph reads:

Staff Attire: Servers (Male) Our team unanimously awarded very high marks in this area. The male thongs were clearly custom-made, and without exception, well-fitting. They were constructed in such a way as to reveal the positive attributes of each server, at the same time leaving the most intimate details to the club member’s imagination until intentionally revealed. The servers’ short kimono jackets were chic and serviceable; the motion of the fabric and open style of the jacket captured and held the viewer’s interest. Very high-quality materials. Grade: A

Great. Let’s translate this, shall we? The nearly-naked men get an A, the facilities get a C. Sex sells. Parking doesn’t.

And there’s more. Over one hundred pages more.