A Little Thanksgiving Romantic Fiction

For this holiday, I put together a little romantic fiction for you. Created between shopping trips and pre-meal preparation, it hasn't been revised. I hope you enjoy it anyway. Have a great holiday everyone!

The Thanksgiving Treat
An familiar smell filled the air in his kitchen and Eric frowned. He inhaled deeply, recognizing the delicious aroma wafting from next door. Peanut butter cookies.
Not good. Not good at all.
This was the third Saturday in a row that his gorgeous next door neighbor, Evie Walters, baked some kind of delectable treat as opposed to the comfort foods she usually prepared after a Friday night foray into the dating scene. Over the last several months, her pattern hadn’t changed.
A so-so date netted some kind of chicken or potato dish, while a bad date meant a casserole of some kind. A horrible date translated into a pasta dish with which Evie could enjoy a relaxing and somewhat analgesic glass of her favorite port. Good dates, which had been few and far between to Eric’s secret relief, meant the neighborhood kids would enjoy cupcakes or cookies or fudge, and so would he. The good dates never got past one Saturday treat, so three meant Evie was serious about someone, and it wasn’t him. His gut tightened.
His cell buzzed, drawing away from his misery. He checked the caller and sighed.
“Hey sis. What’s up?” he asked, knowing this conversation wasn’t going to make him feel any better.
“You’re an idiot,” his sister Jessa stated. Great, just what he needed. He tried not to let his irritation show, but as the essence of the peanut buttery treat engulfed him, he snapped.
“And why is that?”
“You haven’t asked her out yet, have you? And you’ve got a perfect excuse. You need a date for Thanksgiving next week or the entire family is going to roll their eyes at you for being such a weenie.”
“How’s that? None of them know about Evie except…”
“I told them. I told them you’ve been waiting for her to get over her divorce before asking her out. For over a year. They laughed, and they’ll laugh at you if you show up alone next week.”
Eric rubbed his hand over his face. He loved his family dearly, but Jessa was right. Most of them served with distinction in the military, including Jessa, who made a much better sergeant than a confidante. They’d think, even after his service in Iraq and his heading his own security firm, that his situation qualified as hilarious.
How could he tell his sister that he’d waited too long and now Evie found some other guy to give her goodies to? He pictured her curves and her smile and her long brown hair and her sparkling eyes. Damn it! Jessa was right. He was an idiot.
Her voice brought him back to reality.
“What’s she cooking today?”
“Peanut butter cookies. The third Saturday in a row she’s baked treats,” he answered glumly, mentally kicking himself. He should have gone over and stopped this madness after the chocolate cupcakes last week. With the marshmallow icing. How could he have not seen this coming?
It’s not like he and Evie weren’t friends already. It’s not like they didn’t get along well and sometimes even went grocery shopping together. It’s not like they hadn’t sat on his porch sipping wine a couple of times.
“Those are your favorite. Stop being such a dork and ask her for one.” With that command and a click, Jessa ended their conversation.
If Eric hadn’t already decided to follow Jessa’s firm advice, the sight of Dirk the Jerk, the neighborhood lothario, strutting up to Evie’s door would have convinced him to do what he should have done months ago. He stormed out the door, his mission set.
By the time he made it to Evie’s walkway, Dirk the Jerk, smirking and hands full with a tray of pastries he probably coaxed her into creating for one of his half-baked schemes, swaggered toward his car parked at the curb. He winked at Eric.
“Nice goodies, huh, Eric? They love ‘em at the bingo parlor,” he said, his emphasis on “bingo parlor” making it clear he’d made it up to get a chance at Evie.
Eric resisted the urge to pummel the scumball and stalked toward Evie’s porch. She stood in her doorway, rocking a day dress and apron combo that hugged her figure and made Eric’s heart pound. She smiled, and every part of him tightened. He opened his mouth, but words failed him. Evie stared, her expression expectant.
“I-May I have a peanut butter cookie?” Eric stammered, and Evie grinned.
“Thought you’d never ask,” she said, her perfect pouty lips suddenly more inviting than ever.
“What?”
“They’re you’re favorite, aren’t they? Figured so. I’ve been watching what you put in your shopping cart. I've cooked all your favorites--chicken, potatoes, every casserole I can think of, pasta... I thought I'd never get you over here."
Eric grinned and stepped closer, plucking a peanut butter delight from the plate in Evie’s hand. This Thanksgiving was going to be much better than he thought.
Happy Thanksgiving!

Guest Interview: Camryn Rhys + Book giveaway!

Camryn Rhys grew up on the border of Canada and the US, and still hasn’t decided which country to call home. She splits her time between the Alberta and Montana Rocky Mountains, with friends and family in both beautiful locations. After running her own restaurant for several years and acquiring advanced degrees in writing, foodie romance seemed the only logical option. When she’s not watching the Food Network, she’s reading a romance novel, or if absolutely necessary, working as a consultant. Someone has to put really excellent food on the table.

Q: Welcome, Camryn! Please tell us about your upcoming release. (By the way, I love your yummy cover!)

A: My first erotic novella, The Barn Dance, releases on June 3^rd from Breathless Press. This book is sort of a mash-up of the western/cowboy romance and a foodie erotic romance. The entire story revolves around a young woman who is faced with losing her job as a ranch cook. She makes a deal to save her job, letting Leo into her kitchen, and years of hard romantic history comes with him. Her hard-fought walls start to come down as she and Leo bake together.

Q: Sounds fantastic and fun! What inspired this story?

A: I love to bake and cook. I tend to write some kind of food element into every story I write, and when I heard Breathless was looking for cowboy erotics, I had this idea about a ranch kitchen that I thought would be a great twist on the typical western, without taking away all the accoutrements of a cowboy romance.

Q: That is very creative! What is the story behind the story?

A: My grandma and I used to make this recipe when I was a girl, and I remember being so frustrated with the way my bread turned out. I sat down with her and watched every single move she made in the kitchen one time, and was amazed at how much of her “recipe” wasn’t in the recipe. So I wrote it all down and voila! I could make bread just like her. I thought, what a great opportunity to get individual instruction from someone who’s so talented.

Q: Why do you write foodie erotic romance?

A: I love food. I love baking and cooking. I’ve been a professional chef, run my own kitchen, and cook at home regularly. Most of my life revolves around food in some way. It only made sense to me that my writing would, as well.

Q: What do you enjoy most about writing foodie erotic romance?

A: The research. In every single sense of that word.

Q: Please tell us about your favorite character in the book.

A: My favorite character is definitely Leo, the baker-hero of the book. He just came alive when I wrote him. I loved exploring the idea of having this tough-guy exterior of a ranch worker / cowboy, hiding the interior of a man who loves to get his hands dirty in the kitchen. I very much adored being able to write him instructing Mindy how to activate yeast. Every time I feel the temperature of water, from now on, I will think of Leo Fortiss. J

Q: He sounds hot! What inspires you?

A: New recipes inspire me. Tasting new food and writing about food is very inspiring. I think that the experience of something new always spurs me to think about how I could write or incorporate that food into a story. I’ve got a notebook chock full of new foods and recipes I want to write into my stories.

Q: What’s next for you?

A: I’m working on a series of foodie erotics. I really love this genre and I think I’ll stick with it. I’d love to someday become a big name in this genre, so I want to stick around and see if I can make a name for myself. But it’s definitely something I’m passionate about and something that I love, so I’d love to be able to keep doing this for a very long time.

Q: Would you like to ask readers a question?

A: I’d love to know from readers about their favorite foods. What food are you craving right this minute?

Thanks so much for being our guest today, Camryn!

One commenter will win a copy of Camryn's book when it is released on June 3!

Find Camryn online at...

Blog: http://camrynrhys.blogspot.com

Facebook: Camryn Rhys

Twitter: @camrynrhys