Title: Beautiful and Broken
Author: Sara Hubbard
Genre: New Adult
Available February 16th on Amazon, B&N, Kobo and Are.
Add to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18513498-beautiful-and-broken
Blurb:
Molly's a hot mess and her life is falling apart.
Just when she thinks she's about to get her happily ever after, her sister steps in to have an affair with her fiancé on her wedding day. Determined to bring Molly out of her funk, her friends take her out for a night on the town, only for her to go home with a professional boxer who pops in and out of her life when she least expects it. Her mother tries to push her back into the arms of her cheating ex, but forgiving Jason is the hardest thing Molly will ever have to do. And even if she can forgive him, does her happily ever after include her ex-fiancé, or the charming boxer with a shady past?
Excerpt: This scene happens after Molly intervenes in a fight between Sawyer and his friend and gets caught in the crossfire.
I'm to meet the client at the Red Line Coffee House the following day. It's this little cafe on the main floor of the Dover Hotel— the same hotel I did the walk of shame at after sleeping with Sawyer. Sigh. Being here makes me uncomfortable and I massage the back of my neck as I feel a flush of heat in my face.
I check my watch and it's twelve forty five. I’m fifteen minutes early and I'm dressed to impress, wearing my best outfit: a black pencil skirt and white silk blouse with a fitted red blazer and matching pumps that Jason bought me for Christmas last year. Looking down at them as I sit at the table near the counter, I can't help but feel nostalgic.
Why can’t I stop missing him?
"This seat taken?" says a familiar, deep voice.
I begin to smile as I look up, but my smile quickly fades. Then my temper fires. Sawyer slides into the seat opposite me. He smile is timid, like he’s not sure if I’m happy to see him or not. Newsflash: I’m not. He wears brand name track pants and a henley shirt. His hair is freshly showered and damp, falling over his eyes so he flicks his head to push it back.
"Yes, it is. I'm waiting for someone."
"Oh, really. A date?"
"That's none of your business." I fold my arms across my chest and sit up straight. I need to be on my toes with this one. I barely know him and yet everything about him disturbs me. "Haven’t you done enough damage?" I say as I lean in. He leans in to meet me.
He points to my face and drops his hand onto the table. "Your face doesn't look so bad."
I make a face. "Thanks. Just the kind of compliment every girl wishes for.”
He clears his throat and changes the subject. "Does it hurt?"
"What do you care? The damage is done. Now if you don't mind, I'd really rather not see you ever again."
“Dane said you were insulted that I sent him.”
“I’m not a gold digger. And you if you wanted to make things right, you could have come to the hospital and apologized instead of sending your lawyer. I mean, it's not like we're complete strangers, is it?" I feel the heat pooling in my cheeks. I really don't want to think about that night we spent together. I can barely remember it anyway, but the look on his face, the frown and the head tilt, I wonder if he remembers me at all—other than our incident at the party.
"Did we hook up?" He points to his chest and mine.
I want to slap him across the face. Okay, we were both drunk, but could he make me feel any smaller? The heat in my cheeks burns hotter, this time from anger. At least I remembered sleeping with him—sort of. The least he could do was afford me the same courtesy.
“I wasn't at my best when I saw you at the party,” he adds.
"No. We didn't." I look away hoping he doesn't see through my lie.
He shifts in his seat and taps his thumbs on the table. His eyes go blank, as if he's somewhere else.
"I am sorry about the…" He points to my head.
I take a deep breath and study his face. Somewhere on the edges of his cheeky smile, I see a flash of sincerity. As much I’m decided on accepting his apology, now is not the time for making amends. I have more pressing things to deal with. My watch reads one-oh-five.
“What were you even fighting about? Let me guess, a girl? Maybe the girl you slept with at the party? Real classy, by the way.”
He scratches at the scruff on his cheek and takes a deep breath. “How did you know about the girl?”
“I was in the bathroom when I heard your marathon sex session.”
“Wow.”
I expect him to be embarrassed, to blush or something, but he doesn’t. He just looks a little surprised.
He massages the back of his neck as he chuckles. “This really isn’t going the way I planned.”
"Listen. We're cool. I accept your apology, but you need to go, all right? I'm waiting for a client."
"A client, huh? What kind of work is it that you do?”
I glance around the room. I have no idea who I’m looking for. Dina said the client would find me.
"Real estate."
"Really. Well now that’s a coincidence, because I'm in the market for a new house."
