OK you all know HOT PROPERTY is in stores NOW. I’m hoping you’ll pick it up if you haven’t already and to entice you … an excerpt … and a visit with some old friends:
Roper had been home for one week and he still couldn’t believe Amy had picked up and left him at the lodge.
Could. Not. Believe. It.
Worse, now that he’d shown up at The Hot Zone to get his best friend’s support, Micki sat behind her desk, backing up Amy’s move both professionally and personally. “So much for turning to my best friend for support,” he muttered.
She raised her eyebrows at him, not looking at all sorry. “You turn to your best pal for the truth.”
He shoved his hands into his pants pockets and stared out the window at the gray sky, which matched his mood. “I had every intention of following Amy’s advice after I explained things to my family. She didn’t have to take it so personally, pack up and leave.”
“Well, let’s see. Have you followed her advice since you’ve been home? Have you been as single minded and as focused as you were at the lodge?” Micki asked.
No, he hadn’t been. Because as soon as he’d returned, so had old habits. “They need me.” But he planned to talk to them. Soon.
“You need you,” Micki said, her voice stern. “Have you spoken with Amy since you’ve been back?”
He turned to face her. “She was with me at the Sports Illustrated interview and she set up a few more media hits to counter the Hannah thing. Just so people would know I’m coming back stronger than ever.”
Micki nodded, a satisfied look on her face. “I’ve guided her through some of it but she’s got the knack for this job.”
“If you knew, then why did you ask?”
She grinned. “Because I am trying to get you to see the obvious. Which is that Amy is damn good at her job, she had you completely focused on your career and not your family’s trials and tribulations, and the minute you have them pulling at you, you forget all lessons learned.” She leaned forward, elbows on her desk. “Amy took it personally and I can’t say I blame her. That’s my professional assessment. Get your head on straight again or you might as well kiss your career goodbye. You can’t handle the distractions right now.”
She was right.
So was Amy.
“You said that was your professional assessment. What’s your personal one?” he asked, sure Micki had more to say.
“That you’ve fallen in love with Amy Stone.” Micki smiled with a knowing certainty.
He had fallen in love but he’d never admitted his feelings aloud, not even to his best friend. “And?” he asked, wanting to hear what more his friend had to say.
“She’s not willing to see you on a personal level now that you’re back in the city and it’s driving you insane.” Micki shook her head and laughed.
“And for some reason you’re enjoying watching me suffer?”
“I’m enjoying the fact that you’re in love for the first time in your life. That you have to work hard for something other than baseball for the first time ever. That Amy isn’t falling at your feet like every other woman in the universe,” Micki said. “But no, I’m not enjoying watching you suffer. I just think you two have more stuff to go through. Like all couples that are meant to be.”
He frowned. “You sound like a romantic.”
She rose from her desk. “Just telling it like it is. Have you?” She began to collect files from her desk which told him she had a meeting and their time was through.
“Have I what?”
“Told Amy how you feel about her? That you’re in love with her? Maybe knowing she’s the one will help her settle things in here.” Micki tapped her head. “She can’t read your mind, you know.”
“No, I haven’t told her.” He hadn’t put her first either.
He missed Amy like crazy and Micki was right. Amy was driving him insane by not falling at his feet.
“Any reason why not?” Micki asked.
He shrugged. “It’s not every day I make a realization like that one. I guess I wasn’t ready.”
“You ought to get yourself ready,” Micki suggested. “Before you lose her for good.”
“Thanks for the advice,” he said, coming around the desk and pulling her into a big hug, which she easily returned.
“Any time.”
He didn’t bother telling Micki he wasn’t holding out much hope that if he bared his heart and soul to Amy, they were guaranteed a future.
Amy wouldn’t consider returning to the way things were at the lodge. She claimed it was because now that they were back in New York, things between had to be all business again but he didn’t believe her. She had deeper reasons for avoiding him – and his bed. His life in the public eye was one heavy part of her reasoning, but he sensed there was more and he didn’t know what that more was.
He wasn’t even certain Amy, herself knew why she was avoiding any emotional closeness between them. But Micki was right about one thing. Amy needed to know how he felt. He needed to break through her defenses and hope that he was wrong. That the three little words women loved to hear, would actually make a difference.
He walked from Micki’s office directly to Amy’s. He was a man on a mission and not the gentleman she’d been dealing during their time at the lodge. He was determined not only to make his point but to get her to see the error of her thinking. Either she listened or he was shit out of luck and he didn’t want to think about that possibility.
He entered without knocking.
Startled, both she and Yank, who sat across from her desk, turned to stare.
“Roper!” they both said at the same time.
Suddenly he felt like an ass. But his reasons for barging in hadn’t changed so he kept walking towards her. “Hi, Yank,” he said to his agent. “Bye, Yank.”
As if to agree with him, his fluffy dog barked.
“Of all the nerve!” Amy strode around her desk and stepped between the two men. “You can’t barge in, interrupt a private meeting and expect to get your way. Yank, you aren’t going anywhere,” Amy said, her cheeks flushed pink with anger.
The older man leaned back in his seat. “You heard the girl. I ain’t goin’ nowhere,” Yank said, his tone not only smug but amused.
Roper wasn’t worried. He still held the trump card. “My career may suck at the moment, but I’m still worth money and if you want to be the one who gets me the deals, you’ll give Amy and I some time alone.” Roper stared his agent down because otherwise Yank, who loved drama and gossip as much as any female, would have kept his ass in the chair.
Yank groaned. “Man, you’re taking what little fun I still get out of my life,” he muttered as he rose from his seat.
“You’ll survive,” Roper said, wryly.
“It’s my office and so I have the final say.” Amy perched her hands on her hips.
Roper took a moment to admire her high waisted black slacks and fitting buttoned down shirt which accentuated the curves he’d learned well, both with his hands and his tongue.
He shifted positions before refocusing on the task at hand. “I’m sorry to tell you this, but I’m the client and the client is always right,” Roper said to Amy. Then he turned to Yank. “Tell her I’m right.”
He ran a hand through his shaggy hair and groaned. “We’ll talk later, girlie,” Yank said. He pulled on Noodle’s leash and he and the dog strode out of the room.
They were alone. Roper had won the battle but he didn’t kid himself. He hadn’t yet won the war.
Carly Phillips would like to take 100% credit for all her stories but the truth is, Carly’s strength is writing family, emotion, funky elderly people and animals. She couldn’t plot her way out of a paper bag, which is why she smartly found her plotmonkey pals early on in her writing career. Thanks to their support, Carly is now a NYT Bestselling author of 23 plus novels. Because writing doesn’t keep her busy enough, Carly is also a wife, a mother of one preteen and one teenage daughter, the primary care giver of her soft coated Wheaten terrier and an expert carpool mom.
Destiny
Dirty Little Secrets
Once Upon A Valentine
Through The Night
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I can’t wait to get it….headed to Mickey Land (we’ll be passing Janelle on the freeway probably today!)…..I’ll check in periodically!
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Sounds so, SO good! Another winner Carly!
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I already picked it up, went outside and read it. Now daughter has it in her hot little hands.
I have to tell you Carly, she was upset when I told her it was the last of the series. She likened it to the next Stephanie Plum book being the last (which it’s not).
I can’t wait for the next series, although I will miss the Hot Zone family. My dad had Macular. also and i would like to think that he would have dealt with it the same way as Hank had he lived longer than he did. Although in his case, I would bet he would have tried having a seeing eye cat just to see if he could.
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I loved Hot Property! I read it the day I picked it up from the store. I will miss all the Hot Zone characters, but can’t wait for the new series.
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I can’t wait to get my copy. I ordered it from B&N and my delivery should be on Wednesday, just in time for the long weekend.
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I have already read and loved Hot Property.
Carly you found a wonderful way to wrap up the series.
I am very much looking forward to your next series.
Hugs from Jeannie and Zoey
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I have it already and it’s next in line! Can’t wait to read it. I’m sorry to see the series end but am looking forward to the next!
Have a great day all,
Cher
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Carly, I bought it last week when I was at Waldenbooks. It’s next in my pile to read – cannot wait!!! I’ve been looking forward to reading it, but I am gonna miss the Hot Zone series – loved them all!
Janelle, I read WILD FOR HIM and absolutely LOVED it, as I do all your books!!
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Hot Property was great! I can’t wait to read Lucky Charm.
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Hot Property was great!! I read it over the weekend. I’m sad its the end of the series
but looking forward to all the upcoming books.
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I haven’t gotten it yet because I haven’t had a chance to get up to the bookstore, but maybe I’ll be able to today. I can’t wait to read it and the excerpt just made me more anxious.
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It’s on my to buy list and I can’t wait to get to the bookstore to pick it up. Hope everyone is going good and staying out of the summer heat !!!
:angel7: Missy
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I want it! Last week I was in a Borders (the small one that used to be a Waldensbooks) there were 3 copies of Hot Property (I think), a copy of Julie’s Phantom Pleasures & copies of Leslie’s Blaze. I didn’t buy anything as I don’t know which books will be for sale at the RWA book signing & I didn’t want to already have all the books!!! How do we know what will be on sale there or do we just have to wait & see?
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Hey Carly, ABSO LOVO HP…I couldn’t put it down…I will be re-reading this series for quite some time…sad to see them go, though…
Peace and love,
Paula R.
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I picked up Hot Property on Friday.
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Hi Carly,
I read
Property over the weekend. I loved it and will miss the Hot Zone series, but I am looking forward to the next series 
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It’s next on my TBR list!
Pat Cochran