"New at Love" - Excerpt

After today's show, I got to looking at some of my endings. This particular one is from "New at Love" Amanda Bitterson is a substitute teacher who lives alone with her cat, Muse. She's never found the right man to be part of her life. Derrick Butler is a teacher at the high school. Thinking he's a happily divorced man, he asks Amanda out. Unfortunately, his ex-wife, Persephone, is the jealous (can crazy) type. She shaves Amanda's cat, steals a baby to make Derrick think it's his, and kidnaps his ailing mother, holding her at gunpoint. Derrick takes Persephone out, getting himself shot in the process.

Amanda reached into the carrier, gently pulling out a small, scrawny white cat with blue eyes.

"She's beautiful, Amanda. What did you name her?"

"Aphrodite," she giggled. "I couldn't resist."

Muse hopped into Derrick's lap as he lounged on the couch with Amanda snuggled next to him. Aphrodite leaped prettily into her lap, turned three times and settled into a comfortable mound of white fur.

"Hm, I guess they've marked their territory, eh?" Derrick said with a grin. "Your cat adores me."

"And he hates me. I got Aphrodite for you."

"Well, she likes you more. That's it, love, you'll have to move in with me."

"Do you mean that?" She gazed deeply into his eyes to see if he was kidding.

"Of course, you'll have to marry me first, me being a single guy and all."

"I'd like that. Of course I'd like to get to know you better first. You might decide you don't even like me."

"There's not a chance of that. You don't have to answer right away, Amanda. But do me a favor, don't leave me hanging too long."

"I wouldn't want to do that," she whispered. "So I suppose I'll have to tell you 'yes' so you'll kiss me."

"That would work."

"Yes," she said with her lips half on his. "Yes."