VBT# All the Time - Annabelle McCormack ( Book Spotlight)

 

Synopsis: All this Time - Annabelle McCormack - October 2022


Samantha Redding swore off her hometown of Brandywood, Maryland when she left after high school. Sure, she misses her family, but growing up the victim of vicious gossip cured her of small-town living. Besides, the photography career she dreamed of couldn’t be found in the Appalachians.

But when Sam’s mom gets sick and needs her help, Sam’s faced with a long-term stay back home. As a tight deadline for her fast-paced job forces her to relocate a holiday photoshoot to Brandywood, Sam finds her old life converging with her new one. What’s more, she needs help from the townspeople she’s spent years disregarding. Overwhelmed, Sam finds an ally in a man who kept her at arm’s length all his life: brooding and sarcastic Garrett Doyle—her on-and-off again boyfriend’s best friend.

There’s a reason Garrett’s tried to keep his distance from Sam, though: being in love with your best friend’s girl sucks. But Sam needs help and he’s too much of a sucker to say no. Anyway, she’s leaving Brandywood soon enough, and then he can go back to trying to forget her.

. . . except, Sam’s about to discover that everything she thought she knew about home—and Garrett—was wrong.

Opening Scene

Seven months. That’s how long Sam Redding had been promising her sister that she would be at the hospital for the birth of her newest niece. Trust a freaking snowstorm in November to get in the way. I hope Laura’s in a forgiving mood.

The heels of Sam’s boots clopped against the tile, a mix of shuffles and loud thunks as she attempted to fling off the snow clinging to them. Sam stopped and glanced back at the trail of dirt and slush she’d streaked from the hospital lobby to the front desk to the elevators. She grimaced, then glanced around.

If the lady at the desk had noticed the mess, she didn’t appear to be concerned. The security guard by the door, on the other hand, watched her warily.

The elevator chimed and Sam jumped in, away from his scrutiny. She didn’t need one more person irritated with her. She wanted to be excited about meeting her niece, but all she felt was the nauseating burn of apprehension in her stomach. Laura had been annoyed when Sam had missed Bella and Carson’s births. “You’re my only sister, Sam. You couldn’t have tried to be there?”

With the door closing, Sam rolled her shoulders. The soft mechanical whir lulled her, despite the odd scent combo that could best be described as locker room sweat, green pepper and onion pizza, and heady men’s cologne. The smell only made her feel worse.

Would Laura be mad? Her texts had been terse. She had to know Sam couldn’t have done anything to control the weather. Sam had wanted to be here the last two times. But work had interfered and she hadn’t been experienced enough to know how to stand up to her boss for well-earned leave. This time, Sam had been more prepared.

She made her way down the hallway and found the room number, then took a moment to gather herself.

The door squeaked as Sam opened it a fraction. She tucked a loose strand of dark hair behind her ear. “Hey. You awake?”

 

About Annabelle McCormack

Annabelle McCormack spins you tales of epic historical adventure, heartfelt romance, and complex family dynamics with strong female protagonists to make things interesting. She graduated from the Johns Hopkins University’s M.A. in Writing Program. She's a sucker for pizza (cheese, bread, and tomatoes are the perfect foods) and mangoes, loves baking and photography, and never wants to do laundry again. She lives in Maryland with her hilarious husband, where she serves as a snack bitch for her (lucky-they’re-cute) five children and three boxers.

She's half-Costa Rican and speaks fluent Spanish, so you can always drop her a line in either English or Spanish. Pura vida!

Visit her at www.annabellemccormack.com or http://instagram.com/annabellemccormack to follow her daily adventures.