Shelly Bell, Author

Shelly Bell, Author

TwitterFacebookInstagramGoodreadsPinterestEmailBookBubAmazon Author Page
A Year to Remember

Extras for A YEAR TO REMEMBER

I’ve had many requests for Missy’s book and I’ve always intended to return to it. Instead of publishing a book and charging you for it, I thought I’d add some bonus scenes to A Year to Remember and post them on my website.

Please don’t read if you haven’t read A Year to Remember since there will be spoilers.

And remember, these are unedited. They’re my gift to you.

Thanks for all your support!

BONUS SCENES

Want to know what Missy was thinking when she and Sara had their fight at the restaurant? Now’s your chance!

SARA AND MISSY’S FIGHT SCENE- Missy’s point of view of their fight which is in Chapter Twenty of A Year to Remember.

There’s never a good way to tell your best friend she’s dating an asshole.

For years, I’d helped her make decisions. Big ones, small ones, it didn’t matter. She’d needed me and I’d always been there.

Lately, she’d needed me less and less. She was consumed with the goal of getting married before she turned thirty, as though her biological clock was not only ticking, but had given her a finite point in time when the sands in the hourglass would expire.

I’d supported her since her silly, drunken pontification on marriage. I’d set her up on JDate, tagged along to speed dating, and listened to countless hours of her debating on whether to commit to Jeremy, the hot, but dimwitted out-of-work Jew who she couldn’t keep her hands off of, or Caleb, the polite and pleasant looking Catholic who she’d experienced only lukewarm sexual attraction to.

If it had been up to me, I would have thrown them both out the door and kept on searching. Instead, fate intervened and chose for her when we saw Jeremy stripping at our friend’s bachelorette party. Personally, it raised my opinion of him a couple of notches, but Sara couldn’t get over his dishonesty.

I’d have to keep my mouth shut even though I could tell underneath Caleb’s warm and caring demeanor hid a controlling and manipulative jerk. Having lived with two like that growing up, I’d recognized it the moment I’d met him at Sara’s brother’s wedding.

Now I just had to convince Sara.

I hadn’t told her about the conversation I’d had with Caleb at Jill’s wedding last night. She didn’t need to know the details.

I didn’t want to hurt her.

I’d taken care of Sara since kindergarten. One look at those pudgy cheeks and lopsided pigtails and I’d known she needed my help. We’d been inseparable ever since.

Because I’d always been petite and small for my age, kids had assumed I was delicate, which worked to my advantage. They never saw me coming. Typically, I hadn’t needed to defend Sara with my fists since I’d been smart-mouthed.

Words hurt more than fists anyway. I would know.

But I have to admit, I’d have punched a few kids in Sara’s defense.

When Caleb sat at the table smirking at me last night, I wanted to punch his lights out. Instead, I’d decided to talk to him to try and settle the animosity between us once and for all. For Sara’s sake.

So when Sara had danced with Adam Goldman, her brother’s jerk of a best friend, I took the opportunity to sit in her seat next to Caleb.

“Having a good time?” I’d asked Caleb.

“It’s all right,” Caleb had replied, not looking at me. He’d kept his eyes on Sara, watching her dance with Adam.

If I’d liked Caleb, I would have told him he had nothing to worry about when it came to Adam. Sara couldn’t stand him.

“Why do you hate me, Caleb?” I’d never been hated before. Ignored. Neglected. But never hated. Hating involved much more emotion than anyone had ever invested in me. Other than Sara.

Caleb had glanced at me quickly, swallowing deeply due to what I’d guessed to be nerves. He’d returned his gaze to Sara. “I don’t hate you.”

“Could have fooled me, buddy,” I’d said trying to keep the tone light and playful. I’d put my hand on his wrist, and he’d jerked it away as if he had been burned. His reaction to my touch had given him away. “Tell me Caleb. You owe Sara to tell me.”

He turned his head to look at me, but didn’t look me in the eyes. “I’m sure you’re a nice person, Missy. Otherwise, Sara wouldn’t be friends with you. But I think you’re a bad influence on her.”

“Me? A bad influence? Wow, I haven’t heard that since high school when all the kids accused me of supplying them with wine coolers and cigarettes.” I’d laughed even as I’d felt the twisting of knots in my gut.

“You know what I mean Missy.”

“No. Why don’t you tell me?”

“The way you choose to live your life.”

He couldn’t even say the word.

Lesbian.

“Afraid she loves me more than you?” I taunted. “It must kill you that Sara loves her lesbian friend more you,” I’d said. A woman like Sara needed an alpha in her life to take care of her. Caleb wasn’t alpha. He struck me as an omega, but he could be a beta waiting for the chance to usurp the alpha.

Yeah, I read a lot of werewolf books.

“Even if she does, she’s not a lesbian. Believe me, I know,” he’d said with confidence.

This would have been the perfect opportunity to hit him with just how bad he was in the sex department. To Sara’s dismay, the guy wouldn’t even go down on her. She had to get sex advice from a bunch of lesbians and a drag queen. Caleb would never satisfy Sara in bed. He didn’t have it in him.

“I satisfy her plenty,” he’d remarked.

When he’d finally looked me in the eyes, I’d felt just how much he disliked me. Hated me.

“Sara doesn’t need you anymore. She has me. I can take care of her now. It’s time to let her go.” He’d started to say something, but Sara and Adam returned to the table.

His words had stayed with me throughout the night. It’s time to let her go. I couldn’t let her go. She needed me not Caleb. I had to make her see it.

This morning I’d called to ask her to lunch. We met at a quaint bistro and sat outside underneath a giant umbrella which threatened to tip over the table. We ordered our drinks and reclined in the chairs.

“Did I miss anything after we left the wedding?” Sara sipped on her ice tea and fumbled in her purse for something. She produced a pair of sunglasses which desperately cried out for cleaning. As she tipped her face up to the sun, I could see the smudges of fingerprints on the lenses.

“You missed Jill bitching at Jacob because he got cake on her gown.”

We had grown up with Jill but we’ve never been close friends with her. As part of the same clique, she was obligated to invite us to her bachelorette party and wedding.

Taking a deep breath, I dove into the reason I had asked Sara to lunch. “How did it go with Caleb last night when you got home?”

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”

Oh good. That made it easy.

She smiled. “He’s a great guy. He’ll make a great husband and father one day.”

I held my tongue. I could have laughed over her description of Caleb. How could she not see that he was a wolf in sheep’s clothing? An omega in sheep’s clothing, but still.

“But?” Maybe I could just lead her to the right conclusion. I wouldn’t have to say anything about what I really thought of Caleb Young.

“I’m not overwhelmingly attracted to him. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love kissing him, but I have a hard time getting into it when he’s touching me, and I realized last night it’s not him. It’s me. There’s something wrong with me.”

How could she let Caleb get away with treating her so poorly? Sure, he was a nice guy on the surface but why couldn’t she peel back his layers to see his rotten core?

Maybe I should tell her how he treats me. How he despises me because of my sexual orientation. Maybe I should tell her he looks at me as though I carry a disease and if he gets too close, he’ll catch it.

But I didn’t want to hurt her. She loved him for some reason.

Part of me felt hurt and betrayed by Sara. I know it’s my job to take care of her, but I still wanted her to defend me against Caleb’s bigotry. Does she not notice how he treats me? Or does she not care?

“What do you think I should do?” asked Sara.

Sara always asked for my help. Always asked for my opinion. But I’m not sure she wanted to really hear what needed to be said.

“You want the honest truth?”

“Of course,” she replied.

I never lie to her per se. I’m just careful of what I say and how I say it. To make sure she doesn’t get hurt. But today, I needed to say what I truly felt. “I think Caleb isn’t right for you.”

“Why?” she asked defensively.

“Hey, you wanted honesty,” I reminded her. “Did you ever wonder why you can’t find the right guy?” I’m sure she had. After all, it’s all she ever talked about before Caleb. She just didn’t know the true answer. No man would ever measure up to me. Especially not Caleb.

“Yes, I have considered the question a time or two. Why? Do you have the answer I’ve been searching for?”

She sounded sarcastic as if I couldn’t possibly have the answer to the question. Definitely not a lesbian who hadn’t had a relationship that lasted more than a couple of months in her entire thirty years.

It was then I realized my greatest fear had already come true. Caleb’s prejudice had rubbed off on Sara.

She’d chosen him over me. I’d lost her before I’d gotten the opportunity to tell her the truth about him. She’d never believe me and even if she did, she wouldn’t care.

“Did you ever think maybe you’re not attracted to men because you’re really a lesbian?” The words flew out before I could stop myself. I needed to protect myself and the only way I knew how was through words. I never thought I’d have to use them against Sara.

“Missy, I’m not a lesbian. If I was, you would be the first person I’d tell. You’d be perfect for me if you had a penis, but you don’t. I’m sorry.” She used her sweetest voice, the one she saved for her clients. The teenage girls with no self-esteem.

“Why are you sorry? It’s not your fault I’m delusional.” I thought I could count on her. Clearly, I was mistaken. I should have known by now I couldn’t count on anyone but myself.

“You’re not delusional.”

Sara reached for my hand but I pulled away unwilling to let her console me. That wasn’t the way it worked. I consoled her, not the other way around.

“Oh no? Then why did I think someday you’d wake up and realize you and I are meant to be together?” I cried. I couldn’t help it. I loved her, trusted her and she was breaking my heart. I knew deep down she could never love me the same way but it didn’t keep me from wanting it.

“Missy, I have a question but I don’t want you to get mad at me.” She was biting her lip which she always did when she was nervous. I braced myself for what she’d say next.

“What happened between you and Lori in college?”

With everything I had been prepared for her to say, I didn’t anticipate her asking me about Lori.

“What do you mean?” I decided to play dumb. She didn’t need to know anything about Lori. To keep her from reading my expression, I chose to inspect my nails. For what I don’t know.

“When we saw her at the movies, I got the feeling you knew more about why she stopped hanging out with us. I didn’t want to make you tell me because I thought you’d tell me on your own. So now, I need to know.”

Lori had been the third wheel in college. Sara and I did everything together making it difficult for anyone else to become close to us. But we put up with Lori. She had a way about her which made it impossible to say no to her.

I sighed. “Lori kissed me one night at a party. She told me she wanted to come out of the closet as a bisexual and date me. I refused.”

“You weren’t attracted to her and she couldn’t handle it,” assumed Sara incorrectly.

I had never been more attracted to anyone. I wanted to screw her brains out all night long. But if I did, my relationship with Sara would change. I couldn’t risk it.

I shook my head in denial. Where was our damn waiter anyway? I could use the interruption. “No. When she kissed me, I was plenty attracted to her. But I wouldn’t go any further because of you.”

“Why because of me?” she asked.

“Because I was waiting for you to realize you were in love with me like I’m in love with you,” I said. I’ve loved her since we were five. There would never be anyone else for me. I could always count on Sara.

She started to hyperventilate. She did that sometimes when she was really upset but I had never been the cause. Then suddenly, like the flick of a switch her whole demeanor changed. She became Sara the psychologist, sitting tall in her chair, crossing her legs, and folding her hands on her knee. Did she think I wouldn’t notice?

“Missy, maybe you’ve been using me as a way to protect yourself from getting hurt,” she suggested softly.

Hah! Well okay, she was partly right, but I wasn’t about to admit to it.

“Hurt from what Dr. Friedman? Obviously it didn’t work because I’m feeling pretty hurt right now.” My voice sounded a lot louder than I intended, causing Sara to cringe. I immediately felt compelled to apologize, but I had come too far to back down now.

“Maybe you’re scared of getting into a real relationship with someone. You know you already trust me because we’ve been friends for so long. But it’s much harder to trust someone new. That’s why you’ve never had a relationship with a lover for more than a couple of months.”

Who was she to judge me? “You know what I think? I think you’re making this up so you don’t have to feel guilty. I think you’ve enjoyed having me in love with you all these years. I didn’t come right out and say it, but you knew. You loved how I ran over whenever you called. I’d drop everything to be with you.”

“I never asked you to do any of that for me and you know it,” she responded, tears running down her face.

“You can’t make a single decision without asking my opinion first! You’re as dependent on me as I am on you!” I yelled, standing up to leave. I didn’t care that I was causing a scene. Dramatic maybe, but after all these years, I was due for a breakdown.

It hurt too much. I couldn’t deal with it. I had to get away. “I don’t need you! I’ll do fine without you! But let’s see how well you get on without me in your life!”

“What are you saying?” she asked sadly.

The words I never thought I’d hear myself say fell from my lips. “I’m saying I don’t think we should be friends anymore.”

I grabbed my purse and took out a five dollar bill to cover my drink and slammed it on the table then walked away from my best friend in the world, never once looking back.

 

Coming soon: Who is the father of Missy’s baby?
ABOUT ME | BOOKLIST | CONTACT ME | PRIVACY POLICY