Our Home Sweet Home by Johnny Dragona

Cover & Excerpt

Our Home Sweet Home
by Johnny Dragona
Unpredicted Romances Book Two
She finally found a home, but can she stay there without falling in love?

A sixteen-year-old, African-American girl loses her mother and has to fend for herself in New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen. Then things get worse.

A high school dropout lures Wanda to his apartment under the guise of wanting to introduce her to his mother. Knowing Mom wasn’t home, he takes advantage of Wanda. Nine months later, she gives birth to a fair-skinned daughter and has to leave school to take a job while a neighbor watches her child.

Stalking, harassing, threatening, Jeff Parker continues to make trouble for Wanda over a period of several years. Unable to find gainful employment, she is forced to live in, and leave, one homeless shelter after another, often to get away from him. Jobs are also lost when sexually exploiting employers attempt to seduce Wanda and make her life difficult.

Wanda moves to New Jersey and meets a white, blind widower who has been raising a daughter on his own. But the paths they take while trying to ignore the building, mutual desire each has for the other touch many more than two people. Can Jim bury the memories of his late wife? Can Wanda shed her fear of men?
Reader Advisory: Contains violence, hard language, including those of a racial nature, and some descriptions of sex.
Note: Originally published in December 2011 as Home Sweet Home. It has been expanded, revised and re-edited.

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Content/Theme(s): Single mother, Multicultural, Interracial, Suspense
Release Date: April 2, 2015
Publisher: Luminosity Publishing
Excerpt & More

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Excerpt:
“Good morning,” Jim said cheerfully without turning from the stove. “Sleep well?”

“Very well, thanks.” Feeling totally relaxed, she stepped into the kitchen. “I can’t thank you enough.” Her mind was on what he was doing though. How can someone who is blind flip an omelet over without breaking it? Or doesn’t that matter to him?

“That’s quite all right.” Jim slid the blade of a spatula around the cast iron frying pan’s inner side to free the omelet. “Speaking of sleep, why don’t you wake sleepyhead up? Breakfast is just about ready.”

Holding the hot handle with a potholder, Jim lifted the pan from the burner and rested its edge on the far side of a paper plate while keeping it on a sharp angle. He slid it to the opposite side and allowed the omelet to drop in one piece before inverting the frying pan over it. With a twist of his wrists, the paper plate was on top and someone’s breakfast was ready to be cooked on its raw side.

“I was wondering how you were going to flip that over.” Wanda shook her head admiringly while smiling. “You are amazing.” She wondered if there was anything he couldn’t do.

Not flattered by praise like that, Jim turned to face her and forced a smile. “There’s absolutely nothing amazing about me. You just have to learn how to do the same things you did before, but a slightly different way.”

Wanda wasn’t aware she had offended him, even if mildly. Nevertheless, she was still amazed. How many people with disabilities would feel sorry for themselves? “Can I help you with anything?” she asked softly.

“Nope,” Jim responded cheerfully. “The rest of the stuff is keeping warm in the microwave. Just get Cindy, unless you’d rather she eat later.”

By the time she returned with her yawning daughter, breakfast for three was on the table. “Isn’t Jessica going to join us?” Wanda watched him add two more slices of toast to the stack on a paper towel.

Jim sat and wished Cindy a good morning before answering her mother’s question. “Jess is in school already. I fed her earlier. Hope you don’t mind paper plates. Most bachelors don’t like to wash dishes. And it’s so easy to cook in the microwave with them.”

Cindy waited for him to finish before speaking. “Good morning, Jim. Thank you very much for allowing us to sleep here and for allowing me to play with Jessica.” She had the serious face of a child who was speaking to an authority figure. If there was one thing Wanda had always drummed into her, it was the importance of good manners.

“That’s quite all right, sweetheart.” Jim smiled at her warmly. “We enjoyed the company.”

“And we don’t mind paper plates,” Wanda assured him, feeling warmer than she had in a long time, or maybe warmer than she ever had. What would make a total stranger be so kind when there are so many cruel people in the world? she asked herself. Maybe it’s because Jim is older. No, lots of older men had hurt her in one way or another. It has to do with the loss of his wife and the loss of his eyesight. He knows what pain is and is probably a better man because of his hurtful experiences.

While the adults were sipping their coffee and Cindy was methodically dunking the whipped cream into her hot chocolate with a spoon, Jim thought of something. “So what are you going to do now?”
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Purchase link(s):  Luminosity   Amazon   ARe   Kobo   B&N
Other titles by Johnny Dragona:
They Hadn’t
Expected It
To Happen

Find Johnny Dragona at:
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Johnny Dragona Amazon author page
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