Last Chance Summer

Book 0: Last Chance

by Hope Ramsay

Genres: Family Life; Women's Fiction; Romance Anthologies & Collections

Synopsis

It wouldn't be summer without the Watermelon Festival, and single mom Amanda Wright is looking forward to a carefree day eating funnel cakes and sipping sweet tea. But with her inquisitive son and elderly grandmother in tow, she's not in the mood for carnival rides or the kissing booth, until she hears a charming, funny voice over the loudspeaker. Grant Trumbull is the new DJ at the local radio station, and his deep, booming cadence has all the ladies of the church auxillary atwitter. Even without seeing his face, Amanda can't help but wonder if he's the one for her. When she finally comes face to face with the man behind the mic, summer is about to get a whole lot hotter in little Last Chance, South Carolina.

Release date: August 6, 2013

Publisher: Forever Yours

Print pages: 56

Sample

“Let’s listen to WLST,” Granny said, as she leaned forward in the passenger’s seat and started fiddling with Amanda Wright’s car radio. “I wonder who Russell will interview this morning? I sure hope it’s not Jenny Carpenter. He always interviews her, and she’s so shy and awkward. But then I guess he’s required to interview her, since she always wins the pie-baking contest.”

Amanda vaguely nodded her agreement. It wouldn’t do to encourage Granny too much. Russell Howe, Amanda’s granddaddy, had died six months ago. But Granny didn’t let that stop her from believing that Granddaddy was still broadcasting on WLST—the low-powered FM station serving Allenberg County, South Carolina, with country music, agricultural extension talk, fishing advice, and twenty-four-seven coverage of annual events like the Watermelon Festival. Which was Amanda’s destination on this hot August morning.

Granny found WLST with surprising speed for someone with poor eyesight. The velvet tones of the announcer filled the small interior of Amanda’s car. “It’s Trumbull in the morning, broadcasting live today from the Allenberg County Watermelon Festival. My guest is Miss Myrtle Smith from Last Chance. Miss Myrtle, as you may know, is one of about a hundred crafters who—”

“Oh poop,” Granny said, turning down the sound, “who wants to hear about Myrtle and her ugly jewelry boxes? She’s been selling those things for years.” Granny stared at the radio for several moments. “I wonder why Russell isn’t broadcasting. He would never interview Myrtle. He thinks her boxes are trash.”

Amanda gripped the steering wheel of her over-the-hill Honda Accord and said not a word. She didn’t want to set Granny off by reminding her that Granddaddy had passed on. And she wasn’t saying one word about Grant Trumbull, the new morning voice of WLST.

Amanda had never met Trumbull. But he had saved the radio station from going under. He was an experienced announcer who’d blown into town three months ago and bought up WLST for the proverbial song.

He was changing things at the radio station, which was always a challenge in Last Chance, where inertia was a way of life. The Saturday morning gospel hour had been moved to Sunday morning, and he’d started a great new Saturday show featuring Clay Rhodes, a local musician and songwriter who introduced listeners to country and folk music recorded by local, Carolina musicians.

But it was Trumbull’s show that Amanda liked best. She listened to him spin country music every weekday morning as she drove to work. Those deep, resonant, slightly Midwestern tones made him sound like Sam Elliott on steroids.

“I really don’t like this new radio man,” Granny said with a grumpy sigh as she punched the off button.

Ethan, Amanda’s almost five-year-old son, piped up from the back seat. “Why not, Granny? I like the man inside the radio.”

“Honey,” Amanda said, “I told you, the man isn't inside the radio. The sound is broadcast by—”

“Oh poop, the boy’s got a miracle, and you . . .