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Genre: Chick-Lit/Romance
Words Count: 925
Rating: PG
Summary: In this excerpt, single mom Allison Archer goes to her mother, Delly, for advice about dating and
raising her daugher, Emma. Allison’s Aunt Maisy shows up and steals the show, plus a little extra.
Status: First two scenes written, with a skeletal rough draft of the entire story.
The Walk On Café buzzed with conversation as the breakfast rush of Texas State professors, Lambreth County
legal personnel, and commuters filled the diner’s cramped vinyl booths. Allison unscrewed the cap of the
first sugar shaker and fitted the funnel into its mouth. “What if I’m screwing up Beth’s future relationships?”
Delly whirled behind the counter, setting the giant Bunn coffee machine to brew another pot of Nicaraguan
dark roast and then pulling a fragrant pan of pumpkin cranberry muffins from the oven. “You’re not on that
again?” she asked as she slid the pan onto the counter to cool.
Allison’s stomach growled despite the breakfast tacos she and Beth shared on the way to school. Her
mother’s baking was Allison’s Achilles heel. Most days, she avoided The Walk On Café, Lambreth’s only coffee
house, which her mother managed as a day job to supplement Two Sisters Catering, the business she co-
owned with Allison’s Aunt Renee. But today, her need for advice trumped her lifelong battle with her
mother’s lemon blueberry scones.
She dragged her attention away from the muffins and re-capped the first sugar shaker. “Beth’s in Junior
High,” she said. “In a few years, she’s going to be interested in boys—”
Her mother snorted.
“Okay, so maybe a few months,” Allison conceded. “How is she going to know how relationship’s work if I’m
incapable of being in one?”
Delly wiped down the stainless steel counter top. “I think you’re over-thinking this,” she said. “She has your
Dad and me, for one.”
Allison shrugged.
“And for another, you can talk to her. You tell her what it’s like.”
Allison put her forehead to the counter. “That’s just the problem,” she moaned. “I can’t even remember.”
Behind her, the tiny bells above the door chimed. She heard her mother’s groan and turned to see Aunt
Maisy, dressed in an ensemble that resembled wicker and toting an enormous lime-green shoulder bag.
“Mornin’ bitches,” she called, pushing her Gucci sunglasses onto her forehead. She plopped the green bag
into the seat beside Allison and tossed her keys to the counter. “Smells freakin’ fan-tacular in here.”
Maisy reached for a muffin; Delly popped her hand with the towel. So Maisy turned her attention to Allison.
After a moment’s pointed staring, during which Allison caught a whiff of White Zin, Maisy said, “You and me
need to get our facial on.”
“What are you up to, Maze?” Delly called from her end of the counter.
“Beautiful day, thought I’d pop down to the river,” Maisy said.
Delly stared at her sister. “And you’re here to...”
“Well I saw Alli’s car out front, and since we didn’t get to finish our conversation at the party, I wanted to
get the status update,” Maisy said.
Allison held her breath, but it was all the time Maisy needed. “You broke up with him,” she said.
“I broke up with him.”
“You know what your problem is?” Maisy asked.
In lieu of an answer, Allison cracked open the next sugar shaker and filled it.
“First off, you call yourself a Single Mom,” Maisy said.
“That’s what I am,” Allison snapped. She re-capped the sugar shaker and reached for the next.
“It’s self-fulfilling prophecy, is what it is,” Maisy said. “Haven’t you read The Secret?”
“No—”
“Totally should,” Maisy said. “Change your life forever, I’m completely serious right now, but I’ll sum it up.
Basically, you put vibes out into the world about what you want from life. Do you want to be single forever?”
“God no,” Allison said.
“Then you’re not a Single Mom. You’re a Dating Mom.”
“For heaven’s sakes,” Delly said. “She doesn’t want to be a Dating Mom forever either.”
“Means to an end,” Maisy said. “Also, you need to get out and really date, and no more of these Lambreth
snoozers. Leroy is a freakin’ millionaire.”
“He’s not a millionaire,” Delly cut in.
“Almost,” Maisy said, rolling her eyes. “My point is, you’re never going to meet any one rich or interesting
trolling the Walk On Café or attending Daughters of the Confederacy luncheons. You gotta go online.”
Allison finished filling the last sugar shaker and capped it. “Look, no offense, Maze, but Leroy’s not exactly a
winning endorsement for online dating.”
Maisy looped the plastic straps of her bag over her shoulder and stood up. “Look at me,” she said, raising her
arms high. “It’s Monday morning, and I’m staring down a week of lazing by the river, reading trash magazines,
and sipping Moscato. The only stress I’ll suffer this week is whether Leroy and I will have the steak or the
lobster on Friday night. I got exactly what I was looking for, all 'cause I was real specific when I asked for it.”
“I don’t know, Maze…”
“Als, c’mon,” Maisy said. “Trust me. I’m coming over tonight. You bring the booze, I’ll bring three decades of
dating expertise. Ciao!”
With that, Maisy bustled out in a clangor of keys and what sounded suspiciously like clinking empties.
Delly returned to collect the sugar shakers. She said, “Tell me you’re not considering dating advice from a
woman who’s been married more times than we’ve had successful shuttle missions.”
Allison scratched her temple. “At this point, what have I got to lose?”
“I’ll be damned,” Delly said, tossing her towel to the bar. Allison saw in an instant the reason for her mother’
s outburst: Maisy had made off with three of the muffins from the pan. Delly leveled her eyes on Allison’s and
said, “You were saying?”
So what do you think?
Submit a review to let me know.
Words Count: 925
Rating: PG
Summary: In this excerpt, single mom Allison Archer goes to her mother, Delly, for advice about dating and
raising her daugher, Emma. Allison’s Aunt Maisy shows up and steals the show, plus a little extra.
Status: First two scenes written, with a skeletal rough draft of the entire story.
The Walk On Café buzzed with conversation as the breakfast rush of Texas State professors, Lambreth County
legal personnel, and commuters filled the diner’s cramped vinyl booths. Allison unscrewed the cap of the
first sugar shaker and fitted the funnel into its mouth. “What if I’m screwing up Beth’s future relationships?”
Delly whirled behind the counter, setting the giant Bunn coffee machine to brew another pot of Nicaraguan
dark roast and then pulling a fragrant pan of pumpkin cranberry muffins from the oven. “You’re not on that
again?” she asked as she slid the pan onto the counter to cool.
Allison’s stomach growled despite the breakfast tacos she and Beth shared on the way to school. Her
mother’s baking was Allison’s Achilles heel. Most days, she avoided The Walk On Café, Lambreth’s only coffee
house, which her mother managed as a day job to supplement Two Sisters Catering, the business she co-
owned with Allison’s Aunt Renee. But today, her need for advice trumped her lifelong battle with her
mother’s lemon blueberry scones.
She dragged her attention away from the muffins and re-capped the first sugar shaker. “Beth’s in Junior
High,” she said. “In a few years, she’s going to be interested in boys—”
Her mother snorted.
“Okay, so maybe a few months,” Allison conceded. “How is she going to know how relationship’s work if I’m
incapable of being in one?”
Delly wiped down the stainless steel counter top. “I think you’re over-thinking this,” she said. “She has your
Dad and me, for one.”
Allison shrugged.
“And for another, you can talk to her. You tell her what it’s like.”
Allison put her forehead to the counter. “That’s just the problem,” she moaned. “I can’t even remember.”
Behind her, the tiny bells above the door chimed. She heard her mother’s groan and turned to see Aunt
Maisy, dressed in an ensemble that resembled wicker and toting an enormous lime-green shoulder bag.
“Mornin’ bitches,” she called, pushing her Gucci sunglasses onto her forehead. She plopped the green bag
into the seat beside Allison and tossed her keys to the counter. “Smells freakin’ fan-tacular in here.”
Maisy reached for a muffin; Delly popped her hand with the towel. So Maisy turned her attention to Allison.
After a moment’s pointed staring, during which Allison caught a whiff of White Zin, Maisy said, “You and me
need to get our facial on.”
“What are you up to, Maze?” Delly called from her end of the counter.
“Beautiful day, thought I’d pop down to the river,” Maisy said.
Delly stared at her sister. “And you’re here to...”
“Well I saw Alli’s car out front, and since we didn’t get to finish our conversation at the party, I wanted to
get the status update,” Maisy said.
Allison held her breath, but it was all the time Maisy needed. “You broke up with him,” she said.
“I broke up with him.”
“You know what your problem is?” Maisy asked.
In lieu of an answer, Allison cracked open the next sugar shaker and filled it.
“First off, you call yourself a Single Mom,” Maisy said.
“That’s what I am,” Allison snapped. She re-capped the sugar shaker and reached for the next.
“It’s self-fulfilling prophecy, is what it is,” Maisy said. “Haven’t you read The Secret?”
“No—”
“Totally should,” Maisy said. “Change your life forever, I’m completely serious right now, but I’ll sum it up.
Basically, you put vibes out into the world about what you want from life. Do you want to be single forever?”
“God no,” Allison said.
“Then you’re not a Single Mom. You’re a Dating Mom.”
“For heaven’s sakes,” Delly said. “She doesn’t want to be a Dating Mom forever either.”
“Means to an end,” Maisy said. “Also, you need to get out and really date, and no more of these Lambreth
snoozers. Leroy is a freakin’ millionaire.”
“He’s not a millionaire,” Delly cut in.
“Almost,” Maisy said, rolling her eyes. “My point is, you’re never going to meet any one rich or interesting
trolling the Walk On Café or attending Daughters of the Confederacy luncheons. You gotta go online.”
Allison finished filling the last sugar shaker and capped it. “Look, no offense, Maze, but Leroy’s not exactly a
winning endorsement for online dating.”
Maisy looped the plastic straps of her bag over her shoulder and stood up. “Look at me,” she said, raising her
arms high. “It’s Monday morning, and I’m staring down a week of lazing by the river, reading trash magazines,
and sipping Moscato. The only stress I’ll suffer this week is whether Leroy and I will have the steak or the
lobster on Friday night. I got exactly what I was looking for, all 'cause I was real specific when I asked for it.”
“I don’t know, Maze…”
“Als, c’mon,” Maisy said. “Trust me. I’m coming over tonight. You bring the booze, I’ll bring three decades of
dating expertise. Ciao!”
With that, Maisy bustled out in a clangor of keys and what sounded suspiciously like clinking empties.
Delly returned to collect the sugar shakers. She said, “Tell me you’re not considering dating advice from a
woman who’s been married more times than we’ve had successful shuttle missions.”
Allison scratched her temple. “At this point, what have I got to lose?”
“I’ll be damned,” Delly said, tossing her towel to the bar. Allison saw in an instant the reason for her mother’
s outburst: Maisy had made off with three of the muffins from the pan. Delly leveled her eyes on Allison’s and
said, “You were saying?”
So what do you think?
Submit a review to let me know.
