It Happened to Me by T.A. Beasley - Book Tour + Giveaway
It Happened To Me
by T. A. Beasley
Genre:
New Adult Contemporary Mystery
New Adult Contemporary Mystery
In one weekend, seventeen- year-old Delilah Murphy loses the one person
she could count on. She tries to deal with the loss but the one she
blames makes it hard. Delilah leans on her best friend for comfort
but only for a short period of time. She must face her enemy and try
to adjust to not having a support system.
she could count on. She tries to deal with the loss but the one she
blames makes it hard. Delilah leans on her best friend for comfort
but only for a short period of time. She must face her enemy and try
to adjust to not having a support system.
Delilah’s behavior and attitude are out of control as is her non-existing
relationship with whom she believes is the cause of her pain. Will
Delilah finally come to her senses and learn to forgive? Or will her
childish antics lead her down a path she may not be ready to travel?
relationship with whom she believes is the cause of her pain. Will
Delilah finally come to her senses and learn to forgive? Or will her
childish antics lead her down a path she may not be ready to travel?
**Trigger warning: of sexual assault, alcoholism, domestic violence **
~2~
D
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esmond stops to fill up his car at a
nearby gas station on Rockville Road. He can’t believe Denise is so
inconsiderate of his feelings. “It is like she is married to that damn clothing
business!” Desmond spits out to no one in particular.
Just
thinking about it makes him want to scream. He is tired of dealing with
Denise’s workaholic mentality, which has been going on since Delilah was in
middle school. A feeling of abandonment
starts to set in, and it hurts him.
Denise acts like she is the only person
working in our house. Heck, she hasn’t asked me one thing about work or how my
day is going! It’s not easy running my counseling business, listening to other
people’s problems, and helping them, while I can’t fix my own relationship. She
doesn’t care about it, as long as she is on time for her meetings to look at
color swatches and zippers.
If only I could get Denise to
understand that both Delilah and I need her more at home. Her absence is
tearing our family apart, and she doesn’t see that it’s really affecting her
relationship with Delilah.
Desmond
leaves the gas station and jumps on Highway 465, heading north. He takes the
exit for Keystone, heading for the Broad Ripple area, where Desmond’s favorite
bar, Brothers, is. Desmond maneuvers his car into a small parking space on the
left side of the bar.
It
has been a few years since he’s visited a bar. The thought of solving his
problems with a drink is not normal for Desmond, but this time, he feels one
drink and some good television is in order. He doesn’t have a history of
drinking, but his father did, which led to his death several years ago. His
father’s drinking kept him away from home
and kept Desmond’s mother in tears. She wasn’t shocked when she received the
call that her husband had passed on. However, Desmond was hurt.
Not
having his father in his life makes him sensitive and emotionally attached to
the females in his life. He knows his arguing probably stemmed from his
father’s abandonment, which makes him fight hard to get his wife to change her
ways. He doesn’t want Delilah to feel the same way he did as a teenager.
This
usually gets Desmond to stay away from alcohol, but this situation is
different. He motions for the bartender. “Could I get a White Russian?”
“Coming
right up,” the bartender nods, pausing to make sure he is of age. A few minutes
later, the bartender returns with the drink, placing it in front of him with a
napkin.
Desmond
pays, then hesitates before taking a swig of the drink, letting the mixture of
rum and milk slide down his throat. He scans the place, noticing the positive
and uplifting atmosphere, watching a group of college students celebrating
someone’s birthday. He moves out of the way of a tipsy woman heading towards
the bathroom.
“Someone
has had too much to drink,” he says, allowing the environment, music, and
alcohol to soothe his pain. He engages in small talk with others, finding
enjoyment in the attention he receives. The sun drops, and darkness is near.
After hanging out for a couple of hours, Desmond decides to head home. He
leaves the bar, praying that his wife has not left for Evansville. He doesn’t
want to go home to an empty house for the fifteenth
time.
Desmond
taps the button to the radio, switching to his favorite radio station, 106.7
WTLC. A Marvin Gaye tune, “You’re All I Need to Get By,” serenades him as he
drives. “I used to think that about you, Denise.”
The
music continues to relax Desmond, so he cracks the window and the cool breeze
hits his face. The Rockville Road exit is coming up as Desmond signals to
switch lanes. After taking the exit, he stops at the awaiting red light, while
singing along off-key to the song. He hopes Denise is thinking about their
family and how important it is to keep them together. The light changes and Desmond
proceeds into the intersection toward his subdivision. He puts his turn signal
on to let the driver behind him know that he is turning into the Chapel Wood
division.
Upon turning the corner, Desmond’s car spins,
tires screech, and there is the sound of crushing metal as shattered glass
flies into the air. Desmond struggles to breathe. He hears a woman’s scream
nearby as images of his family flash in front of him. He sees Delilah laughing,
throwing lettuce at him during their food fight after her mother stood her up
for their girls’ night out her freshman year of high school. Desmond hears a
voice telling him to stay awake, but his vision is blurry as he struggles to
focus on the calming voice.
He
closes his eyes for a second, opening them to a vision of Denise preparing for
work as he sits on the side of their bed, admiring her beautiful bronze skin,
full lips, and petite frame. He tries to stretch his arm out to touch her, but
the steering wheel is pressing against his chest, and the front of the car is
crushing his legs. Desmond moans in agony, realizing his body won’t cooperate.
His
eyelids are getting heavy again, his body growing tired. He can still hear the
voice telling him to stay awake. Desmond moans, telling the voice he’s too
tired. The emergency response team arrives, going into action. Desmond’s eyes
are barely open when he sees Delilah and Denise blowing him kisses, mouthing
the words: I love you. The heaviness
of his eyelids takes over as everything goes black.
T.A. Beasley has been a lover of books, reading and writing since she was
ten years old, when she encountered the teen department librarian at
Central Library in her hometown of Evansville, In. She became a book
reviewer and blogger in 2010 as well as a tour host, helping authors,
publishers and publicists share books with readers through her blog,
Authors & Readers Book Corner. She resides in Indianapolis,
Indiana with her husband. It Happened To Me is her debut novel and
she is working on her next title.
ten years old, when she encountered the teen department librarian at
Central Library in her hometown of Evansville, In. She became a book
reviewer and blogger in 2010 as well as a tour host, helping authors,
publishers and publicists share books with readers through her blog,
Authors & Readers Book Corner. She resides in Indianapolis,
Indiana with her husband. It Happened To Me is her debut novel and
she is working on her next title.
Follow the tour HERE for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!
2 Comments
Jasmine,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing a sneak peek of It Happened to Me with your readers.
You're very welcome! :)
DeletePlease try not to spam posts with the same comments over and over again. Authors like seeing thoughtful comments about their books, not the same old, "I like the cover" or "sounds good" comments. While that is nice, putting some real thought and effort in is appreciated. Thank you.