June 18, 2014
Presenting Chicki Brown's latest,
Till You Come Back To Me
(Book #2 of the Stafford Brothers Series)
Chicki Brown has released the second book in her Stafford Brothers series (if you haven't read the first book, A Woman's Worth, by all means do so; it was a fabulous read!). Here's the 411 on the latest from this gifted writer:
Where to get it:
How to contact Chicki:
About the book:
Atlanta plastic surgeon Charles Stafford is giving up his
successful practice to volunteer his services in Nigeria with a medical
organization. Even though he’s excited about this major career move, he has no
idea how much his life is about to change.
Nurse Adanna Okoro is one of the six medical professionals
working at a small village hospital thirty minutes outside of Lagos, Nigeria.
She loves her job and is devoted to the people she serves. When the hospital is
notified that it has been chosen to host a team of foreign doctors, Adanna
meets the man she has always dreamed of.
Excerpt:
Manny returned from the dance floor and
eased into the empty seat beside her. “Can I get you another beer?” he asked,
nonchalantly sliding his arm across the back of her chair.
“Yes, please. Thanks,” she said, hoping
her acceptance wouldn’t encourage his interest in her. Femi swore Manny had a
secret crush on her, but Adanna didn’t put too much stock in her claim. He
always told her she needed to be married and start a family rather than working
long hours, but he had never asked her out. She assumed he had come to the
realization that he just wasn’t her type. Manny worked in a bank in Lagos,
which was a decent job, but he never talked about what he wanted in the future.
He seemed quite content with his current position, and that was fine for him
but not for her. And he knew it.
He signaled the bartender and pointed
to the empty beer bottles on their table. “Femi told me things are getting
ready to step up at your hospital. What does that mean for you?” Manny took the
cold beers from the bartender when he approached and slipped a bill into his
hand.
“It means a lot more work, but it also
means I will get to observe some amazing surgeries. There is a plastic surgeon
on the team who will be doing reconstructive surgery on the children and
perhaps a few adults, depending on the severity of their conditions.”
“You’re very impressed with doctors, aren’t
you?”
Adanna didn’t appreciate the resentful
edge in his voice. “I’m impressed by what they can do with the knowledge they
have, Manny. Being a doctor means nothing if you aren’t using your skills and
training to alleviate suffering. These men and women have given their time and
regular incomes to come here and do this work at no charge. I’d say that’s
worthy of a little admiration.”
“I suppose,” he said with a dismissive
wave. “You’ll be working even longer hours once they arrive, won’t you?”
“Most likely, but I don’t mind. I want
to be there to help them handle as many patients as possible during their stay,
but until they get here, I just want to relax and enjoy myself.” She grabbed
him by both hands and pulled him up. “Come on, dance with me.”
They wriggled in among the moving
bodies in the center of the room and stayed on the floor for the next three
songs. Winded and thirsty, when Adanna stepped off of the shiny wooden dance
floor and headed for the bar, she stopped in her tracks at the sight of her
brother staring right at her.
She strode up to him with her arms
folded and asked, “What are you doing here, Emeka? Are you spying on me?”
He squinted and mimicked her stance.
“No, my dear sister. I am not spying on you. I just happened to stop in for a
drink. It is a public place.”
Already hot and sweaty, Adanna’s
temperature rose as if she were walking over hot coals. “Don’t tell me any
bloody lies, Emeka! You don’t even like nightclubs. I’m sick of you skulking
around to find out what I’m doing.” She shoved her hands onto her hips and
jutted her chin toward him. “Your time would be better spent trying to find a
wife instead of playing guardian to a grown woman.”
“I promised Dad I would watch over you,
and I will keep that promise until you have a husband to look after you.” His
patronizing smile only made her angrier.
“Don’t you understand that I can look
after myself? I’m not helpless. I’m not stupid, and this is not 1950, Emeka.”
He took her hand. “I know you’re not
stupid. I love you, and I’m going to protect you until you find a man who
will.”
“Please go away.” Determined to put a
stop to his interference for good, she pulled from his grasp. Adanna stormed
across the room in search of Femi as if her hair was on fire. She found her
friend standing at the bar talking to one of the men with whom she’d been
dancing earlier.
“Excuse me,” Adanna interrupted. “May I
speak to you for a minute, please?”
“What’s wrong?” She must have read her
furious expression. “Pardon me,” Femi said to the man as she hooked her arm
through Adanna’s. “I’ll be right back.”
Both women moved to an unoccupied table
nearby. “You’ll never believe this! My brother is here spying on me.”
“Why do you think that? Maybe he just
happened to drop by for a drink.”
“First of all, Emeka doesn’t do
nightclubs, Femi. And when I asked him what he was doing here, he all but
admitted it.” Adanna waved her arms in the air like a demented symphony
conductor. “He must’ve found out from Manny or Agu that we planned to come here
tonight. The nerve of him! This is crossing the line. I’m going home.”
“Breathe, girl.” Femi grabbed her by
the shoulders. “You can’t leave now. It’s late, and it’s not safe to be out
there alone. Why don’t you order yourself another beer and just ignore him? If
it were me, I’d show him I didn’t care whether he was here watching me or not.
I’d go on dancing and having a good time.”
After a few seconds, Adanna dragged in
a long breath to calm herself. “You’re right. He just gets me so upset.” She
took a napkin from the table and patted her brow. “I’m going to get another
drink. Sorry, I disturbed your conversation.”
“No big deal. He was boring as hell.”
Femi laughed. “I think I’ll look around for someone a little more interesting.”
She walked away, swishing her ample hips to the beat of the music.
Adanna took Femi’s advice and stayed on
the dance floor for the next hour. Even though she’d kept one eye on the crowd
the entire time, she hadn’t seen Emeka again. Either he had relocated to a less
conspicuous spot or he’d given up and gone home.
Actually, she had a good time once
she’d decided to stay with her friends and pushed Emeka’s interference to the
back of her mind. Regardless, something needed to be done about her brother.
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Till You Come Back to Me, available now! Show Chicki some love by leaving a comment below for a chance to win a complimentary copy!
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