Excerpt: 'New Uses for Old Boyfriends' by Beth Kendrick

HEA shares an excerpt from Beth Kendrick's New Uses for Old Boyfriends (out now!), book two in her Black Dog Bay series.

Here's the blurb about the book (courtesy of NAL Trade):

After growing up in privilege and marrying into money, Lila Alders has gotten used to the good life. But when her happily-ever-after implodes, Lila must return to Black Dog Bay, the tiny seaside town where she grew up. She's desperate for a safe haven, but everything has changed over the past ten years. Her family's fortune is gone—and her mother is in total denial. It's up to Lila to take care of everything...but she can barely take care of herself.

The former golden girl of Black Dog Bay struggles to reinvent herself by opening a vintage clothing boutique. But even as Lila finds new purpose for outdated dresses and tries to reunite with her ex, she realizes that sometimes it's too late for old dreams. She's lost everything she thought she needed but found something—someone—she desperately wants. A boy she hardly noticed has grown up into a man she can't forget...and a second chance has never felt so much like first love.

EXCERPT

Lila dashed out of the bar and around the corner, where her SUV was staging a full revolt. The headlights were blinking in time to the deafening blasts of the horn. Lila twisted up her face and hit her key fob.

After a little beep of protest, the SUV went silent.

Lila stepped closer and glared at the vehicle. "Don't stand there and pretend to be normal," she hissed at the shiny white door. "You're not fooling me. This isn't over."

She heard rustling behind her, and turned to find a man who had apparently interrupted his evening run to assist her. She deduced the running part from the fact that he had sneakers and earbuds ... and the fact that sweat was literally dripping from his face. His gray cotton T-shirt was saturated, clinging to what she couldn't help noticing were very nice abs.

"Everything okay?" He was tall, broad shouldered, square-jawed, and oh so very sweaty.

She watched a trickle of perspiration make its way down his forehead. "Everything's fine, thank you. My car alarm went off, but it does that all the time. Randomly. Just to keep me on my toes."

Darkness had fallen and the nearest streetlight was half a block away, but she could see his expression flicker as he looked at her.

"Lila." His voice was deep and low and one hundred percent unfamiliar.

"Yes!" She tried to cover her confusion with near-manic enthusiasm. "Hi! You must be ..."

"Malcolm."

She felt her expression change, too. "Malcolm Toth?"

He looked surprised. "You remember me."

"Of course!" She waved one hand around. "We went to high school together, right?"

His face went all stony again. "That's what you remember?"

"Well, that and, of course, the time we ..." She waited for him to fill in the blank.

He stared down at her.

She forced a breathy little laugh. "Listen, I've been drinking all night. My memory's kind of fuzzy."

He nodded.

"And I'd better be getting back inside." She jerked her thumb over her shoulder. "Ben's waiting for me."

He betrayed no hint of surprise. "That figures."

"Hey!" She took a step toward him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing." He clapped one hand against her upper arm. "Welcome back to Black Dog Bay." When he took his hand away, he left a faint trace of sweat on her cardigan.

She tried to hide her dismay. She failed. "My sweater!"

"Sorry." He put his earbuds back in and prepared to resume running.

"You should be. This is dry-clean only, I'll have you know. I can't go back in there with ... with sweat on my sweater."

"Take it off." He looked her straight in the eye, then turned his back and left her, his stride long and steady.

She stood there in the dark for a moment, trying to come up with a cutting retort. She could still feel the warm pressure where his hand had been.

Take it off. Who the hell did he think he was?

No wonder she couldn't remember him from high school. The man had more sweat glands than social skills.

She slipped off her cardigan and returned to the bar in her camisole, flustered and flushed.

Find out more about Beth and her books at bethkendrick.com.