Make me stay, p.1
Make Me Stay, page 1
Table of Contents
Books by Cass Scotka
Title Page
Legal Page
Book Description
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Trademark Acknowledgements
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Epilogue
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About the Author
Totally Bound Publishing books by Cass Scotka
Fallbank
Make Me Fall
Fallbank
MAKE ME STAY
CASS SCOTKA
Make Me Stay
ISBN # 978-1-80250-888-8
©Copyright Cass Scotka 2024
Cover Art by Erin Dameron-Hill ©Copyright April 2024
Interior text design by Claire Siemaszkiewicz
Totally Bound Publishing
This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Totally Bound Publishing.
Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Totally Bound Publishing. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.
The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.
Published in 2024 by Totally Bound Publishing, United Kingdom.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the authors’ rights. Purchase only authorised copies.
Totally Bound Publishing is an imprint of Totally Entwined Group Limited.
If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book”.
Book two in the Fallbank series
Sometimes a second chance at love is all you need to stay.
Sarah Wildes didn’t plan to come back to Fallbank, Oregon, but when she’s laid off and her apartment floods, there’s no other choice but to go home. While job hunting, Sarah decides to try her hand at small-town marketing with her family’s shop, Three Sisters Apothecary. At the same time, she’s helping to plan her little sister’s wedding. To her dismay, this also means partnering with the best man and her ex, Cornelius. She might still love him, but he’d never forgive her for what happened in college if he found out. Sarah needs to keep her feelings in check to get through this wedding then head back to Seattle.
Cornelius Hawthorne grew up loving the girl next door. He never imagined being with anyone else until the day Sarah broke things off. Ten years later, he co-owns Timber Logging Company and his business partner is getting married. Cornelius decides it’s high time to move on from childish dreams, and the best way to fill the empty place in his life is to find someone new. But when Sarah’s back home, he’s thrown off his new goals. Cornelius knows trusting Sarah again is a mistake and resolves to keep her at a distance. Too bad his heart doesn’t understand the assignment.
Sarah is hiding her past from Cornelius, but as her emotions rise once more, can she come clean and restart her life in Fallbank? Cornelius is at last ready to move on and find someone new, but with Sarah around, can he start fresh? With their hearts on the line, can these two heal from the past and see if they can make love stay?
Dedication
For all the readers out there kissing frogs.
May you find your person.
Acknowledgements
This book would not exist without the love and support of more people than I can name, but I’ll try. My agent Jana Hanson is such an amazing supporter, champion and outstanding human being! Thank you for choosing to believe in me and my writing. I couldn’t imagine a better partner as an author.
Anna Olson, Rebecca Scott and everyone at Totally Bound and Totally Entwined Group, thank you so much for taking a chance on my book and me as an author. Thank you, Erin Dameron-Hill, for creating another phenomenal cover that matches my book to perfection. You’ve all made this journey spectacular and so fun! The support and resources given to me for making my book a success have been invaluable and I am forever grateful.
To my writer crew! Suleena Bibra, Rosanna Leo and Claudia Ambrose, you keep me sane and inspired. I hope we get to meet in real life one day!! The Romance and WF On Sub group chat—Joanne Machin, Suzanne Baltzar, Erin Rose, Laya Brusi, Jess K Hardy, Kimberley Ash, Despina Karras, Annia Dowell-Wiltshire, Noreen Mughees and Jannelle Drummond. You ladies keep me laughing, writing and pushing through this publishing life. I couldn’t do this without all of you.
Gwynne Jackson and Ingrid Pierce, there are not words to say how much you mean to me. Thank you for reading and critiquing my work, for staying positive and encouraging, helping me work through mental blocks and plot questions. Thank you for trusting me to read your words and fawn over them before anyone else gets to. You two are amazing, wonderful, beautiful, brilliant writers who give everything you have to the writing community. I am so grateful to have you both in my corner.
The romance readers group chat—you make me laugh and smile and give the best book recs. The Elite Elevens, for not only hyping me up with my books, but also with my running. Our social club with a running problem is the best! I wouldn’t trade our miles together for all the cheesecake. (LOL, we all know I’m lying… Sort of.) To the California Livin’ crew, thanks for accepting me into the fold as a transplant and being the most awesome found family ever. My Colorado loves, Casey Kroepsch and Allison Simpson, you two are kindreds and sisters from another mister. Thanks for always having my back and being awesome friends. My parents, sister, cousins and Aunt Linda, thank you for the lifelong support and love to shape me into the person I am today.
Angela Santello. A. My bestie. My ride or die. My no-questions-asked, where’s-the-shovel, when-you-die-the-first-thing-I’ll-do-is-dip-your-computer-into-acid best friend on the planet. No words are enough to describe my love, gratitude and happiness that you are in my life. Thanks for reading my words, telling me what needs fixing and overall being a badass. You are the BEST bestie.
All of YOU reading!! The response to my books humbles me, fills me with all the love and motivates me to keep writing new stories to share with the world. An author is nothing without readers, and I am eternally thankful for each and every one of you. Thank you, thank you, thank you for reading and supporting me!!
Lastly, to my children and my husband. Without you three, my life would cease to have meaning. I love you more than all the words that have ever been spoken, written or thought combined together. Your love, support, snuggles and laughter are everything.
Trademark Acknowledgements
The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:
Band-Aid: Johnson & Johnson
QR: Denso Wave
Bluetooth: Bluetooth Special Interest Group
Clark Kent/Superman, kryptonite: DC Comics
FaceTime: Apple, Inc.
Chivas: Pernod Ricard S. A.
Seven Up: Keurig Dr Pepper
Post It: 3M
Chapter One
The conference room was filled to standing, with low conversations making the room buzz. Sarah dropped into the lone empty seat at the conference table with a smile that rivaled the rare, sunny early spring day in Seattle. “Hey, thanks for saving me a chair.” she said to her co-worker next to her.
“Morning. No problem. I’m curious about this surprise meeting. What do you think it is?” Tyneisha replied.
Sarah couldn’t hold her grin from getting even wider. The last-minute email requesting this gathering had the group texts pinging for hours last night. “I’m thinking the new senior and junior partners announcement we’ve been waiting for.” Vibrant little bubbles of excitement rose in her stomach. She’d been at this marketing agency since her college internship. It was time for her to be promoted. And her boss had hinted that her name was top of the list. This was why she’d worked so hard. Why she went out on rare occasions and never dated seriously. Online apps for meeting up and satisfying her physical needs suited her just fine, tha nks very much. She would have plenty of time for a real relationship after making partner. Thirty-one was plenty young. Her lack of dating had nothing to do with him.
Ty squeezed her arm. “I hope so for you! You’re a lock for it.”
“Thanks.”
The screen in front of the room lit up and the face of their Vice President, Jimena Herrera, filled the screen. Conversations came to a halt as everyone turned their attention to her. “Good morning, everyone. Thank you all for joining on this zoom call at such late notice. We have some news to share that affects all of you.”
The bubbles in Sarah’s stomach fizzed and popped. She glanced around and estimated forty people present. There were another thirty calling in. Her heart started to thud inside her chest. Why would partner announcements impact this many of them?
A second square popped up and the face of their Human Resources director looked out. Why the hell would HR be on this call? A bead of sweat gathered at the back of her neck. Sarah knew this was not the announcement she’d been expecting.
Jimena spoke again. “I’m here to announce that as of yesterday, Empire State Marketing has acquired Jewel Creatives Agency. This purchase is effective immediately.”
Gasps and exclamations filled the air around her, but Sarah kept her mouth shut. Her mind was stuck on the words. Her marketing company had been bought out? What did that mean for her job? For all of their jobs? Oh, fu—
“Please quiet down and hold your questions for now.” The whispers ceased as their VP continued. “I know this is a shock to all of you and that’s understandable. With this merger, there will be a reorganization of personnel due to some redundancy.” Jimena paused and cleared her throat. “I am sorry and saddened to say that for those of you on this call, your positions have been eliminated.”
The room fell so still they could have heard a caterpillar cough.
“I know this is a shock to all of you and you will be missed more than I can express…”
Jimena rambled on, but Sarah tuned her out. Fired. She’d been fired without warning. She tried to suck in a deep breath, but panic wouldn’t let her. After years of loyalty and stellar work for this company, over a hundred campaigns and forty-five exclusive accounts signed because of her…to be fired because of a merger? What the holy hell was she going to do?
Tyneisha gripped her hand and Sarah locked eyes with her friend. Others surrounding them had expressions varying from shocked to tears to outright pissed.
“You’ll all receive generous severance packages based on your time with…” HR droned on, but again Sarah lost focus. How could this happen? Not even a whisper of this takeover had reached the rumor mill. This couldn’t be true. Secrets like this were never kept silent. Someone always found out and the game of telephone would begin. Yet this time, no one had whispered a word?
Her phone vibrated and a text from her landlord popped up with a picture. She blinked hard. Then again. Tiny black dots danced in front of Sarah’s vision as she gasped for shallow breaths. Her entire apartment. Flooded. “Motherfucker.”
Without a look back, Sarah stood and walked out of the room, then the building. She’d contact HR later to get her severance package set up. It better be freaking fantastic given it looked like she needed to find a new place to live and new furniture if that photo was anything to go off of. Racing along the streets in her red sports car, she swung into her parking spot and jogged up to the front entry.
Her landlord met her at the elevator. “Sarah, I’m so sorry. We had a water pipe burst and the whole left side of the fifth floor flooded. Yours and Mrs. Hashimoto’s places were the hardest hit.”
“Damn. Is everyone okay?” Sarah blew out a breath. Her hands shook and she squeezed them into fists.
“Yeah, no one was hurt or slipped and fell. All pets are accounted for.” He gestured up the stairs. “The water is off now if you want to go assess things. You have renter’s insurance, right?”
She nodded as a headache crept across her forehead. What the hell was she going to do? How was it not even ten in the morning and her life was in shambles?
“Good, good. I’ll make sure to get you a copy of the reports and have my insurance reach out to yours. These things can take months to sort out. You have somewhere to stay for now? Your rent won’t be held to you. Shit, this is a mess.”
“I’m sorry, Phil.” She patted him on the shoulder. This whole thing sucked for everyone involved. It hurt even worse for her since she’d just been laid-off. Finding a new place and a new job would be a tall order. “I guess I better go see what I can salvage.”
She trudged up the five flights up since the elevators were shut off, too, then squished her way down the hall to her door. On opening it, she was hit with a wave of humid air. Sarah continued her slog into the main living and kitchen space, noting her ruined sofa and armchair, dining table and the two chairs, and most likely all of her electronics. She wound through to her bedroom where her ruined duvet dripped onto the soggy floor. The closet door caught her eye and a pulse of fear shuddered through her. Flinging open the doors, she shoved past her wet clothes to the back where several plastic bins were stacked. “Please, please, please don’t be ruined.”
She yanked out the second tub from the top and tossed the lid aside. Her favorite romance books. She’d spent years holding on to hard copies of a small, but select catalog of novels she loved to reread. So far, nothing seemed damaged, but there was a tiny amount of moisture. Her blood pressure dipped enough to ease the dizziness buzzing inside her head. She could salvage them. She turned her attention back to the wardrobe where another box awaited her inspection. “Be okay,” she whispered as she lifted the worn container. Biting her lip, she lifted the top and peered in. Relief soaked through her limbs and the backs of her eyes stung. With shaking fingers, she took out the notes tied with a red ribbon and sighed, finding them dry. The necklace with their initials, the teddy bear with the red heart he’d won for her at a festival, the hoodie she’d “borrowed” and never given back. All free from water destruction. And there at the bottom, the picture. The one he didn’t know about. The one that had broken them without him ever knowing. “I’m so sorry, Corey.”
Her phone vibrated and jerked Sarah away from the avalanche of memories threatening to bury her. Her emotions were far too volatile at the moment. A glance at the screen showed her sister calling. “Hey, Bridge.”
“Jack and I set a date! I expect my maid of honor to be here June third.” Her giggle came through the speaker. “Well, you need to be here before that, but you know what I mean. We’re planning a wedding!”
“That’s great. I can’t wait for it.” Sarah winced at how false her enthusiasm came across. Ugh, she was a terrible sibling for not being more excited, but how could she when her life had imploded?
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s fine. Or it will be. Don’t worry about it, B.” She would not unload on her family. Would. Not.
“You’re my sister and I can tell something is way off. I’m going to worry about it. Tell me.” Bridget’s no-nonsense voice brought the first smile to Sarah’s face since the meeting this morning. Bossy little sister. Sarah loved Bridget’s newfound strength and take-charge attitude. Still…
Clenching her eyes shut, Sarah ripped off the metaphoric Band-Aid. “Okay, okay. Today hasn’t been great and it’s only…nine-forty-five in the morning.” She sighed at the weariness dragging her down. “I lost my job.”
Bridget gasped.
“And my apartment flooded.”
“Oh my God, Sarah, I’m so sorry. What happened? What can I do?”
She looked around for a dry place to sit and ended up on top of her toilet. In an ironic twist, her bathroom had been spared from the broken pipe. “Where to start? My agency was bought out and something like seventy of us had our positions eliminated because we were redundant.” Anger boiled inside her again saying the words out loud. How could they all be redundant? This was ridiculous.
“That’s terrible! They didn’t give any kind of notice? You’ve been there over ten years and this is how they treat you?”
