Twenty-One Hours
Short Story in SEAL of My Dreams Anthology
By Alison Kent
Bell Bridge Books - 2011
Contemporary Romance
Teri Stokes had returned home with one goal in mind. Make sure her parents were safe from the encroaching fire. If they managed to save some antiques by hauling them away in the rental she'd brought - all the better. She never anticipated seeing Shane Gregor, and having to face the harsh memories of the past.
When his father and step-mother died, Shane had returned home to help comfort his half-sister. A child who he didn't know, but now had responsibility for. When time came to help protect the Stokes home from fire, he came, and he led. When Teri arrived, he knew he had an opportunity to apologize for his actions in the past, ask for forgiveness, and see if maybe the woman he'd never forgotten was the face of his future.
Twenty-One Hours is a story of forgiveness. Shane and Teri had been friends in high school, but Shane's actions, and his girlfriend's later bullying of Teri had nearly destroyed any fond memories Teri had of him. But Shane was now an adult, and needed to make amends. Due to the extent of the past hurts between them, I think this would have been better as a longer story, or at least over a longer period of time.
SEAL of My Dreams Anthology includes: Coming Home by Jami Alden, Baby, I'm Back by Stephanie Bond, SEALed Fates by Kylie Brant, Going Dark by Helen Brenna, Finding Home by HelenKay Dimon, SEALed With a Kiss by Cindy Gerard, Panama Jack by Tara Janzen, Wrapped and SEALed by Leslie Kelly, Worth the Risk by Elle Kennedy, Twenty-One Hours by Alison Kent, Not Waving But Drowning by Jo Leigh, Her Secret Pirate by Gennita Low, SEALed by Fate by Marliss Melton, Signed, SEALed, Delivered...I'm Yours by Christine Ridgway, Dog Heart by Barbara Samuel, Whirlwind by Roxanne St. Claire, Holding On by Stephanie Tyler, Letters to Ellie by Loreth Anne White
Kathy Andrico - KathysReviewCorner.com