If Not for My Baby - Softcover

Golden, Kate

Softcover

ISBN 10: 059395341X ISBN 13: 9780593953419

Verlag: Penguin Publishing Group, 2025

Inhaltsangabe

It’s the duet of a lifetime when a rock star and his backup singer find a new kind of harmony off stage in this sensational contemporary romance.

Clementine Clark isn’t looking for love. Growing up with a single mom who weeps over a new guy each week tends to have that effect on a girl. But Clementine doesn’t mind being the rational one—she’s even buried her musical dreams so deeply within herself that she hardly notices the hole it’s left in her life.
 
That is until her best friend calls her with a life-changing opportunity: to join Irish megastar Halloran on his first US tour as a backing vocalist. Clementine wants to reject the offer, but the pay is enough to change her and her mom’s life. Overnight, Clementine goes from serving enchiladas at the Happy Tortilla to belting high notes before a cheering crowd.

But the whiplash of trading small-town Texas for sold-out stadiums is nothing compared to the rush of performing with the enigmatic Thomas Patrick Halloran. Poet, introvert, and lyrical genius, Halloran quickly gets under Clementine’s skin. The two couldn’t see the world more differently. And yet, over the course of the next eight weeks on tour, the romantic rockstar might just strike an unforgettable chord in Clementine. But will it be enough for an encore?

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Kate Golden

Auszug. © Genehmigter Nachdruck. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

One

Devoting your entire life to the pursuit of another person, when human beings are all so inherently flawed, and expecting said flawed human to fix all the broken parts of you just so you can convince yourself that you're whole is a recipe for disappointment." I reach for another chip and dunk it halfway into the salsa. "In fairness, it used to make a lot more sense. Once upon a time a woman needed a romantic partner to guarantee a roof over her head, or to put food on the table. And men needed a wife to produce an heir for their cobbling business or kingdom or whatever. Things are different now, you know? It's kind of antiquated."

I pop the chip into my mouth. Only then do I notice the wide-eyed disbelief splattered all over the face of the man sitting in the booth across from me. His perfectly gelled hair doesn't move as he takes a slow sip of water through his straw. Mariachi music plays too loudly throughout the restaurant and embarrassment begins to creep up my neck.

"You think love is . . . antiquated?"

I finish chewing, trying to find the right words. "I think striving for a relationship above all else is antiquated. It seems pretty hard to find one worth keeping. And even if you're lucky enough to do so, you're still going to suffer one way or another. There are just less painful pursuits in life, don't you think?"

"Yeah . . ." He leans back in an attempt to subtly check the time via the phone in his pocket. "I see what you're saying."

I sigh. Hair Gel and I are not going to be a match. "It's okay, Hank-"

"Henry."

"Henry!" I cringe. "I knew that. Look, Henry-I can tell you aren't feeling this and that's completely fine. I'm happy to just call it now."

Henry-not-Hank narrows his well-manicured eyebrows at me. "Call it?"

"Yeah, you know, like a doctor calling time of death." I mime feeling my own pulse and make a yikes face.

Henry nods like he understands but I can tell that he does not. In fact- Yeah. He thinks I'm the worst.

"Seriously, I'd love to finish these enchiladas in peace before I have to go back to my shift. No hard feelings at all if you want to skedaddle."

Nonplussed, Henry slides his phone and keys back into his pockets and begins to scoot ungracefully out of the booth. In his defense, there may not be a graceful way to do that. Then he halts mid-scoot. "You told me . . . You said you were a waitress. You scheduled our first date at the restaurant where you work . . . in the middle of your shift?"

"I-" I falter for words, mouth half-filled with enchilada.

Henry bumps his knee a little too hard on the underside of the table as he stands. He winces and I wince, too, out of secondhand phantom pain. "Here," he says, tossing two twenties onto the table.

"No, no." I push the money back toward him, swallowing my bite. "It's practically free with my employee discount."

Henry doesn't find that as altruistic as I mean it to be. He leaves the forty bucks where it lays and walks off in a huff, nearly slamming into two young boys barreling toward the bathroom from the birthday party table.

Excellent. Another successful date for Clementine Clark.

A voice calls out to the young, exuberant boys. "Hey, no running!"

I peer behind me and spot Mike. His dusty blond hair is sticking out at odd angles and there are purplish bags under his eyes. For someone who wanted this promotion, he's been totally overwhelmed. I don't know what he expected-the Happy Tortilla is the best fast-casual Tex-Mex spot in Cherry Grove. It's literally only empty when we're closed.

"All right, fun police." I dig back into my dinner. I probably have these chicken enchiladas twice a week and never tire of the comfort food. Normally, I'd need them extra badly after a failed date, but tonight is a magnificent Ladybird Playhouse night, so I'm not taking the rejection too hard.

"If they get hurt," Mike

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Penguin Publishing Group
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2025
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 059395341X
• ISBN 13: 9780593953419
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 449
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Penguin Random House Ireland; penguinrandomhouse@penguinrandomhouse.com; ; 1745 Broadway; New York; 10019; USA
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