Sparkle

Sparkle
Jennifer Greene

They couldn't be any more differentPoppy Thompson: The self-proclaimed homeliest woman in town, she deals with animals for a living rather than people.Bren Price: The ever-proper minister's wife, she does everything her husband tells her, but lately her best just isn't good enough.They'd never even spoken to one another until a surprise inheritance brings them together. A fortune in sparkling jewelry could give them what each desires most–Poppy's surgical transformation, Bren's escape from her husband. Yet the real treasure just might be the friendship these two total opposites form once they discover all that glitters isn't gold.

Praise for the work of USA TODAY bestselling author Jennifer Greene

“A book by Jennifer Greene hums with an unbeatable combination of sexual chemistry and heartwarming emotion.”

—New York Times bestselling author Susan Elizabeth Phillips

“Jennifer Greene’s writing possesses a modern sensibility and frankness that is vivid, fresh, and often funny.”

—Publishers Weekly on The Woman Most Likely To

“Combining expertly crafted characters with lovely prose flavored with sassy wit, Greene constructs a superb tale of love lost and found, dreams discarded and rediscovered, and the importance of family and friendship.”

—Booklist on Where is He Now?

“A spellbinding storyteller of uncommon brilliance, the fabulous Jennifer Greene is one of the romance genre’s greatest gifts to the world of popular fiction.”

—Romantic Times BOOKclub

“Ms. Greene lavishes her talents on every book she writes.”

—Rendezvous

Jennifer Greene

Jennifer Greene sold her fist novel when she had two babies in diapers. Since then, she’s become the award-winning, bestselling author of more than seventy novels. She’s known for warm, natural characters and humor that comes from the heart. Reviewers call her love stories “unforgettable.”

You can write Jennifer through her Web site at www. jennifergreene.com.

Sparkle

Jennifer Greene

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

From the Author

Dear Reader,

When we’re kids, we dream of being all kinds of things when we grow up—from president of the United States to the scientist who cures cancer, from being an Oscar-winning actress to being a major trendsetter.

Then we grow up. We don’t stop dreaming, but we learn some realism, and give up the dreams that we know are just too impossible.

I’m a believer that good people should get what’s coming to them. Maybe the meek and gentle don’t always inherit the earth, but darn it, there should be some payback for all the people who wake up every morning just trying to be good people, good lovers, good parents, good friends.

It ticks me off mightily when this doesn’t happen.

So I created this story…about two women who’d put on their realistic grown-up lives and never gave their old dreams another thought. About two women who keep getting put down for having extraordinarily good hearts. About two women who deserve a lot more than jewels and gems.

But after I gave them the jewels, I tried to give them something else. Something that mattered a lot more.

I hope you like this story!

All my best,

Jennifer Greene

To Jennifer—

I keep trying, but no heroine I’ve ever created comes close to you. I want to be you when I grow up.

Love, Mom

Contents

PROLOGUE

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 13

CHAPTER 14

EPILOGUE