Treading Lightly

Treading Lightly
Elise Lanier

Treading lightly had never been Janine Ruvacado's (pronounced: rude avocado) philosophy…The bestselling writer (former) had a way of grabbing life and wrestling it to the ground. Only these days, the wrestling was getting tiresome. If her crazy, passive-aggressive ex-husband wasn't cooking something up to badger her with, then her mother, Betty Black (the anti-Betty White) was calling to remind her of her shortcomings. Her son, her pride and joy, was becoming a teen (and everyone knows what that means).The icing on the cake, though, was when Harvey, her wellmeaning doctor, decided to blackmail her into, of all things, exercising because he'd diagnosed her with osteoporosis. Wasn't her life enough to manage?So, Janine bought herself a membership to the local gym, and started walking on the treadmill. Surprisingly, a whole new world opened up with each step she took…and that had a lot to do with the man walking right next to her.

Breathing and talking were a complicated enough combination…

Add the two blaring, competing televisions in the gym that hovered to Janine’s upper right and left sides, the mind-numbing Muzak being piped over the loudspeakers placed strategically around the large room, assorted nubile and robust young forms running around half-naked, and the huffing, panting man beside her—who could not be ignored no matter how much she tried—and she was on system overload.

Any minute now she was going to blow. Or trip. Both were possible; neither favorable.

She looked over at the man, hoping and praying he wouldn’t keel over, based on the sounds he was making. Having a man die on the treadmill next to her would definitely put her over the edge.

She looked at Mr. Locomotion again, wondering how he could go out in public to make such guttural, almost animalistic sounds. By animalistic, she was thinking swine, possibly boar.

She was obviously oblivious to her own auditory articulations.

“You okay?” the man asked.

Elise Lanier

Elise Lanier is a pen name for Elise Leonard, who also writes children’s books under her real name. Elise earned her undergraduate degree from LIU-C.W. Post, and her master’s at SUNY Albany. After teaching for almost twenty years, she now writes full-time in the home she shares with her husband of twenty-five years and her two cool, smart, attitude-packed teenage sons.

Treading Lightly

Elise Lanier

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

Acknowledgments:

My heartfelt gratitude to the world’s greatest agent,

Jay Poynor, for his hard work, his perseverance, his

constant attention and his wonderful friendship.

He gives far more than anyone would expect

from a man in his position.

Special thanks to the agency’s V.P.,

Erica Orloff, for everything.

I’m sincerely grateful to my editor, Tara Gavin.

Your insight is pure genius, and I’m thrilled and honored

to have you as my editor. Thank you. (And just so you

know, I really wanted to put exclamation points after each

of these three sentences, but I restrained myself.)

To my husband, John: How does one thank another

for giving them unconditional love and unwavering

support for twenty-five years? “Thank you”

seems inadequate, but…thank you.

Michael and John. You are my sons, you are my

inspiration, you are my life. You totally amaze me.

Keep tackling life head-on. And never forget…

I’ve got your backs!

To my mom: You really lived. Thanks for showing me how

to do it. I miss you and think of you often.

To my dad: I’m so glad I got to share your best years,

however few. I really miss you.

A special shout-out to Lieutenant Colonel

M. Noyes, my first writing contact and now my friend.

Had I never been published, I still would have won.

I stayed the course, and yes, you told me so.

Finally, a word of thanks to my readers…

Honoring the light in you,

Knowing the light in me,

We are one.

This book is dedicated to all women over forty.

We’ve earned our wings, ladies. It’s time to fly.

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