Old Boyfriends

Old Boyfriends
Rexanne Becnel

Mills & Boon Silhouette
Road Trip for Three?They were three girlfriends whose love lives had seen better days, and they were driving to a reunion in New Orleans, the town they'd left behind.MJ, a gorgeous younger woman whose older husband died in the bed of…well, let's just say he died in a compromising position; Bitsey, an overweight housewife who can't believe that's all there is; and Cat, a twice-divorced designer whose pristine present is small compensation for her past.The trophy wife, prom queen and trashy girl had a vision: the men of their present didn't hold a candle to the boys in their past.

Praise for Rexanne Becnel

“Ms. Becnel creates the most intriguing characters and infuses them with fiery personalities and quick minds.”

—Literary Times on The Bride of Rosecliff

“…Becnel skillfully blends romance and adventure with a deft hand.”

—Publishers Weekly on When Lightning Strikes

“There’s magic in Rexanne Becnel’s ability to conjure a story.”

—Baton Rouge Advocate on Where Magic Dwells

“Becnel gives us true insight into the human spirit.”

—Romantic Times on The Matchmaker

“Rexanne’s stories stay with the reader long after the final page is turned.”

—Literary Times on Heart of the Storm

Rexanne Becnel

Rexanne Becnel, the author of nineteen novels and two novellas, swears she could not be a writer if it weren’t for New Orleans’s many coffeehouses. She does all her work longhand, with a mug of coffee at her side. She is a charter member of the Southern Louisiana Chapter of Romance Writers of America, and founded the New Orleans Popular Fiction Conference.

Rexanne’s novels regularly appear on bestseller lists such as USA TODAY, Amazon.com, Waldenbooks, Ingrams and Barnes and Noble. She has been nominated for and received awards from Romantic Times, Waldenbooks, The Holt Committee, the Atlanta Journal/Atlanta Constitution and the National Readers Choice Awards.

Old Boyfriends

Rexanne Becnel

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

From the Author

Dear Reader,

You’d think an author with eighteen books under her belt wouldn’t be so excited about the publication of her nineteenth!

Wrong!

Old Boyfriends marks the beginning of a new direction for me: from historical romance to what I fondly call “girlfriend” books. Little did I know when I started writing about Cat and Bitsey and MJ that a new publishing outlet was being created for that exact sort of book. I am so happy to be a part of NEXT and their wonderful lineup of books and authors. Writing about women my age with my concerns and my fears and hopes has rejuvenated my creative side. Maybe too much. You see, I write in a coffeehouse and I know some of the other patrons wonder about me. I sit at my corner table, pen in hand, and grin and frown and mumble to myself. Sometimes I even shed a tear or two. But I’m too happy with what I’m doing to care if they think I’m crazy.

Writing Old Boyfriends was sometimes hard and sometimes effortless, but always fulfilling. I hope you find reading it equally satisfying.

Best wishes,

Rexanne

For my friends on Jackson Avenue

who keep me sane and focused.

Contents

CHAPTER 1: Death and Dieting

CHAPTER 2: Not Without My Daughter

CHAPTER 3: Getting the Hell Back to Dodge

CHAPTER 4: Men and Whine

CHAPTER 5: Baby You Can Drive My Car

CHAPTER 6: The Heat Is On

CHAPTER 7: Between a Rock and a Hard Place

CHAPTER 8: Are You In or Are You Out?

CHAPTER 9: Should I Stay or Should I Go?

CHAPTER 10: On the Brink

CHAPTER 11: Bed Head & Boob Jobs

CHAPTER 12: Walking to New Orleans

CHAPTER 13: Home Again

CHAPTER 1

Death and Dieting

Cat

M y friend M.J.’s husband died on a Friday, lying on the table during a therapeutic massage. A massive heart attack, that’s how the newspaper reported it. But that’s only because his son and the PR firm for their restaurant chain made sure that’s what they reported.

The truth? Viagra and the too-capable ministrations of a pseudowoman, pseudomasseuse wearing a black oriental wig, a red thong and fishnet hose are what did in Frank Hollander. The table was actually a round bed covered with black satin sheets, with an honest-to-God mirror on the ceiling. The House of the Rising Sun serves a very good hot and sour soup downstairs, but the therapy going on upstairs isn’t the sort that the chairman of this year’s United Way Fund Drive could afford to be associated with.

Needless to say, the funeral was huge. The mayor spoke, the bishop said the mass, and the choir from St. Joseph’s Special School, a major beneficiary of the United Way, sang good old Frank into the ground. As pure as those kids’ souls were, even they couldn’t have sung Frank into heaven.