The Proverbial Mr. Universe
Maria La Serra
Publication date: June 27th 2016
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
Dear girl with the red scarf,
Love was never meant to be conquered;
you have to surrender to it.
Trust me. After all, I am Mr. Universe.
When the universe conveys a message, you listen.
Olivia Montiano just caught her fiancé cheating. Now she is forced to question what she wants out of life and love. Striving to live up to her father’s unrealistic standards for the past twenty-three years, every decision she has ever made was with her father’s wishes in mind—until she finds mysterious, handwritten letters tucked away in places only meant for her. That’s when she realizes she’s been on the wrong path all along and gives her heart to a guy her father thinks is entirely wrong.
Washed-up abstract artist Nick Montgomery has had quite a few setbacks in life. He’s become accustomed to never needing anyone, thinking he’s just fine—until he meets the girl with the red scarf. She’s not his type. But the universe has other ideas. Nick has a secret he’s keeping from her, afraid it will bring their new relationship to a sudden halt.
Will they figure out what the universe holds for them?
Excerpt:
They headed toward the park of Mount Royal and rode their bikes past
Beaver Lake, past the Heritage building, the Smith house, and all the way up to
the summit.
“I think it’s safe to say it would be safer
for you if you took your bike to work.”
He winked at her.
“Ha, funny.” She looked at the people who
gathered around. Some were locals and some were tourists. What she enjoyed the
most was the view of downtown Montreal.
Nick waited for her to get settled on the
steps of the Chalet du Mont Royal before handing her back a vanilla ice cream
cone.
“Wasn’t that fun?”
“Yes, it was. But I don’t know how I’m going
to get back. My legs are so tired.”
“What’s the rush?”
Olivia shrugged and smiled at him.
“Is there somewhere you have to be?”
“Do you?” She acted nonchalant, not wanting
to give Nick the satisfaction that she was easily available.
He smiled appreciatively. “Great, we both
have nowhere to be. So there’s no rush.”
He glanced down and frowned. “You better
start working on that ice cream before it drips.”
Olivia licked her ice cream, making more of a
mess of herself. She laughed and Nick handed her more napkins to help her clean
off her sweater.
“You know what else I haven’t done in ages?”
She looked up at Nick, who sat one step above her.
“What’s that?”
“Ping pong.”
He made a funny face, like she said something
revolting.
“Come on, who doesn’t like ping pong?”
“Just to let you know, I’m silently judging
you.”
Olivia glanced at his gray polo shirt with
happy faces scattered all over it.
“Don’t you dare be judging me, Montgomery.
Where did you find this lame top?” She playfully ran her hand across his chest,
feeling him stiffen under her touch. His smile slowly faded and out of nowhere
there was a particular affliction overshadowing his face. “Don’t worry, Montgomery,
my hands are clean.” She put her hand up to show him.
“No, it’s not that.” His voice had become
heavier. “There something I’ve wanted to tell you.” Something in his tone
caused concern. Then she thought maybe he didn’t want things to go back to the
way they were. Maybe he realized during their time apart that he’d rather be
just friends. Or worse…there was someone else. She was afraid of what he was
about to say. Whatever it was, it wasn’t good. She could feel the presence of
it, this thick air hovering above them. Olivia didn’t know if it was the ice
cream or this familiar feeling of complete disappointment, because the tugging
in her stomach began to grow.
Aware of his stare, she glanced up to find
his eyes on her, and for a moment Olivia wished he would kiss her and make it
all go away.
Author Bio:
Maria La Serra, a fashion designer, turned writer, lives in Montreal with her husband and two children. She will try everything at least once, except for skiing, hiking or camping-okay anything relating to activities done in the great outdoors. The Proverbial Mr. Universe is her first novel.
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