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  Table of Contents

  Synopsis

  Other Bella Books by Sheryl Wright

  About the Author

  Acknowledgments

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Synopsis

  Four women are about to embark on an emotional voyage that will be the ultimate test of love and loyalty. Will it end in smooth sailing—or leave four hearts hopelessly adrift?

  Despite dealing with family dynamics that can be one tent short of a circus, the future looks bright for Tyler Marsh and Georgie DiNamico. Deeply in love, the two are also deeply committed to the success of the DiNamico-Phipps Company of DynaTech, a leading marine engineering firm headquartered in Buffalo, NY.

  Georgie's steady recovery from the head injury she suffered in Afghanistan—and the company's survival of a hostile takeover attempt—means the couple can finally concentrate on planning their wedding. Or so they thought, until an unseen event propels their relationship into turbulent waters.

  Lori Phipps, the president of the company’s DynaCraft Yachts division is a master boat builder—and a master player when it comes to loving women. Until she crosses paths with someone unlike anyone she’s ever met before. Unfortunately, Lori’s past is about to catch up with her in the very slinky form of a not-so-casual hook-up.

  Stay With Me is the stunning follow-up to Sheryl Wright’s popular romance, Don’t Let Go.

  Copyright © 2017 by Sheryl Wright

  Bella Books, Inc.

  P.O. Box 10543

  Tallahassee, FL 32302

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

  First Bella Books Edition 2017

  Editor: Katherine V. Forrest

  Cover Designer: Judith Fellows

  Family Tree created by Sarah Lever

  ISBN: 978-1-59493-549-7

  PUBLISHER’S NOTE

  The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  Other Bella Books by Sheryl Wright

  Don’t Let Go

  About the Author

  Born and raise on Toronto’s Urban Rez, Sheryl struck out at the tender age of sixteen to find her path. In those early days, she worked as a Militia Trooper completing several full-time postings with the Canadian Forces, plus a tour as a United Nations Peacekeeper. In between those postings, she tried her hand at several jobs with one goal: To save enough money for Fight School. “I was determined to learn to fly, and I wouldn’t let anything stop me.” By age 26 she had her tuition, studying aviation at the American Flyers Academy in Florida, while also completing an Electrical Engineering degree in her spare time. Her flight experience includes Canadian Airlines, Bearskin Airlines, and Her Majesty’s Canadian Armed Forces, in which she served as both a member and an officer.

  In mid-career, she suffered a serious health challenge, and on October 13, 1999, she was pronounced clinically dead. This would not be her only Near Death Experience. “No one sees a life challenge coming. How you face these trials forge your character. An NDE is the ultimate wake-up call. In the aftermath, I awoke with a new desire…write, write for others, share the journey, and all the dreams whirling around in my head.”

  Today, Sheryl is most proud of her first two lesbian contemporary romances from Bella Books: Don’t Let Go and Stay With Me, and has work in the anthology Happily Ever After. Her entry into fiction begins with her award-winning military thriller trilogy: Contrary Warriors: Opposite Sides of the Coin, Blood Legacy, and Carved in Ice. Other books include the Ground Rules for Writers.

  You can reach her by email at [email protected]. Please don’t be shy. I can’t describe how much I enjoy connecting with readers and hearing your opinions and insights.

  Acknowledgments

  Have you ever heard the spherical chicken joke? Being the egghead I am, I always LMAO, while my partner and friends give me that look. You know, the “you’re being weird again” look. What that also means is I’m the type compelled to share milestones even some that may surprise you. Like my best rejection letter, and yes, if you’re pondering the prospect of writing a book, you will get them. Consider them gold. The world is a busy place where someone will rarely take the time to help you learn from your mistakes. That rejection came from Karin Kallmaker, and I continually thank her for it every time we meet and will probably continue to do so for life. Yes, her advice resonated so deeply with me, it produced a remarkable change in my work and spurred me to continue learning and writing until I got it right.

  Writing for Bella Books is so unlike my experience of working with my first publisher. First, there is always someone ready and willing to step-up with a level of kindness and professionalism I’ve not encountered before. From publisher Linda Hill, who when my wife couldn’t attend GCLS 2016 Convention in Washington, DC, went out of her way to shield my extreme shyness and was vigilant in making sure I was enjoying myself and not hiding somewhere. Her partner and fellow Canuck Jessica, who translates my Big Smoke localisms and keeps me on point; to Tracie, patient and kind Tracie to whom I owe a Quart of Maple Syrup and a big bear hug. Bella is an extraordinary family in which I am honored to be included.

  The best part of the Bella Family is the astronomical skill and quality of the editors and fellow authors. Can you imagine having peers like Pol Robinson, MB Panichi, and Lila Bruce take an interest in your work? And then they assign an editor. Holy fracking gosa, Batgirl, it’s Katherine V. Forrest! And not once but twice. It’s more than an honor; it was downright Royal! Oops, I’m showing my Canadianess again.

  Dedication

  To Kandy and Geneviève

  Chapter One

  Georgie DiNamico had that pouty look she got whenever Tyler Marsh tried to convince her she should do something new, usually something she wouldn’t like. Tonight the discussion centered on their chosen attire for their upcoming wedding. “Baby,” Tyler said, “don’t give me that look. You know very well how great you look in a dress.”

  “Uniform…skirt.”

  “No! You are not wearing that drab old thing to my wedding.”

  That got a wide grin from Georgie. “Your wedding?”

  Tyler had to laugh at
herself and her stance. Tackling Georgie on the old leather couch, she snuggled in, savoring her scent and warmth. For Tyler, there was nothing as perfect as being held in Georgie DiNamico’s arms.

  It had been more than a year since that fateful January morning that had started Tyler on this path. When Georgie’s cousin Lou Phipps had drawn all the stakeholders and company advisers together to challenge Georgie DiNamico’s place in the family hierarchy. For years she had been the heir apparent to the DiNamico legacy but a surface to air missile had changed all that. A pilot with the Air National Guard, she had been nearing the end of her second tour in Afghanistan when her helicopter was hit. The only survivor of the crash, she had endured years of survivor’s guilt on top of multiple physical wounds and a debilitating head injury. With the love and support of her family, she had recovered physically but it wasn’t until Tyler came on the scene that she really started to live again.

  Tyler had done that by simply seeing the woman for who she was instead of judging her by her deficits. And seeing Georgie as the capable woman she was, Tyler had just assumed she would still want to take the helm of the new division. She was just glad the new business plan included a position for someone with her skill set. It wasn’t like there were a whole lot of companies out there looking for advice from an economic ethicist, certainly none in western New York.

  As soft lips began to trace along Tyler’s temple, she couldn’t deny the woman loved her completely. That was the thing most people didn’t appreciate. When Georgie committed, she was all in without reservation, and Tyler could only thank her stars she had taken a chance on her. Of course, that didn’t mean Georgie was without her own opinions. Wedding planning, she was starting to realize, was going to be as challenging as last year’s preparations to thwart the attempted hostile takeover of the family company.

  While she had gotten Georgie through that and all the upheaval that followed, not everything had gone as planned. The biotech company Georgie had wanted to create had morphed into a leaner enterprise, concentrating on broader R&D challenges. After the company reorganization, Georgie had remained the chief innovation officer at DME and across the newly formed companies. She had named two of her engineers as directors to run the engineering change programs in the other divisions and report to her. Her feisty cousin Lori Phipps was now the president at DynaCraft Yachts. The legacy DiNamico Marine Engineering—or DME—now served as the parent company to both Georgie’s new R&D enterprise and DynaCraft. And a third new company was created to manage investments and real estate. Lou Phipps, now president of that new division, DPP Holdings, had been a bigger challenge to rein in. With her sister Marnie formally named President and CEO of DME, things had worked out exactly as everyone hoped. Even Lou was happier presiding over his own small division. At last there seemed to be accord among the family members and it radiated steadiness throughout the companies.

  Everything had worked out as planned with only one real wrench. When the time came to name Georgie president of her new division, DynaTech Research, she had shied away, demurred. This after Marnie and Georgie had spent weeks negotiating the organization, plus sorting things like personnel to be transferred to the new company.

  In view of all this, Marnie had taken Tyler out to lunch, just the two of them. Tyler had been perplexed by the invitation, even a little apprehensive. They hadn’t gone far, just down to the Fleet Street Grill, and as usual, Marnie hadn’t wasted any time. Sitting at the prime table in the restaurant’s bullnose, she had ordered her lunch and sampled her CC & Coke before asking straight out, “If you and my sister break up, will you still want to work with her or would that be too hard?”

  Tyler choked on a mouthful of too hot coffee, burning her lip in the process. “What? Oh my God! Did Georgie ask you to…no…no she wouldn’t…”

  Marnie rolled her eyes. Shaking her head, she told her, “Will you relax. Must I remind you, tact is not my strong suit?” Seeming to recognize how much she had startled her, she added, “I’m sorry, kiddo. I promise you, Georgie hasn’t said anything to me. Well she has, but it’s all slimy-lovee crap. I swear to you my sister is bat crap crazy mad in love with you. That’s not what this is about.”

  Tyler fished an ice cube from her water glass. Wrapping it in the linen table napkin, she pressed it to her burned lip. “Marnie…I swear, you scare the crap out of me!”

  That elicited a smile. “Sometimes you sound so much like Georgie…the old Georgie,” she qualified. “Thanks for that.” She let out a long and somewhat showy sigh before taking another gulp of her cocktail. “But honestly, we need to have a hard conversation. It’s the what-if talk and I promise, my sister has nothing to do with this. Am I clear?”

  “Yes, I think…but why now?” It was a fair question or at least it looked like Marnie considered it so. Would she answer though? She was stubborn and could not be pushed to make any decision until she was good and ready.

  Relinquishing her tumbler, Tyler watched as Marnie resorted to tapping her nails on the linen tablecloth. It was just her thing and everyone knew the more frantic the tapping or clicking, the more complex the information to come.

  “You’re wasting your time writing papers,” Marnie said. “The work you did on the new business plans, the strategy sessions, and this whole innovation factory idea you have Georgie designing is outstanding. I think it’s time you take on more, a lot more.”

  Still pressing the ice cube to her lip, Tyler slumped in her seat. “I appreciate the vote of confidence but honestly, I don’t think I can handle another thing. Between the papers you want me to present in Miami, the ongoing strategy sessions, not to mention Georgie’s special needs…”

  Marnie’s tapping fingers migrated from their relatively quiet drumming on the table to tapping on the rim of her drink. “It’s time you hire a personal assistant for her. It’s not right for you two to be dating or shacking up or whatever you want to call it, and you having to handle her personal shit too.”

  “Worried she’ll start to think it’s all part of my wifely duties?”

  Marnie snorted at that. “I do love our knucklehead but her middle name is Oblivious!”

  Now starting relax, Tyler admitted, “It does make it hard for her to surprise me with anything when I’m the one making all her calls and reservations.”

  Marnie tittered but then asked with concern, “Please tell me she’s not being completely obtuse?”

  Smiling, she reassured her, “Trust me, if there is one thing Georgie is not when she’s with me, it’s obtuse. I’ll admit I don’t know why, but she just seems so transparent to me. At least she has been. Do you think that might change?”

  Marnie shook her head. “Honestly, when it comes to my sister, what you see is what you get. What I do know is her loyalty isn’t just some knee-jerk thing the Air Force instilled. I kind of think the only thing she has ever truly craved is to be understood, respected, and to be part of something…more. You bring all those things but it’s your understanding, your comprehension that matters most.”

  Finishing off the last of her cocktail, she signaled to the waiter for another. That, Tyler noted, was not usual. She was about to ask what was wrong when Marnie gave out a little giggle. “They’re calling you the ‘Georgie Whisperer’ down in admin.”

  “Marnie, what’s really going on?”

  She waited while the waiter delivered their lunch and her second cocktail. “Christ kiddo, how do you always know? Never mind. Here’s the thing. I had planned to bring you down here, learn if you could or would cope with a shake-up between you and my sister, even scare you a bit, read you the riot act then let you stew while I made a decision. But I can’t do it. I already know what I want to do. The only issue is where you stand with Georgie if things don’t work out. And don’t do that…don’t think something’s wrong. This is just a manpower planning exercise, nothing more. Got it?”

  Tyler sat up straighter. She was sure there was no reason to worry about her relationship with Georgie, at lea
st ninety-nine percent sure. “Okay, I buy your premise and it is a valid question considering some of the new strategies being incorporated.” She was quiet as she sampled her grilled chicken. “Normally, I would raise the issue of ethics in broaching such a conversation between employee and employer, but I’ll let that rest. As far as I’m concerned, I’m having lunch with my girlfriend’s sister, who is asking personal questions I am willing to answer. So, the easy answer is no. I could not continue on as Georgie’s personal assistant if things were to fall apart. I want to believe that I’m mature enough to do so with the executive assistant duties but…well…traveling with her would be really difficult, especially if she met someone. Then…I don’t know…”

  “Forget the assistant duties, all of it. You’ll hire someone.” Reading Tyler’s confusion, she explained, “You’re the one who has to. You know what she needs better than anyone. Hell, you’ve turned a crappy job into an art form. You’re running a tight ship and you’re a damn good judge of character. I’ll send the job requisition and salary scale to you and Susan and leave it in your hands.”

  “And I’m just supposed to hire someone?”

  “Well, I would like to meet the final candidate before you offer him or her the job but it’s really just a rubber stamp kind of thing. I do it with all new hires, and of course you’ll need Georgie’s two thumbs up but I warn you now, keep her out of the loop until you have the final pool narrowed down to two or three.” Marnie’s grin edged into the mischievous as she warned with a wink, “Trust me on this. Do you want her up for three days straight writing heuristic algorithms to make the choice for you? You know that’s what she’ll do!”