My Mentor's Secret Baby - His Secret Baby

But the thing I liked most was Alex’s hands, think fingered and manly. Still, he could type faster than anyone I knew, making it look like he was caressing the keyboard with his fingertips.

After a few seconds, “I replied, “Yeah, like.”

We remained frozen, just looking at each other. Suddenly, we both leaned in. It was an innocent kiss that seemed like it happened too fast. It was also my first.

All I remember after is that my father grabbed me by the arm and pushed me behind him. “What do you think you’re doing with my daughter?” he yelled at Alex. Alex looked at him in shock, neither of us knowing what to say. “Just get out of my house! I don’t want you anywhere near my daughter or me again!”

My mentor turned to look at me, giving me a final wave, and I felt my heart break in two. I lost my first love, my best friend, and my mentor in that one moment.

Shaking away the memories, I turned from the window, sat down, and focused on my computer. Taking a trip down memory lane wasn’t going to help my writing. I needed to be inspired.

Picking up the newspaper, I thumbed through it. Maybe I’d find an interesting headline or juicy story. I spent thirty minutes studying it from cover to cover, then threw it down on the desk in frustration.

Feeling myself getting angry, I took a moment to breathe deeply before I was calm again. About to walk out of the room, I glanced at the paper again. There it was. I couldn’t believe my eyes. There on the back page was an ad about writing. I carried it to my desk and sat down to read it.

Put some zing back in your writing with our three-month retreat! We’ll help you surrender all your distractions and guarantee to have you writing in no time — Lakeshore retreats, where greatness begins.

Honestly, I thought the ad sounded a little cheesy, but I was desperate to put all this stuff with Alex behind me and get started on my next book by myself. Without hesitation, I visited their website to sign up. Once my reservations had been made, I put my head down on my desk.

What have I just done! I can’t believe I agreed to hand over my phone and any connection to the outside world just so I can enter this writers’ retreat.

This sounded like it was going to be the longest three months of my life. Well, it would be worth it if it could help me get back on track with my novel. I hoped it would be the kick in the pants I needed to ditch the writer’s block.

Chapter Two – Alex

Lakeshore Writers’ Retreat was supposed to be the best, and I needed the best. It took every penny that I had, but I had to do something to turn my life and career around. I couldn’t keep wasting my time away. This retreat was the last chance I had at writing another bestseller.

In five years, I hadn’t been able to write anything. Ideas were illusive. My stories were lackluster. Everything in my life had changed in one terrible moment, and in that moment, I lost it all, my desire to write, my best friend, everything.

It all happened the day that I kissed Gary’s daughter. A piece of me died that day when my best friend threw me out of his house and told me to never talk to him again. I didn’t. Then two years later, he died of cancer. The idea of not being at his bedside ate at me, but he didn’t want to see me. I had made a huge mistake — one I couldn’t take back.

My life took a downward spiral after that. I lost my will to write. I couldn’t even get out of bed most days. When I wasn’t sleeping, my free time was spent drinking. I also fell heavily into drugs, almost overdosing many times. That one kiss changed my entire world, and my life had been rock bottom ever since. My fortune was gone. I was nearly broke.

The writers’ retreat presented a once in a lifetime opportunity that I desperately needed. After I saw the ad in the paper, I spent a few days debating what to do. I knew I couldn’t really afford the trip to Colorado, but what other choice did I have? I hadn’t written anything or worked in years. I was a disgrace because of my drug and alcohol use. No one wanted to hire me, not even for the tiniest, most insignificant jobs. I didn’t even have an agent anymore.

I remember the worry I felt as I sent in the deposit for my trip, but I had to do it. Moving on with my life was the only choice.