Girl Talk with Zainab from Let’s Move on by Deborah Nam Krane

1. Watching her friends get into another mess.
2. Hellie Graham growing up without both of her parents.
3. Giving Richard Hendrickson another chance to break her heart.
4. That she’s stuck in her current career.
5. That someone is going to be punished for something they didn’t do…even if they did something else.

Let’s Move On (Book Four of The New Pioneers) by Deborah Nam-Krane

Zainab has spent years keeping Emily from going over the edge, giving Miranda a shoulder to cry on and nursing Jessie back to health. They’ll be the first to agree that she deserves whatever makes her happy, especially after the drama Richard put her through. But did she have to choose the guy who threw everyone’s lives into the shredder?

Richard knows he screwed up and he’d do anything to get Zainab back, but first he needs to make sure his company—and his loyal employees—don’t go under. (Who knew kicking your primary investor to the curb would have consequences?) Good thing his family has such deep pockets; too bad he doesn’t want to take a cent from them. Why should Zainab take him back if he can’t get out of his own way?

Maybe Zainab can eat her cake and have it too—that is, until she’s given an ultimatum. The choice isn’t Lover A or B; it’s protecting her friends or letting them fend for themselves. With that hanging over her head, what’s it going to take to make sure she and everyone else can finally move on?

Excerpt

Zainab was laughing a few hours later as she stretched out in bed. “You continue to be full of surprises.”
Robert rested his head on the pillow and took some deep breaths. “Come on, that wasn’t really a surprise, was it?”
“I don’t usually get that dressed up just to go to bed.” She flipped over and smiled. “Or is that sort of a Catch-22? Would we not have ended up in bed if I hadn’t been so dressed up?”
Robert sighed. “I think you’re just trying to get me to admit that I had this planned.”
“I know you’re intrusive, I don’t think you’re manipulative.”
“What about your friends?”
“No, they’re not manipulative either, although at least one of them is intrusive at any given point—”
“I meant, what do they think of me?”
“You know exactly what they think of you, and I’d say it shouldn’t be something that should concern you.”
“It doesn’t, except that I don’t like the idea of you leaving and then going to a house full of people who can’t stop telling you how wrong I am for you.”
“First of all,” she said, playing with his chin, “you’re getting really sloppy. Jessie isn’t living with me—”
“But she’s around enough—and no, I have not been driving by your house.”
“Second of all, they have no idea.”
“Really?” Robert said, smiling as he looked her over. “Because Emily is pretty sharp. Annoying, but sharp. Miranda could maybe use a little more time at school—”
“Miranda isn’t stupid.”
“She just has lousy taste.”
“Don’t we all?”
“If you think that, then why are you here?”
“Why shouldn’t I be, Robert?”
He smiled. “Because of Jessie. Because of everyone else. Because of Richard. Because to the untrained eye it might look like I broke you up on purpose—”
“I know that’s not what happened.”
“So am I forgiven?”
“It’s not an issue.”
“Why don’t you care?”
“What do you want? You want me to be really mad so you can have an excuse to feel bad? Do you think you should feel bad?”
“Let’s just say I don’t usually conduct my investigations that way.”
Zainab raised her eyebrow. “I know you were here with Jessie.”
“And that doesn’t bother you?”
“How bothered would you like me to be?”
“I don’t want you to be bothered, but I want you to care.”
“Why? Do you care about Richard?”
“No, but I do think he can’t be nearly as smart as he thinks he is to let you go.”
“He didn’t let me do anything—I left on my own. I was with him by choice.”
He kissed her. “And now you’re with me. By choice.”
“Now you’re getting the hang of it.”
“So why did you choose me?”
“Because I like you, Robert. But why do we need to look at it so closely?”
He rolled on top of her. “True, when there are so many better things we could do with our time.”

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Lets-Move-New-Pioneers-Book-ebook/dp/B00N4UMQ0U/
Amazon U.K: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lets-Move-New-Pioneers-Book-ebook/dp/B00N4UMQ0U/
BN: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lets-move-on-deborah-nam-krane/1120171705?ean=9781500787707