When the Lights Go Out

By Ginna Wilkerson

Nicole approaches the Christmas holiday with sad nostalgia after a recent breakup with her girlfriend Emma. But much to her surprise, she finds herself attracted to a woman in her forties who her grandfather has been dating.

During her holiday visit, a storm takes out the power, and in the resulting black-out, romance blossoms between Nicole and Poppi’s “friend.” Then Nicole’s former partner shows up to complicate things.

Will this holiday drama end in heartache, or will Emma and Nikki get a second chance?

• Language: English
• Publisher: JMS Books LLC
• Release date: Dec 8, 2017
• ISBN: 9781634865012

Ginna Wilkerson

Ginna Wilkerson has been writing almost since she could read, and often teaches writing as an adjunct professor. She has a Ph.D. in English from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland and discovered a love of travel later in life. She has long been fascinated by the supernatural as it appears in ordinary life. Ginna has two adult children and one grandson, and lives with her partner and their cats.

Book preview

When the Lights Go Out

By Ginna Wilkerson

Published by JMS Books LLC at Smashwords

Visit jms-books.com for more information.

Copyright 2017 Ginna Wilkerson

ISBN 9781634865012

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Cover Design: Written Ink Designs | written-ink.com

Image(s) used under a Standard Royalty-Free License.

All rights reserved.

WARNING: This book is not transferable. It is for your own personal use. If it is sold, shared, or given away, it is an infringement of the copyright of this work and violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

No portion of this book may be transmitted or reproduced in any form, or by any means, without permission in writing from the publisher, with the exception of brief excerpts used for the purposes of review.

This book is for ADULT AUDIENCES ONLY. It may contain sexually explicit scenes and graphic language which might be considered offensive by some readers. Please store your files where they cannot be accessed by minors.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are solely the product of the author’s imagination and/or are used fictitiously, though reference may be made to actual historical events or existing locations. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Published in the United States of America.

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When the Lights Go Out

By Ginna Wilkerson

Chapter 1: The Invitation

I take my lunch dishes into the tiny kitchen and rinse them off, to be washed later. I’m doing some decent writing for the first time since Emma kicked me out, and I don’t want to lose momentum. As I resume my position in front of my computer on my sister Ashley’s comfy couch, I check my text messages. Just in case…

And there is a message from Emma:

Hey, Nik. Do you by any chance have my short-sleeved black sweater? I don’t care, really—just wondered.

What the fuck? This is the first I’ve heard from her for over a month, and she’s asking about a damned sweater?

I text back:

Em—no. No sweater. I didn’t take your stuff.

Reply:

Okay—just asking. Wanted to wear it to the office party next weekend.

I send no reply. How insulting and thoughtless. As I obsess about the coming holiday, a commercial for holiday cruises comes on the muted television. I feel like punching those smiling people…

I know Christmas is coming up, but I really don’t want to think about it. Honestly, I’m barely holding on to a bit of sanity living back here in Tucson with my little sister, Ashley. Plus, it’s hard to be in a festive mood when I just broke up with the girl I thought was the love of my life. I would be really fine with skipping the entire holiday season this year.

So when Ashley comes in from work with the mail, including a mysterious blue envelope from our grandfather, I admit I’m less than enthusiastic. If it’s some kind of invitation. I already know I don’t want to go. I want to see Poppi, but not so much the rest of my family. And I’m definitely not up for meeting anyone new.

Ashley tosses the mail on the couch next to where I’m sitting, watching Jerry Springer with no sound and trying to write. See, I’m determined not to let Emma’s abrupt departure from my life put a damper on my career. Only a few months ago, my world was especially wonderful. I had a screenplay accepted by an indie film company at the age of twenty-eight, and my grandfather said he was proud of me for the first time in years. Everyone went to see the film when it came out. I got a hefty check, and I shared a trendy apartment