Searching for Always

“Yes!” they all shouted together. Glasses clinked, green liquid sloshed over the table, and Arilyn stretched out her feet on the braided rug, completely content. Her three best girlfriends had called for a night of celebration with pizza and apple martinis back at the bungalow. So far they were on their way to solidly tipsy and getting emotionally sloppy.

Ah, Stone was in for a surprise when he returned home. Sometimes drunk sex was so much damn fun.

“Speaking of Earth Mother, did we get rid of that love spell book?” Genevieve asked. “Did we ever decide if it worked or was just a scam?”

Arilyn hiccupped. “Scam.”

Kate’s eyes widened. “Wait a minute. Let’s do a roll call. My list was all Slade. Ke

Gen spoke up. “I thought mine was my ex, but when I read it over, I realized all the qualities I wrote down were Wolfe. So that’s three. Arilyn?”

She blinked, pleasantly buzzed, and thought over her list. After they had completed the love spell a year ago, right here in Gen’s bungalow, they burned each of their lists in the fire. They were supposed to slip the second copy under their mattresses. Something about the power of unconscious sleep to make your soul mate appear. After she moved, she remembered finding the list and shoving it in one of her notebooks, thinking the whole idea had been a waste. After all, Jacob had cheated on her for the third time. She’d thought he was her soul mate.

But he wasn’t. Stone Petty was.

“Huh. Wait a minute. I took the list and put it in one of my journals. I didn’t think it worked. Let me get it.” She found her journal on the small bookshelf, plucked out the plain piece of ledger paper, and carried it back to the table.

“What does it say?” Gen asked breathlessly.

Arilyn sca

No. Way.

“You’re killing us here, dudette. What’s on the list? Did it work?” Ke

Arilyn bit her lower lip. “I don’t believe this. My list. These aren’t Jacob’s qualities at all. They’re Stone’s.”

“Can you read it aloud?” Kate asked.

Arilyn cleared her throat. “Okay, here we go. A man who challenges me. A man who makes me laugh. A man I find sexy and dominating in bed.” She fought a blush at Ke

“Definitely not Yoga Man. Girlfriend, that is Stone Petty. The love spell does work,” Ke

They looked at each other, unsure of how to process it. Gen finally spoke up. “I still have the book, you know.”

Kate shivered. “When I touch it, I get an electrical shock. It’s spooky.”

“But powerful,” Ke

Arilyn leaned against the aqua chair and pondered. “There is something about harnessing the power of our thoughts, wants, and needs to the universe. Maybe a combination of fire and writing and being with each other made the difference.”

“Wow, between Kate’s touch and The Book of Spells, we can make Ki

Kate laughed. “Hold on, tiger. We are not going public with my witchlike abilities or the book. This stays between us. It’s sacred.”

“And we can use it for good,” Arilyn said. “Is there someone else who needs it?”

They thought for a few minutes before Gen spoke up. “Izzy. She’s changed. Can you imagine what meeting the right guy can do for her?”

“But she has to do the spell,” Kate said. “That’s a leap of faith. You have to want it.”

Gen nodded. “I’ll talk to her. Who knows? It’s worth a shot.”

“Good. In the meantime, Gen, you keep it safe, and we’ll see what happens. Anything is possible,” Kate said.

“Especially with us,” Ke

Arilyn looked around the circle. “I love you guys.”

“Back atcha, sweets,” Ke

Arilyn realized once again how finding love can change a person’s life. Fu

By true friendship.

acknowledgments

AH, SO MANY people to thank.

First off, a huge thanks to the Town of Montgomery Police Department, who welcomed me into the station when I came to ask a bunch of ridiculous questions and treated me with both respect and warmth. A huge shout-out to Officer Jason Meehan, who let me ride in his cool car for an official “ride along” and let me pepper him with what-if scenarios so I could create a truthful environment for Officer Stone Petty and his coworkers. Any mistakes I made are mine and mine alone. They are truly an exceptional team and I thank each and every one of them for keeping us safe.

Thanks to my editor, Lauren McKe

Thanks to my local shelter, Pets Alive, who gave me my beloved Lester, and rescued the real pit bull Robert—who you can find living happily with his own Facebook page, Rockin’ Robert, at www.facebook

.com/RobertPetsAlive. Pets Alive works tirelessly to make sure all animals have a fair chance at love and a safe home. They inspired me to create another canine survivor in Pinky.

A shout-out to the Probst Posse, who help me with all of my books and are a great support system on this writing journey. You guys seriously rock.

Thank you to all my writing friends who keep me laughing and writing. I wish I could name them all here but there are just too many and you know who you are. You make every writing conference the absolute best!

If you enjoy the Searching For series, please tell your friends. Leave reviews. Help spread the word. I’d love to give a few more characters their happy ever afters. Don’t forget that the original Book of Spells is available as an ebook for only $0.99 and includes an exclusive short story featuring Alexa and Nick from The Marriage Bargain.

Finally, as always, to my readers. Thank you for your emails, posts, tweets, and shout-outs. Thank you for your belief in me and my stories. Thank you for reading them and allowing me to write full-time, fulfilling the lifelong dream I’ve had since I was six years old. I love you all.

about the author

Matt Simpkins Photography

JENNIFER PROBSt’s novels, novellas, and ebooks range from sexy contemporary romance to erotica. She lives in upstate New York. For more about this multitalented New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author, visit Je

FOR MORE ON THIS AUTHOR: authors.simonandschuster.com/Je