{"product_id":"2940150665811","title":"All About Us (an Abbott Springs romantic novella)","description":"Winterfest is heating up in Abbott Springs...\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs the town's yearly festival kicks off, cold days turn into steamy nights, new flames will be ignited, and old romances will be rekindled.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAll Sami Abbott ever wanted was permission to be herself. At home, she aims to be the perfect daughter but never measures up. At college, she's the bold girl who had a one-night stand with sexy musician, Alex Hamilton. When he arrives unexpectedly in Abbott Springs, her worlds collide and she must reconcile the girl she tries to be with the person she really is.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e**ALL ABOUT US is a light, contemporary, new-adult romantic novella by New York Times \u0026amp; USA Today bestselling author Marilyn Brant!** \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eStory Excerpt:\u003cbr\u003eMom had put a batch of orange-cranberry scones in the oven just before she'd headed to the parade, so I pulled them out (on time!) and set them on the racks to cool. I washed all the remaining dirty trays and bowls and spatulas. I swept the backroom and took out the garbage and even made a light glaze for the scones. I was in the middle of drizzling the icing on the last row of them when the bells on the front door jingle-jangled. I glanced up, expecting to see a local person I'd known forever, probably an older community member who needed a warming beverage and a break from the parade crowd.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI expected wrong.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Alex?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Hey. Heard through the grapevine you were here.\" He grinned briefly at me, and my heart became a puddle of melted icing.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Eavesdropping on the townspeople again?\" I said lightly. \"Collecting Abbott Springs gossip or maybe just inferring it?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe shrugged. \"Somethin' like that.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe was dressed pretty much like he had been yesterday--black leather jacket, different jeans (these weren't ripped, just faded), old sneakers--but he didn't look quite the same. It wasn't anything obvious, like his hairstyle or his piercings. It was more like an intensity in his expression. Like he was searching for something.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe took several strides toward me. We had the serving counter between us, but it didn't seem like much of a barrier at all.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI saw him swallow and glance at my hands. I was holding the icing bag off to the side of the scones, twisting it so my fingers had something to do. Little dribbles of sweet white icing had leaked out and begun to run down my hand, but I'd barely noticed.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe pointed. \"You're, uh, dripping.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Yeah,\" I said, looking down. Time to finish putting the drizzles on the remaining scones. He watched me do this with interest but in complete and total silence. When I was done, I saw him lick his lips.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMust be hungry.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI set down the icing bag, wiped my fingers clean and slid a fresh scone onto a plate. \"Would you like one? They're good. Just out of the oven.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe nodded but didn't take the plate from me. \"Can I come back there?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Sure.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlex slipped through the swinging door off to the side of the counter and joined me. I was still holding the plate out for him. He took it from me this time...and immediately set it on the counter.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Oh, sorry! Did you want a fork?\" I asked, reaching toward the drawer with the silverware.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut he put his hand on mine, stopping me. \"No, Samantha,\" he whispered. \"That isn't what I want.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe swallowed again and nudged me toward the kitchen wall nearest us until my shoulders were touching it. Until the zipper of his leather jacket pressed against the red Abbott's Sweet Confections apron I was wearing. Until I could feel his breath on my forehead.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThen he looked into my eyes and waited. Waited until I'd tilted my head up toward him and licked my lips and leaned a little closer. Then he smiled and brought his mouth down on mine.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEverything about our kiss said hunger to me. We were in a place filled with heaping platters of food, but Alex was the only thing in the whole building I wanted to devour. It was like my dream from this morning, only better because it wasn't a simple dream. Because I could really feel the roughness of his stubble on my cheek, smell the crisp January air when he exhaled, taste the warmth of his tongue as it mingled with mine and left me wanting more. More of him. All of him.","brand":"Twelfth Night Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47175267025136,"sku":"2940150665811","price":2.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940150665811_p0.jpg?v=1764004943","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940150665811","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}