Moments Like This

March 03, 2021

Moments Like This

Moments Like This (From Kona With Love)
Anna Gomez & Kristoffer Polaha
Published by: Rosewind Books
Publication date: March 9th 2021
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
After Andrea “Andie” Matthews chooses her career over a marriage proposal and then loses a promotion she worked so hard for, she jumps at the chance to take a break and help run a friend’s coffee shop.

Alone in Hawaii, Andie befriends the staff and quickly grows to care for them, making her determined to revive the company.

As luck would have it, she meets the mysterious Warren Yates on Christmas Eve. They share a cup of coffee, some conversation, and even a moment, which leads to many more in the coming weeks.

But when Andie learns who Warren really is—and what he actually wants—she is torn between her feelings and his deception.

Will Warren be able to win her heart back?

Excerpt

My knees went weak, I steadied myself by reaching for the balustrade. “Are you,” I paused my words, tried to hold myself together. “Are you saying—” Am I being fired right now?
“No, no. I mean, it’s not working out with Nolan.”
“Oh.” I raised my arm up and did a fist pump. Yessssss. You see, the universe takes care of you if you just gave it some time and trust.
“There’s no compassion, people aren’t relating to him like they did to you. We need you back. In that position. I can offer you a bonus, stock, plus a fifty percent increase in base pay.”
“I’m …” I swallowed hard, tried to stop myself from saying what I was about to blurt out, even if my brain told me to slow down and think harder. “I’m not ready to go back.”
“What?”
“I need more time.”
“Like how long?” he asked, his tone timid. For the first time in a long time, I felt in control. The thing is, it did nothing for me.
I wanted to ask for four more months; that would give me time to get the coffee shop on track, get back home, make changes in my life, downsize, simplify, and then get to the starting line of the rat race once again. But who asks for almost a half a year off?
A long pause. It felt like a minute when it must have only been a few seconds. I said nothing. He said nothing. And then his voice came back over the line. “Sorry, I was working out some numbers. Fifty percent on your base plus five percent bonus for every million plus stock. Start date, February 1st. That gives you four more weeks.” It was my turn then. My turn to take it or walk away.
Was I stupid? That would put my annual salary in the seven figures.
I wanted him to sweat a little. In every negotiation, it’s always good to kick the can down the road, as he liked to say. I turned back around, and that tiny figure was still there, looking up at me. My phone vibrated with a text message, but I couldn’t retrieve it just yet.
“Andrea, are you still there?”

Website / Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble

Author Bio:

Kristoffer Polaha is best-known for his long starring role in the critically acclaimed series Life Unexpected (The CW). Other TV series credits include Get Shorty with Ray Romano and Chris O’Dowd, the limited series Condor opposite William Hurt and Max Irons, The CW’s Ringer (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Valentine, as well as North Shore (FOX).

In addition to co-starring with Rainn Wilson in Backstrom (FOX), he had a multi-season role on the acclaimed series Mad Men (AMC) and Castle (ABC). Polaha is also well-known for starring in Hallmark Channel movies such as Dater’s Handbook with Meghan Markle, and the Mystery 101 franchise on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries.

Polaha first received attention for his portrayal of John F. Kennedy, Jr. in the TV movie, America’s Prince: The John F. Kennedy Jr. Story, opposite Portia de Rossi. He has appeared in numerous independent features, including Where Hope Grows, Devil’s Knot (Colin Firth, Reese Witherspoon), and the Tim Tebow film, Run the Race.

Polaha has a featured role opposite Gal Gadot in Wonder Woman 1984 and in Jurassic World: Dominion.

In addition to his work as an actor, producer, and director, Polaha is branching into the book world by co-authoring a new series. He is also involved with several charitable organizations, including being an ambassador for World Vision, a board member for HerArtsInAction, and The Polaha Family Circus Foundation.

Polaha was born in Reno, Nevada, and he is married to actress Julianne Morris. They have three sons.

—

Anna Gomez was born in the city of Makati, Philippines and educated abroad. She met and married her best friend who whisked her away to Chicago over twenty years ago. She is Chief Financial Officer for Leo Burnett Worldwide, a global advertising company founded in 1935. In her capacity, Anna serves on the board of several not-for-profit organizations, namely the Hugh O’Brien Leadership Organization and Girl Scouts of America. She is also the executive sponsor for a number of employee resource groups focused on Diversity and Inclusion.

Under the pen name Christine Brae, Anna has published six novels, has an established fan base, and a dedicated following. Her titles rank in the Top 100 months following their release. Her last three novels, In This Life, Eight Goodbyes, and The Year I Left, have won literary awards and were immediate bestsellers on Amazon, ranking #1 across multiple categories.