Spotlight: Stuck with You by Christina Mandelski
/
Publication Date: September 2, 2019
Publisher: Entangled Teen Crush
When Caleb Gray heads to the Texas coast to mentally prepare for a future he isn’t sure he wants, the last person he expects to see is Catie Dixon. Yeah, their mothers have been planning their wedding since they were born, but he and Catie are most definitely not friends. He can’t see her as anything but the annoying kid who followed him everywhere. Except, it’s really bothering him that everyone is staring at her in that bikini…
Catie got over her crush on Caleb ages ago. So why can’t she see past his ripped body or how unsettled he seems? She’s got her own problems, though. Her future has been set for years and now she’s dreaming of pulling the plug. A week at their families’ beach house is just what she needs to pull herself together, and she has no intention of letting Caleb back into her heart...which would be a whole lot easier if he’d put on a shirt.
But a forced week of togetherness full of beach parties, waterslide mishaps, bonfires, and roller coasters sparks more than an understanding. What do you do when the person standing in the way of your future is the one person you grew up hating...but now don’t?
Excerpt
“You’re right,” I say, keeping my voice level, feeling much better already. “We are not supposed to be here. Mom thinks that we’re at Sunny’s lake house with her family.” I hold up a hand and purse my lips. “But they had a sewage backup problem and couldn’t go at the last minute, so we
came here instead, and I didn’t know you were gonna be here, so you gotta help me out, Caleb…” My voice is going higher and higher, and I’m talking faster and faster as he tries to reach around my back to get his phone.
“Gimme the phone, Cate.”
I keep angling myself so he can’t quite reach it, but he’s still trying, and his long arms are circling me, and I hate myself for noticing how his muscles have exploded. Is this what lacrosse does to a body? I manage to cut away from him, running to the other side of the dining table. I squeeze my eyes closed and refocus.
“Sewage, Caleb, sewage!” I shout.
He frowns and walks toward me. “Give me the phone.” He’s still not acting angry. Cool as cucumber. Just slightly annoyed. I hate that.
“Caleb!” I’m desperate. “Do you hear me? There was poop in their living room!” This is a lie, and I’m bad at lying, but I can’t see how else to get out of this.
Finally, he backs off, hands low on that waist again. Swagger. He’s got it. Also, he’s good at smolder, and that’s the reason most of the girls at our high school practically had a memorial service for him when he moved away.
Not me, of course.
Buy on Amazon | Barnes and Noble
About the Author
Christina Mandelski was born in South Florida, where her love of reading was cultivated in a house full of books. Stories like The Little House series, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, Island of the Blue Dolphins and The Secret Garden, filled her imagination and fueled her dreams to be a writer. That dream came true when her first young adult novel, THE SWEETEST THING, was published in 2011, and she’s beyond thrilled about her upcoming series for Entangled Crush. Chris lives in Houston with one handsome husband, two beautiful daughters, and two freakshow cats. She has a fondness for the beach, her family and friends, and she still loves to read (especially curled up with a good cup of coffee!) She also enjoys shopping, traveling and eating, especially cake. Always cake. When she’s not doing these things, you can find her holed in a cozy spot with her laptop, writing. Visit her at www.christinamandelski.com.
