The holidays and rom-coms are the perfect combination!
Get ready for a holiday season like never before!
With Beat by her side, cheering her on, she’s never felt so understood.
Author Tessa Bailey and the cover of ‘Wreck the Halls’.Nisha Ver Halen; AvonBooks
Wreck the Hallshits book shelves October 3, 2023, but you could read an exclusive excerpt below.
Wreck the Halls Excerpt
Beat stood shivering on the sidewalk outside of his thirtieth birthday party.
Over a year and a half had passed since the last time his blackmailer had contacted him.
Beat was just beginning to feel normal again.
Until the message he’d received tonight on the way to his own birthday party.
I’m feeling talkative, Beat.
Like I need to get some things off my chest.
It was the same pattern as last time.
The blackmailer contacted him out of the blue, no warning, and then immediately became persistent.
His demands came on like a blitz, a symphony beginning in the middle of its crescendo.
They left no room for negotiation, either.
He took a deep breath, paced a short distance in the opposite direction of the restaurant.
Then he hit call and lifted the phone to his ear.
His blackmailer answered on the first ring.
“Hello again, Beat.”
A red hot iron dropped in Beat’s stomach.
Did the man’s voice sound more on edge than previous years?
“We agreed this was over,” Beat said, his grip tight around the phone.
“I was never supposed to hear from you again.”
A raspy sigh filled the line.
“The thing about the truth is, it never really goes away.”
With those ominous words echoing in his ear, a sort of surreal calmness settled over Beat.
Was he even standing here at all?
Or was he trapped in an endless dream?
The voice in his ear brought him back to reality.
“I’m going to need double the amount as last time.”
Nausea lifted all the way to his throat, making his head feel light.
“I can’t do that.
I don’t personally have that kind of liquid cash and I will not touch the foundation money.
This needs to beover.”
“Like I said”
“The truth never goes away.
I heard you.”
Silence was heavy on the line.
“I’m not sure I appreciate the way you’re speaking to me, Beat.
I have a story to tell.
They’d love every salacious word.”
And his parents would be ruined.
The truth would devastate his father.
His mother’s sterling reputation would be blown to smithereens.
There would only be the story.
There would only be the damning truth.
“Don’t do that.”
Beat massaged the throbbing sensation between his eyes.
“My parents don’t deserve it.”
“Oh, yeah?
Well, I didn’t deserve to be thrown out of the band, either.”
“Don’t talk about shit you don’t know, kid.
You weren’t there.
Are you going to help me out or should I start making calls?
You know, I’ve had this reality show producer contact me twice.
Maybe she would be a good place to start.”
The night air turned sharper in his lungs.
What’s her name?"
Was it the same woman who’d been emailing and calling Beat for the last six months?
Offering him an obscene sum of money to participate in a reality show about reuniting Steel Birds?
“Danielle something,” said his blackmailer.
“It doesn’t matter.
She’s only one of my options.”
How much had she offered Beat?
He didn’t remember the exact amount.
Only that she’d dangled a lot of money.
“How do we make this stop once and for all?”
Beat asked, feeling and sounding like a broken record.
“How can I guarantee this is the last time?”
“You’ll have to take my word for it.”
Beat was already shaking his head.
“I need something in writing.”
It’s my word or nothing.
How long do it’s crucial that you pull the money together?"
The last year and a half had been nothing but a reprieve.
Deep down, he’d known that, right?
“I need some time.
Until February, at least.”
“You have until Christmas.”
The jagged edge of panic slid into his chest.
“That’s less than a month away.”
A humorless laugh crackled down the line.
“No, I can’t,” Beat said through his teeth.
“It’s impossible” “Do it or I talk.”
The line went dead.
Dear Mr. Dawkins,
Allow me to introduce myself.
I’m your ticket to becoming a household name.
I was one of those little girls.
You’re a busy man, so let me be brief.
I want to give the public the reunion we’ve been dreaming about since ninety-three.
There are no better catalysts than the children of these legendary women to make this happen.
The Applause web connection is prepared to offer each of you a million dollars.
Sincerely,
Danielle Doolin
Beat dropped the phone to his thigh.
Had he seriously only skimmed an email that passionate?
He hadn’t even made it to the middle the first time he’d seen the correspondence.
That much was obvious, because he would have remembered the part about Melody.
Every time someone mentioned her, he got a firm sock to the gut.
He was getting one now.
Beat had zero desire to be a household name.
Never had, never would.
He liked working behind the scenes at his mother’s foundation.
Giving the occasional speech or social media interview was necessary.
A million dollars would solve his problem.
He needed to solve it.Fast.
He’d watched it from afar, horrified.
Was there any way to avoid bringing her back into the spotlight if he attempted to reunite Steel Birds?
Or would she be dragged into the story, simply because of her connection to the band?
God, he didn’t know.
He’d have to meet with her.
See her face and be positive she didn’t have reservations.
Beat’s pulse kicked into a gallop.
Fourteen years had passed and he’d thought of her… a weird amount.
That last one plagued him the most.
Would everything be different if he’d just called her?
Beat pulled up the contact number for his accountant, but never hit call.
Adapted fromWreck the Hallsby Tessa Bailey, published by Avon.
Copyright 2023 by Tessa Bailey.
Reprinted courtesy of Harper Collins Publishers.
