A tale of two Mikes. . .
and the one that got away

Once upon a time in the 1980s, a girl named Beau was torn between two Mikes: did she prefer her high-school sweetheart or the sexy stranger she'd picked up in an airport bar? One she eventually married, the other she left behind (and forgot all about, or tried to, anyway).

But which Mike did she choose? This delightful tale by the bestselling author or Slightly Single and Slightly Settled alternates between the story of Beau's summer of Mikes and the outcome fifteen years later. . .without giving away which Mike ended up where--in Beau's marriage bed or in her memory.

In the "Now" chapters, the former swinging single lives in the 'burbs with a childbirth-traumatized body, an increasingly distant husband and a sad sack maid who isn't much for cleaning. When out of the blue the Mike-not-taken sends her flirty e-mail, she suddenly finds herself back to square one, trying to decide which man is the Mike of her dreams....

When Clara wakes up on Christmas morning next to her husband Drew, she's filled with joy because she has the perfect present: she's seven weeks pregnant with their first child.

But no sooner does Clara tell Drew the news than an earthquake strikes in nearby San Francisco. The next thing Clara knows she's waking up in bed-alone-and discovers she's three years in the future. Where is her husband and what has happened to the child she was expecting? Clara is no stranger to unusual occurrences, but the last thing on her Christmas list was to time travel...again.

...

"Nine months." He grins. "See? You definitely have time to have a baby for me." "You're serious about that, aren't you?" she says unexpectedly. "You really, really want to become a father." "I do." "Why?" He ponders that. "I don't really know," he says at last. "It just seems like something's missing from my life. I'm ready for the next phase, just like you are." "Yeah," she says softly. "Only my next phase and your next phase mean the opposite thing. Yours is about putting down roots, and mine is about pulling them up." For the first time, he thinks he hears a hint of reservation in her voice when she talks about leaving. "You know...you don't have to go, Nina..." "I want to go, Joey," she cuts in firmly. "It's all I've ever wanted." And he's always believed that...until now. Falling in love isn't part of the deal. WHAT'S A GIRL TO DO? Nina Chickalini has a plan: Get out of Queens. But something keeps stopping her. Maybe it's the four siblings she raised almost single-handedly. Or the family pizzeria she's running so Pop can take it easy. Or maybe it's her best friend, Joe Materi, who's just made an incredible request: Have his baby! Nina doesn't need another reason to feel tied down, but how can she refuse the man who's always been there for her? Getting in the family way turns out to be easy, and suddenly she's seeing Joe in a whole new light-his muscular arms cradling a baby, his sexy voice crooning a lullaby... With the entire neighborhood meddling to get them to tie the knot-and Joe looking like he wants them to tie the knot-Nina might have to stop dreaming of grand adventures and settle for something even better: love....