When life gives you lemons...throw them back and demand an excerpt!

I am alive. I promise. Maybe just hiding a little bit and trying to figure out how to break the news...
Kaleidoscope will not be out until next year. (We can cry for a minute...it's okay. I've done a little pouting myself.) I've had a few snags in the editing process that have set me back a little bit. But I want to make sure I put out something that I can be proud of so I obviously don't want to prematurely publish. I really don't know when it will be available. I'm hoping before February, but I don't want to give any dates and have to renege...again. I have high hopes that in month or so I will have something more concrete. So in the mean time don't hate me/forget about me. I'll still post little teasers and maybe some bigger excerpts to keep us preoccupied. Now that I'm becoming familiar with the self-publishing ropes, for future books I'll be able to give more reliable availability dates. Being indie is a lot harder than you would think!
For today I want to throw out a little excerpt from the contemporary romance I've been working on--Falling Into Memories. It's gonna be epic. Okay...maybe I've got high hopes, but I'm REALLY excited about this one.

"Dare," I said, glaring at Brodee. Yeah, who's a coward now? Then I looked back to Chloe for the price I knew I was going to pay.
She smirked conspiratorially. "I dare you to kiss Brodee."
Instant regret set in my stomach and the blood drained from my face. "That's just awkward. I can't kiss my best friend's boyfriend."
"Oh, c'mon. It'll be fun!" Chloe exclaimed.
"He's like a brother to me," I tried. She couldn't honestly be doing this to me right now. "I've known him since I was six."
"Fine. Let's even the playing fields then. You kiss Brodee and Harper, you kiss Jesse."
My eyes darted to Harper for confirmation that that was not going to happen, but she let me down. "It's just a game, Peyton. Why not? I've always been curious to know how your boy-toy works his magic." She lifted her eyebrows playfully at Jesse and pulled her dark purple hair into a ponytail. What was she doing? Getting ready to get her hands dirty?
Or just her mouth.
I looked at Brodee and saw right through the image he was trying to uphold. Chill tough guy looked just as uncomfortable as I felt.
"It's just a dare, not a lifetime commitment," Chloe taunted.
Brodee shrugged. "C'mon, Peyt. I won't bite." Was he seriously joking me right now?
I peered at Jesse who chuckled. "It's just a kiss, Sweets. I won't be mad at you if you don't get mad at me."
Just a kiss? Sure, to everyone else, maybe. To me, it was so much more. But I could never say that out loud and by dragging my feet now even more attention and pressure was brought upon me. Good work, Peyton.
"What happens during Spring Break 2012 stays at Spring Break 2012," Harper snickered.
I watched Harper and Jesse lean into each other as if in slow motion, assessing how they were going to fit together. Then I was suddenly aware that Brodee was now only inches from my face.
This wasn't happening.
"It's okay, Peyton," he whispered. "It doesn't have to mean anything."
That's what I was scared of.