By Inara Scott
Did you love the Golden Girls?
Wait, what? Never seen them? Go right now and binge a few seasons. Er, wait. Finish reading this blog first. Then go binge.
The Golden Girls are a beloved, hilarious group of older women who end up living together, despite many differences. There’s the smart, frustrated one trying to get stuff done (Dorothy), the sexy naughty one who knows life is too short to hold anything back (Blanche), the sweet empty-headed one you want to bring home with you (Rose) and the sassy, wise one who doesn’t give a crap what anyone thinks (Sophia). They have adventures. They get in fights. They have launched a thousand memes.
My most recent book, the second in the Bad Angels series, is about Zoe Riva, a bad-ass patent lawyer and engineer trying to break her way into an old boy’s club to win her dream client. She enlists the aid of her old friend Connor Ashton, who is so off-limits he might as well be her brother. When sparks fly between them, they do their best to fight their desire, but you can guess how well that goes…
So where do the Golden Girls come in? When I started writing Temptation, I knew Connor’s mom, Leticia, needed to play a role. Leticia is a scientist who reminds me a little of Doc Brown from Back to the Future (though with better hair). Connor has to find a way to outsmart her if he wants to keep an eye on the experiments she’s doing in her garage. Because I love and cherish female friendships so much, I figured Leticia probably had a group of amazing friends Zoe needed in her life. And did I mention they’re all retired physicists? Yeah, they’re all a little kooky, too. Because what is getting older good for if not becoming as wacky as we want to be?
Here’s a scene from early on in the book involving Connor and the ladies:
***
“But Zoe, tell me, are you really prepared to spend all your free time with a bunch of geriatric physicists?”
“Geriatric physicists grannies,” Shirley corrected. “Except for Leticia, of course. She’s our hold out.”
“Don’t look at me,” Leticia said. “It’s his fault.” She indicated over her shoulder in Connor’s direction, and the other three women all turned to look at him.
“Poor thing really needs to get out more,” Clara said in a stage whisper.
Shirley sighed. “We tried to set him up with my niece Becca. Unfortunately, he forgot their date and left her waiting for an hour. Never answers his phone, you know.”
Connor made a strangled sound.
“And you remember that young woman from my old lab at Stanford?” Minnie asked.
“Oh, she had it bad,” Clara said. All four of them nodded sympathetically. “Scared him off, I think. He gets nervous when they start expecting things from him.”
“I’m standing right here,” Connor said. “Honestly, ladies.”
His disgruntled look made Zoe laugh out loud, which drew the attention of the group. “Do you have a nice young man?” Shirley asked her.
Clara gave her hips a waggle. “Let’s hope not. Last time I checked, Shirl, the nice ones aren’t much fun.”
“How would you know?” Minnie asked. “You haven’t dated a nice one for years.”
“Try decades,” Leticia put in.
***
If you want to find out more about how the GPGs help bring Zoe and Connor together, you’ll have to read the book. But for now, tell me—which Golden Girl are you? Dorothy, Rose, Blanche, Sophia?
I’ve got a set of Golden Girls magnets and a Temptation e-book for one lucky winner! Comment to be entered—delivery in USA and Canada only!
