CHAPTER 1
Tawny White excitedly crawled her finger down her wedding checklist. With a month left before her wedding almost everything was completed and checked off.
“I need to schedule the gown fitting, write my vows, and get the marriage license,” she muttered to herself.
Tawny lived by her checklists. Even her life was one big list. Engaged by thirty-three—check, master’s degree by twenty-five—check, own home by thirty—check, high-five-figure job—check, a baby by thirty-four—soon-to-be checked. Even her relationship with Gordon, her fiancé, was a checklist. Have sex on the third date—check, tell him I love him after six months of dating—check and engaged at eighteen months—double check.
She motioned to, Carlos, the waiter to refill her glass of sweet tea; he scampered over to do her bidding. He wasn’t watching her because she was drop-dead gorgeous, or that he knew that she tipped well, but because she was nice, genuinely so, and everybody at the restaurant knew it. The small Mexican restaurant was a favorite of hers, and she frequented it no less than four times a month. They all loved her because she always asked about their families and loved ones.
Tawny glanced at her phone, Gordon was twenty minutes late. Her stomach growled and she debated whether to order an appetizer, the nachos and salsa Carlos had placed on the table wasn’t hitting the spot.
By the time Gordon strolled into the restaurant twenty minutes later, Tawny was wound tighter than a stockbroker’s intestines, she hated tardiness it threw off her schedule, and unfortunately Gordon was habitually late. “You’re late,” she greeted him. She held her face up for a kiss and he pecked her on the forehead. Tawny twisted her lips in annoyance, but didn’t say anything to him. He had been distant recently, and when she had asked him about it, he had blamed it on his job and she had believed him.
“Sorry, there was an emergency at work, the server went down.” He dropped into his chair, his face etched with exhaustion.
He was the manager of an information technology department at a local hospital. “I’m sure you got it up and running,” Tawny said soothingly.
“I did.” Part Mexican and black he was an attractive man; he had inherited sharp cheekbones and thick black hair from his Mexican mother and his dark smoldering eyes and lush lips from his father. Their friends jokingly nicknamed them the international Ken and Barbie.
“Ready to order?” And before Gordon could reply, Tawny gestured to Carlos to take their order, since they both frequented the restaurant so often and always ordered the same thing there was no need to view the menu. “Then we can go over the last minute items for the wedding.”
“I want to talk to you about the wedding.”
“Of course baby, that’s why we’re here.” Tawny patted his hand.
Carlos hurried over to the table and greeted Gordon. “Same thing?” he asked.
“Yes,” Tawny quipped.
“No,” Gordon said firmly. Tawny furrowed her brow. “I’m not eating,” he replied.
“What? Of course you’re eating.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Oh, you ate something bad at work?”
“No.”
“Late lunch?”
“No.”
“Well order something to eat.”
Gordon shook his head. “Nope.”
“What’s wrong?”
Gordon looked down at his napkin. “I need to talk to you,” he mumbled and Tawny’s heartbeat sped up a bit.
“I’ll give you two a few more minutes, just let me know when you’re ready,” Carlos said before speeding away. He had seen enough couples to know that this conversation wasn’t going to end well, and no matter how much he liked Tawny and Gordon, he didn’t want to be around for the fallout.
“What about?” Tawny asked calmly, hiding her nervousness.
“The wedding.”
“What about it?” She grabbed her glass of sweet tea and her hands shook slightly, causing the ice cubes to swim in her drink.
“Let’s go out to your car or maybe
Tawny White excitedly crawled her finger down her wedding checklist. With a month left before her wedding almost everything was completed and checked off.
“I need to schedule the gown fitting, write my vows, and get the marriage license,” she muttered to herself.
Tawny lived by her checklists. Even her life was one big list. Engaged by thirty-three—check, master’s degree by twenty-five—check, own home by thirty—check, high-five-figure job—check, a baby by thirty-four—soon-to-be checked. Even her relationship with Gordon, her fiancé, was a checklist. Have sex on the third date—check, tell him I love him after six months of dating—check and engaged at eighteen months—double check.
She motioned to, Carlos, the waiter to refill her glass of sweet tea; he scampered over to do her bidding. He wasn’t watching her because she was drop-dead gorgeous, or that he knew that she tipped well, but because she was nice, genuinely so, and everybody at the restaurant knew it. The small Mexican restaurant was a favorite of hers, and she frequented it no less than four times a month. They all loved her because she always asked about their families and loved ones.
Tawny glanced at her phone, Gordon was twenty minutes late. Her stomach growled and she debated whether to order an appetizer, the nachos and salsa Carlos had placed on the table wasn’t hitting the spot.
By the time Gordon strolled into the restaurant twenty minutes later, Tawny was wound tighter than a stockbroker’s intestines, she hated tardiness it threw off her schedule, and unfortunately Gordon was habitually late. “You’re late,” she greeted him. She held her face up for a kiss and he pecked her on the forehead. Tawny twisted her lips in annoyance, but didn’t say anything to him. He had been distant recently, and when she had asked him about it, he had blamed it on his job and she had believed him.
“Sorry, there was an emergency at work, the server went down.” He dropped into his chair, his face etched with exhaustion.
He was the manager of an information technology department at a local hospital. “I’m sure you got it up and running,” Tawny said soothingly.
“I did.” Part Mexican and black he was an attractive man; he had inherited sharp cheekbones and thick black hair from his Mexican mother and his dark smoldering eyes and lush lips from his father. Their friends jokingly nicknamed them the international Ken and Barbie.
“Ready to order?” And before Gordon could reply, Tawny gestured to Carlos to take their order, since they both frequented the restaurant so often and always ordered the same thing there was no need to view the menu. “Then we can go over the last minute items for the wedding.”
“I want to talk to you about the wedding.”
“Of course baby, that’s why we’re here.” Tawny patted his hand.
Carlos hurried over to the table and greeted Gordon. “Same thing?” he asked.
“Yes,” Tawny quipped.
“No,” Gordon said firmly. Tawny furrowed her brow. “I’m not eating,” he replied.
“What? Of course you’re eating.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Oh, you ate something bad at work?”
“No.”
“Late lunch?”
“No.”
“Well order something to eat.”
Gordon shook his head. “Nope.”
“What’s wrong?”
Gordon looked down at his napkin. “I need to talk to you,” he mumbled and Tawny’s heartbeat sped up a bit.
“I’ll give you two a few more minutes, just let me know when you’re ready,” Carlos said before speeding away. He had seen enough couples to know that this conversation wasn’t going to end well, and no matter how much he liked Tawny and Gordon, he didn’t want to be around for the fallout.
“What about?” Tawny asked calmly, hiding her nervousness.
“The wedding.”
“What about it?” She grabbed her glass of sweet tea and her hands shook slightly, causing the ice cubes to swim in her drink.
“Let’s go out to your car or maybe
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