Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 53349 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 267(@200wpm)___ 213(@250wpm)___ 178(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53349 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 267(@200wpm)___ 213(@250wpm)___ 178(@300wpm)
Tamara began to cry. She was so confused and so worried. Just when her life was changing for the better, this had to happen. She stood on the beach, the setting sun dipping below the horizon, feeling that all the good parts of her life were sinking too.
Yapping nearby brought her back down to earth. Tamara smiled through her tears as she saw the little dog at her feet, looking up at her.
“I suppose you think it’s all simple, don’t you?” she said as she bent down to pet him. “I like Nate. He likes me. What else is there to worry about? Well, a lot, as it turns out.”
The dog sat there, leaning against Tamara’s leg.
“I mean, it’s not like dogs even have exes, or problems with their love lives, is it? Your main worries are all about food.” Which reminded her that was probably why the little guy was there in the first place. Tamara went inside to get some scraps of food, but she wasn’t quite quick enough with the door. She looked around to see the little dog staring up at her.
“You can’t be in here. This is a public restaurant.”
But that was the thing with small dogs and people you loved—they got in places they weren’t supposed to be, and they stayed there.
Tamara went about her chores, trying to refocus her mind. She was busy bussing the tables, stacking chairs, and generally getting the place ready for the morning when there was a knock at the window. She looked up and saw Liz smiling at her.
She went to the door and opened it. “Hi, Liz, come on in,” she said.
“Oh, thanks, Tamara. I don’t want anything,” she said before Tamara could even ask. “I saw your light on, and I just wanted to talk to someone, anyone, for five blasted minutes about anything that isn’t to do with a wedding!”
“That bad, huh?”
“No, it’s not bad—it’s just insane! But I have to say that everything is going to be perfect.” Liz spent the next few minutes regaling Tamara with everything that was happening across the street, including a funny story about one of Zach’s fans who had tried to get inside the venue by posing as a delivery driver. Travis recognized him as one of the kids he’d moved along earlier in the day. Liz kept talking, and then suddenly she paused.
“Tamara, what’s wrong?”
Tamara’s face crumpled, and she could see that Liz was shocked. She was probably used to Tamara being sunny and happy, but right now she just couldn’t pretend. She opened her mouth to try to shrug it off, but before she got out the words, Liz said, “And don’t say ‘nothing.’”
Tamara sighed. “Oh… you know… just some old stuff that is coming home to roost.”
“Actually, I don’t know, but something is upsetting you. I’m your friend, and I want to help you.”
Liz’s soft, kind voice was enough to cause Tamara to begin to cry for the second time that day. Liz pulled out one of the tissues she always had on hand, and Tamara dabbed at her eyes. She took a few moments to pull herself together and then realized she needed to be honest and just tell the truth.
Liz listened quietly and patiently as Tamara told her story from the beginning. She talked about her family and their view on marriage; she talked about Brad and how he and Stacy had deceived her; she talked about thinking she didn’t deserve a second chance and that she was determined never to be deceived again, by anyone. As she spoke, Liz reached out and held her hand, squeezing it softly.
When she had finished, Liz said simply, “But how did the weekend with Nate really go? You told me that it was great.”
“Well, that’s the thing. It was better than great—it was incredible.” At the mere mention of Nate’s name, Tamara couldn’t help but break into a wide smile.
Liz asked, “So what happened between Monday morning and now?”
Tamara explained as best she could and said she was worried that Nate was ignoring her and that he didn’t want her anymore. She hadn’t seen him since the tasting. She was worried that the situation with her ex was starting all over again.
Liz squeezed her hand again. “I completely understand your situation. I put myself through something similar several years ago, and I messed up big-time. But, Tamara, things with you and Nate are different. You’re being a silly goose! All of us have encountered stupid situations and stupid people, but that’s how we learn and become wiser and smarter. Now we can tell the difference. And I’m here to tell you that your wonderful, clever, funny, gorgeous, crazy-in-love Nate Waterson has been working every hour God made this week. He has barely slept, I’m sure he hasn’t shaved, and as far as I can tell, he’s on a steady diet of our filter coffee and Twizzlers. And when he’s not doing things on the computer that people like me know nothing about, he is sitting in his office, looking out the window, smiling at absolutely nothing. If that is not a man in love, I quit my job. I’ll say one more thing: Do not, under any circumstances, let this man get away. Do whatever you have to do to get your head around this, but do not let him go.”