The Proposal
Authors: Diane Craver
The Proposal
By
Diane
Craver
Copyright
©
2013 by Diane Craver
The Proposal
is a work of fiction. Though some actual towns, cities, and locations may be mentioned, they are used in a fictitious manner and the events and occurrences were invented in the mind and imagination of the author. Any similarities of characters or names used within to any person past, present, or future is coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author. Brief quotations may be embodied in critical articles or reviews.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Reviews for The Proposal
About THE
PROPOSAL:
―I enjoyed this short read mainly because I liked that
the characters were quite open about their hopes and expectations. I
found it refreshing to read a short romance without the usual coy
flirtatiousness and manipulative scheming that is so inherent in
most.
– Laurie for Coffee Time Romance
The Proposal
is by Diane Craver and is a contemporary romance. Tyler Jordan is in
love with his best friend, Jackie Anderson. The problem? Jackie’s
been seeing Brad for over a year. When Tyler finally admits his
feelings to himself and confides in Jackie how he feels, Jackie’s
heart is thrown for a loop. Choosing between Tyler and Brad is one of
the toughest decisions she’s ever faced.
Craver’s story
is deliciously honest and goes to show that what you wish for just
might not be best thing for you. Sometimes the best thing for us is
right in front of us and we just have to open our eyes to see it.
Watching Brad, Jackie, and Tyler be honest with themselves and each
other was refreshing. – Reviewed by Stephanie Burkhart
I fell in love
with Tyler and I had hoped that Jacqueline realized what a special
guy he was.
– Reviewed by Diana Coyle for Night Owl Romance
Reviews
* * *
Jacqueline Andrews
hopes her boyfriend Brad’s surprise is an engagement ring for her
twenty-sixth birthday. Her best friend, Tyler Jordan, wants
Jacqueline to be happy, but not with Brad.
Tyler regrets
blowing off Jacqueline’s confession of love for him before he left
for college. When he returns to their small town as a physician’s
assistant, he falls in love with her. He needs to win her love back.
Will his hot kisses sway her? Or is she going to marry Brad?
To Lea,
A lovely
and sweet daughter-in-law who brings blessings
and a
precious love to our family.
“I can't wait to see
Brad. He's going to propose and give me a ring for my birthday
present. I just know it.” Jacqueline Andrews whirled around in
front of her friend, Tyler Jordan.
Tyler raised his
eyebrows. “Why do you think that?”
She gave him a
concerned look. “Oh no, you know something. Is he going to wait
until Christmas to propose?”
“I haven't talked to
Brad recently so I don't know what his plans are for your birthday.”
He wasn't happy at her assumption that she'd get a ring for her
birthday. No way, did he want her to marry Brad. “Has he said
something that makes you think he's going to pop the question soon?”
Her auburn hair swung
forward as she sat beside him on her parents' loveseat. He got a
fragrant whiff of her hair. He was glad Jacqueline never wore heavy
perfume which he couldn't stand. His old girlfriend wore this
overwhelming junk that made him feel like gagging. Sometimes he even
got a headache from her perfume; not a situation conducive to a
romantic time. The fragrance wasn't the only reason he broke it off
with her. He realized that he loved Jacqueline.
“He texted me that he
has a big surprise for me. And he knows I'll love it.”
Tyler noticed the
dreamy look in her eyes. Jacqueline would be crushed if Brad wasn't
going to propose.
“I wonder what my
ring looks like. Don't call him and say anything. Promise?”
“I promise."
I'm
not going to mention you wanting a ring to Brad. Last thing I want to
do is to give him the idea if his surprise should be something else.
She patted his arm.
“Okay, I can tell you aren't convinced that my surprise is a ring.
There's more.”
When Jacqueline
hesitated, he said, “Don't keep me in suspense. What other clue did
he give you?”
She shrugged. “Nothing
he said exactly but when we were together in September, he drew a
layout of a house he wants to build someday. He seemed interested in
my opinion of his floor plan. I’m glad Mom and Dad knew Brad. It
makes it easier to know that they liked him and thought he was good
enough for their daughter. It’s not like Brad can ask my dad’s
permission to marry me.”
He yearned to touch her
hair and kiss Jacqueline senseless, but obviously he wasn't the one
she was in love with—Brad was the lucky guy. Why had he waited to
tell Jacqueline that she wasn't just his best friend? He should've
told her how his feelings had changed for her. When he returned home
to take the job at the doctor’s office, he’d fallen in love with
her. Before he had a chance to tell her, she was serious about Brad.
He thought all he had to do was wait for the long-distance
relationship to fail. Brad never dated the same girl for more than a
few weeks.
When that didn’t
happen, he decided to go ahead and tell Jacqueline his feelings for
her. But fate hadn’t been on his side—her parents were killed in
an automobile accident. It hadn’t been the time to tell Jacqueline
that he loved her…and not just as a friend, but the one he wanted
to marry. With the unexpected death of both parents, Jacqueline and
Alex were so grief-stricken, he became their anchor and helped them
make the funeral arrangements. He wanted to be there for Jacqueline
and didn’t want to jeopardize anything by expressing his love for
her.
Jacqueline could be
right about Brad. Maybe he was going to commit to her. “It sounds
like he might propose. Do you want a long engagement?”
She grinned at him with
a twinkle in her big brown eyes. “Hey, I'm going to be twenty-six
soon. Remember my plan. I want to get married when I'm twenty-six so
I'm hoping for a short engagement.”
He tapped his forehead
with his hand. “How could I forget your big plan? It's my turn to
remind you of something else you said. Remember when we were little
you told everyone that we were going to get married and have kids in
every room of the house.”
She laughed. “I was
like four or five when I said that. I was influenced by the nursery
rhyme, ‘Old Woman Who Lived In A Shoe’. I thought her shoe was
cool with children spilling out in every spot.”
“And you insisted
you'd be a better mother and not give our children bread and broth.”
“I guess we all have
to grow up. I don't want kids spilling out everywhere like the old
woman in the shoe, but I definitely want more than one child. I think
that nursery rhyme made an impression on me because I hated being an
only child. I was lonely when I didn't have you to play with. But
fortunately, Mom and Dad had Alex when I was eleven.” A pained
expression appeared on her face, and she said softly, “I'm so
thankful to have him, especially with losing our parents. I can't
imagine not having any family left.”
“I know it's not the
same but you have my parents. They love you and you still have your
grandmother.”
“Losing her only
daughter has been hard on her. Her health hasn't been good. I’m
glad she asked two widow friends to move in with her. That's another
reason I want to get married soon. I might have Grandma walk me down
the aisle when I marry Brad. Or maybe it'd be better to have Alex to
do that honor.” She sighed. “I probably should forget about
having a big wedding. It'll be too sad without Mom and Dad. We could
just get married by the minister and have witnesses.”
“It's up to you but I
think you should still have a church wedding. I know your friends
will want to attend.”
She looked up from
staring at her empty mug. “Well, if I do that, would you be my man
of honor? You're my best friend. I thought I'd ask before Brad asks
you to be best man.”
He wanted to tell her
no way he could watch her marrying Brad.
What should I say?
“Geez, you have to
think about it.” She frowned. “I expected to hear a yes. I
thought you'd be happy. You introduced me to Brad.”
Yeah, he'd introduced
them all right. When his old college roommate had dropped in for a
visit between flights, they saw Jacqueline at a restaurant. Brad fell
instantly for Jacqueline's beauty and personality.
He'd inject humor into
his answer instead of refusing to be her main attendant. He grinned.
“I guess I was wondering if I'd be in charge of the bachelorette
party for you. That might be hard being a guy. But hey, do I get to
attend the bridal gown fittings? That might be fun.”
“I don't think so.”
She gave him a playful nudge. “You won't be going with me to
fittings. I'll spare you that and you don't have to give me a party.
Or you can help the other attendants with the bachelorette party. I
haven't thought that far ahead.” She stood. “How about more
coffee? I'm going to refill mine.”
He nodded and handed
his mug to her. “If you don't make me wear a dress, I'll be your
man of honor.”
She smiled. “Since I
can't see you in a dress, I'll let you wear a tuxedo like the
groomsmen.”
After she left, he
wondered if he should call Brad to find out what birthday present he
planned on giving to Jacqueline. He hated to see her disappointed if
she didn't get a ring, but at the same time, he'd be relieved.
* * *
Lifting the coffeepot,
she filled both cups with steaming coffee. What was wrong with Tyler?
They'd been friends for a long time, and she could tell something was
bothering him. Maybe he did know what Brad's surprise was and knew it
wasn't a ring. No, he said that he hadn't talked to Brad. While
carrying the cups, she noticed Tyler running his fingers through his
brown hair. He only did that when he was troubled.
I wonder if his job
is giving him stress.
Tyler was a physician's assistant at a
family practice. She'd been surprised when he came back to Huntington
after graduation from his program. "So how's work?" She
placed his cup on the end table before sitting.
“It's great. I love
going to work. And this week the doctor is away, so I get to treat
the patients myself.”
She sipped her coffee.
“So you get to play doctor. I bet the patients are glad to have you
there. You have a great bedside manner.”
“I do, don't I? You
aren't fooling me. I know you're trying to get a bigger birthday
present from me by complimenting my skills.”
Her cell phone rang and
she glanced at the caller ID. “It's Brad.”
“I'm going to check
my messages while you chat with Brad. I’ll be back in a few
minutes.”
She nodded at Tyler and
said to Brad, “Hi, Honey. I miss you. Tyler and I were just talking
about you.”
“How is Tyler? I've
been busy and haven't called my old buddy.”
“He's doing fine. We
were talking about my birthday.”
And other things,
she
thought. But, of course, she didn't want to mention the ring
discussion. She could wait and see what kind of ring Brad bought for
her. What else could his surprise be? It had to be an engagement
ring.
“Oh yeah, about your
birthday. We'll have to celebrate it a few days late. I have too much
work to get done before Thanksgiving. Sorry, babe. I'll make it up to
you. We'll have a romantic dinner the evening before Thanksgiving.”
Suddenly all pleasure
left her. She shouldn't have gotten her hopes up that she'd actually
see her boyfriend for a major event in her life. It seemed to happen
frequently. Why did he have to have an important corporate job? And
one that involved constant travel.
“Will I see the
surprise on Thanksgiving?” Getting a ring on this day would be
special and, heck, her birthday was only a week before the holiday
this year.
He laughed. “That's
what I love about you. You're such a kid at times and love surprises.
You'll see it on Wednesday night when I get to Indiana. Alex is going
to appreciate my surprise too. It cost enough, that's for sure.”
What did Brad's
surprise have to do with Alex? She thought for a moment.
Of
course, dummy.
Alex would benefit when they got married. She bet
Brad wanted to help support her brother. Her parents had only saved
enough money for Alex's first year of college. She couldn't afford to
pay for Alex's education on a social worker's salary. Brad had
mentioned it before that Alex would need financial assistance. What a
wonderful guy Brad was…to think about the needs of her
fifteen-year-old brother.