The Proposal Read online

  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

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Recipe for Snickers Cake

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  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?

  Dedication

  To Lea,

  A lovely and sweet daughter-in-law who brings blessings

  and a precious love to our family.

  Chapter One

  “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.

  “Hey, are you still there?”

  “I'm here. Sorry. I'm disappointed you won't be home for my birthday, but glad you'll be here for Thanksgiving.”

  “I have to get back to work. I love you, Jacqueline. Bye.”

  She glanced at her watch. In another twenty minutes, she needed to pick up Alex from football practice. Her mother and father never signed Alex up for the midget league as a child, because they felt he'd get burned out if he played too much football while younger. However, her parents gave their approval for him to play his freshman year, and he loved playing. When he asked to play his sophomore year, she signed the permission slip. She enjoyed going to his games and many times Tyler went with her. She hoped he could go to Alex's last game of the season this Friday. It was like old times going to their high school turf together.

  As Tyler entered the living room, he said, “What's wrong? You don't look too happy.”

  “Brad's not going to be able to make it for my birthday. He has to work. He said that we can celebrate it when he comes for Thanksgiving.”

  “I'm sorry.”

  “Do you realize I haven't seen Brad for three weeks? Maybe I'm wrong about him proposing. He apparently can go a long time without seeing me. Thanksgiving is another two weeks away.”

  Tyler sat beside her and squeezed her shoulder. “He did want you to visit him when he had a business conference in Portland. You've never been to Oregon. Brad thought you'd enjoy the vacation.”

  “I didn't want to leave Alex. I know he's a good kid, but he is a teenager. I thought about having Grandma stay here but she wasn't feeling well at the time.”

  “And I already had plans to go to the Ohio State football game. The next time Alex can stay with me.”

  She leaned her head against Tyler's chest. What would she do without her best friend? He always listened to her vent about everything. He was a better listener than her girlfriends. “Long-distance relationships suck.”

  “If you two get married soon, will Brad be able to move here? No offense, but I can't see you and Alex living in Chicago.”

  “That is going to be a problem, but Brad's talked about asking for a transfer.” She straightened and looked into Tyler's eyes. His blue eyes were ringed with incredible thick, black lashes. She'd often teased him that it wasn't fair he'd been blessed with such great eyelashes.

  “If he doesn't get the transfer, then good luck because you'll have to uproot Alex. That will be rough for him to leave his friends here.”

  “I definitely want Alex to finish high school here.”

  “What are you going to do about Gypsy?” Tyler asked.

  “Taking Gypsy will be a challenge but I’ll find a place to board him in Chicago if I have to.” She loved riding Gypsy and couldn’t imagine not taking him with them if they have to move. One of her happiest days had been when her dad bought Gypsy.

  “All your problems could be solved if you married me instead.”

  She blinked before focusing her gaze on Tyler. "I know you're kidding me. I wanted that and not just at age four. Remember prom night when I said I loved you. You said I was being silly and I didn't know what real love
was yet. But you were wrong. I had fallen in love with you. But you were right when you said there were other fish in the sea for you to date. It would’ve been a mistake for us to just see each other and no one else. We needed to experience life outside of our small town.”

  He reached for her hand. "I found out the other fish weren't as precious to me as you.”

  What was he getting at? He couldn't mean that he wanted more than her friendship now, could he? She stared at him for a moment. “I'm glad you said what you did to me on prom night. At the time it was painful to hear you didn't return my feelings, but I got over it. I grew up and fell in love with Brad.” She pulled her hand out of Tyler's. “I better get going. I need to pick up Alex at football practice.”

  “I'll call you later this week to make plans for your birthday. I know I can't take the place of Brad, but we can celebrate with Alex and other friends.”

  Chapter Two

  Jacqueline tapped her fingers on the steering wheel while waiting for Alex. Why did Tyler have to mention marriage? Did he think that would make her happy? Did he know that Brad wasn’t going to propose? Maybe Tyler’s purpose was to help her not to feel as unwanted if Brad didn’t come through with the engagement ring. Nope, Tyler said he hadn’t talked to Brad for a while. He sounded in the dark about Brad’s plans.

  On prom night, she poured out her heart to Tyler. It seemed like the right time with him leaving Huntington to go three hours away to college. She was staying behind to go to school. A long-distance relationship worried her with him meeting new girls. She wanted Tyler to know before he left, her true feelings for him. Instead she’d been mortified when he rejected her.

  She put the car window down a bit to get fresh air. She took a deep breath of the cool air, hoping it would clear her head. Now that she thought about it, she bet he’d been kidding her. But something else occurred to her. He hadn’t dated anyone for some time, but she figured it was because of his job. He’d been putting lots of hours in at the doctor’s office. He couldn’t really want to marry her. She would try to fix him up with Annette at work. She seemed like Tyler’s type. If he asked Annette out, then she wouldn’t have to worry about the whole marriage comment. Although if he fell for Annette, she’d miss her best friend. He’d be busy spending time with his girlfriend, and not her. Well, she’d have to chance it, because she wanted Tyler to find love too.