Farther Than I Meant to Go, Longer Than I Meant to Stay by Tiffany L. Warren

Author:Tiffany L. Warren [WARREN, TIFFANY]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: FIC000000
ISBN: 9780446555371
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Published: 2008-12-21T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER Sixteen

Past

The first person I shared my news with was Lynette, and she was giddily happy for me. We screamed, yelled, and cried, and then we screamed some more. She almost seemed happier than I was, although I didn’t know if that was possible. I was literally ecstatic.

Telling Mama was more of a challenge. Her only response was, “So you marrying that pretty boy, huh?” I couldn’t tell if she was for or against my decision, but she seemed content not to try to talk me out of it. I guess she’d been trying to push me off on a man for so long that just about any man would do—even a pretty boy.

I didn’t call my sister; she called me. I knew that Mama would tell her before I got the chance.

When I picked up the phone, Dayna said, “So what color will the bridal party be wearing? I’m thinking a peach or rose.”

I laughed. “Well, hello to you, too.”

“You can dispense with all the pleasantries. We’ve got a wedding to plan. As the matron of honor, I think my dress should be stunning. I am the matron of honor, right?”

I actually was thinking of asking Lynette to be my matron of honor, but that was something I had plenty of time to decide.

“I don’t know, Dayna. Do we have to talk about this right now?”

“What do you mean, you don’t know?” Dayna spat indignantly. “I’m your only sister! What is there to decide?”

“Right now, I’m deciding to get off the phone. I’m having company later.”

“Company? You think it’s wise to have your man all up in your house before you get married? Fornication is still a sin.”

I shook my head and laughed. “For your information, Lynette and Jonathan are coming over for dinner. They want to get to know my fiancé.”

“And you didn’t invite me and Ronald?”

“Maybe next time, Dayna. I’ll call you later on, okay?”

Dayna did not reply. I knew she’d hung up because I heard the dial tone after a few moments of silence.

Travis was nervous about having dinner with my friends. He’d already met both Lynette and Jonathan, but he wanted them to accept his friendship. Travis knew how important Lynette was in my life, and for some reason he felt that he had something to prove to her.

I also wanted the evening to be a success, so I pulled out my entire arsenal of recipes. I prepared a salad with three different kinds of lettuce, carrot slivers, Parmesan cheese, tomatoes, olives, and my own secret sweet-and-tangy salad dressing. For the main course, we were to dine on stuffed chicken Parmesan with homemade marinara sauce and angel-hair pasta. And for dessert, a specially prepared tiramisu.

Lynette and Jonathan arrived just as I was putting the finishing touches on dinner. Travis answered the door to my home, looking fine as ever in a thick black turtleneck and dress slacks. I gave him a smile of encouragement, and he seemed to relax a little.

“Lynette and Jonathan! Come on in,” said Travis.

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