âSince we barely know each other, I think we need to allow each other an escape clause.â
âWhat do you mean?â A gamut of perplexing emotions flooded through Tanner. One minute Jordana was talking about being true and how hard her parents had worked at making their marriage work, now she was negotiating an escape clause?
âWhat I mean is we hardly know each other and weâre talking about taking a step that people who have known each other for years agonize over. Think about it ⦠what if we get married and we end up being incompatible?â
Honey, you and I are way too compatible. Thatâs what got us into this situation. He almost had to bite his tongue to keep himself from speaking his thoughts.
Dear Reader,
I love quotes. It started back when I was a kid and my mother shared the âPrayer of Serenityâ to help me keep life in perspective. Now, I have it taped to my computer and refer to it daily.
Another favorite is from Voltaire: âPerfect is the enemy of very good.â It helps when Iâm struggling to let go of something ⦠say, a book Iâm writing. I remember Voltaireâs words and realize it will never be perfect, because nothing is perfect.
Jordana Fortune, this bookâs heroine, wouldâve benefitted from Voltaireâs advice. In her quest for perfectionâbeing the perfect daughter, cultivating the perfect life, finding perfect loveâshe almost misses out on living. That is, until fate blows her into the arms of Tanner Redmond and turns her belief system upside down.
Along their journey, Tanner and Jordana realize the most perfect kind of love is imperfect; it encourages a person to be themself and knows that even on those very human bad days thereâs a safe haven in unconditional love.
Please drop me a line at [email protected] and let me know what you think of the story or share your favorite quotes.
Warmly,
Nancy
Award-winning author NANCY ROBARDS THOMPSON is a sister, wife and mother who has lived the majority of her life south of the Mason-Dixon line. As the oldest sibling, she reveled in her ability to make her brother laugh at inappropriate moments, and she soon learned she could get away with it by proclaiming âWhat? I wasnât doing anything.â Itâs no wonder that upon graduating from college with a degree in journalism, she discovered that reporting âjust the factsâ bored her silly. Since hanging up her press pass to write novels full-time, critics have deemed her books âfunny, smart and observant.â She loves chocolate, champagne, cats and art (though not necessarily in that order). When sheâs not writing, she enjoys spending time with her family, reading, hiking and doing yoga.
This book is dedicated to talented ladies I worked with on this continuity: Karen Templeton, Marie Ferrarella, Judy Duarte, Susan Crosby and Allison Leigh.
Thanks for making this such a fun journey! Also, Sarah McDaniel Dyer, for your great editing eye; and Gail Chasan and Susan Litman, because youâre fabulous, fun and very wise.
December 30, 2011
âWhat in the world possessed your family to try and fly out in the middle of a storm like this?â As Tanner Redmond closed the door, shutting out the storm, his eyes shone with a certain tenderness that made Jordana Fortuneâs pulse quicken. Despite having every reason to be angry with herâor at least at the situation sheâd put them inâhe didnât seem mad. In fact, as he crossed the room, wiping the rain off his face with both hands, he looked quite compassionate.
âIâve asked myself the same question at least a dozen times.â
He sat next to her on the worn couchâthe only piece of furniture in the dilapidated hunting lodge, where the storm had forced them to seek shelter, the place where sheâd dropped when her legs had given out after running for cover. Now, he was so close to her that their legs almost touched.
Almost.
But not quite.
Jordanaâs breath hitched and she fought her natural reflex to pull away, to reclaim her personal space. Sheâd met Tanner at her sisterâs wedding. The attraction had been instant. This evening, heâd stopped by the hotel to say goodbye.
Sheâd been so glad to see him.
The bad weather was the reason sheâd initially refused to accompany her parents to the airport, opting instead to catch a later flight from Red Rock back to Atlanta once the weather improved. From the start, sheâd had a bad feeling about the stormâno, more than a bad feeling. Sheâd been terrified. But sheâd quickly changed her plans once Tanner had arrived at the hotelâ¦.
It had been a very long time since sheâd met a man whoâd made her want to change her mind once it was set. But heâd been on his way to the airport to batten down the hatches of his company, Redmond Flight School. Sheâd asked if he would drop her at the airport. All trepidation about flying during the tornado watch was shoved aside. Just so she could have a few more minutes with him.