Forever Yours: Clean Slate Series

Forever Yours Annee Jones Contents Contents Copyright Dedication Cast of Characters Prologue Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Epilogue Reflection Questions Recipes More Books From Annee A Note from the Author About the Author Copyright FOREVER YOURS ©2021 Anne Kemerer Jones All Rights Reserved No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embedded in critical articles and reviews. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded, or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the author’s permission. This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale, or organizations is entirely coincidental. The author does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for third-party websites or their content. Cover Designer: Black Widow Books, V. McKevitt Editor: Redline Editing Scripture from the New International Version Recipes from The Denton Woman’s Club Cookbook Published in the United States of America Dedication To those who offered me the chance, you know who you are. Cast of Characters PEOPLE Callie Winthrop—Chicago PR consultant Frances Pembroke—“Aunt Fran,” Callie’s aunt, owner of Harbor Inn in Seaview, FL David Pembroke—Fran’s husband and Callie’s uncle (deceased) Arthur Winthrop—Callie’s father and owner of Winthrop Public Relations and Advertising Molly Winthrop—Callie’s mother (deceased) Hunter Sandstrom—Callie’s Chicago boyfriend, account executive at Winthrop PR Jackson Thorne—Tampa contractor Rob Thorne—Jackson’s brother Tracy Thorne—Jackson’s sister-in-law and Rob’s wife Bradley and Penny—Rob and Tracy’s children Michelle—Jackson’s former girlfriend Amberley Drake—Dallas weather reporter Benjamin Green—Atlanta math professor Tony Rizzoli—New Jersey salesman Margaret Evans—Ohio quilt shop owner Thelma Ward—CEO of Forever Yours matchmaking agency Sarah-Jane—Thelma’s assistant Doug Lambert—St. Petersburg, FL, police officer Deborah Bixby—Tennessee music teacher PETS Liza Minnelli—Thelma’s cat Levi—Fran and David’s Labrador retriever (deceased) Peanut Butter—Yorkipoo puppy Prologue CALLIE Callie smoothed the sleeve of her blue cocktail dress. The holiday office party was a success. Streamers and helium-filled balloons in gold and white decorated the expansive conference room of Winthrop Public Relations and Advertising. The event planner had the large mahogany table and accompanying leather chairs placed into temporary storage and brought in small, round dining tables with matching chairs covered in gold and white linens. Atop the confetti-strewn tables, candles flickered in crystal votive holders. Buffet tables were set up along one side of the room and currently held steaming trays of beef tenderloin, chicken au vin, scalloped potatoes, and braised asparagus. The smaller dessert buffet offered an assortment of the finest chocolate truffles, tortes, and shortbreads. Callie looked around the room at her colleagues and their significant others clad in festive, jewel-toned colors as they laughed and ate. She should be happy. This was her third year working for her father’s company since graduating from college with a degree in marketing and communications. As Arthur Winthrop often remarked, she was already doing well at making a name for herself in the business world. Yet, she couldn’t help but feel like something was missing. Her boyfriend, Hunter Sandstrom, was also part of the company and highly esteemed by her father. In fact, the men would often get together on weekends to join other associates for rounds of golf. Hunter was everything a girl could want—smart, successful, and good-looking. Always the perfect gentleman. He loved to call them Chicago’s next power couple. Wasn’t that a good thing? Callie’s smile wavered a little. What was wrong with her? Maybe she was just tired, having worked overtime again the night before on a project deadline. She sighed. Working overtime was certainly nothing new for her. She relished the weekends when she had time to give in to her passion for cooking and baking. She enjoyed experimenting with different flavor combinations and spices, loving the tactile sensations of kneading out dough or practicing her knife skills. A ‘silly little hobby,’ her father called it. However, Callie couldn’t help but look forward to the minute she could go into her kitchen and put on her favorite blue-and-white gingham apron. She was always careful to clean up thoroughly after herself, even though she had a regular weekly housekeeper at her father’s insistence. He reminded her that she was better off delegating such time-consuming chores so that she could devote herself to more worthwhile endeavors, like climbing the career ladder. Still, Callie felt terrible for the poor cleaning lady and didn’t want to cause her more hardship. Besides, she had to admit she actually enjoyed the hard work of scrubbing and liked the immediate satisfaction it brought from a job well done, but sometimes, she wondered whether all the money in the world would ever be worth the countless hours she spent staring at her computer screen. Callie’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of clinking glass. Hunter stood in the center of the room, calling for everyone’s attention. His dark gray Brooks Brothers suit showed off the body of the former football athlete and complimented his thick blond hair. “Ladies and gentlemen,” he smiled broadly, “may I have your attention, please.” His eyes roamed over the crowd before settling on her. What was going on? He hadn’t told her he would be making a speech tonight. “Callie, could you come up here and join me?” He gestured towards her, leaving her no real choice but to set her water glass on the closest table before winding her way toward him. He knew she really didn’t like to be the center of attention. As she walked past the rigid form of her father with his steel-gray hair and chiseled jaw, seated next to one of the company’s attorneys at the