At her pre-wedding dinner, Nora Darkin, the daughter of a wealthy entrepreneur, discovers her fiancé is not the man she thought he was. As her father hoists his glass to toast them, she makes an announcement: there will be no wedding to her father's right-hand man.Due to the fresh rift driven between her and her father, Nora escapes to the quaint town of Dreara. Determined to live her life her own way, she makes new friends and pursues her lifelong desire of becoming a chef. Ethan Danes, a neighbour with his own broken heart, helps soothe hers.
Just as Nora discovers what it means to be happy, and she begins to fall in love with Ethan, a woman from his past re-enters his life…
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Excerpt
Nora turned her attention back to the reality in front of her. She hated arguments; sometimes she wished she could hide somewhere, just wait them out. Unfortunately, life was not like that. She lifted her eyes to meet Liam’s. The ice in his eyes had not melted. She dropped her gaze. Instead of flirting with her appetite, the large marinated tiger prawns made her stomach queasy, and the oriental noodles looked like neglected yarn left out in the rain. From the way he dissected his steak, Liam’s appetite was just fine. She gritted her teeth as his knife scraped the porcelain plate. Unable to bear the silence between them, she leaned forward and whispered, “I hate it when you ignore me.” “What do you want me to say?” He chewed the last of his food and waved for the waiter. “We’re done.” The waiter nodded and scuttled over to remove their plates. When the waiter was out of earshot, Nora hissed through clenched teeth, “I wasn’t done.” Liam took a swig of water, probably wishing it were something stronger. “You didn’t look like you were hungry.” “Stop treating me like a child,” she snapped. “Stop acting like one.” Nora’s cheeks heated. She contained her anger with difficulty. “That’s really insensitive.” “What do you want from me, Nora?” A vein pulsed in his neck. “What exactly do you want me to say?” “Say you want me to be happy.” Her eyes brimmed. “Don’t ask me to get rid of my best friend.” He loosened his tie—and then slammed his fist on the table, knocking over Nora’s glass of water. The silver stream raced straight for her lap. The waiter appeared as if from nowhere to replace the white tablecloth with a new one. Nora forced a smile and whispered an apology. The waiter nodded, and a minute later he left. Ignoring the curious looks they got from the other diners, she dabbed at the moisture on her black jeans. “You can’t always explode every time I refuse to do what you want.” Liam ignored her. “Ask to pay. I want to leave.” Nora flinched, but abided. Paying wasn’t so bad—so long as it was fair. On their first and second date, he paid. On their third and a few more after that, they went Dutch. After one year, he asked her to pay for an occasional meal until it became an unspoken arrangement between them. The only thing Liam had paid for himself in three years was her engagement ring. |
About the Author:Liz Grace Davis grew up in Angola, Namibia, South Africa and Germany. She now lives with her husband in Vienna, Austria.
Growing up, Liz spent most her days in libraries, diving into the world of books. In her spare time she reads a lot, travels, creates jewelry and designs digital scrapbooks. That's of course when she's not weaving stories. She's in her element whenever she is doing anything that requires creativity.
Liz is the author of a young adult fantasy novel, Tangi's Teardrops, and a romantic women's fiction novel, Chocolate Aftertaste.
Arianne, I thank you so much for featuring Chocolate Aftertaste. I'm very grateful. Liz
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