The Referral Program: A Novel - Softcover

Ray, Shamara

Softcover

ISBN 10: 159309695X ISBN 13: 9781593096953

Verlag: Strebor, 2023

Inhaltsangabe

From the bestselling author of Recipe for Love and You Might Just Get Burned comes a funny, sexy, and modern romantic comedy about friendship, dating, and discovering love where you least expect it.

Dylan, Ivy, and Brooke are successful, brilliant, confident, and beautiful. And yet, they find themselves in their mid-thirties and very single. Tired of searching for her Mr. Right and finding only Mr. Wrongs, Dylan comes up with a plan to solve all of their single-lady woes.

The plan is simple: Each friend will refer men they already know who would make perfect partners but just aren’t right for them. The ladies must then navigate the ups and downs of dating their friends’ referrals in the hopes of finding the One. But will they actually each find their perfect match, or will the plan cause fractures between them and the men they’ve referred—or worse, among each other?

Witty, sexy, and filled with relatable dating drama, The Referral Program is perfect for fans of romantic comedies and Black love stories. This heartfelt and entertaining novel will make you want to delete your dating apps and ask your friends if they’ve known your perfect Mr. Right all along.

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Shamara Ray is a graduate of Syracuse University. She is the author of Recipe for Love, Close Quarters, You Might Just Get Burned, Rituals for Love, and Cater to You. Ray has a penchant for the culinary arts and enjoys entertaining friends and family in her North Carolina home. Learn more at her website ShamaraRay.com.

Auszug. © Genehmigter Nachdruck. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

Five Years Ago, Christmas Day FIVE YEARS AGO, CHRISTMAS DAY
Dylan and Ace were spending the holidays with her family. She had been looking forward to this particular Christmas because she was convinced it was going to be the day he finally proposed. Ace had been hinting for weeks that he was looking for the perfect gift for her, one that would last a lifetime. He had called her father a couple of times and even asked her mother about Dylan’s taste in jewelry. Her entire family was coming to dinner—aunts, uncles, cousins… She made sure her hair, outfit, and makeup were picture perfect. She talked to her girls nonstop the day before as they tried to calm her nerves.

As Dylan and Ace drove to her parents’ house, she talked incessantly, her nerves getting the best of her. She didn’t notice how quiet Ace was on the drive over. What did register, just barely, was the constant vibrating of his cell phone. Dylan assumed they were the customary Merry Christmas text messages that people bombarded one another’s phones with on the holiday. He parked in the driveway and told her he would be inside in a minute; he needed to return a call. Dylan floated into the house to greet her family.

A half hour passed before Ace finally came in. Dylan met him at the door intending to introduce him to any family members he didn’t already know. When she grabbed him by the arm, his body was rigid. She halted and looked up at him. Ace averted his eyes.

“Is everything okay?” Dylan asked.

He nodded. “Yeah. Where are your parents?”

“They’re in the kitchen.”

Ace pulled away from Dylan and went toward the kitchen, leaving her standing in the living room. She was baffled by his demeanor but brushed it off. She resumed socializing with her family and basking in the holiday spirit. After fifteen minutes or so, just as Dylan was about to go into the kitchen to find out what was keeping Ace, he entered the living room with her dad. Her father patted him on the back and nodded to whatever they were discussing. Ace joined Dylan on the sofa.

“I thought my mom put you to work in the kitchen.”

He laughed but it rang hollow.

“What were you guys talking about in there?” she asked.

For the second time, he looked away. “The holidays and the new year.”

Dylan’s heart skipped a beat. She felt this was the moment. Ace was going to propose. She told herself to be still. They chatted with each other until dinner was served. During dinner they were pulled into other conversations with different family members. Dylan couldn’t wait until it was time to open gifts. She knew that was when he would pop the question.

Finally, her family congregated around the tree. Gifts were exchanged, carols were sung, and still she waited. Dylan told herself the special moment would take place during dessert and cordials. She was convinced Ace wanted to present her with a ring after everyone else had opened their gifts. A proposal deserved everyone’s attention.

Her family finished dessert and still nothing. Dylan wondered when it would happen. She started to question whether he was waiting for them to be alone. The time passed painfully slow. She was no longer enjoying the festivities. Instead, she was obsessing over the proposal. Dylan was relieved when it finally got late enough for them to bid everyone farewell and head home for the evening.

The car ride to her house was quiet. Ace pulled into the driveway. Dylan reached for the door and paused when she realized the car was idling.

“Aren’t you coming in?” she asked, puzzled that Ace hadn’t put the car in park and turned off the ignition.

“No, I’m going to head home tonight,” he replied sullenly.

“You are?”

“Yeah, I’ll be by in the morning.”

“Is everything all right?” Dylan felt a pit in her stomach. “What’s going on?”

“I’ll be by tomorrow.”

Dylan reluctantly opened the car door. She hesitated, waiting for Ace to give her a kiss. He stared straight ahead, gripping the steering wheel. She stepped from the car, closed the door, and watched him back out of the driveway.

Dylan went into the house and immediately wanted to call her girls. She refrained because she still wasn’t sure what exactly had happened and wasn’t in the mood to tell them that she hadn’t gotten a ring. Dylan went to bed on Christmas night alone and confused. Ace hadn’t called to say he got home safely or to even say goodnight. She spent the night wondering why he hadn’t proposed to her. She didn’t sleep a wink.

The next morning, Dylan sat at the kitchen table having a cup of coffee. She heard the front door opening. Immediately, she felt nervous. Ace’s footsteps approached. Her eyes were fixed on the entryway as he came in.

Dylan pounced. “What’s going on, Ace?”

He sat across from her at the table. “I love you, Dylan.”

“I know that.” She regarded him warily.

“I’ve been thinking about a lot lately.”

“Such as?”

“My future.”

“Your future? Not our future?”

He continued undeterred. “I’ve been thinking about my future a lot lately and weighing some things.”

“What kind of things?”

“I thought I was ready, Dylan.” He faltered. “But, I’m not.”

“Ready for what?” Dylan felt her nervousness fading and morphing into a different emotion.

“I wanted to be…”

“What aren’t you ready for, Ace?” she demanded.

“This is not easy.” He stared at his hands.

“Just say it.”

“You deserve more than I can give you.”

“That’s all you got?” she asked, her voice raised. “That I deserve more? Where is this coming from?”

“I’ve been thinking a lot lately.”

“You said that.”

“I know. I’m trying to find the right words.”

“At this point I’ll settle for any words that make sense.”

“I realized this is not what I want right now. I’m not ready for marriage and a family. Maybe I’m being selfish, but you should be with someone who wants the same things that you do.”

“This is out of left field. I don’t even know how to process this.”

“I know it seems sudden, and that’s one hundred percent my fault—”

“You’re damn right.”

“But I have been feeling this way for some time.”

“Why now?”

“You deserve to know how I feel.”

“Why now?”

“Because I know what you were expecting.”

Dylan scoffed. “You know what I was expecting,” she mimicked. “Were you going to ask me to marry you?”

Silence hung over them like a storm cloud. Dylan stared at Ace. He kept his gaze on the table.

“I said, were you going to ask me to marry you?” she repeated.

He nodded. “I was.”

“What changed?” Dylan fought back the tears that were threatening to spill over.

“I don’t want to do this.”

“What does that mean, Ace?”

“I told you that it’s me.”

“I’m not disputing that. It is you. But I want to know what...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Strebor
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2023
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 159309695X
• ISBN 13: 9781593096953
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 288
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Simon and Schuster Netherlands BV; info@simonandschuster.nl; ; Herculesplein 96; Utrecht; 3584 AA; Niederlande