Chocolate Aftertaste
Liz Grace Davis
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…
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.
Sounds like a great story. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds interesting. Thanks for letting us know about it.
ReplyDeleteI agree. This sounds like a great read.
ReplyDeleteWow, this sounds like an amazing read!
ReplyDeleteExcerpt is awesome.
ReplyDeleteNice excerpt! Sounds like a really good read.
ReplyDeleteMelissa, you're wonderful for featuring Chocolate Aftertaste. I appreciate it. Thanks everyone for stopping by.
ReplyDelete