hair all mussed and no face on yet, and figured it must be an emergency. It’s a good thing I’m nosy because she needs my advice, not yours, Pete.”
Then Mrs. Norene turned to her. “Trust me, sweetie. You can’t outrun the press. Running will just make you look guilty.”
“I am guilty,” Clarissa said, making the point yet again.
“Long time ago,” Lester said. And Mrs. Norene said, “Exactly. Plus, you leave that Jed and he’ll be heartbroken again. You don’t want that.”
She didn’t. “But if I stay, you have no idea…”
“I know you’re one of us now. We help our own.”
The bell over the diner door jingled, and Jed ran into the diner looking like the hounds of hell were on his heels. He spied her across the way and visibly relaxed.
“We need to talk,” he said, and she said, “Yes, we do.”
“Should’ve put your face on,” Mrs. Norene said.
Jed shot Mrs. Norene a confused look, and Clarissa didn’t bother to explain.
“You want to do this here?” He asked, looking pointedly around the diner. It wasn’t crowded, but everyone there was fixated on the scene playing out before them. Fortunately, no one had broken out a camera phone.
“Kitchen,” she said tilting her head away from the dining area.
“Bummer,” Mrs. Norene said, but she turned back to her french toast smiling.
And then Jed said “Never mind. I’d planned on something different, but this is good enough,” which surprised Clarissa because what on earth was he talking about?
Only then he knelt on the floor of the diner and said, “Clarissa Dye, I know you’re thinking about leaving because my fool lawyer said some fool thing to Bev who was foolish enough to repeat it to you, but I need you to listen. I love you. I will always love you. I think you are the strongest woman I know, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want you to be my wife and Mack’s Momma. I want to grow old with you and pray with you every day and fight with you over silly things like what color to paint the nursery or which music to play on the radio. I know some of our roads ahead might be tough, but I also know with you, those roads will be a whole lot easier. Knowing you’re willing to leave right now because you’re worried about hurting us makes me love you more and proves to me more than anything else you’re supposed to be my wife. Clarissa, will you marry me?”
Joy unlike anything she’d ever felt before filled Clarissa’s heart. Around her the diner had fallen into complete silence, and she knew they all were waiting. She also knew there was only one answer.
She threw her arms around Jed’s neck and buried her face there. “I love you, Jed Dillon,” she said through sobs. “Yes, Yes I will be your wife.”
And the whole diner cheered.
Will the Van Neys go through with the petition? Will Bethany return? What about the other Dillons? Look for more Triple Eight stories by Mary Beth Lee, coming soon.
About the Author
Mary Beth Lee is a student media adviser in Texas where she lives with her husband. She earned her BA and MA in English from Midwestern State University.
You can find her online at http://marybethlee.com and http://marybethlee.wordpress.com and follow her on twitter @marybethleeybnp.
Grace is Enough Excerpt
Some secrets can destroy a family. In Grace is Enough sisters Cass Deason and Anna Turner learn the secrets they think they're hiding aren't the worst ones of all. They also learn that God's forgiveness is there waiting. All they have to do is accept it. An inspirational romance by Mary Beth Lee. Enjoy this excerpt.
“Momma, Justine stole a cookie.”
“Momma, Delia colored all over my homework.”
“Momma, Dani’s stuck in the slide.”
Anna Turner wished for just this once that someone else named Momma lived in the house. And then she almost cried. Because someone else named Momma did live in the house. She just wouldn’t get out of bed.
Running a frustrated hand through her cropped blonde hair, Anna counted to ten and blew out a breath as she started down the back steps to see what had her girls in such an uproar.
Stuck in the slide sounded worst.
She hit the door and heard the commotion at the same time.
There, stuck between the first two steps on the wooden swing set ladder, baby Dani smiled, her toddler legs, one shoe on, one off, dangling from the backyard slide. The Chihuahua, Killer,