Free Hello Hedonism by Desiree Day Page B

with you. Why did you stay with me so long?”
    “You’re a sweet lady.”
    “Obviously, you don’t do sweet,” she snapped.
    Gordon ignored her comment. He reached into his pocket for his wallet, he pulled out a slip of paper and handed it over to her.
    “What’s this?”
    “It’s for my portion of the wedding.”
    “You don’t have to do this. My parents and I will take care of it.”
    Gordon shook his head. “Please take it. You say that you don’t want it, then the next thing I know I’m standing in front of Judge Mathis.”
    “I won’t sue you!” Tawny protested.
    “Take it.”
    Tawny looked up at him, her eyes filling with tears. “So we’re over?” she choked out.
    “I’m sorry, but yeah.”
    “So now I have to call everybody and let them know the wedding is cancelled. Then I’ll need to call the caterer and the hotel. Oh hell, maybe I need to call them first…I can’t think right now.” She folded her arms on the steering wheel, then dropped her head and began sobbing into her arms.
    “I’m sorry Tawny,” he said weakly.
    She lifted her head. “Get out, get the fuck out of my car!” she screamed.

 
    CHAPTER 2
     
    Tawny clicked off her cell phone. “That was the last one,” she said shakily. She had spent the last week calling everybody to tell them about her cancelled wedding. “That was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, I don’t wish this on anybody.” People were pissed at her, their first question to her after she had announced the cancellation wasn’t about her well-being, but if she would compensate them for their cancelled trip. After informing them that she wouldn’t, they either cussed her out or hung up on her.
    Shawn, her best friend, hugged her. “Are you okay?”
    Tears spilled down Tawny’s cheeks. “No, I’m not. I still can’t believe Gordon did this to me.” It had been a week since Gordon had called off the wedding and everything after that was a blur. Her days were spent calling friends and relatives telling them about the cancelled wedding, disputing with vendors and returning engagement and early wedding gifts. The guest room where she was housing them was empty. All the gifts were gone.
    “He should be here helping you,” Shawn said. “Since he’s the one who created this mess.”
    Tawny swiped a hand across her face. “I asked him to, but he said he couldn’t be bothered with it. He said he was done.”
    “What an asshole.”
    “I know…but I keep calling that asshole ,” she admitted, embarrassed by her behavior.
    “Tawny!”
    “I can’t help it. He’s been such a big part of my life and I can’t let go. I was going to marry him, we were going to have a family.”
    “You’re chasing after something that doesn’t want to be caught…let it go,” she said firmly.
    “I will,” Tawny whispered.
    “You know that this wasn’t your fault, right?”
    Tawny pulled away from her friend. “He said that it was,” she said softly.
    “What are you talking about?”
    Tawny squeezed her eyes shut then reopened them. “He said that I was boring and predictable,” she said, forcing the words out.
    “That’s not true!” Shawn protested.
    “I kind of agree with him,” Tawny admitted. “I am a little bit boring.”
    “You’re not boring, just quiet and dependable.”
    “And I really don’t like spontaneity.”
    “You like to be prepared.”
    Tawny laughed. “You’re so sweet. You really know how to make me feel better and I appreciate it. But I do feel that there’s a little bit of truth to what he said. So I’ve been thinking. I’m going to trade in our honeymoon airline tickets.”
    “And go where?”
    Tawny hesitated before answering. Shawn had been her best friend since seventh grade and she knew that she wouldn’t judge her. “I want to go to Jamaica.”
    “Oh cool. That’ll be fun. Maybe I’ll come with you. I have some vacation time saved up. When will you be going? I’ll have to double-check my schedule at