The Winter Wedding

by Rhonda McKnight

  What did you think of Aunt Joe’s role in keeping Isaiah from Pastor Johnson?

  Stephen’s injury revealed a form of pride that he didn’t know he had. I originally named the character Stephen because I intended for him to be persecuted for his faith. Although he was in some respects, his character’s emotional reactions were based on the Job in scripture. Specifically, the revelation that Job was prideful found in chapters 38 and 42 of the Book of Job. Have you had a time in your life where God took you through the refiner’s fire and you discovered something about yourself that you didn’t know?

  Tamar’s father was a strong spiritual voice in the book. What was your favorite scene of his and why? Did he make you think about your own heart and situations in your life?

  Donna Pierce was messy. Stephen was firm with her, stating he was teaching her how to treat Tamar. What did you think of the decision he made to not allow his mother to be in the wedding until she made peace with his future wife?

  Scriptures On Healing

  “By your stripes I am healed,” – Isaiah 53:5.

  “Have compassion on me, Lord. I am weak. Heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony,” – Psalm 6:2.

  “God you heal all diseases, you redeem my life from the pit and crown me with love and compassion,” – Psalm 103:1-5.

  “You will restore health to me and heal my wounds,” – Jeremiah 30:17.

  “Lord, these bones can live,” Ezekiel 37:1-14.

  The Winter Reunion

  Everyone knows the woman in the famous ‘viral” video that hit two million views on YouTube. Humiliated, Tamar Johnson changed her name and disappeared behind the embarrassing video that captured her losing her virginity on prom night. But who was the guy?

  NFL Running Back Stephen Pierce is football’s darling. He’s spent his entire career doing community service work with at risk kids, and endeared fans as a devoted Christian, even claiming celibacy. It’s time for his high school reunion. Stephen is determined to get his EX, Tamar, to come out of hiding, even going as far as posting their prom picture on Instagram in hopes that she would accept the challenge to show up.

  Tamar isn’t interested in the reunion, but her boss is. She writes for a small magazine. Stephen Pierce is a big story. Tamar is going to the reunion whether she wants to or not.

  With reunion activity in full swing, tension between Tamar and Stephen reaches an unbearable high. Before it’s over will the world find out who the real Stephen Pierce is? Will Tamar survive spending time with the only man who’s ever had her heart?

  Chapter 1

  “You’re fired.”

  I frowned. “You can’t fire me.”

  “Actually, I can.” My boss, Eva Stanford, dropped into her chair. She folded her arms over each other on the desk. That position meant business. So did the steely glare in her eyes.

  “You can’t.” This time my voice held the question. Could she?

  “I’m the managing editor. I can fire whomever I want.”

  “But I have a contract.”

  “You sure do. Have you looked at it since you signed it? There’s a part in the legalese that says you have to do the stories that are assigned to you.”

  I hadn’t looked at my contract in years. I never had a reason to. I was happy doing the stories that came across my desk. I didn’t have aspirations of becoming some big time reporter. All I wanted to do was pay my bills and keep pecking at the novel I’d been revising for three years. But now paying my bills might become an issue.

  “I can’t do a story about Stephen Pierce. I don’t know anything about sports.”

  Eva picked up her cell phone and shoved it in my direction. “You may not know sports, but you know him. I’m pretty annoyed that you kept that from me.”

  I took the phone and looked down at an Instagram photo of myself and Stephen. The blood drained from my face. Pain constricted my heart. He was going to be the death of me. “This is my prom picture.”

  “That’s obvious.” Eva rolled her eyes. “One of the interns brought it to my attention. He recognized you.”

  I squinted at the picture. My head got light. I was glad I was sitting. “I can’t believe he posted this.”

  “He’s on his way to your reunion. I guess he’s feeling nostalgic.”

  I continued to stare at the picture – at him really. I hadn’t seen this picture in years. I didn’t even have my yearbook or any of the memorabilia anymore. My exasperated sigh filled the momentary quiet. “It’s not my reunion. It’s a thing they do. It’s for all classes.”

  “Small school stuff. I get it.” Eva unfolded her arms and pressed her back into her plush, leather chair. “You’re thirty, right? So it’s been eleven – twelve years since prom?”

  I nodded.

  “Did you go to this thing last year?”

  “I don’t go to my reunions.” I pushed the offending phone across the desk to her.

  Eva cocked her head. “I’m sure there’s a story there. Does it involve Pierce? Do you ever talk to him?”

  I fought hard to keep my face from telling my truth. “He was a prom date, Eva. It was a lifetime ago. I have no idea what he’s doing now.”

  Eva extended a manicured fingernail and tapped the screen. “Hmmm…the caption over his Instagram is evidence that he’s curious about what you’re doing. He put the same thing on Twitter.”

  I sighed again. I could tell by the look in her eyes that I was not getting out of this. I harnessed my irritation. “I can’t believe you’re going to make me do this. I haven’t been to Pine since I finished high school.”

  Eva reached for a lipstick-smeared, latte cup. “Stephen certainly seems to love it. It looks like he spends a lot of time there.”

  Easy for him to do. I resented that.

  “Do you have family there?” Eva probed.

  I shifted in my chair. “Some.”

  “They’ll be glad to see you.” She pushed the button to boot up her laptop. “People get old. They die. I can’t stand my family either, but I visit every few years or so.”

  I stood. The booting up of her laptop meant I was dismissed. “Eva –”

  “It’s settled, Anne. I need a good story. We’re going to run this for February. Try to find out if he’s dating someone. Something romantic for a Valentine feature.”

  I shook my head. “You know how private he is. He’s not going to tell me that.”

  Eva cocked an eyebrow. “I won’t push. You know what I need for a cover story.”

  I turned to leave the office.

  Eva called to me. “Any truth to that rumor about him? The one about the video.”

  I swallowed. “That old story?”

  “Nothing is really old. I’ll have to see if we can dig up that video. Ask him a question or two about it.”

  “Asking him about the video is not going to endear him to me. He really won’t talk to me then.”

  “You’re right, but you can ask. I know this isn’t what you normally do, so I’ll send you a few questions. You always ask the hard stuff after you get the easy stuff.”

  “I know how to do my job, Eva.”

  She lowered her eyeglasses and peered down her nose at me. “You’re acting like you don’t.”

  I resisted the urge to fight with her. She always won. “I need to take the afternoon off. I wasn’t planning to go, so I don’t have anything to wear.”

  “Fine. Expense it. Expense a trip to the hair salon, too. You need it. Donna has your itinerary and some other details.”

  I walked to the door, grabbed the handle, did a half turn and looked back at her. “I guess this is just as good a time as any to tell you this, because it’ll probably come out now that I’m going to the reunion.”

  A disconcerting look came over Eva’s face. “Spit it out.”

  “Anne Ferguson isn’t my real name.”

  About the Author

  Even as she earned degrees in Textile Tech
nology, Organizational Leadership and finally Adult Education, Rhonda McKnight’s love for books and desire to write stories was always in the back of her mind and in the forefront of her heart. Rhonda loves reading and writing stories that touch the heart of women through complex plots and interesting characters in crisis. She writes from the comfort of her Atlanta home with black tea, Lays potato chips and chocolate on hand. At her feet sits a snappy mixed breed toy dog. She can be reached at her website at www.RhondaMcknight and on social media at http://www.facebook.com/booksbyrhonda and www.twitter.com/rhondamcknight and www.BlackChristianReads.com where she has joined with nine other Christian fiction authors to introduce her stories to the world.

  www.BlackChristianReads.com