TUESDAY TALES - THE MARRIAGE LIST

 This is an excerpt from my new Thanksgiving novella, The Marriage List, scheduled to appear by November 1. Hope you enjoy it. Here is a sneak peek at the cover:

     

Envy burned in Grey Andrews’ chest as he walked through the door at Blondie’s the sports bar on West 79^th Street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. His three best buddies had it all, great jobs and great wives while at 30 years old, Grey was still working night and day, saving every penny and sleeping alone…most nights. Tonight he faced the challenge of listening to them brag without letting the smile slip off his face.

The bar was beginning to get noisy with baseball games on three TVs and rowdy laughter escalating. . Grey wondered when it would be his turn for happiness. He got a table and downed a drink before his friends arrived.

He perused the room for eligible women. There were a couple at the bar, talking to each other, looking pretty hot. Later, he’d try to drum up some action. One looked over at him and smiled. Her blonde hair and ample chest made it hard for him to turn his gaze back to the door, where Will was entering, followed by Spence.

Grey raised his hand in greeting to his buddies as they made their way to his table. They met at the bar quarterly for a couple of beers and dinner. Though they were eight years out of college, when they were together it was like old times hanging at the fraternity. Practically inseparable in college, they called themselves the “Four Horsemen”. When Bobby arrived, they motioned to the waitress for another pitcher of beer.

Grey, the only unmarried one, wanted to hear how married life was treating his friends. Although he wasn’t in love or even dating one woman exclusively, he was thinking about taking the plunge himself…time to start looking for Ms. Right. Grey was a planner.

He spent eight years working sixty hour weeks to achieve success; his job at an investment firm kept him busy watching his clients’ money and his own. He survived on practically nothing, rooming with four guys squeezed into a two bedroom apartment and invested every penny he earned. He and his roommate worked out a sex schedule, planned ahead a month, that was fair to both. They agreed: no girls sleep over. Sexual encounters took place at the girls’ digs on nights when Grey didn’t have his room to himself.

He mastered the art of the cheap date: picnics in Central Park, free concerts, trips to the Bronx Zoo on free entry days, long walks. Grey wooed his women on as few dollars as possible, saving every cent. He planned to become rich and he enjoyed watching his money grow, multiplying at a rapid rate.

But four times a year, he splurged on a night out with the guys at Blondie’s, and so it wasn’t a total loss, he’d often pick up a woman at the bar afterwards. Tonight would be different. Grey was on a mission, gathering data, information, formulating his next plan, one for wedded bliss.  After two pitchers of beer, tongues started to loosen up.

Grey didn’t hear what he expected. Before coming, he steeled himself to listen to enough bragging to make a strong stomach retch, but it never materialized. Instead his friends complained about their wives, the shortcoming of their seemingly perfect wives lacked and exactly what they were missing. His frustrated pals killed his taste for the women at the bar and the discovery of their dissatisfaction caused Grey to wonder if married life was a good idea for him after all.

Click HERE to go back to Tuesday Tales.

If you like great stories about love and passion, try Now and Forever 1, a Love Story.  
A little about the book:
Now and Forever 1, a Love Story is about Callie's Richards, a young woman who's known tragedy, and her journey back to a fulfilling life. After losing the love of her life, she meets Mac Caldwell, a handsome dean at Kensington State University. Can they build a life together after facing hardship and loss? You'll cheer with her triumphs and empathize with her setbacks when you read this emotional story.
 Review from The Pen & Muse:
"Joachim brings in the romance we all know and love. A romance where love conquers all and can withstand just about anything. I loved Mac and Callie’s story about their hardship and their courage to continue. I loved the interaction between Callie and Mac’s son. From start to finish you are rooting for these characters and don’t want to put the book down. Joachim always writes great stories of love and passion. Stories like these teach us that love is stronger than anything else. Those who love contemporary romance will love this book!"
To see review click Pen & Muse 
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