Meet Tara Mason from LOVE, LOST & FOUND - Part 2

This is a continuation of our first post about Tara Mason, heroine of Love, Lost & Found. 

 While attending a journalism conference, she discovered her fiance, Paul, was cheating on her and now she's on her way from Philadelphia to New York to confront him. On the two hour train ride back to New York City, anger boiled up in Tara’s chest. Sadness crept into the back of her mind as she kept hoping there was a logical explanation. Breaking up didn’t feel like an option, yet she couldn’t see a way around it. If Paul was cheating, then she’d leave him …and be alone.

She felt a squeeze on her heart, like a strong hand, killing her slowly. Paul and her job were her life for the past two years. Her job…she smacked her forehead. She’d quit to write a book review column for Paul’s company. Oh, God, Al, will you take me back? She erased those thoughts from her mind and tried to sleep on the train, but sleep wouldn’t come.

Before long she was in a taxi headed to the Gotham Arms hotel. At the front desk she marched up to the clerk and asked for Paul. The desk clerk asked her who he should say was calling and the only name coming to mind was Wanda Ferguson, Paul's assistant.

“Room 512, fifth floor, turn right, the end of the hall,” he said, after talking to Paul.

Tara couldn’t breathe for a moment.  She turned and walked to the elevator as thoughts of all the ways she could kill Wanda raced through her mind. When the elevator doors closed, Tara smiled an evil smile, imagining Paul’s face when he opened the door, expecting Wanda. She hurried down the hall to arrive before he had a chance to open the door, see her first and hide.

Her hand shook as she made a fist and knocked on the door.

“Hey, Baby…” Paul said as he opened the door, dressed in only boxers.

“Hey yourself…” Tara responded, frowning.

Paul stood, speechless, staring.

“Tara…what are you doing here?”

“Nice greeting for the woman you sent a text to. You told me to meet you here, Paul.”

            “I did?”

            “Un huh. That picture I texted…the…uh…sexy one? That was from me, not Wanda, Paul.”

            “Oh my God,” he said, staggering back and sinking down onto the bed.

            With trembling fingers, Tara yanked the engagement ring off her finger. She walked up to him and slapped him across the face as hard as she could and placed the ring on the dresser before leaving.

            “Tara, baby…”

            She kept walking, holding back tears with all her strength.

            “Honey, I’m sorry…it’s a mistake…please,”

            “Yeah, a big mistake…and I almost made it.”

  to be continued...
            Love, Lost & Found to be released, September 25, 2012 
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