About The Book
Derek
Wellington had his life set. He was born into wealth, graduated with
honors from Harvard Law, and, since high school, knew he would marry the
beautiful Morgan LaRue. …but somewhere along the way, everything he
thought he knew about himself, about Morgan, and even about life itself will
boggle his mind, and catapult him into a world of betrayal, deception, and
confusion. Somewhere in this darkness, he must search for The Light to find his
way out of a maze that, if he fails, will destroy his heart and soul forever.
Praise for Jagged Edges
“Jagged
Edges is definitely an easy reader and page turner.”
“From the prologue to the last chapter, Doris grabbed
my heart, mind, and soul with her masterful storytelling”
Meet the Author
Doris
H. Dancy is an accomplished and award-winning educator, speaker, writing
consultant, playwright, wife, mother and now author. Her life’s focus has been
educating our youth in an appreciation of both the written and spoken word. She
received her BA Degree in English
from North Carolina Central University in
Durham, North Carolina and began a teaching career in both English and Spanish.
She was graduated from Hampton University with a MA in English Education
and eventually became Chairperson of the English Department, English Teacher
Specialist, and later Curriculum Leader of English K-12 for Hampton City Public
Schools.
Teaching and supervising were both rewarding careers, and each
taught her a different level and focus of professionalism and commitment. As
the Curriculum Leader, along with many other responsibilities, she developed
and provided staff development for a writing program that guaranteed student
achievement.
~A
Prologue~
~The
breaking of dawn is the best keeper of secrets I know; it has a pact with the
close of day. At sun’s first peek, the confidence is safe, and one has no
evidence at all how altered life might be by eventide~
The library at the university is quiet except for
multiple pages turning and a stupid unnecessary clock facing me. I might just
waste a star wish to get that annoying thing smashed. I’d do it myself, but I’d
get caught, and be a greater disappointment to my parents than Ruff who still
can’t sit up, roll over, or even bark like a real dog. I sigh. Deal with the
clock, Arianna. You’re twenty-four years
old, already have your MBA in Fashion Management and Entrepreneurship and
almost ready to start your own Fashion House for goodness sakes. All you have
to do is complete this little research, and you’re on your own. You’re not five.
Anyway, you have far more important things to think about at 8:15 on this
lonely Friday night, like how to meet that gorgeous guy sitting at the table
across from you.
I sit back in my chair and just stare at him,
counting how many times he glances up and quickly looks back at his work. He is
doing a very poor job of pretending he hasn’t noticed that I’m staring at him.
He’s on his eighth under eyed glance at me when he puts his laptop down, folds
his hands, sits back, looks straight at me with a smirk, and holds the stare. I
smile what I think is my very best smile. Let the games begin! After a minute
and a half of staring, I’m just getting comfortable, and there is no way I’m
giving up. He begins packing up his things slowly. Still staring, never glancing
down to see what he’s doing, he meticulously places his laptop in his black
leather attaché case. I can tell he is purposefully taking his time, and for
some strange reason, his deliberate movements, to me, are extremely sensual. I almost have to break my stare
when I think to myself: any man that sexy
ought to be locked up and the key thrown away. He leaves his case on the
table, returns two books to a nearby shelf all the while looking into my
staring eyes, and then he brings his fine self over to me.
He pulls out the chair that faces me without saying a
word, turns it backwards, and tries to stifle his grin from becoming a full
face all teeth showing spectacle. Of course, he’s far too cool for that.
“OK, you’ve been staring at me for the last ten minutes
so I thought I would just come over and ask if I have spinach in my teeth or a
booger up my nose.” I laugh. He smiles.
“What if I say both?” I grin, cupping my hand under
my chin and looking directly into his brown bedroom eyes.
“Well, I’ll know that’s not true,” he taunts
matter-of-factly.
“And how would you know that?” I question cynically. This man is about to make my heart jump out
of my body.
“Simple.” “Simple?” “Yeah, simple. It’s a trick
question.” He rocks back in the chair. “I didn’t have
spinach today.” We both laugh as quietly as we can
since we are somewhat aware that we are in a library, and there are a few
people still pretending to study on a Friday night.
“Well, to be quite honest with you, umm...Peter?
Ah...Paul?” I lift one eyebrow and continue. “...Mary?” He gives me a closed
mouth smile, and plays around his mouth with his thumb and index finger.
“Well, definitely not Mary. Derek. Derek Wellington.”
For the first time in my life I hear the sexiness in that baritone voice of his
that will drive me insane for years to come.
“Well, to be quite honest with you...Derek, Derek
Wellington, your hair caught my attention.
“My hair?” I bite my bottom lip to cover my grin, and
nod my head yes. “Yes, your hair...and
definitely your eyes too,” I say with mocked
seriousness... “and then there’s that mouth,” I giggle.
“Oh, is that good or bad?” he chuckles. “Oh, that’s real good,” I admit with a flirtatious
grin.
“Good. Good,” he nods in mock approval. “So, you... this beautiful woman
sitting here toying with me, you are... Gracie?”
“No, not even close,” I laugh.
I opt here for a more serious tone. My hazel eyes, my
windows to the soul, touch his. “My name is Arianna...Arianna Channing.”
“Ah, a beautiful name for a lovely lady.” “Well thank
you kind sir.” I bat my eyes playfully. “You are quite welcome, my lady.” And
then he does something totally unexpected. He
reaches across the table, takes my hand in his, and slowly brings it to his
beautiful lips. That is how it all started with Attorney Derek Chase
Wellington, III and me.
I would say that we had a whirlwind summer romance.
We were inseparable. Both of us were taking a break of sorts before starting
full force into our careers. Derek had studied for the Bar, passed it, and in
September would join a private law firm in Virginia. I had completed my studies
in Fashion Management and Entrepreneurship in New York City, and studied an
additional two years in Paris. Coincidentally, I was also moving to Virginia,
after the summer, to start my own Channing
Fashion House, the first one in the Tidewater area.
Our connection, from its inception, has that magic
touch...that something special; however, there is this one thing that tears our
bond, interferes with our solidarity, and will forever puzzle me. Throughout
this disappointment, I am honest with myself. Common sense and life’s
experiences have taught me that it will be impossible to know the essence of
the truth surrounding a very deep, but damaged, relationship in Derek’s past,
but that is not my issue.
From the inception of our brief courtship and after
we marry, Derek and I are always completely honest with each other...we trust
each other explicitly, or so I am led to believe. That is what makes my
discovery so perplexing... so hurtful and a huge issue for me. The mystifying thing, now that the
real truth irradiates, is that my friend, my boyfriend, my fiancée, my lover,
my husband never mentions Morgan Shay LaRue to me. Not once, that I can
remember, does he ever even call her name.
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