"The Marriage List" by Jean C. Joachim (Contemporary Romance)

Genre:  Contemporary Romance

Summary:  Can happily ever after start with a list? Grey Andrews thinks so. After ten years of working, saving and investing, Grey finally achieved a level of wealth that allows him to do what he wants with his life. He needs a woman to share it with, but not any woman, the perfect woman. A woman who has the three essential qualities on his marriage list. But after three years of searching he isn’t any closer to finding her than he was when he started out.

Carrie Tucker, an aspiring mystery writer and divorcée struggling to make it in the world of advertising, turned her focus from men to her career after dating too many creeps and losers. She’s finally earned her big break, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to become the first female creative director in a hot New York ad agency. So what if it means working nights and weekends? It’s not like she has a social life anyway.

Is the marriage list a failure or will a chance meeting at a fiction-writing conference prove the list to be the key to Grey’s happiness after all?

Excerpt:

Her palms were sweaty, her heart was beating rapidly and her mouth went dry. Carrie was about to face her first pitch on her mystery book to an editor and she was scared, scared shitless. She entered the small room set aside from the rest of the writer’s conference for editors to meet with writers. A short man in shirtsleeves and wearing non-descript, brown horned-rim glasses sat behind a desk. He must be Paul Marcel, editor for Rocky Cliffs Press.

Carrie straightened her skirt and made sure her blouse was slightly unbuttoned but not too revealing. She picked up her manuscript and synopsis and walked in, feeling anything but confident. She sat down across from him and smiled.

He smiled back and looked down at a printed sheet. “You’re Carrie Tucker?”

She nodded.

“Tell me about your book,” he said, sitting back, folding his hands together behind his head, watching her.

Just as she was about to open her mouth, a man strode into the room.

“Paul! Wait. We need you in the conference room,” the man said.

“I’m just about to hear a pitch, Grey, can’t it wait?”

“Sorry, John is only here for an hour and if you want that loan…”

Paul looked at Carrie and smiled again.

“Miss Tucker…Carrie, I’m sorry but we’re going to have to reschedule this pitch. I have a meeting with an investor I can’t put off,” he said, looking down at the papers in his hand, “I have your contact info here. I’ll get in touch to reschedule.”

With that, Paul marched out of the room with the man he called “Grey” right behind him. Carrie stood up and put her hand on Grey’s arm.

“Hey! You ruined my opportunity to get my novel published! I’ve been waiting six months for the chance to see Paul Marcel,” she shot at him.

Grey turned. His gaze swept over her hair, eyes and figure making her feel slightly naked and yet warm at the same time. She stared back boldly at the handsome man with a dazzling smile and an impeccable gray suit, noticing how snugly his suit fitted his trim physique

“Give it to me,” he said, reaching for her manuscript, “I’ll make sure he reads it.”

Before she could move, snatched the manuscript out of her hand and walked quickly out of the room. She trailed along behind him, trying to speak, but soon he was lost in the crowd.  

What happened here? Where’s my manuscript and who was that guy?

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