Linda W. Yezak – Real Life Romance – Part 1 of 2

Shannon here: Romantic Women’s Fiction author, Linda W. Yezak shares insight into her real life romance & a chance to win a copy of her latest release, The Cat Lady’s Secret. Comment on any post dated June  4 – 6 to enter the drawing. Deadline: June 14th, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s Linda:

H&R Block and Birthday Surprises
My birthday is February 11. You’d think that would be a special date to the man who says he loves me, wouldn’t you? The man who said, “I want to date you for the rest of our lives,” as he slipped the engagement ring on my finger. The man who, after just a few years of marriage, realized his W-2s and other awaited tax forms arrived just in time for my birthday.
The man who started using my birthday as the marker point to make an appointment with H&R Block.
By the time this first happened, around twenty years ago, I’d already been trained to get excited about my birthday. The man knew how to make me feel special on my special day. But that one time, he told me he had all the paperwork he needed and asked me to make an appointment. The only time they had open was February 11, at 10 a.m. I grabbed it.
That Monday, Mom called. “What are y’all doing for your birthday?”
“It lands in the middle of the week, so we’re hitting the tax office.”
“Well, don’t you have other plans? Surely he’s going to do something special for you.”
If he was, he hadn’t uttered a word to me.
Wednesday rolled around. We got our taxes done, allowed a few minutes of giddiness over the nice return we could expect, then he winked at me. “It’s your birthday! Ready to go celebrate?”
Boy was I ever! I hated doing taxes. Still do.
That afternoon, Mom called. “So? Did you do anything for your birthday?”
“We went out for lunch.”
“Oh, that’s nice! Where did you go?”
“Sonic.”
Which I guess was all right. I mean—it was lunch, after all. Not really the most romantic of meal times. Not like breakfast in bed or a candlelight dinner. And I do love their foot-long hot dogs.
Thursday brought another call from Mom. She was still a bit ticked at my man’s insensitivity.
“It’s fine, Mom, really. He gave me the sweetest card!”
“How sweet.” She doesn’t get sarcastic often, but when she does, it oozes from every pore. “Between the two dollar card and the three dollar lunch, he got off real easy, didn’t he?”
Just a side note here: Mom still takes credit for picking my husband out for me.
Billy and I met in church early in the year, then I went on an incredible and highly unusual dating spree, when I sometimes juggled three boyfriends at a time. By September, the romance whirlwind died without a proposal, and I became convinced there was something wrong with me.
Sweet Mama to the rescue! “Why don’t you call Billy?”
By November we were married.
Which is why her being so upset with him surprised me. But I had to admit being upset too. He’d gone through the rest of Wednesday and all of Thursday thinking he’d done his best for me for my birthday.
Friday morning, he asked, “Are you packed yet?”
Packed?
“Yeah, we’re going on a little weekend get-away.”
To Jefferson, the most romantic town in Texas. B&Bs, quaint shops, intimate restaurants. Beautiful scenery.
All that and a whopper of a refund check to boot.
About Linda: Linda W. Yezak lives with her husband and three cats in a forest in east Texas, where tall tales abound and exaggeration is an art form. She holds a BA in English and a graduate certificate in Paralegal Studies. Thirty years later, she’s finally putting her degree in English to good use, combining it with her natural inclination toward story-telling to create fun, unique novels.
Her publications include Give the Lady a Ride, a 2008 ACFW Genesis finalist and a 2012 Carol Finalist, as well as a 2011 Grace Award Winner. Her new release, The Cat Lady’s Secret, was a Genesis finalist in 2010. She was a contributing author for 31 Devotions for Writers, and coauthor with agent Terry Burns of Writing in Obedience.
She has served as a freelance editor for several years. Her editing experience includes work for other small presses and small magazines, as well as serving as an editorial assistant to a popular literary agent. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Women’s Fiction Writers Association, and Christian PEN (Proofreaders and Editors Network). Learn more and connect: 

Twitter: @LindaYezak     https://www.facebook.com/GivetheLadyaRide         https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindawyezak

https://www.goodreads.com/LindaYezak           Newsletter:  http://dld.bz/drt5t

Blogs: 777 Peppermint Place: http://lindayezak.com                 http://authorculture.blogspot.com

About the book – The Cat Lady’s Secret:  Emily Taylor loves to help people, loves to ease their burdens and make their dreams come true. But when a conman ruins her reputation, she discovers that helping others is safer and easier from behind the scenes. When one of Emily’s gifts captures the attention of an avid journalist, her identity as the town’s anonymous benefactor-and her renewed relationship with her high school sweetheart-are threatened. As her private life begins to unravel, she realizes the one hope for regaining control lies behind prison walls.

Come back June 6th for Linda’s Story Behind the Story!