“Let him speak now or forever hold his peace.” “Does anyone have an objection?” The pastor smiles and scans the small crowd in the Tulsa Fellowship Church. I see none of these things twinkling in my mom’s crystal blue eyes. Signs of “Hey, what am I thinking? I don’t want Jacob Ralph Finley to be my daughter’s new stepdad.” Did she? I check her face for signs of revulsion, signs of doubt. Ralph? My new stepdad’s middle name is Ralph? Okay, do we need one more red flag here? My mom is marrying this guy, and I didn’t even know his middle name. I like to look at things on the bright side, but the only positive thing about this frock is that I’ll never have to wear it again.

The hideous shoes that match my hideous maid-of-honor dress. Standing by my mother’s side as she marries the man who is so not my dad, I suppress a sigh and try to wiggle my toes in these hideous shoes. One year ago my mom got traded in for a newer model. Though she had dreams of a red convertible, she helped pay for my college instead and proudly drove a green four-door Ford. She was shopping trips, long talks, sugar cookies, outrageous laughter, and chicken and dumplings. She taught me so much, but mostly taught my brother and me that our tails had better be in a pew on Sundays. She was my family, but most importantly, she was my friend. This book is dedicated to my grandmother, Mildred Jones Griffin.

All characters are fictional, and any similarity to people living or dead is purely coincidental. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Publisher’s Note: This novel is a work of fiction. Thomas Nelson, Inc., titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of Thomas Nelson, Inc. Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means-electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other-except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

A charmed life by jenny b jones