Love in Jeopardy

Chapter 1

As Taryn Johnson made her way toward the restaurant to meet her friend Kim for brunch, she realized that she was a few minutes late. She hated being late. She hoped her friend wouldn't mind waiting for her. They had recently begun meeting for brunch on Sundays. Kim owned the art gallery where Taryn showed her paintings. They had become close friends after Taryn's first exhibition at the gallery the previous year. Kim enjoyed working with Taryn because of her easy-going nature and breath-taking talent.

Once Taryn entered the restaurant, she spotted her friend sitting at a table. Kim wasn't alone, however. Two men were also with her.

Trying to conceal her surprise, Taryn smiled and greeted Kim.

"There you are!" Kim exclaimed, giving Taryn a quick hug.

"Sorry I'm late," Taryn said, taking the only empty seat next to her friend. She tried not to feel flustered as she smiled shyly at the two men seated at the table.

"I hope you don't mind, but my boyfriend wanted to join us," Kim said, gesturing toward an attractive blond gentleman seated to her right.

"You must be Charlie," Taryn noted, reaching across the table and shaking his hand. "Kim has told me lots about you."

Charlie was an accountant and did the books for the gallery. He and Kim had been dating for the past month. Taryn had been hearing a lot about him.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Taryn," Charlie said, pushing his glasses up on his nose. He was cute in a bookish sort of way. Taryn could see why Kim was so taken with him. They made a cute couple.

Gesturing toward the man seated on her left, Kim said, "Taryn, I wanted you to meet Charlie's best friend, Gideon Bishop."

Turning her gaze toward Gideon, Taryn felt her breath catch in her throat. Gideon had deep blue eyes, sharp cheek bones, and black hair cut stylishly short. He looked like he kept himself in good shape and his eyes were very expressive. She found herself mesmerized by them.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," he said, reaching to shake her hand. His grip was firm and Taryn felt a warmth spread up her arm.

"Likewise," she muttered, hoping she wasn't blushing too much. She wished Kim had warned her about bring male guests. She felt dowdy in her denim skirt and red sweater. She hadn't put much effort into her appearance since she had been up late painting the night before.

"Charlie and I wanted to introduce our friends to each other," Kim explained, noticing the look Taryn was giving her. Taryn nodded, trying to figure out what Kim had planned.

After ordering coffee, everyone looked at their menus. Taryn secretly stole a look at Gideon, noticing his slender fingers and wishing she could sketch them. It wasn't often that she felt compelled to sketch a stranger, but there was something about Gideon that made her want to capture his image.

"I've seen your work at the gallery and it's amazing," Charlie said kindly, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Thank you," Taryn replied humbly, hoping the topic of conversation would change soon. She wasn't used to being the center of attention and it made her uncomfortable.

"Taryn is having her own show again this year," Kim added, smiling at her boyfriend. "The exhibition should be well worth the wait."

Blushing, Taryn tried to hide her face behind her menu. She was already feeling nervous about the exhibition. Now she had to get through brunch, as well.

"So, Gideon, what do you do?" Taryn asked, looking shyly at him.

Making eye contact with her, Gideon replied, "I'm a lawyer."