Read the first chapter of His Perfect Wife.
Latonya McPherson took a sip of her virgin strawberry daiquiri. Her friends were late. As usual. Tonya settled back into the plush mustard cushions, glad they’d chosen The Hanging Garden Restaurant for their bi-weekly girls’ night out. Something about being surrounded by hanging plants gave her a sense of peace.
She checked the emails on her company phone, scanning to see which ones looked urgent. Tonya paused at an email flagged as important, its subject in all caps. She skim-read it and sighed.
Her client, Ray Blackburn, had forgotten to send over the payroll file for fifty employees. Her team would have to prepare manual checks for the employees to receive their pay on time. She forwarded the email to one of her supervisors. She needed to meet with Ray. At least twice a month, he forgot to submit a file on time, which resulted in additional work for her team.
“Oh no,” Peyton Green snatched the phone out of her hand. “This is a no-working zone.” Peyton dropped Tonya’s phone into her bag and slid into the chair to her right. Her friend didn’t seem to notice that several of the male patrons’ heads had swiveled in her direction. And why not?
Peyton was gorgeous, with her bronze skin and high cheekbones. Especially when dressed to attract attention, as she was now in a bold magenta jumpsuit and an afro wig.
“Yes, well,” Tonya took another sip. “I wouldn’t have to work if you guys showed up on time.”
Peyton rolled her eyes. “And we would have been on time if I hadn’t had to convince Miss Thing here she had to come.”
Tonya turned to Cassandra Pageant, who’d taken the seat to her left. “You weren’t planning to come. Why?”
“Yes.” Cassie tugged on the long sleeves of her black dress. “No. Maybe.”
Her friend had straightened her coils and swept them away from her classically beautiful face in a neat chignon. Cassie’s eyes dropped to the table.
“It’s a school night.” Cassie shrugged. “I wanted to get to bed early.”
Cassie was a kindergarten teacher at a local elementary school. She was the one who insisted that she needed a break and adult conversation. Tonya exchanged looks with Peyton, who looked as confused as she was.
The whole reason they had these Monday night outings was to beat the doldrums. It gave them something to look forward to as they fought the Monday morning blues.
“Is everything alright?” Tonya rested a hand on Cassie’s.
Cassie’s phone vibrated. “I’m fine.” Cassie slid her hand away to fiddle with her phone.
Tonya stifled a twinge of hurt. What was so urgent on her phone that it needed immediate attention? Cassie’s fingers flew over the keypad.
“Who are you texting?” asked Tonya.
“Barrington. He likes to know where I am.”
Tonya quirked a brow. They had barely settled in. Surely he couldn’t have missed her already?
After a few more texts, Cassie rested the phone on the table, fingers hovering over the screen. “Let’s order,” she said with a tight smile.
Tonya frowned but waved to get the attention of their server. Cassie’s mood threw a pall over the table. Tonya forced herself to smile brightly.
“So, what’s going on?” she asked, glancing between the two women.
Peyton gave Tonya a sly smile. “We missed you at church last week.”
She’d been expecting this. “Why? Did something happen?” Tonya schooled her voice to sound casual.
“Girl, as if you didn’t know.”
Their church was hosting a month-long series on deepening your relationship with God. They had attended each of the programs together, except the last one.
“We had a guest speaker.” Peyton leaned closer to Tonya and whispered. “And girl, he is fine.”
Peyton leaned back in the chair. “I’m surprised you weren’t there.”
The guest speaker was the reason she hadn’t been at church. Tonya had seen his name on the program and made other plans. She had tried to convince her friends to go with her, but they’d wanted to attend the service at Ebenezer.
“I still don’t understand why you didn’t come.” Peyton folded her arms across her chest. “We’ve attended every other program together and thought for sure you’d be at this one as well. Especially since Barrington came to church and Cassie had to sit with him.”
Tonya frowned. “Why didn’t the three of you sit together?”
Cassie shifted in her chair and tapped the screen of her phone. “Barrington wanted to sit closer to the front, so that’s what we did.”
Tonya turned to Peyton, who lifted her hands. “Don’t look at me. You know I’m not going to the front. Can’t take all those eyes on me.”
Tonya snorted. “Maybe if you went to church earlier, people wouldn’t stare at you when you entered.”
Especially since Peyton dressed for church like a model on assignment. It was one reason they sat near the center of the sanctuary. Peyton could slip in through the side door and into their pew without attracting too much attention.
“I demand an explanation,” said Peyton. “Why did you stand me up?”
Peyton’s voice was playful, but she wanted an answer. The server’s appearance gave her a reprieve from explaining. The women gave their orders and handed back their menus.
“I went to Hope Church.” Tonya ran her finger through the condensation on her glass. “The message was interesting.” And she didn’t have to spend an hour staring at Malcolm Hall Jr., wondering if he thought about her as much as she thought about him.
Cassie and Peyton didn’t know Tonya’s history with Mac. She’d started attending Ebenezer Church to get away from the sympathy of her congregation after the relationship with Mac had ended.
“You missed something. That man can preach and, as I said, eye candy.” Peyton gave Cassie a side eye and grinned. “Well, since you don’t date and Cass is in a relationship, I call dibs.”
“You can’t call dibs on a person,” said Cassie in a soft voice.
“Sure, you can. I just did,” said Peyton. “Let me do it again, dibs.” Peyton enunciated the last word until it sounded almost robotic.
“How are you going to date someone who doesn’t live in Orange Valley?” asked Cassie.
Peyton smirked. “He’s a member of our conference, isn’t he? I’m sure he’ll be speaking at other churches. All I have to do is show up where he’s going to be speaking.” She shrugged. “If he sees me enough times, he’ll realize we’re destined to be together.”
Tonya rolled her eyes. “That sounds a little desperate.”
“My life is a rom-com,” said Peyton. “I’m just waiting for my leading man to show up.”
“You’re welcome to him,” said Tonya in a tone she hoped sounded unruffled. Malcolm Hall Jr. had walked away from her. She would not go chasing after him. Delete Created with Sketch.
Tonya studied Cassie’s face. Her friend had been subdued all evening, barely contributing to the conversation. Her attention had returned repeatedly to her phone.
Peyton had gone to the restroom to floss and brush her teeth before they left the restaurant. Their friend was obsessed with oral hygiene, using the bathroom after every meal, but they’d gotten used to her quirk.
Usually, Tonya and Cassie would have offered to go with Peyton, though Peyton always declined their offer. With Peyton gone, Tonya hoped to pry the reason for Cassie’s silence out of her. She stared at her friend in concern.
“Are you sure everything’s okay?”
Cassie gave Tonya a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “I’m fine. Why do you keep asking?”
“I don’t know,” Tonya tilted her head. “Maybe because you barely spoke all evening.” She counted the points off on her fingers. “You hardly touched your food.”
Cassie had spent more time turning over her salad than eating it.
“You didn’t plan to come tonight when you were the one who insisted on Monday nights. And you’re wearing a dress that looks like something my mother would wear.”
Besides, she’d spent so much time texting Barrington, it would have been easier if he’d been sitting at the table with them.
Tonya scanned the parts of Cassie she could see. It was a beautiful dress, but the black sequinned number was more suited to a formal evening than their semi-casual night out.
“Barrington bought me this dress. He wanted me to wear it tonight.”
Tonya cocked her head. “Since when does Barrington tell you what to wear?”
“Look, Tonya.” Cassie tugged down the sleeves of her dress. “I don’t expect the girl who’s perpetually single to understand, but sometimes when you’re in a relationship, you make choices with the other person in mind.”
Tonya jerked at Cassie’s harsh words. The words and tone were so uncharacteristic of her friend that she didn’t know how to respond. Cassie began rearranging the items on the table, something she did when agitated.
“Cassie—”
Tonya grabbed her friend’s arm to stop her. Cassie winced. Tonya frowned. She had not grabbed her that hard. A sick thought occurred to her and she tightened her grip on Cassie’s. She used her other hand to push up Cassie’s sleeves. Dark red bruises covered her friend’s arm.
Tears sprang to her eyes. “What happened?”
Cassie jerked her arm away and tugged her sleeve down. “Nothing.” She averted her gaze. “I bumped into a door.”
Tonya stared at Cassie in disbelief. Her friend was one of the least clumsy people she knew. Besides, even if Cassie had bumped into a door, why were the marks shaped like fingerprints?
Thanks for checking out Mac and Tonya’s story!
His Perfect Wife (Orange Valley Book 2)
Table of Contents
He broke her heart once. Can she trust him to piece it back together?
Tonya McPherson thought Malcolm Hall was her forever—until the day he walked away without looking back. Four years later, she’s rebuilt her life, convincing herself she’s moved on. But when Malcolm returns to Orange Valley as the new youth pastor at her church, the past crashes into her present, and the man who left her behind is now everywhere she turns.
Malcolm never stopped loving Tonya, but answering God’s call meant making the hardest choice of his life. Now, he’s back—not just to serve, but to fight for the woman he should have never lost. Winning back her trust will take more than an apology. It will take faith, patience, and a love that refuses to give up.
But old wounds cut deep, and forgiveness isn’t easy—especially when Tonya’s heart isn’t the only one at risk. With past mistakes and unspoken truths standing between them, will they find the courage to let go of the hurt and embrace the love that was always meant to be?
A heart-wrenching and faith-filled second-chance romance about love, redemption, and God’s perfect timing.
Tropes: Second-Chance Romance, Prodigal Hero, Forced Proximity, Small-Town Drama, He Falls First, Church Community, Love That Never Faded.
His Perfect Wife is a Christian contemporary romance with strong faith themes. It is the prequel to a completed series.
