Chasing Destiny Read Online Free Page A

perfect engagement ring for the perfect woman. After meticulously inspecting countless possibilities, he stumbled upon one that he somehow must have overlooked. It was flawless and unique, just like Cassie, and he couldn’t help but smile when he imagined how stunning it was going to look on her hand.
    He arrived back at his apartment just before dark and started packing for his long awaited trip back home to New Orleans. He was utterly euphoric. He couldn’t believe he would be boarding a flight the following morning and would soon be holding his future fiancé . He walked to the kitchen, grabbed himself a beer, and sat down on his couch. He couldn’t turn his mind off, constantly replaying different scenarios of where and how he would propose. Maybe he would plan a picnic over the weekend and hide the ring in the basket, or propose a toast at the beginning of Thanksgiving dinner in front of their families and friends, or because he was so excited, maybe he’d drop down on one knee at the airport the following morning when she picked him up.
    Suddenly, he was interrupted from his scheming trance by the sound of his phone ringing; it was his best friend Tanner.
    “Hey bro—I heard the good news. Congratulations on your presentation! I guess since you’re this big-time New York City architect , you forgot to call your best friend to tell him personally!”
    Jacob traced a bit of sarcasm in Tanner’s voice and shook his head. They always did enjoy giving each other a hard time. “Thanks man! Look—I meant to call you first thing this morning, but I had something really important I had to do.”
    “Oh lord—let me guess… Donald Trump heard about your presentation and has an idea for a new hotel that he wants you design!”
    “No, smartass! Actually I was out shopping… for an engagement ring for Cassie. I think I’m going to ask her to marry me this weekend.” There were a few seconds of silence and Jacob thought for a moment that his cell phone had lost its network connection. “You still there?”
    “Oh boy”, Tanner softly replied. “ Giving you hell for not calling about your big day yesterday was only part of the reason I called. Look bro, there’s something you need to know about Cassie.”
    Jacob’s heart began pounding violently in his chest. He was almost afraid to hear what Tanner was about to say next and judging by the change in his tone, he assumed Tanner’s news wasn’t going to be good. “Ok, I’m listening”, he mumbled hesitantly.
    “Emily and I were both at Cassie’s apartment earlier today. She brought some of her books with her, hoping Cassie would be able to help her with some microbiology homework. Anyway, about halfway through, Emily’s pen ran out of ink and Cassie told me if I looked in the top drawer of her nightstand, I would find some pens. So I opened the drawer and found the pens… and I… couldn’t help but notice a paper with the Denver Therapy Institute letterhead on it.”
    “ C’mon man! I can’t believe you were snooping around in her drawers!”
    “ It wasn’t snooping! I was not snooping! The letter was there staring back at me. Anybody in that situation would have picked it up and looked at it!”
    Jacob pinched the bridge of his nose and clenched his eyes shut. He could feel his brain pulsating, throbbing in unison with his rapid heartbeat. “Alright… Well, what did it say?”
    “She got in man—they accepted her into the program. It said they needed confirmation by the first of December in order to secure her spot. Did she mention anything about it to you?”
    Jacob was stunned. “No… no, she never said anything.”
    “Look bro, I know you guys have big plans for her to move to New York and all—but that’s a huge honor. The letter was post-dated on the fifteenth of October, which means she’s known about this for at least five or six weeks. I’m guessing she’s probably turned it down to be with you.”
    Jacob was speechless. How could