He’d seemed sophisticated and worldly. She wanted to believe he was what he appeared to be.
Now, sitting across from him at the table in Sam’s, everything and nothing had changed.
Sam’s was trapped in a time warp. By contrast her feelings today were light years from those she’d had at that dinner so many years ago. Could she believe again? Or had she been deluded then and only seeing the truth now?
The memory of him on the floor, covered in spaghetti and sauce, intruded. She blanked it out.
After they’d ordered, he raised a glass. Cabernet Sauvignon. He was pushing all the buttons.
“To us and a bright future,” he said.
She sipped but her expression must have conveyed her concern.
“Loosen up, why don’tcha,” he said, with a touch of irritation. She wondered if the wine, in addition to the beer or beers previously, was a good idea.
“I don’t understand. Tell me what’s happened. Did you get a job?”
“A job?” He scowled. “No one is going to pay me what I’m worth. No, I have something better. A partner.”
“A partner? A partner in what?”
“Hey. You never support my ideas, so you’re going to have to wait until I’m ready to tell you. In the meantime, this is all you need to know.” With that, he pulled a piece of paper from his wallet and handed it to her. “Here.”
She unfolded it. It was a deposit slip from their bank. The amount listed was $25,000.00.
Her mouth dropped open. “How?”
He smirked. “I told you to trust me.”
She wanted to, she really did.
She forced a smile. “I trust you,” she lied, willing herself to believe it.
The salad came and she stabbed the green leaves with her fork. She’d lost her appetite, but was determined to make a decent showing. She’d be a good sport. She’d go along.
She couldn’t help wondering what it would cost this time around.
HOLLY
When she saw Amy, she gasped. Mike slipped his arm around her and she leaned into him.
“Oh Mike, I’m so scared.” He hugged her.
She’d been expecting the monitors, IVs and ventilator but they still made her girl look helpless and vulnerable.
Amy’s face had cuts from the broken window shards. Her left arm was in a cast, and there were bandages on her torso due to the broken rib. A tube ran from her head where they’d inserted the shunt thing to monitor her brain swelling.
She wanted to hold her but she was afraid she’d pull something out or hurt her daughter even more.
“Why did this have to happen! Why did she have to go out? I told her to wait.”
“It was an accident,” Mike said. “A horrible accident.”
“What about the guy who ran into them? Why did he run? Maybe if he’d stayed…”
The damage had already been done, whether the driver stayed or not. Holly knew that, but she had so much anger inside and no one to blame.
“It’s illegal to leave an accident, especially when someone has been hurt,” she said.
“What about that other girl? Did she have her baby? How is she?” Mike asked.
“She’s better than Amy. Why isn’t she in a coma too?”
“Amy was hit directly. The other car smashed into the Amy’s side at an angle. It’s a miracle she wasn’t killed.”
“We don’t know for sure yet. Maybe she has been killed. Maybe she won’t come out of this coma. Maybe it won’t keep her brain from swelling. It’s not like she’s safe,” Holly said, fighting the images in her mind. Mike, so close, so available, was starting to look like a handy target for her frustration and anger. “She might be dead right now only we don’t know it!”
He steered her away from the bed and into a corner. “Holly,” he said, with the calm, rational tone he used when talking to their five-year-old. She usually appreciated it but now it had the effect of nails on a chalkboard. Didn’t he care? Wasn’t he angry? She glared at him, but before she could say another word, he cut her off. “I know you’re upset, but Amy might be able to hear everything. Do you understand?” He had his hands on her shoulders and his eyes on hers. “It’s possible that she can hear everything. She can’t respond, she can’t explain, but if she can hear you it’s going to upset her. You have to be strong for her sake. She’s going to come out of this, and we have to do all we can to help her. We have to think of Amy.”
Holly sank into the chair, stunned. “You’re right,” she said, defeated. The anger drained away, leaving the residual fear that she’d been trying to avoid. “We have to think of Amy,” she repeated. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have, I don’t know why I…”
“I know,” he said.
Amy was fighting for her life and she needed to be as brave as her daughter. She could do something. She could be by Amy’s side, encouraging her, talking to her, being there for her until she came out of this thing.
And she’d come out of it.
She would.
Holly was not going to accept any other outcome.
CHAPTER TEN
CAROLE
Carole opened her door and paused. Get ready house, she thought. You’re about to become a real home. She’d picked up a few things on her way. Necessities. Baby clothes, a bassinet, a ridiculously oversized huggable teddy bear. This would be the best time imaginable if not for the terrible situation facing Amy. There was a very real possibility that Holly and Mike could lose their daughter.
Her phone rang. It was Leah.
She couldn’t wait to tell her.
“Leah, I’m so glad you called. I have the most exciting news about Anne and Hannah, you won’t believe it,” she said.
“Who are Anne and Hannah?”
Carole explained. “And they’re coming to live with me in a few days,” she finished.
“That’s wonderful,” Leah said. “I can’t believe it, could you have ever imagined? I’m so happy for you!”
“Oh me too. I can’t wait.” Carole said. “I’m just not sure how I’m going to tell mother.”
“Don’t even think about it right now,” Leah said. “Take some time to enjoy this news. There’s plenty of time to tell Marie and you’ll figure out how to do it.”
“I almost forgot - you called me,” she said. “Do you have news?”
“I do. I have to make another appointment with the doctor,” Leah said.
Carole held her breath. No. No. Not now that things were going so right for her. Leah didn’t let her hang for long before she finished her sentence.
“… For a checkup NEXT YEAR. I’m on an annual schedule now! No sign of the cancer.”
Thank God, Carole thought. No cancer. Maybe things were finally turning around for the Clark sisters.
MALLORY
I was back in my hospital room, staring at the ceiling.
So much had happened it was hard to believe it had only been a few days.
If you had told me a week ago I was going to live in a real house again with my baby girl, I never would have believed it. If you had told me my best friend might die, I would have called you a liar.
So much to process. So much to do. I couldn’t think about it right now.
Tomorrow, I thought. Tomorrow is another day.
And for the first time in my life, I felt like I could make it.
—<>—
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thanks to my friends Barb (B.J. Daniels), Christine, Wayne and others (you know who you are) who never doubted this time would come. Thanks to those I’ve asked to read bits and pieces over the years, who gave feedback, support and encouragement. More recently, thanks to Kathy,
whose comments and suggestions on this manuscript were invaluable, and Christine.
Also, thanks to my medical friends, like Wendy B, who helped me get the details straight.
And my daughters Caty and Jennifer who refrained from rolling their eyes (at least in my presence) when I told them for the millionth time I was going to actually finish the book this year.
Any mistakes you find are my own and not those of the people who gave me their time and shared their knowledge.
ABOUT LONE PINE
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about Holly, Natalie, Leah, Carole and Anne as much as I’ve enjoyed writing about them.
This is only the beginning…
Although I am very fond of them, that’s not going to stop me from plunging them into some dangerous, exciting and deadly adventures. While Lone Pine looks like a sleepy rural town, you know that where there are people, there are always complications. When five resourceful women tackle a problem, heaven help anyone who tries to get in their way.
Be the first to know about the upcoming books, get background information straight from my files and get answers for questions you might not have even known you had!
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I love reading, and there is nothing better than a good story, as far as I’m concerned. My life-long dream has been to write and publish novels, ever since I was in grade school, where I tried my hand at writing mysteries like Nancy Drew.
There is always mystery in my stories and I have just the women to handle the intrigue. Holly, Natalie, Leah, Carole and Anne are more than just characters to me, they’ve become friends. Friends with lives that are complicated, joyful, heartbreaking and hopeful. In other words, people we know and love.
But that doesn’t mean I’m letting them off the hook. Oh, no, I have plenty of devious plans for my prettys.
No worries, though. If you have any doubt about whether these ladies can handle it, just stay tuned. To keep up with the latest news and get notified of new books in the Lone Pine Series, be sure to sign up for my free newsletter on my website, LynnKinnamanWriter.com
I am so glad you will be joining me on this adventure. It’s always more fun when you can share it with friends!
ABOUT “PAYING FORWARD”
While Anne, Carole, Holly, Leah and Natalie are fictitious products of my imagination, people like them live in every town. You probably know one, or maybe even all five, of them.
Mallory’s situation, living secretly in a church, was inspired by a rumor I’d heard many years ago about kids living in a school attic in Bozeman. The National Alliance to End Homelessness estimates 50,000 young people are living on the streets, although the exact numbers are unconfirmed.
Carole’s not alone caring for her mom. More than 42 million Americans provide family caregiving for an adult who needs help with daily activities, and another 61 million provide at least some care during the year, according to a survey by the AARP. One in 8 Americans are part of the sandwich generation, caring for elderly family members and raising children simultaneously, according to the Pew Research Center.
Marie’s mental illness, or some variety of it, is shared by over 11 million people, based on a survey of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The book I mentioned, Will I Ever Be Good Enough?: Healing the Daughters of Narcissistic Mothers, is real, by author Karyl McBride. I found it very helpful and recommend it.
Leah’s bout with breast cancer is similar to that of 1 in 8 women who will experience breast cancer at some point in their lives.
As Holly watches over her comatose daughter, an estimated 1.7 million people sustain a traumatic brain injury (TBI) every year, with motor vehicle accidents being the second leading cause behind falls, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Natalie’s husband Brone is an alcoholic, a disease affecting 15% of the people (labeled as “problem drinkers”) in the United States, as reported by the National Institutes of Health. The lifetime risk of alcohol related disorders is greater than 20% for men, based on research from the University of California in San Diego.
And yet real people, like my fictional characters, find the strength to face their challenges in their friends and their faith, and still manage to pay it forward and change lives.
Paying Forward (The Lone Pine Series) Page 8
