“What do you mean menus?” Gabby interrupted.
“It’s an all day event. So I have to start with brunch then we’ll do snacks all day and then dinner.” Aaron gave me a big squeeze and I nestled in.
“Do you want me to come over on Christmas Eve to help prepare?” Gabby took a sip of her cider.
“No, because you need to make sure all the desserts are ready.”
Jason’s phone rang, and we watched him dig it out of his pocket and glance at the screen.
“Is it her?” Gabby asked.
Jason nodded. “It’ll just be a second.”
“Is it who?” I asked as he answered the phone.
Gabby motioned for me to be quiet and then whispered, “We think we found his sister.”
I didn’t know much about Jason’s family other than he didn’t really seem to have much, if any. He’d been in the foster care system for most of his childhood and only recently began researching his past.
Jason walked toward the French doors and went out onto the patio. It was freezing outside with a chance of snow, and Jason only had a sweater on so I grabbed my throw blanket and threw it at Gabby to give to him outside.
“Are you serious? Did he have any idea that he had a sister?” I asked, completely bewildered.
“Not a clue,” Gabby said, grimacing. She grabbed the blanket and started walking toward the door. “He’s been able to slowly start piecing together his family. They are all over the place. He tracked down an aunt, and it started spiraling.”
“Tell him he can invite her.”
“I don’t know if he’d be ready for that,” Aaron said.
“Exactly,” Gabby agreed. “It’s all kind of new.”
“True and I guess he can always call her back if he wants,” I said, taking a gulp of the whipped cream as Gabby opened the door slowly and handed the blanket to Jason.
She gently shut the door and scurried back to the warmth of the fire. “I think it really is her.”
“That’s crazy,” I muttered, shaking my head.
A slight ache in my hip began radiating down my leg, and I shifted to change positions. I really was looking forward to when everything would be healed completely. If it would be healed completely.
The ache in my leg was getting worse so I stood up slowly to stretch it and noticed Jason pacing back and forth on the patio.
“Do you maybe want to go check on him?” I asked Aaron who craned his neck to see Jason rubbing his temples.
“Sure.”
I shook out my leg and slowly started making my way to the kitchen as Aaron went outside, flipping the patio heating on and pulling out a chair for Jason to sit on.
“You doing okay?” Gabby asked.
“Yeah. It just knots up sometimes.” And felt like my leg was on fire, I wanted to add. “I think the artichoke dip is ready.”
“Awesome. Let me help.” Gabby hopped up and got to the kitchen before I could even turn her down. She knew very well that I didn’t want people going out of their way for me or thinking I couldn’t handle things. But I had to admit the ache wasn’t making things very easy. She grabbed the set of potholders off the counter and took the dip out of the oven. The top was a beautiful golden brown and it smelled delicious.
“You can set it right here,” I said, pointing to the trivet.
I walked to the pantry and grabbed the crackers while Gabby began slicing the French bread.
“This smells phenomenal.”
“It does,” I agreed.
“Looks like Jason’s not on the phone anymore,” Gabby said, glancing through the window.
“Hope everything’s okay.”
“Me too.”
Gabby carried the steaming hot dip to the coffee table, and I followed with the slices of bread and crackers just as the guys were coming back inside.
“Everything okay?” Gabby asked.
Jason nodded and Aaron’s eyes connected with mine. Something was definitely bothering Jason and if I could pick up on it so could Gabby.
“Doesn’t seem like it,” she said softly, putting the tray down on the table.
“Meh. Doesn’t matter. I don’t know what I was expecting anyway. I don’t want to ruin what we’ve got going on here,” he said, plastering a smile on his face.
Aaron nodded and came by my side, whispering softly, “I saw you limping a little tonight. Don’t overdo it.”
I nodded and smiled at him, placing a soft kiss on the crook of his neck.
“Now, let’s dig in and hear your bright idea,” Jason said, scooping the dip on top of the cracker.
“We are going to track down Lily’s first love,” Gabby said, curling into Jason.
“Do you really think that’s a great idea?” Jason teased. “She hasn’t had the best track record.”
“That’s exactly why we need to do this. He was her first love, and in her eyes, he was perfection. If we can get them to meet and fireworks go off, it will be absolutely amazing,” I gushed.
“And if they meet and she can’t stand the toad he turned into then she can start living her life without always thinking about the what-ifs,” Gabby continued.
Aaron and Jason started laughing in between bites.
“Seriously. She was in love with him and it has colored everything,” I said, nibbling on a piece of the bread.
“I guess we’re lucky we weren’t toads,” Jason said.
“So where is this poor soul? Do you even know if he’s single?” Aaron asked.
“He’s in Utah and I have no idea if he’s single, but we devised a plan that should work flawlessly as long as you guys follow our rules,” I said.
“Really?” Aaron raised a brow. “And what are those?”
“The first one is to be ready to go to Utah after the holidays. We’re making it a ski trip so Lily shouldn’t catch on.”
“And the other rules?” Jason asked.
“There’s only one,” Gabby replied.
“And?” Jason said, the sparkle appearing in his eyes once more.
“Never ask questions,” she said.
“It will never be boring with you two, will it?” Aaron said, holding me tightly.
“Not as long as I can help it,” I said.
“Life’s too short not to make it interesting,” Gabby said. “Besides, we haven’t been on a vacation yet. We should make sure we’re compatible.”
“And if we’re not?” Jason asked, a smirk appearing on his lips.
Gabby just shrugged, smiling. “Beats me.”
“A toast to Utah and a life never dull,” Aaron said, grinning as he grabbed his mug full of eggnog.
“Utah it is,” I said, snuggling in to Aaron. “And to a life full of love.”
If only Lily would agree.
Hope you enjoyed the second book in the Beyond Love Series.
To follow Gabby, Brandy, and Lily, be on the lookout for BEYOND REASON!
Continue reading for the playlist, recipes, and excerpts from other Karice Bolton books.
Sweet Potato Casserole
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tbl orange juice
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup flour
1 cup pecans
3 lbs sweet potatoes, cubed
6 tablespoons butter
Preparations
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Mix 1/4 cup of the brown sugar, orange juice, vanilla, 1/2 teaspoon each of the cinnamon, and salt in large bowl. Add sweet potatoes; toss to coat well. Pour into 9x13-inch baking dish and place 2 tablespoons chopped butter on top. Cover with foil and bake for thirty minutes.
Remove from oven.
Mix flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and remaining spices in bowl. Cut in remaining butter until course crumbs form. Stir in pecans and crumble on top of sweet potato dish and bake uncovered for 20-30 minutes more, until sweet potatoes are tender.
Corn Pudding<
br />
1-15.25 ounce can whole kernel corn or fiesta corn
1 (15 ounce) can cream style corn
1 8.5 ounce package dry cornbread mix
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup cheddar, shredded
Preparations
Preheat oven to 350°
Grease a casserole dish. Mix together all ingredients and pour into casserole dish. Top with shredded cheddar and bake for 45 minutes or until knife comes out clean.
Herb and Garlic Mashed Potatoes
3 lbs white potatoes (red potatoes work well too)
½ stick of butter
1 Garlic and Herb Rondele Spreadable Cheese
Splash of milk for desired consistency
Boil potatoes until just tender. Drain and lightly mash potatoes. Add the butter, garlic and herb cheese, and splash of milk. Continue to mix until desired consistency is reached.
Pecan Pumpkin Pie
Prepare one shell piecrust and bake according to recipe.
Preheat Oven to 350°
Pumpkin Filling:
1 egg
1 cup pumpkin puree (canned or fresh)
1/3 cup Sugar
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cloves
1/8 tsp nutmeg
pinch of salt
Pecan Pie filling:
2 eggs
2/3 cup dark corn syrup
2 tbl butter (melted)
1 tbl vanilla
1 1/4 cup chopped pecans
Preparation:
In a bowl, combine egg, pumpkin, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt. Spread in already baked pie crust.
Next, prepare the pecan pie filling by lightly beating the two eggs. Stir in remaining ingredients and mix lightly.
Carefully spoon the pecan pie mixture on top of the pumpkin pie mixture. Bake 55 minutes; once filling is set on edge.
Cool before serving.
(Click for list)
I want to say a simple thank you to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and all of the other avenues available for the indie publishing world. It allows the art of storytelling to continue to flourish in unexpected ways!
Thank you also to:
Cover artist: Phatpuppy
Typography: BB Designs
Female model: Anya Kod
Male model: Steve Alario
Makeup/Hair artist: Nadya Rutman
Photography: Teresa Yeh
and Lauren D.
CHAPTER ONE
“Mom!” I hollered more for my benefit than hers.
I wasn’t in earshot yet, but I loved the way my voice carried into the wind off the sea. The constant sloshing of the waves guided me to the rocky beach where my mom was collecting her thoughts and anything else that might catch her fancy. It was a pleasant night with only the moon’s warm glow lighting my way on the very uneven path that weaved through the overgrown blackberries and tall beach grass. Doing my best to dodge the prick of the thorns, I carefully managed to stay on the trail. I didn’t need to be all scarred up for my upcoming celebrations.
This little stretch of beach was hard to get to and rarely frequented by anyone, which was why we loved it. The beach wasn’t what most people pictured when they thought of a beach. The beaches along Washington’s coast, more often than not, had tiny rocks and pebbles in place of sand and many boulders and downed logs that made for awfully fine seating, not places to spread out on a beach towel and soak up the rays.
The makeshift trail finally ended, allowing me to spot my mom’s pile of things. I hoped she was ready to leave. It was getting a little chilly, and I hadn’t prepared to be here long. We had a crockpot full of chili waiting for us both, but she wanted me to meet her here at our special spot, so she could tell me something. I had no idea what it was that she wanted to tell me, but since so much was going on in my life right now it could be about anything. I just graduated from high school. My eighteenth birthday was almost here. Our huge summer solstice celebration, Litha was fast approaching, along with the big event, my acceptance into the Witch Avenue Coven on the same day.
“Mom?” I yelled, as I trudged my way over to her bag, looking around the empty beach.
Only the crashing of waves answered.
I didn’t see her anywhere.
“Mom?” I tried again, batting down the worry that wanted to make its way into my consciousness.
Realizing my voice was no match for the roar of the waves, I started walking toward one of the larger boulders, in case she was sitting where I just couldn’t see her. The pebbles were loose, creating an extra treacherous journey since I was only in flip-flops. Poor planning on my part, but I didn’t think that I’d have to hunt her down. She could be sidetracked so easily.
Finally making it to the mammoth piece of black rock, I became annoyed when I saw she wasn’t there. I wasn’t in any way prepared to be marching up and down the beach looking for her. I grabbed my cellphone out of my pocket and dialed her number as I went back toward her pile of things to sit. Maybe I should stay put, and she’d return soon enough. As the phone rang on my end, I got closer to my mom’s pile and heard her bag ringing. Darn! She didn’t take it with her—odd. That was always a rule of hers when hiking or at the beach. We carried our phones with us at all times.
I squatted down to see what she brought with her, hoping an item might lead me in the right direction to find her. If she were gathering plants, then I’d know better where to go. I opened up her bag and panic set in immediately. The shirt she was wearing when she left our house was stuffed in her bag, wrapped around the shoes she was wearing. This made no sense. Her wallet and jewelry were in this bag. She wouldn’t just leave all this stuff for a stranger to steal. Something was wrong. Jumping up, the insides of the bag dispersed onto the beach, but I didn’t care.
“Mom!” I screamed, kicking off my flip-flops so that I could run up the hill closest to me.
Reaching the top of the hill, I scanned the grassy area quickly seeing nothing. Spinning around, I looked back toward the rocky beach. From this vantage point, I was able to see everything and nothing. My heart started pounding as I began dialing 9-1-1.
“911, what is your emergency?” The operator answered.
“My mom. She’s missing,” I cried into the phone, dread spreading everywhere.
“Calm down, ma’am. Where are you located?”
Calm down? I’m not hyper, just scared!
“I’m at the beach just off of Snoqualmie Avenue, down the trail,” I replied
“Is your mother in the water? How long has she been missing?”
“I don’t know!” I screamed into the phone. “Please just send help.”
Okay, now I’m panicking! I can’t calm down. My mom isn’t where she’s supposed to be.
“Ma’am, help is on the way. What is your name?”
“Triss,” I replied, as I ran back down the hill to search the beach or the water, or anywhere but where I was.
Could my mom be in the water? I didn’t even think of that. She wouldn’t be in the water, would she?
“And what is your mother’s name?” the operator asked blandly.
“Veronica Spires,” my voice panted with the exertion.
“Where are they? When will they get here? She needs help!”
I reached the edge of the water. The waves were lapping against my bare feet. Looking out toward the sea, I saw nothing but water and rocks illuminated by the moon’s light. There was no way she would be out there. She never went into the water without someone with her. Oh, my God, where could she be?
The police sirens, off in the distance, were becoming louder by the second. Help was on the way but not nearly soon enough.
“Veronica! Mom! Veronica!” I kept hollering. “Where are you?”
“Ma’am, help has arrived. They’re making their way down the trail. I’m going to stay on the phone until they reach you.”
My body crumpled. Falling on my knees, the tears began
pouring down my face. This couldn’t be happening. I turned off my phone. The police were almost to the beach, and I didn’t need the operator to hear my cries. The police chatter of CB radios began rolling through the air mixed with the barks of the K-9 units.
This was a nightmare. There was no way this could be happening. My eyes darted back to the hilltop that I had just left. A man was standing on the hill, watching me, with the darkness working in his favor.
“Hey,” I yelled, looking at him, trying to see any sort of distinguishing features. He froze in place.
I jumped back to my feet, with my jeans soaked from where I had been sitting. I started running up to the hill, and the stranger took off.
“Miss!” a policeman yelled.
“Someone was watching me!” I cried, not stopping my run. “They might have my mom!”
I reached the top of the hill in a flash, and there was no one to be seen.
A policeman came up right behind me.
“Are you, Triss?” His voice was gentle, probably used to dealing with lunatics, not sure which way they were headed in any given situation. “I’m Officer White.”
“Yes, my mom. She’s not here.” The tears started again. “I was supposed to meet her and all that’s here are her things. I can’t find her. Clothes, wallet, jewelry are all that’s here.” I took a deep breath. “Then there was a guy, I think staring at me.”
Beyond Doubt (Beyond Love Series #2) Page 23
