“So, I brought you girls some things. Sue me. By the way, where is your sister?”
“She and Christina just walked across the street to get some ice from her freezer.” I put the mop head to the floor and let it soak up the melted snow while Hunter danced around it. Addie stared down haughtily from the kitchen counter. Macy had taken over Brett’s old apartment when he moved in with me.
“I understand Christina is a friend of yours? I am excited to meet her. Hopefully she’ll treat my baby better than that last one.” Theresa waved a hand as if she were waving a gnat away.
I smiled. “Oh, I think they’re pretty perfect for one another.”
Melissa came down the stairs, and turned the corner to the kitchen, a smile on her pretty face. She looked like she should be Theresa’s daughter with her head full of blonde hair. Placing the mop back inside the closet, I put a hand out to her. “Mom, meet Melissa.” I drug her closer, and she smiled shyly at Theresa.
Theresa stepped forward and gave her a bear hug. “Oh, dear, I’m so glad you’re okay. Vale was an absolute mess while you were gone.”
“Thanks, Mom,” I laughed, opening the fridge and taking out the pitcher of cinnamon cider I’d whipped up.
“How’s work going?” Theresa asked, helping Melissa and I gather silverware and plates.
“Really good,” I answered. “We replaced the windows in the temple, and we’re having regular tours now to help bring in some much-needed cash. Melissa is on a regular shift now, the one before mine.”
“And Miss Powerful here is the boss of us all,” my best friend said, butting my shoulder with hers, a playful grin on her face.
Brett and Dane sat laughing together on the couch. The front door opened, admitting a smiling Christina and Macy, cheeks flushed red, and holding hands. Macy held up a grocery bag of ice. “Got it!” They both pranced through the door, Christina in her bright green tutu and my sister in her oversized sweater and leggings.
Bella slipped into view behind them and followed them inside, flicking her half smoked cigarette into the snow before closing the door. “Hello, my darlings,” she cooed, dropping the red leather hip length coat from her shoulders and draping it over the coat rack beside the door. She wore a pair of high-waisted, black sailor pants, big gold buttons glinting in the light. A bright red tank top clung to her significant bosom like a second skin, tucked into her pants. Bright red, pointy toe boots and bright red lipstick completed her ensemble, her dark hair pulled into a slick ponytail at the nape of her neck. She looked ravishing, as usual. We exchanged air kisses, and Melissa hugged her tightly while I introduced her to my parents.
Brett’s parent’s came not too long behind her, shaking off snowflakes and wrapping me in warm, Brett scented hugs. It wasn’t just his scent, I’d learned, it was the homey smell of their farmhouse that clung to him. His mother was a plain, brunette whose real beauty showed when she smiled, and his father was a tall, imposing man who looked meaner than he was.
We ate dinner around my coffee table, draped over the couch and the armchairs, and sitting on the colorful rug of my living room. I watched my family laugh with my friends, and the man I loved trade secrets with my mother and man of the house tips with my father. Bella put lipstick on Christina, and Melissa played rock, paper, scissors with Macy over who got the last biscuit. Everybody slipped Hunter food, and passed Addie around like she was a baby. The little life inside me grew with each passing minute, reminding me of his presence with little butterfly kicks.
Leaning back in between Brett’s knees, I stared at the snow coming down outside my open window drapes, knowing I didn’t have to close them ever again, if I didn’t want to. The happiness in my heart filled me with light, echoed by the dagger I had found inside Cerridwen. It hung on the wall where it reflected my emotions; a gift from the Goddess.
I sent a powerful prayer to the Goddess. My mother.
I felt Her smile down upon me.
Acknowledgments
Thanks to Andrew for being my moral support and number one fan. Also, to my Dad for believing in me and getting me out of my own way. Much appreciation to Stephanie Mooney for the cover art. Shameless plug for Guido Henkel, author of the Jason Dark series. His blogs on formatting e-books made this one possible. Big hugs to friend and author Julia Crane for all of her encouragement and support, as well as undying gratitude to Erin, Mayme, and Katy for helping polish the manuscript. Finally, I have to acknowledge myself: I stopped dreaming of being an author and made it happen.
If you liked “The Temple”…
Check out Heather’s other published novel!
Abigail, a Fantasy/Romance
When Abigail’s supposedly immortal faery mother is found murdered, her human father sells her in to slavery. Bought by a young and wealthy landowner named William, she is whisked away to a Grecian island to play caretaker for his baby sister.
However, the island has a deadly secret connected to Abigail’s past. Her budding romance with William is shattered by Abigail’s intimate, unwanted connection with the island’s faery prince. Meanwhile the faery king plans revenge upon the family. Abigail must join forces with the very race she’s sought to deny, to save the humans she has learned to love.
For more information on where to find “Abigail” visit Heather’s blog.
**********
If you’re an international reader, please consider purchasing my work at Smashwords due to the unfair $2 fee charged to you by Amazon. You can read more about it at author David Gaughran’s blog here.
About the Author
Heather Marie Adkins is an independent fiction novelist and avid bibliophile with the library to prove it. She is the author of published works The Temple and Abigail, as well as Chick lit novel Constant State of Disaster and a collection of paranormal romance short stories titled Love in all its Dimensions, both due out this fall. She is currently working on numerous projects, including a thriller with a ghostly protagonist and the first in a new witchcraft series. A practicing Witch, Heather lives in North Central Kentucky with a house full of animals and the love of her life—all of whom drive her crazy. She can be found daily (mostly) at http://heather.bishoffs.com.
Connect with her online!
[email protected]
Facebook
Twitter
Website
Word-of-mouth is crucial for any author to succeed. If you enjoyed the book, please consider leaving a review where you bought it, even if it's only an informal line or two; it would be very much appreciated!
*********
Coming Soon…
Constant State of Disaster
A Chick Lit novel
Anne Marie has issues and they all stem from her mother.
On top of losing the genetic lottery, she’s also dealing with an unexpected breakup from the man she thought she would marry. When the depression sends her spiraling into a self-destructive party phase that rivals the old adage Sex-Drugs-Rock’n’Roll, her parents decide to get her out before she destroys herself.
AnnRee’s best friend lives and works abroad where she’s just become engaged; Anne Marie is on the next flight out of New York and thankful to be rid of the negativity. A whirlwind bachelorette trip to Ireland introduces her to a gorgeous man who is too good for her, and puts another one of her friends in the hospital, leaving her just as bereft as before.
AnnRee realizes that in order to be happy, she has to create her own way, and it’s not going to be easy.
Sometimes, you have to accept life as it is to get where you want to be.
*********
Interested in receiving updates on Heather’s books? Visit her website at http://heather.bishoffs.com for instructions on how to sign up for her newsletter!
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapt
er 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
If you liked “The Temple”…
About the Author
Coming Soon…
The Temple Page 22
