East of Easy
Page 23
They made the short drive in comfortable silence. When they reached her house, Max walked her to the doorway and held her close for a moment. “You’ve been quiet,” he said. “Thinking about tomorrow?”
Kate nodded. “That’s all I’ve been thinking of.”
His grip tightened possessively. “You’re not getting cold feet, are you? You’re not thinking of running away again?”
The tone was casually light, but the smile on Max’s face belied the serious question in his eyes.
Kate reached up and put a hand to his cheek, studying the face she loved and couldn’t imagine living without. “Never,” she said. “I’ve learned my lesson. No more running away. From now on I face my problems head-on.”
“Oh, so now I’m a problem, huh?”
Smiling, Kate leaned forward and gave him one more kiss before sending him on his way.
“Sleep sweet, darlin’,” he said with a sexy grin. “It’s the last night you’ll be sleeping alone. Tomorrow you’ll be Mrs. Max Connors and I’ll never have to let you go again.”
“Mrs. Max Connors,” she repeated. “Sounds perfect.”
As Max turned to leave, Kate reached out and gave his bottom a playful squeeze. He turned and winked, chuckling on his way back to the truck. Kate stood in the doorway watching until he drove away, then turned and went inside.
The house was eerily quiet. It had been since the night of the reunion. Kate missed the ethereal sounds of singing, but the teacup had remained silent. Sometimes she wondered if it had all been in her imagination. Or maybe her mother’s work here was done and her restless spirit had moved on.
Kate sighed and shook her head. No more looking at the past, she chided herself. From now on it was only the future that mattered. She reached out and fingered the cloud of white lace hanging from the doorway. Tomorrow was the beginning of a new life. “Mrs. Max Connors,” she said out loud.
A sharp, shattering sound from the kitchen jolted Kate from her reverie. She jumped and ran to the kitchen, her heart pounding in her chest.
“Oh Sophie! What have you done?”
The cat jumped off the counter, mewling pitifully.
Kate knelt down and picked up the broken pieces of her mother’s teacup. A sob caught in her throat as she cradled the cat in her lap. The cup was shattered beyond repair. Kate tried to tell herself it was just a teacup, that’s all. But the sense of loss was deep and overwhelming. Her mother was truly gone now. She had to finally let her go. It was time to move on.
Sophie twisted out of her grasp and streaked across the room. Kate turned and caught a wisp of white. At first she thought it was her wedding gown hanging in the doorway. But then the form separated and took shape.
Kate gasped and got shakily to her feet, her voice trembling. “Mother?”
The image wavered, softened. Kate was sure her eyes were playing tricks on her. She blinked, but the image remained. It was Lillian, looking younger and more beautiful than Kate remembered.
Kate held her breath and stood rooted to the spot, afraid to move, afraid to shatter the moment. And then Lillian smiled, and Kate felt overwhelmed with a feeling of utter peace and contentment. No words were spoken, and yet Kate understood. Her mother was saying goodbye. Her work here was done.
Lillian’s ghostly image nodded, as if understanding all the emotions churning through Kate’s heart, as if hearing all the words that had gone unspoken. Then she lifted her hand to her lips and extended it in a kiss that felt more like a blessing than a goodbye.
The image shimmered through Kate’s tears. In the distance, Kate heard the ghostly strains of Roy Orbison singing a soft and soothing farewell. As the sound faded away and her mother’s image dissolved into mist, Kate was finally able to let go of her past completely. When she blinked again her mother was gone, and already Kate questioned whether she’d ever really been there to begin with.
But the sense of peace remained. “Goodbye,” she whispered to the empty room. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her past was finally behind her now, but her future had just begun.
About the Author
Linda began her writing career publishing short fiction for women’s magazines. Since then, she’s completed several award-winning novels in a variety of genres, from rib-tickling comedy to bone-chilling suspense. Reviewers have hailed her work as unique, original, and impossible to put down.
Linda is the proud recipient of the EPPIE Award, the Dream Realm Award, the Dorothy Parker Reviewers Choice Award, and several readers’ choice awards. She resides in upstate New York with her husband of over thirty years, where she splits her time between writing, remodeling, and starting a new diet each and every Monday.
Linda welcomes mail from readers. You can write to her c/o Ellora’s Cave Publishing at 1056 Home Avenue, Akron, OH 44310-3502.
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