Peg put the car in drive, signaled, then turned right onto US1.
I can do this… I can do this… I can do this.
She accelerated to the fully allowable 35 miles per hour, drove for five seconds, and –
“I made it.” Peg exhaled.
“Peg – you did it.” Trudy’s face whooped and hollered on the phone screen.
Peg turned the car into an empty lot and parked. One by one, she un-suctioned her fingers from the steering wheel.
Randolph made the sign of the cross and laughed. He reached over and gave Peg a big hug. “Congratulations, Cow Key Bridge – 300 feet of terror.”
“I really did it.” Peg raised her fists in victory.
“Only 41 more to go!”
The End
Acknowledgments
Dear Reader,
Peg, the protagonist in Island Life Sentence, faces a hurricane in Key West, Florida.
I’m writing these acknowledgments in my third evacuation location while fleeing the path of Hurricane Irma. The irony of this situation does not escape me. The odd thing is – I feel fortunate. The eye of the hurricane missed our island and our house. There are so many people in the Keys that can’t say that. My heart goes out to them.
When packing to evacuate my house, it was surreal to have to choose which items I wanted to save. To look around the rooms and make decisions – do I keep the pictures my kids made for me when they were little? What about my Italian leather boots? Nope. They won’t fit. We were instructed to take a two-week supply of food and water – not to mention flashlights, batteries and poop bags for the dog and for us (not kidding).
In acknowledgment, first and foremost, I’d like to thank Key West. It’s a slice of paradise. Key West was my amusing Muse. That’s probably why everyone on the island is, by law, a writer. Secondly, I’d like to thank my writing coach Lisa Mahoney. I’m so grateful for her encouragement, support and her ability to draw a mean story arc diagram. We laughed a lot, even when we weren’t drinking. Thanks also to my husband Tom. I accepted 98 percent of his suggestions. Believe me, the other two percent were a better fit for a different genre of book.
Thank you to all of the wonderful pledgers, without whom this book would not have been possible. Many thanks to Unbound Publishing and their wonderful, professional staff across the pond. You are fabulous.
Patrons
John Kenney
Ashley Shields
Island Life Sentence Page 19
