Caroline hopped excitedly up and down on Alyssa’s lap. “Yes, Daddy!”
He leaned in and kissed her cheek. Then he turned to Alyssa. “Alyssa, will you be the love of my life, my family, the mother of my child and my future?”
Alyssa flicked some tears out of her eyes and smiled, hoping her heartfelt answer showed undeniably on her face. She loved this man. He made her and her family complete. “Yes.”
Grant sprung to his feet and in a whoosh of adrenaline, he wrapped his arms around both his ladies, swept them off their feet and into his arms. The three of them held each other close and soaked in the warmth of togetherness.
When they released their embrace, they stood smiling at each other.
“Family,” Grant announced, “let’s go eat our well-intentioned but undoubtedly overcooked family dinner.”
Alyssa laughed and gestured toward the kitchen. “After you.” She watched as Grant put his arm around Caroline’s shoulder and disappeared through the door to the kitchen. She took a breath and followed her family.
THE END
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It’s a guarantee that you will also enjoy the other Random Moon Books released under this same imprint. Check out the works of fellow authors Genevieve Jack, Laurie Bradach, Leta Gail Doerr, Katy Lewis and R.T. Wolfe at www.randmoonbooks.com !
A Word about the author …
Project Manager by day in the fast-paced world of Information Technology, Laurie escapes her demanding day job to wrap herself in the joy of writing stories about everyday life, with just a touch of worst case scenario. Known for her sentimental and emotional love stories, Laurie became an award-winning author when her novel Preacher Man won the 2010 EPIC Award for Best Spiritual Romance. Laurie is a wife and mother of two sons and lives in Central Illinois.
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And now, an excerpt from Laurie’s NEXT book, Roadtrip to Redemption. Look for it in online book retailers in fall of 2013!
The manila envelope in her hands became heavier the longer she stood there, her name – Leslie Malone – printed on the front in black magic marker blurring as unwanted tears threatened to erupt.
“Lady? Excuse me?”
She jolted at the voice, stunned that the courier still stood there. She gave her head a brisk shake, pulled a brusque hand over her eyes. “Yes. Sorry.”
The expression of relief on his face was unmistakable. After all, the last thing he needed was a crying woman when he was trying to do his job. He couldn’t really help the fact that he worked for the biggest jerk of a lawyer in town.
He held out a clipboard and a pen and pointed to a line. She signed her name and handed it back. He made a quick escape – off her front porch, down her driveway and away in his truck. Were those tires squealing as he hurried? Or maybe that was her imagination.
She sighed and returned to her foyer, closing the front door behind her. In all fairness, it wasn’t necessarily Tim’s lawyer who was the jerk – Tim himself had that honor.
She stepped into her living room and sat on the sofa. No time like the present. She slipped her finger beneath the sealed flap of the envelope and ripped it open. She pulled out a small stack of papers and flipped through them before turning back to the front page to read in more detail. The contents didn’t surprise her. She’d sat through a full day of court, answered the lawyers’ questions, shared a mountain load of documents she’d gathered at the request of the court, and listened to the judge’s decisions:
· Their marriage was over.
· They’d sell the house and split the profits. And they’d split up all the “stuff” according to the inventory they’d both agreed on.
· They’d share Jasmine’s college expenses, their contributions proportionate to their incomes.
· She’ll get half of his 401K when he retires, based on its current balance.
· He’ll pay child support until Jasmine graduates and gets a job.
She sniffed and tossed the papers on the coffee table. Was it possible that their lives together had resulted in five neat bullet points? What had once been a loving marriage and family, now was a bunch of legalese?
The phone rang and she jumped at the sound. By habit, she rose and glanced at the Caller ID box. She puffed out a breath and smiled. “Jaz! How’s it going?”
“Fantastic, Mom.”
Her daughter’s voice always brought a smile to her face. From toddler to teen, and now as a young woman. “I bet. Your semester ends before you know it. It’ll be nice to have a break from school, huh?”
“Well, yeah.”
She caught the slight hesitation but plowed ahead. “It sure will be nice to have you home, Jaz. The house is awful quiet these days.”
“I bet.”
A tone in the softly spoken words made Leslie scurry to find a new topic. She knew Jasmine pitied the state of her parents’ marriage. But today was not a day to delve into it. Tears were a little too close to the surface at any given moment to tempt them.
“Have you checked with the diner? They might need you to waitress this summer, and with me off school, we’ll have a lot of time together. I was just thinking of some fun things to do – plant our garden, try new recipes, maybe we can even plan a vacation, just the two of us.”
Leslie winced at her forced cheerful tone and bit her lip. Jasmine would recognize it; she was way too sensitive in general, and too close to the subject of Leslie’s destroyed marriage, not to. The last thing she wanted to do was make Jasmine take sides, or to feel sorry for her at this stage of her life.
Although, with her dad’s full-blown mid-life crisis, complete with a toupe, red Corvette and thirty-year-old divorcee girlfriend, the proper side to take was clear. At least in Leslie’s opinion.
“Mom, listen. I won’t be coming home this summer after all.” She cleared her throat and paused.
“What? What are you talking about?” Leslie heard music playing behind Jasmine’s voice.
“Something really exciting has come up. An opportunity I don’t want to turn down because although it’s not, um, the best timing … I know I’d regret it later if I didn’t go.”
Leslie felt a little hand grip her heart. She took a deep breath and pushed it out. “Jasmine, spill. What are you talking about?”
Her daughter’s words tumbled over themselves. “A few months ago I applied for a summer abroad program in Paris. I never, ever thought I’d get selected because it’s so totally competitive. It’s a chance for college students all over the world to work with the Paris fashion scene for three whole months. Go backstage of the runway, work with the models, the designers, the marketers, the buyers, the retailers. It’s an unbelievable internship and only the top fashion students are selected. I really didn’t think I’d have a chance at being selected but guess what … I was! I just found out today!”
Leslie felt a weird buzzing in her ears. She stood squarely on her two feet and yet, the room started to spin a little. She slumped into the chair beside the phone as if her spinal column had just become a cooked noodle. The pause lengthened into an uncomfortable moment of silence.
“Mom? Are you still there?”
“Yes,” she finally spit out. “You never even told me you’d applied for a summer abroad, honey.”
“I know. Honestly, Mom, I didn’t think I had a chance, so why bother? It’s really an honor. It’ll be something I’ll remember my whole life, and it’ll be great for my resume.”
“Okay, okay, Jaz. I hate to be the voice of reason here, but h
ave you thought of the logistics?”
“What do you mean?”
Leslie sighed. “The biggest one I can think of is, how much does it cost, and how are we going to pay for it?”
“Oh, that’s taken care of, Mom. Don’t worry about it.”
“You mean, you got a scholarship? It’s a no-cost internship?”
There went the clearing of her throat again. “Not exactly. I mean, there’s a cost, but it’s okay. Dad said he’d pay for it. In fact, he gave me his credit card number and told me to charge the tuition fees.”
A chill crept down Leslie’s spine while goose bumps popped up on her arm. “You called Dad about this before you called me?”
She winced. It wasn’t the most mature of questions to ask – but give her a break: she was new to this divorce stuff. “One day” new, in fact.
“Well, yeah, I mean … before I could accept the internship I knew I had to be able to pay for it, so I just, you know …”
Leslie nodded. “Went with your best option.” Of course Tim would be able to pay for a summer abroad. His doctor’s salary loomed like the Statue of Liberty versus her own miniscule teacher’s salary – an ant crawling along oblivious in its shadow.
“Well …,”
Leslie detested the uncomfortable silence but couldn’t bring herself to say anything cheerful to alleviate it.
“I’m sorry, Mom, but I …”
“No, I understand. I’m not sure I could’ve helped you anyway. I would’ve tried, though.”
“I know.”
For the next few minutes she listened to Jasmine chatter about the internship, the work, the classes, the credit, the travel. She was excited for her, sure she was. Of course she was! She hoped she showed all the appropriate enthusiasm. But when she hung up, reality hit her upside the head.
She’d be alone all summer.
Leslie closed her eyes and sat still, her mind running through the short span till summer started. No husband, no job to go to, no Jasmine to brighten her days. Long days spanning ad infinitum with no plans. Or at least, nothing important to do.
What was the purpose of her life now? What was she put here to do, if it wasn’t to be wife, mother and teacher?
Her spoken words echoed in the empty house. “Lord. I know You’re there. Somewhere in all this mess that my life has become. It hasn’t been the most stellar of days, and You know that. But come on, how much can one person take? My marriage is over, my daughter will be gone all summer. Not even a job to get up and go to everyday. Nothing, but my new monotone life.” She sighed. “Solitude is completely overrated. Give me strength to deal with my new reality. Amen.”
Prayers helped; she’d learned that time and time again. If nothing else, she usually felt better after verbalizing her requests and getting them out there. She stood and made her way to the kitchen.
What on earth was she going to do with herself?
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Table of Contents
Other books by Award Winning author Laurie Larsen:
Dedication:
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Did you like?
A Word about the author
Excerpt - Roadtrip to Redemption
Hidden Agenda Page 20