Finding Me (Snowy Ridge: Love at Starlight, Book 3)
Page 14
Just last week she’d decided she had to do something to really shake up her life; change the course of direction she’d been on for way too long. Wynn was always floating in and out, from relationship to relationship, job to job. She needed a path, a goal, for her and Melody’s life. No more messing around. She had the scare of her life a couple of weeks back that really shook her up. She was being stalked by a crazy ex-boyfriend. Maybe she should have seen that Billy was bad news from the start but she was vulnerable at the time. Newly divorced and feeling unlovable, she glommed onto the first guy she met in a Single Parents Under Thirty chatroom. Hello red flag. And the jerk wasn’t even a parent—just a creep trolling the chat room. Ugh, she couldn’t believe she was so stupid.
She’d moved back home to Snowy Ridge with Melody not only to save money but to get away from that guy. He seemed like such a winner at first. Of course, don’t they all? But he pushed too hard, wanted too much, and moved too fast. She just couldn’t give him what he wanted. When she broke things off, it only made him crazier. He was suddenly everywhere, all the time. He sat outside her job and house for hours. He sent non-stop notes and presents. He wouldn’t take no for an answer.
When Billy crossed over from creepy stalker to downright terrifying nightmare, her sister Jessie got involved. She’d told Billy that Wynn was in the hospital with a rare blood disorder and to please stop texting. When that didn’t work, Jessie told him Wynn had passed away. While dramatic and cruel to do to someone, they just didn’t know what else to do to make him go away. And it didn’t work anyway. Billy showed up in Snowy Ridge and confronted Wynn and Melody in the town square. He had a knife and wanted to force her to go with him to “talk.” Luckily Jessie was also there with her boyfriend, Cade Stone. They’d defended her and then Jessie’s old ex-boyfriend from high school happened to be walking by at the right time, saw the struggle, and ran to help. Cade and him took Billy down. He was safe behind bars now, serving time. It seems Wynn wasn’t the first woman he’d stalked and threatened.
Though it was a completely frightening experience, it opened Wynn’s eyes and she was feeling more determined than ever to stop the chaos and make a stable home for her and Melody. Life wasn’t going to just keep happening to her. She was going to decide what she wanted and go out and get it. And forget about men, at least for a while. She was putting herself on a boyfriend time out until further notice. Valentine’s Day was coming up in a few weeks and she hadn’t experienced the holiday without a Valentine since she was sixteen years old. But she didn’t care. She had her baby girl and she was all she needed.
“Coffee?” Luci asked, with a skip as she entered the kitchen.
“Turn the perkiness down a notch, would ya?” Wynn asked.
“You should try yoga in the morning, sis. A nice sun salutation would really kick your day off to a good start.”
“Why on earth would I want to salute the sun? I hide from it as long as possible. I would still be under my covers now if Melody hadn’t woken me up.” Ugh, that’s right. She was supposed to be making cereal. Wynn set her coffee cup down with a thump and quickly made Melody her bowl of cereal with sliced banana and a sippy cup of milk. She walked it out to the living room and set it down on the coffee table in front of her daughter and Melody jammed one fat little hand right into the bowl and then jammed some cereal in her mouth. They hadn’t quite worked out the spoon business yet so she just let Melody eat how she’d like. At least Wynn didn’t have to sit and hand feed her.
Luci joined them in the living room, two cups of coffee in her hand. She set one down in front of Wynn and then curled up in the corner of the couch with her own cup, blowing lightly into it. “So, what are up to today?”
Wynn’s face instantly brightened. “It’s a good day,” she told her sister. “First stop for me is the junior college. I’m enrolling today. I can’t wait!”
Luci beamed at her sister. “That’s so great, Wynn. I’m so proud of you!”
Wynn took a big gulp of coffee. “I’m proud of me too. You’re going to see a new me, Luci.”
“I already see a new you. You’re shrinking away, these days. How much weight have you lost? Easily twenty pounds.”
Wynn’s cheeks reddened and she glanced down at herself. It’s true, she had been steadily dropping weight but she wasn’t even trying. She’d just been under so much stress between moving back home with Melody and the whole Billy situation. “I don’t think I’ve lost that much.”
“Well, you look amazing.”
Wynn smiled at her sister. “Thanks. I’m feeling pretty good too. Hopeful, ya know? Like, I’m finally going to turn things around and make everything go my way.”
“You can do it,” Luci said. “I have faith in you.”
“Thanks, Lu.”
“Shhh!” Melody said hardly at her mom and aunt. “Mickey!”
Wynn and Luci exchanged glances and burst into giggles.
“Mommy!” Melody whined.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry sweetie,” Wynn said, holding her hands up in surrender. Just then her text alert went off on her phone and she glanced down at it.
Hey Wynn. I’m coming to Snowy Ridge for the weekend. I’ll be in Friday around 6. I want to see Melody. – Eric
“Shit!” Wynn exclaimed.
“Mommy!” Melody warned.
“What is it?” Luci leaned toward Wynn on the couch and cranked her head to see the phone.
Wynn quickly pulled the phone to her chest, not waning Luci to see. “Nothing. Just a bill I forgot to pay.”
Luci seemed to accept her response and sat back against the couch.
Wynn looked down at her phone again. The text was from Melody’s dad. And he wanted to see her.
Chapter Two
It was fine. It was going to be just fine. He was her dad, after all. What did she think, he’d never want to see Melody again? Well, yes, that was what she thought, actually. It had been about a year since he’d last seen her. Melody had no clue who he was even. Oh my gosh, she was going to think Wynn was leaving her with a complete stranger. She’d be completely terrified. She couldn’t do that, could she? But didn’t he have rights? What was she supposed to do?
Wynn drove toward Melody’s daycare, Melody strapped happily in her car seat in the back. Ever since Eric’s text came in that morning she’d been wracking her brain as to what to do. Why did Eric suddenly want contact now? He was hardly around when Melody was an infant and when he left Wynn when Melody was only six months old he’d never looked back. That was not to say he was a total deadbeat or anything. His child support checks arrived at the first of every single month. When she’d told him she was moving back home to Snowy Ridge all he’d said was to send him the address so he knew where to send the checks. It was kinda sad, really. But she’d accepted that this was how he wanted things. And it wasn’t like she could force him to be a good father to Melody. So why the sudden interest?
Wynn pulled into Little Apples, Melody’s daycare. It was only her second week there but she loved it. She already had a sweet friend, a cute pig-tailed, two-year old named Ashley, that she palled around with for most of the day. And it’s not like Melody could keep hanging out at the pub all day, every day. Her co-workers had been so nice letting Melody hang in the kitchen, playing with her toys, but it wasn’t an ideal situation. It was better that she be with kids her age and have a little more structure to her day.
“Here we are, sweet pea,” Wynn sang out as she parked the car.
“Ashee, Ashee!” Melody squealed, clearly excited.
“Yup, we’re going to see your friend Ashley, aren’t we?”
Wynn helped Melody out of the car and brought her inside. As soon as Melody hit the door she was off running, looking for her friend. Wynn smiled as she watched her go.
“The two of them are just the cutest together,” Miss Tara, one of the teachers said as she sidled up next to Wynn. Miss Tara was only about twenty and not a teacher but that’s what all of the kids calle
d her so the parents tended to as well.
“She’s so happy here.” Wynn unconsciously ran her hand over her back jean pocket where her phone was sitting, almost like she had to remind herself that a situation counter to their happiness was still waiting to be dealt with. And was that even fair? How did she know Melody wouldn’t be happy seeing Eric? Really, she was the one who wouldn’t be happy with his visit. Melody seemed to love everyone she meets.
“We’re happy she’s here too.” The young teacher flipped her head toward a pile of blocks tumbling to the ground from a small table and her long thick pony tailed hair practically slapped Wynn in the face. “Don’t worry Sammy,” she said to the teary-eyed toddler eyeing the mess, “you can rebuild.”
Wynn side-scanned the teacher’s outfit choice: a short, tight pink tee-shirt that didn’t cover her black spandexed rear end. She looked like she should be running a marathon, not a daycare. It wasn’t the most professional of outfits for a teacher but she bet the fathers dropping off their kids sure appreciated it. And when did it become a style for what was the equivalent of tights really, to be outerwear instead of paired with a skirt? Ugh, she sounded old and she knew it. Miss Tara was fine. She probably spent half the day crawling around on the ground with the kids. Her outfit was fine. Wynn knew she was being judge-y right now and it was all because of her ex’s text. Why did he have to turn up now? And was he still with that teenager?
“Well, I’ll be back then,” Wynn said, as she handed over Melody’s diaper bag and food and snacks for the day. She went to Melody and gave her a quick kiss goodbye on the cheek but her daughter didn’t even look up. She was already too involved in a hammering at a mound of blue playdoh with her little BFF to be bothered.
Wynn waved to Miss Tara as she left the building and headed for her car. She ran her hand over her back pocket again and thought, okay, I just need to handle this now before it distracts me all day. This was supposed to be her great day, after all; the day she enrolled in college. She wasn’t going to let Eric ruin her day.
She pulled her phone out and slid into the driver’s seat of her car. Before she could think about it anymore, she zipped off a text to her ex-husband.
Sure. We can meet you at 6. How about meeting us at MoonBeans? It’s a little coffee shop on Main St.
She hit send. There. It was done. They would meet him for a coffee and he’d get to see Melody and get it out of his system. Then, hopefully, he’d go back home to St. Louis and leave her and Melody to get back to their normal life. Without him.
Wynn bounded up the steps to South Lake Community College, clutching a folded-up piece of notebook paper in her hand. She couldn’t help feeling giddy. Having a goal and direction gave a huge jolt of excitement to her dreary life. She wouldn’t be wading through anymore. She had an objective.
Wynn grinned wildly at the students bustling around inside the college. The first day of school was next week and it was all the last-minute people hanging around today, like her. She marched up to one of the glass windows under “Admissions” and smoothed out her piece of paper on the ledge between her and a woman who looked to be in her late fifties.
“Going back to school?” the woman asked, peering at Wynn over her glasses.
Wynn blinked and gave an emphatic, “Yes!”
The woman chuckled and shuffled some papers on her side of the glass. “All right then, let’s get you going.”
An hour later Wynn was headed back out to the parking lot with an armful of pamphlets and paperwork and her newly printed class schedule on top. She’d registered for three courses: Intro to Computer Information Systems, Intro to Web Design, and Intro to the Internet. Which was really kind of hysterical. If anyone was familiar with the Internet it was her. She’d met many a man online in the past ten years. Some might call her an expert. Although she was fairly sure that wasn’t what they would be teaching. All of these classes were required for the Computer Information Systems degree Wynn had decided to go after. Her first class was Intro to Web Design on Monday morning and she couldn’t wait.
Still feeling a buzz of excitement, she climbed into her car and headed back to Snowy Ridge and Starlight Pub for her afternoon shift of work. She’d decided to keep her exciting news to herself for just a bit longer. Jessie was coming over to the house for dinner that night and Luci was cooking. They’d all be together as a family and it would be the perfect time to tell them then.
***
I hope you’ve enjoyed this preview of Taking Chances, the second book in the Love at Starlight series. If you want to keep reading, find the full novel on Amazon: http://amzn.to/2no1OHJ.
Table of Contents
WELCOME TO STARLIGHT
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
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Coming Home (Snowy Ridge: Love at Starlight, Book 1)
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Taking Chances (Snowy Ridge: Love at Starlight, Book 2)
Chapter One
Chapter Two