A Call Away

by KC Richardson

  “Yes, Ms. Syd.”

  “Great. Go on and wash your hands and I’ll meet you in the kitchen. Please find Alisa for me. She wants to help out too.” Syd turned to Bernice. “Where is that granddaughter of yours?”

  Bernice looked at the clock on the wall. “She had a late lunch with Edward Robinson to discuss the funds we need to start that new program. She should be back anytime.”

  “Good. Are you staying for dinner tonight?”

  Bernice stood and pulled her sweater on. “Not tonight, dear. I’m having dinner with Jeremiah then we’re going to see a movie.”

  “You sure are seeing Mr. Abrams quite a bit. Is he ready to make an honest woman out of you?” Syd teased her.

  “We’re just friends that enjoy each other’s company, so mind your own business.”

  The twinkle in Bernice’s eyes indicated she was teasing.

  “I could ask the same of you about my granddaughter, Sydney. Are you going to put a ring on it soon?”

  Syd burst into laughter at the lingo Bernice was picking up when she hung out with the kids. Syd was going to have to keep a closer eye on her to make sure she stayed in line. “As a matter of fact, we’re going ring shopping next weekend, so I promise, it will be soon.”

  Bernice placed her palms on the side of Syd’s face. “Good. You girls give me so much joy to be able to witness your love growing.”

  Syd wrapped Bernice in a gentle hug. “I’m so happy you’re here, Bernice. I don’t think I ever thanked you for talking sense into Abby and getting her to come back to me.”

  “No need to thank me. You just make sure you do right by my Abigail. She’s very special to me.”

  “Yes, ma’am. I promise. Have a nice evening and we’ll see you on Sunday for brunch with my parents.”

  Syd went back to the kitchen and was pleased to see two other kids arrived, Nicole and Bobby, to help with dinner. “Hey, guys. You ready to cook? We’re going to make lasagna, salad, garlic bread, and chocolate cake for dessert. Alisa and I will make the lasagna. Bobby can make the salad. Nicole, I’d like you to prep the garlic bread then make the frosting for the cake Chandra is going to make.”

  They all got busy and Syd was just about to spoon the meat mixture onto the noodles when she heard the all too familiar voice coming from the doorway.

  “It sure smells great in here. I can’t wait to eat.”

  Syd turned around to find the love of her life smiling from ear to ear. Her heart raced, just as it did every time she saw Abby. She wondered if that feeling would ever go away, maybe when they were old and had been married for fifty years. God, I hope not.

  “Hey. Let me just finish up here and I’ll come find you.”

  When Syd had placed the lasagna in the oven once the cake came out, she told the kids to clean the mess they’d made and she’d be back in a few minutes.

  The door to the office was ajar and Syd knocked before entering. The site of Abby sitting behind the desk stirred something primal inside Syd, especially when she had her reading glasses on. Syd thought she looked so sexy like that, which always made Abby laugh when Syd brought it to her attention.

  Syd closed the door and Abby greeted her with open arms and soft, yielding lips.

  “Hey, baby. How did the meeting go?”

  Abby continued to hold Syd against her, missing the feeling of her in her arms. The days seemed to drag on when they were at work until they were alone together every night.

  “It went great. I told him how we do a family night dinner one Friday a month and how useful it would be to have our own community garden. He agreed to fund the whole thing as long as we invite him to the first dinner using our own vegetables.”

  Syd laughed and kissed Abby again. “That’s incredible. I can’t believe you got him to pay for the whole thing.”

  “Well, he’s very impressed with what we’re doing here that he sees it as an opportunity to keep making strides in the right direction. He said he wished there was something like our center when he was growing up.”

  Syd felt her chest swell with pride. The center was Syd and Abby’s pride and joy, and she loved seeing the positive impact it had on the youth in that part of town.

  “We do great work, baby. I love you.”

  “I love you, too, sweetheart. Now go finish dinner and I’ll get Reggie and Dwayne to help me set up the tables and chairs.”

  Thirty minutes later, they all sat down to eat and share their week. Syd looked around to the eight teens, three volunteers, and Abby sitting by her side. The smiles, laughter, joking, and interaction between everyone was the perfect end to her week, and this truly was Syd’s dream come true.

  About the Author

  KC Richardson attended college on a basketball scholarship, and her numerous injuries in her various sports led her to a career in physical therapy. Her love for reading and writing allows her to create characters and tell their stories. She and her wife live in Southern California where they are trying to raise respectful fur kids.

  When KC isn’t torturing/fixing people, she loves spending time with her friends and family, reading, writing, kayaking, working out, and playing golf.

  KC’s second novel, Courageous Love, was a 2017 Goldie Finalist. You can reach KC on Facebook, Twitter @KCRichardson7, email kcrichardsonauthor@yahoo.com, or her website, kcrichardson author.com.

  Books Available from Bold Strokes Books

  A Call Away by KC Richardson. Can a businesswoman from a big city find the answers she’s looking for, and possibly love, on a small-town farm? (978-1-63555-025-2)

  Berlin Hungers by Justine Saracen. Can the love between an RAF woman and the wife of a Luftwaffe pilot, former enemies, survive in besieged Berlin during the aftermath of World War II? (978-1-63555-116-7)

  Blend by Georgia Beers. Lindsay and Piper are like night and day. Working together won’t be easy, but not falling in love might prove the hardest job of all. (978-1-63555-189-1)

  Hunger for You by Jenny Frame. Principe of an ancient vampire clan Byron Debrek must save her one true love from falling into the hands of her enemies and into the middle of a vampire war. (978-1-63555-168-6)

  Mercy by Michelle Larkin. FBI Special Agent Mercy Parker and psychic ex-profiler Piper Vasey learn to love again as they race to stop a man with supernatural gifts who’s bent on annihilating humankind. (978-1-63555-202-7)

  Pride and Porters by Charlotte Greene. Will pride and prejudice prevent these modern-day lovers from living happily ever after? (978-1-63555-158-7)

  Rocks and Stars by Sam Ledel. Kyle’s struggle to own who she is and what she really wants may end up landing her on the bench and without the woman of her dreams. (978-1-63555-156-3)

  The Boss of Her: Office Romance Novellas by Julie Cannon, Aurora Rey, and M. Ullrich. Going to work never felt so good. Three office romance novellas from talented writers Julie Cannon, Aurora Rey, and M. Ullrich. (978-1-63555-145-7)

  The Deep End by Ellie Hart. When family ties become entangled in murder and deception, it’s time to find a way out… (978-1-63555-288-1)

  A Country Girl’s Heart by Dena Blake. When Kat Jackson gets a second chance at love, following her heart will prove the hardest decision of all. (978-1-63555-134-1)

  Dangerous Waters by Radclyffe. Life, death, and war on the home front. Two women join forces against a powerful opponent, nature itself. (978-1-63555-233-1)

  Fury’s Death by Brey Willows. When all we hold sacred fails, who will be there to save us? (978-1-63555-063-4)

  It’s Not a Date by Heather Blackmore. Kade’s desire to keep things with Jen on a professional level is in Jen’s best interest. Yet what’s in Kade’s best interest…is Jen. (978-1-63555-149-5)

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or will she come out on top and score a happily ever after? (978-1-62639-807-8)

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  The Northwoods by Jane Hoppen. When Evelyn Bauer, disguised as her dead husband, George, travels to a Northwoods logging camp to work, she and the camp cook Sarah Bell forge a friendship fraught with both tenderness and turmoil. (978-1-63555-143-3)

  Truth or Dare by C. Spencer. For a group of six lesbian friends, life changes course after one long snow-filled weekend. (978-1-63555-148-8)

  A Heart to Call Home by Jeannie Levig. When Jessie Weldon returns to her hometown after thirty years, can she and her childhood crush Dakota Scott heal the tragic past that links them? (978-1-63555-059-7)

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  Hearts Like Hers by Melissa Brayden. Coffee shop owner Autumn Primm is ready to cut loose and live a little, but is the baggage that comes with out-of-towner Kate Carpenter too heavy for anything long term? (978-1-63555-014-6)

  Love at Cooper’s Creek by Missouri Vaun. Shaw Daily flees corporate life to find solace in the rural Blue Ridge Mountains, but escapism eludes her when her attentions are captured by small town beauty Kate Elkins. (978-1-62639-960-0)

  Somewhere Over Lorain Road by Bud Gundy. Over forty years after murder allegations shattered the Esker family, can Don Esker find the true killer and clear his dying father’s name? (978-1-63555-124-2)

  Twice in a Lifetime by PJ Trebelhorn. Detective Callie Burke can’t deny the growing attraction to her late friend’s widow, Taylor Fletcher, who also happens to own the bar where Callie’s sister works. (978-1-63555-033-7)

  Undiscovered Affinity by Jane Hardee. Will a no strings attached affair be enough to break Olivia’s control and convince Cardic that love does exist? (978-1-63555-061-0)

  Between Sand and Stardust by Tina Michele. Are the lifelong bonds of love strong enough to conquer time, distance, and heartache when Haven Thorne and Willa Bennette are given another chance at forever? (978-1-62639-940-2)

  Charming the Vicar by Jenny Frame. When magician and atheist Finn Kane seeks refuge in an English village after a spiritual crisis, can local vicar Bridget Claremont restore her faith in life and love? (978-1-63555-029-0)

  Data Capture by Jesse J. Thoma. Lola Walker is undercover on the hunt for cybercriminals while trying not to notice the woman who might be perfectly wrong for her for all the right reasons. (978-1-62639-985-3)

  Epicurean Delights by Renee Roman. Ariana Marks had no idea a leisure swim would lead to being rescued, in more ways than one, by the charismatic Hudson Frost. (978-1-63555-100-6)

  Heart of the Devil by Ali Vali. We know most of Cain and Emma Casey’s story, but Heart of the Devil will take you back to where it began one fateful night with a tray loaded with beer. (978-1-63555-045-0)

  Known Threat by Kara A. McLeod. When Special Agent Ryan O’Connor reluctantly questions who protects the Secret Service, she learns courage truly is found in unlikely places. Agent O’Connor Series #3. (978-1-63555-132-7)

  Seer and the Shield by D. Jackson Leigh. Time is running out for the Dragon Horse Army while two unlikely heroines struggle to put aside their attraction and find a way to stop a deadly cult. Dragon Horse War, Book 3. (978-1-63555-170-9)

  Sinister Justice by Steve Pickens. When a vigilante targets citizens of Jake Finnigan’s hometown, Jake and his partner Sam fall under suspicion themselves as they investigate the murders. (978-1-63555-094-8)

  The Universe Between Us by Jane C. Esther. Ana Mitchell must make the hardest choice of her life: the promise of new love Jolie Dann on Earth, or a humanity-saving mission to colonize Mars. (978-1-63555-106-8)

  Touch by Kris Bryant. Can one touch heal a heart? (978-1-63555-084-9)

  Change in Time by Robyn Nyx. Working in the past is hell on your future. The Extractor Series: Book Two. (978-1-62639-880-1)

  Love After Hours by Radclyffe. When Gina Antonelli agrees to renovate Carrie Longmire’s new house, she doesn’t welcome Carrie’s overtures at friendship or her own unexpected attraction. A Rivers Community Novel. (978-1-63555-090-0)

  Nantucket Rose by CF Frizzell. Maggie Jordan can’t wait to convert an historic Nantucket home into a B&B, but doesn’t expect to fall for mariner Ellis Chilton, who has more claim to the house than Maggie realizes. (978-1-63555-056-6)

  Picture Perfect by Lisa Moreau. Falling in love wasn’t supposed to be part of the stakes for Olive and Gabby, rival photographers in the competition of a lifetime. (978-1-62639-975-4)

  Set the Stage by Karis Walsh. Actress Emilie Danvers takes the stage again in Ashland, Oregon, little realizing that landscaper Arden Philips is about to offer her a very personal romantic lead role. (978-1-63555-087-0)

  Strike a Match by Fiona Riley. When their attempts at matchmaking fizzle out, firefighter Sasha and reluctant millionairess Abby find themselves turning to each other to strike a perfect match. (978-1-62639-999-0)

  The Price of Cash by Ashley Bartlett. Cash Braddock is doing her best to keep her business afloat, stay out of jail, and avoid Detective Kallen. It’s not working. (978-1-62639-708-8)

  Under Her Wing by Ronica Black. At Angel’s Wings Rescue, dogs are usually the ones saved, but when quiet Kassandra Haden meets outspoken owner Jayden Beaumont, the two stubborn women just might end up saving each other. (978-1-63555-077-1)

  Underwater Vibes by Mickey Brent. When Hélène, a translator in Brussels, Belgium, meets Sylvie, a young Greek photographer and swim coach, unsettling feelings hijack Hélène’s mind and body—even her poems. (978-1-63555-002-3)