by Dawn, Taylor
***
“Are you sure we have to go?” Gracie looked at her daughter who was whining.
“Yes, for the umpteenth time, we have to go.” Gracie continued to toss articles of clothing into her bright red suitcase.
“But I could stay with Aunt Jenna. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind.” Her daughter pleaded with her while digging through Gracie’s jewelry box. Something the almost teenager did quite frequently.
“Cora, I need you to come with me. Please don’t make this an argument.” She lowered her voice.
Cora tossed a pair of earrings back into the wooden box and turned to look at her mom. “Mom, this is my summer vacation. I don’t want to spend it in Mississippi!” The dark haired girl threw her hands in the air and stomped out of the room.
Gracie yelled at her back, “I’m your mother and what I say is the law around here! You’re going and that’s final!”
She heard her daughter call from the hallway, “Whatever!”
That was Cora’s go to response for something she didn’t like. When something didn’t please her, she just said ‘whatever’ and stormed off. The twelve year old was becoming more like her hot headed father with each passing day. The only thing was, Cora had never met her father. And he had no idea he had a daughter. No, it wasn’t as if she was trying to be a terrible human being by not telling him about their daughter. It was more for self-preservation. Gracie knew he wasn’t in the relationship one hundred percent and she refused to keep him around just because they created offspring. Was it the right thing to do in keeping the information from him? No. But it was the easy thing to do in the circumstances. Cole Matthews wasn’t someone who Gracie would consider ‘daddy material’. His wild ways and refusal to be tied down was just a couple of the reasons she felt compelled to be tight lipped about Cora. Yeah, they’d dated all through Junior and Senior year in high school and of course, they thought they were destined to be together. They’d even waited until the night of Senior Prom to take their relationship to the next level. In room 265 at the local Super 8 motel they kicked things up a notch and had sex. Actually, just having sex wasn’t really the word for it. Cole had blown her mind and body. She’d expected her first time to be rough and possibly painful but Cole made sure he took the time to make her comfortable and cared for. Boy did she feel cared for that night. After the initial nervousness had worn off, he’d taken her to heights she never dared to imagine, even a few days later she could feel the places on and in her body that he’d been. Even now her cheeks flamed and her panties became damp at just the thought of what he’d done to her. But all good things must come to an end. And their end was when she found out she was pregnant at nineteen. Fresh out of high school Gracie didn’t know what she’d do. When she’d gotten up the nerve to finally tell Cole about the baby, he’d proposed and they were married less than a week later. At the time it seemed like a good idea but after being together for only a month, Gracie knew it wasn’t going to work out. Cole wasn’t there emotionally and there was no way in hell she’d raise a child in that type of environment. So she did the only thing she could think of, she lied. Telling Cole that the pregnancy was a fluke might’ve been a terrible thing to do but it was better than keeping a man around who clearly didn’t want to be there.
Her plan was to fly to Biloxi, get Cole to sign the divorce papers and get out. Even though Cora would be with her, she had her fib ready in case he suspected anything. She’d pass Cora off as a one night stand after they’d broken up all those years ago. He’d believe it, he had to. If Cole caught on to her sham, she’d be knee deep in shit and the consequences of that were life threatening. Getting in and getting the job done quickly was crucial.
Zipping up her bags she began carrying them to the front door.
“Cora, time to go!” Gracie called through the house.
“I’m coming,” her daughter popped out of her bedroom dragging her own suitcase behind her. Yeah, Cora had a bit of an attitude. But Gracie blamed it on the fact that her own Irish heritage must’ve bled into Cora’s genes a bit too much.
Gracie glanced at the bags by the door and sighed. Time to go. This wasn’t a trip she wanted to make, but right now, the safety of her daughter and herself was hanging in the balance. She’d do anything to protect Cora and this was a step she had to take. Gracie would lay down her life for the sassy twelve year old. Time to put that theory to the test.
Thank you for reading an excerpt for Split Ends!
Look for it late spring 2016!
Author’s Note
In 2015 I had the pleasure of attending a book signing in Pennsylvania. As fate would allow, I met the most amazing individual there. Her name is Danielle. Low and behold Danielle is a fellow princess like me. We became great friends over the past months and I couldn’t be any more grateful to have her as a part of my life. You’re probably wondering why I dedicated Loose Ends to her. Here’s why…I found out that Danielle has cancer and is the same age as myself. How devastating to find out that a disease has taken over your body like that? But Danielle doesn’t show her weakness. She puts on her tiara and faces each day with bravery and beauty. I don’t know that I’ll ever be as strong as Danielle. To possess even 1/10 the courage she has would be astounding to me. I know in my heart of hearts she will beat this disease. She has to. If this shining light is taken from this world, there will be a hole that can never be filled with another human being. So Danielle, Loose Ends is for you. It’s your book and I hope you love it. And of course I want to say just one more thing…
FUCK CANCER!
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