Curiouser (Girls of Wonder Lane Book 3)

by Coryell, Christina

  “My mom. And Mrs. Randall, and first grade.”

  “I can’t believe Mrs. Randall is still teaching,” Maddie says. “I had her for first grade.”

  “In that case, I can’t believe she’s still teaching either,” Annie teases. “I also can’t believe I’m sitting here with all you old married people on a Friday night. I must be completely lame.”

  “Or you have no better offers,” Harley adds as she steps back into the room, eyeing Ryan on the couch. “You seat thieves. Bailey, when are you coming over to try on my shoes again?”

  “Mom?”

  Alexis pulls the hem of her T-shirt down to camouflage the remnants of her baby weight as she places her feet on the coffee table in front of her. “Any time Harley wants you to try on shoes, go for it. Maybe she has other things she’d want you to do, though. Learn how to load the dishwasher? Mop the floor?”

  “Yuck.” Harley wrinkles her nose as she looks at Bailey. “Why would I teach you to do those things? Disgusting.” She winks before sitting down on the edge of the coffee table, facing Ryan, who reaches out to take her hand.

  “I could braid Ryan’s hair!” Bailey squeals. Harley places her fingers against her lips to hide her laugh, but Ryan looks up at Bailey and shrugs.

  “Why not? You know I like to change it up. Go for it, kiddo.”

  She wastes no time, gathering his hair away from his shoulders into her fist and combing through it with her fingers.

  “Where is that pizza delivery?” Maddie asks. “Not that I’m starving or anything, but I am eating for two.”

  “Should be here any minute,” Jake tosses over his shoulder as he rinses bottles in the sink.

  “Harley’s news is on!” Bailey announces, causing the room’s attention to swing to the television.

  Alexis uses the lull in the conversation to glance around at her friends. She couldn’t have imagined finding a more unlikely group of confidants when she moved to Louisville, but now she wouldn’t trade them for the world.

  “I’m Summer Davis, and Denton Price is off for the evening,” the woman on the screen states.

  “What’s up with that?” Annie asks as she glances at Harley. “Denton took a day off and didn’t tell me?”

  “I’m not his babysitter. Maybe he needed a day away from you.”

  “Ouch.” Annie rises from the couch and pokes her finger in Harley’s side. “You can have your seat back, Benedict Arnold. Watch out for her, Alexis. She’s evil.”

  Harley winks at Alexis as she settles into Annie’s vacant spot, pressing her side against Ryan. Alexis simply gives her a mischievous smile.

  “Worn out yet?” Annie asks Jake as she takes a glass from the cupboard.

  His natural reaction is to look in the direction of Alexis, keeping his ever-watchful eye on her from his vantage point in the kitchen. “No. Of course it’s tiring for both of us, but so worth it. I kick myself every day for missing this with Bailey.”

  She presses the glass against the refrigerator to fill it with filtered water, and then stands beside him, placing her hand on his forearm. “Good job, Dad.”

  “Thanks,” he mutters, clearing his throat. He lowers himself in a chair next to Josh and peeks over his arm at his phone. “Baby names? Give me the short list, maybe I can help.”

  “That’s Maddie’s thing, really,” he states, darkening the phone screen.

  “If it was Maddie’s thing, you wouldn’t be staring at names on your phone.”

  Josh sighs and pulls his glasses away from his face, placing them on the table. “The thing is, I’d like to name him after one of the guys I enlisted with, to honor them. One of the ones who didn’t come home. I can’t seem to agree on anything else.”

  “That seems like an awesome thing to do.” Jake crosses his arms against the table. “What are their names?”

  “Terence and Andrew. That’s my problem. How do I choose? It seems wrong to leave one of them out.”

  “You could have two boys,” Jake suggests.

  Josh grins and glances at Maddie. “Not sure how Mad would feel about that, and since there’s no guarantee that they would be boys, that’s a risky game to play.”

  “Andrew Terence Mason. Doesn’t sound so bad, does it?” Jake smiles as a knock sounds on the door.

  “Pizza!” Instead of rising from the table, Jake and Josh turn their attention to Annie standing behind them.

  “Seriously? You two lazy boys expect me to answer the door?” She sets her glass on the counter and begins shaking her head, swinging her glossy black hair over her shoulder. “I’m not footing the bill for the pizza.” She jerks the door open and takes a step back when the guy standing behind the door isn’t wearing the standard delivery uniform.

  “Hey.” He steps inside and places a stack of pizza boxes on the table, then turns to brush off his shirt before facing Annie again. “I brought pizza.”

  “Denton, what are you doing here? You took the day off to deliver pizza?”

  He regards her with a hint of a smile on his face, but manages to remain fairly stoic as he rearranges the boxes. “I had other business today, that’s all.”

  “And somehow the rest of these yahoos knew to have you bring them pizza?” She turns her attention to the living room and places her hands on the waistband of her leopard-print skinny jeans. “Harley? Why do I feel like you’re behind this?”

  “As though I have any control over what Denton does or doesn’t do. But I did know he was going to be off work today. We all did.”

  “Even Alexis?” Annie readjusts herself, crossing her arms over her abdomen. “That girl can’t lie.”

  “Technically, you didn’t ask me,” Alexis states, slowly pushing herself up from the couch. She makes her way into the kitchen, standing behind Jake and placing her hand on his shoulder. He reaches up and wraps his hand over hers, but Annie stops focusing on them and instead looks at Denton.

  He doesn’t make a move to explain, but allows her eyes to graze over him. They move across his shoulders and his fitted white T-shirt, and then to his slightly disheveled sandy blond hair, and finally to his green eyes. When their eyes meet, he offers one of his perfect newsman smiles.

  “What are you up to, Denton Price?”

  “Somewhere near five-eleven, last I checked.”

  “Hilarious.” She steps closer, gathering his shirt in her fists near his waist. “Spill the beans.”

  He leans down to press a quick kiss to her lips before answering. “Just had a little real estate transaction to take care of, that’s all.”

  “Real estate?”

  “Yeah, I bought a house.”

  “What? Where?”

  “Suburbs, nice neighborhood.” He turns to take a glass from Alexis, thanking her before filling it with water.

  “Are you kidding me? I didn’t even know you wanted to move to the suburbs.”

  He shrugs and leans against the refrigerator. “Couldn’t beat the neighbors.” He gets a mischievous glint to his eyes as he looks down at Annie. “I’m sure you’ve seen the house. Weeping willow trees in the yard, wooden bench on the porch, flowers on top of the mailbox.”

  “That house is on Wonder Lane,” Annie answers, twisting her mouth to the side. “Belongs to the Martins.”

  “Not anymore. It belongs to me, and maybe someday my wife.” He quickly pulls his drink out of the way as she wraps her arms around him.

  “You’re not allowed to propose to me on television,” she tells him, causing him to laugh.

  “Thank you for telling me that…again. Point taken, I assure you.”

  Harley rises from the couch and grabs Maddie’s hand, pulling her up as well. They share a smile as they walk into the kitchen, because everyone but Annie knows that Denton has a ring in his pocket. That he’s planning to propose tonight.

  Maddie grabs a plate for her pizza, but pauses to look at Annie and Denton, embracing one another by the refrigerator. Glancing at Harley, she holds up her right hand, extending her
pinky.

  “To the girls of Wonder Lane,” she whispers.

  Harley nods as she smiles, glancing from Maddie to Alexis. “The girls of Wonder Lane,” she agrees, linking her pinky with Maddie’s.

  Alexis steps up to them, wrapping an arm around each of their shoulders. Before she has a chance to say anything, Bailey is in the midst of them, placing her tiny hand atop the other girls’ pinky fingers. “If you’re gonna have a secret club, you need a handshake. You learn that pretty much the start of first grade, at recess.”

  “Is that so?” Harley asks, removing her hand from the pile. “Show me what you have in mind.”

  “Hmm…” Bailey squints her eyes and wrinkles her nose as though she’s giving it intense thought, and then she broadens her stance to give herself more stability. “Got it. Snap, clap, snap, fist bump, wiggle!”

  “Wiggle?” Maddie asks, placing her palm flat against the top of her baby bump.

  “Maybe we’ll skip the wiggle,” Alexis answers with a chuckle, playfully sweeping the end of Bailey’s braid along the side of her cheek. Bailey places her hands on either side of Maddie’s abdomen, waiting for the baby to kick.

  “He’ll do the wiggling,” Maddie mutters to Alexis, giving her a self-deprecating smile. Alexis simply shrugs as she stares at the little group in her house. Definitely not the life she pictured when she left Tennessee. The journey that started all wrong had become so much more than she hoped or imagined.

  Her mind drifts back to that first night, alone in her new home with Bailey, the two of them resting against the mattress on the floor. She can almost picture Bailey asking her to read, cuddling Hoppy against her chest as Alexis detailed the exploits of Alice while she was in Wonderland. Bailey cried for home, and she couldn’t shake the silent fear that she was doing the wrong thing after all. That maybe she had followed the white rabbit a little too far herself.

  She even remembers what she was reading that night, the part where the caterpillar questions Alice with all the nonsense. The way he leaves her a little confused about whether she’s right or wrong. She felt a little that way herself, that first night.

  It gives her a surge of happiness to realize she doesn’t feel that way anymore. She knows precisely who she is, and where she belongs.

  Alexis McAuliffe.

  Resident of Wonder Lane.

  Exactly where she’s meant to be.

  About the Author

  Christina Coryell is the Amazon bestselling author of The Camdyn Series and the Girls of Wonder Lane series. A resident of small-town southwest Missouri, where she lives with her husband and two children, she does most of her writing in unorthodox places and with lots of noise in the background. She hasn’t ever chased a white rabbit down a hole, but strangely enough the rabbit is her favorite animal. You know, fuzzy tail and what not. She also has pretty stellar parents, and two sisters who luckily have never thought her boring. (Or have they?)

  She loves to hear from her readers and welcomes interaction on Facebook, Twitter, and by email at her website, www.christinacoryell.com.

  Independent authors rely on your support. If you enjoyed Curiouser, please consider telling a friend and writing a review.

  A Few Words

  When a new book package arrives on my doorstep, my kids always pop it open to the exact same page. This one. Wanting to know what I said about them. My husband does the same thing, although he tries to be incognito. It’s true, just like it was last time: I love all three of you.

  To my parents, and my sisters, and the early readers who help me iron out the story, thank you for everything you do. To my street team – you all are awesome. Thank you so much for your support. And to Linda, for fielding odd questions and always being honest and mildly sarcastic. I appreciate you more than you know.

  Special thanks to Kassi Hillhouse, who photographed all the models for Wonder Lane, and a huge thank you to Mallary for giving Alexis a face. It was a true pleasure working with you both.

  Sometimes I have a pretty solid idea in my head of how a scene is going to go, and something completely unexpected pops up. Something that causes me to stop in my tracks and wonder if there’s more to the story than even I know. I’m so very grateful and humbled by those moments, and I thank God for them.

  During this series, the concept of Christians hurting Christians popped up more than once. Can I be honest with you? The people who have loved me the most in this world are Christians. The people who have hurt me the most in this world are Christians, too.

  I could provide you with a laundry list of bullet-pointed examples, but the fact is they don’t matter. What matters is this: I have plenty of ugly moments. I’m not talking about when I wake up with a head cold and forget to brush my hair. I’m talking temper gets the better of me, my pride gets hurt, “woe is me” ugly moments. Moments when I’m not the person God called me to be. Moments when I’m fallen and human and broken.

  Guys, owning the ugly is one hundred percent terrifying. But without the ugly, we can’t showcase the beauty of grace. If you’ve read my books, you already know a whole lot about my ugly. Thank you for taking this journey with me, and I hope we can fully embrace the beauty together.

  Available Now

  Girls of Wonder Lane

  Book 1

  Simply Mad

  Madeline Heard wants what many girls want—a little respect, a boost in her career, and to find a guy to share happily ever after. Can she find a way to have everything she wants, or should she be careful what she wishes for?

  Book 2

  Crowned

  Louisville’s hottest reporter appears to have it all—a perfect job, great car, beautiful house, and designer clothes. She’s poised to set herself up as the woman at the top, until a gruff old biker, a teenage girl, and the absolute wrong guy threaten to derail her plans.

  Book 3

  Curiouser

  Alexis has spent the past few years living someone else’s life, but she’s finally ready to make a fresh start. Outrunning her past might prove difficult, however, when Jake McAuliffe decides to follow her out of town.

  And Don’t Miss The Camdyn Series

  Available Now:

  A Reason to Run

  A Reason to Be Alone

  A Reason to Forget

  For No Reason

  Unwrapped

  Camdyn Taylor is a bestselling author hiding a bit of a secret—her identity. The victim of viral video proposal infamy, she heads out of town in the name of book research seeking a little anonymity. She never expects

  that a wrong turn could wind up not only changing her perspective, but possibly her entire life.

  Equal parts romance, chick-lit, and women’s fiction

  with a little history thrown in for good measure.