In the Stillness - By Andrea Randall Page 0,128
that. I’ve got a job. I can live without their money if I have to.”
“Dad did it,” Julia replied. I was having trouble keeping up at this point. Except, did Carrie just tell her sisters that she’d risk financial ruin for me? Holy shit.
“Dad did what?” Alex asked.
“He told me years ago that grandfather disinherited him when they got married. Grandfather changed his mind when the kids came along.”
“I had no idea,” Alex said. “That explains why he didn’t make any similar threats with me.”
Sarah rolled her eyes. “Why would he do that? You’re perfect! Law school… you’re everything he wants.”
Alex gave a wistful smile to Sarah, and Dylan said, “Um… let’s just say, they aren’t too excited about our wedding. Or me.”
This was too much, I thought. I said, “I think my parents are happy to see me walking around still alive. Anything beyond that is gravy at this point.”
Carrie squeezed my hand and said, quietly, “You make me happy. That’s all that matters, Ray.”
Julia checked her watch, then said, “Thirty minutes, Crank.”
“Hope the food gets here soon,” he replied.
I looked at him and said, “I gotta admit, in my craziest dreams I never pictured myself sitting here having dinner with Crank Wilson.”
Crank leaned forward and said, “I’m just a guy from Southie. And if Carrie approves of you, you’re family. That’s the bottom line with me.”
“On the other hand,” Julia said, with a sweet looking, friendly smile. “If you ever hurt my sister, I’ll personally hunt you down and kill you.”
Carrie gasped. “Julia!”
Julia’s eyes flicked to Carrie, then she reached out and took her hand. “Relax, sis. I know it’s not likely. I know we don’t get to see each other often enough, any more. But you need to know… you mean everything to me. So I’m protective. I’d even kick Crank in the nuts if he did anything to make you sad.”
Crank winked at me, then shifted his seat several inches away from his wife. That caused the rest of us to break into raucous laughter, which caused a mildly offended Julia to turn toward Crank. Crank just gave her an innocent smile.
“All right, Dougal,” Julia said to him. Crank winced.
Through her laughter, Carrie asked, “How’s Sean doing anyway?”
“He’s all right,” Crank said. “Married now, he lives in Quincy.”
Carrie gasped. I listened, not having a clue who Sean was, but apparently he was someone important to her. They started to chat about Sean and Crank’s family, and I said, “Excuse me a moment, I’ll be right back.” I gave Carrie a kiss on the cheek and went to look for the back door.
Once I found it, I slipped out into the alley and quickly lit a cigarette. It’s not that I didn’t want to be in there. I did. But I was a little overwhelmed. Okay, cancel that. I was a lot overwhelmed. I used to be a social person, very social. But somewhere along the line between Long Island and Dega Payan, I’d become a little agoraphobic, and much more closed with people. I just needed space for a minute or two.
A moment after I lit my cigarette, the back door opened again, and Dylan appeared. He leaned against the wall and lit a smoke, then said, “You all right?”
“Yeah,” I said. “I like them. It’s just a bit much.”
Dylan nodded. “Me too. Even Crank. He’s a big shot, but he’s not so different from us really.”
“Except we don’t have paparazzi chasing us.”
“There is that,” he replied.
I looked at Dylan and grinned. “I haven’t said it yet, but thanks for introducing me to Carrie.”
He nodded. “You look like you two are getting serious.”
I snorted. Then I looked at him and said, “You remember all those times we razzed you about how much you talked about Alex? All the names we called you?”
“What,” he said. “You mean, like… pussy-whipped? Pudmaster? What else? Nothing else is coming to mind.”
I chuckled. “I take it all back. I get it now.”
“Oh shit, you guys are serious.”
I nodded. “Yeah. I’ve got it bad.”
Dylan got a grin on his face. “Well, don’t mess it up. Life’s too short.”
I tossed my cigarette to the ground and stamped it out under my shoe, then clapped my hand on his shoulder. “You’re right about that. Let’s head back in.”
And that’s when my phone rang. I looked down at it and muttered a curse. The caller ID said US ARMY. My heart started thumping wildly, and I answered it with a rude, “What?”
Major Smalls’s voice, calm, came over the phone. “The appropriate way for a Sergeant to answer the phone is not what, Sergeant Sherman.”
“Well, write me up then, Major. It’s New Years Eve and I’m out with my girl and her family. What do you want?”
Dylan stopped, giving me a concerned look. I waved him off.
“Just wanted to make sure we knew your whereabouts. I made it clear you were to keep in touch.”
I lit another cigarette, fiercely took a drag from it, then said, “You know, Carrie was right about that the other day. I don’t know where you get off treating me this way. I reported it, damn it!”
Major small sighed on the other end of the line. “Believe me, Sergeant. I do understand. You’re right, it’s New Years Eve, and I’d really like to get back to my family. So if you’ll just let me know where you’re going to be tonight, then I will leave you alone. Fair enough?”
“Fine,” I said, spitting out the word. “I’m going to be at Madison Square Garden for the Morbid Obesity concert. From there, I’m going to be with my girlfriend. At the Hilton next door. All right? Do you need the fucking room number, Major?”
Dylan stared as I spoke, his face drawn, unhappy.
“No thank you, Sergeant. We’ll be in touch. Happy New Year.”
Acknowledgements
This book was an incredibly emotional journey. The following people held my hand, held me up, and pushed me forward: Charles Sheehan-Miles, Maggi Myers, Michelle Kisner Pace, Erin Roth, Lisa Rutledge, Lindsay Sparks, Maggie Evans, and Jay McAtee. Thank you for being great beta readers and awesome friends.
Sarah Hansen- This cover absolutely took my breath away. Thank you for outdoing yourself for me.
Lori Sabin- I know this was a challenging project, since we know each other so well. Thank you for taking time and care to make this look perfect. Your faith in me is astounding.
Kim- My original best friend college roommate. Thank you for sharing so much of your experiences with me to use in this book. I love you.
The Lucey Family-Your openness about your experiences with Jeff, and your dedication to helping veterans across the world, is humbling and has saved countless lives.
Finally, thank you to all the mothers I know, near and far, who have been honest with me over the years about their true thoughts and feelings about all things “mommy” and all things “life.” We’re all going to be okay.
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In the Stillness Copyright © 2013 Andrea Randall
Cover design by Sarah Hansen, Okay Creations
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the author. Brief written quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews are permitted.
This is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, or have been used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locations is entirely coincidental.
Table of Contents
Untitled
In the Stillness
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
While Natalie and Ryker are fictional characters, there
CHAPTER TWELVE
Acknowledgements
Connect with Andrea
In the Stillness Copyright © 2013 Andrea Randall