Walk the Right Road Series - Short Story - Running Late

For those of you who’ve read my new release The Choice, Book 1 of the Walk the Right Road Series. Running Late is a short story when Marcie and Dan met.

Running Late

Marcie frowned as she hurried to stuff the last of the rosemary in a small plastic bag. Scribbling a price on a white, sticky tag, pasting it to the bag, and arranging it with the other herbs displayed on the small rectangular table at this Saturday’s Farmers Market, this early spring morning. She brushed her fingers lightly over the three dozen small bags of herbs that only filled half the table. She was late, she’d forgotten the peppermint, the lemongrass her homemade soap; her biggest sellers. “Well crap.” She closed her eyes for a second picturing the full dark blue Tupperware container, sitting beside the door. She cursed under her breath and shuffled around the sparse table. Her Granny would’ve made sure she’d brought everything. She was an organized woman, who’d protected Marcie, loved her, and raised her. But it’d been a little over a month since she’d buried her Granny, which sucked Marcie into her head, to relive her agonizing loss over and over.  

Shivering, she yanked on her Granny’s light brown sweater, over her green cotton dress just as her handwritten sign was picked up by a sudden breeze. Her wooden sign was at home, most likely beside the box of herbs, all forgotten, as she’d raced late to the morning ferry that shuttled her from her Island home, Las Seta, to the mainland.  

“Oh no, what else could possibly go wrong?” She darted after the hand written sign as it fluttered across the dirt path over to the lettuce lady who decorated her table with a bright red and orange tablecloth. That was just one more thing forgotten, her blue checkered tablecloth. “Stop it.” She swept back her long wavy hair that blew in her face. Could today get any worse? 

So focused on that sign and her self-consuming frustration Marcie didn’t see the long, lanky legs step in front of her just as she bumped into the solid thigh with the top of her head. She landed on her bum in the dirt, and for a minute, she’d swear she saw stars. 

“Are you okay?” He was in her face. She blinked. And he had the most spectacular hazel eyes. She felt her face heat as his dimpled smile widened over his perfectly straight white teeth. He was a magnificent looking man, just as she’d remembered. Dan McKenzie ran his hands over her shoulder and grasped her elbow, as he pulled her up. Oh crap was he tall. And looking up at him, she was sucked in by this nice wave of comfort. There was something so surreal about him that sent all those butterflies pounding in her stomach. And man he smelled good.

She brushed her hand over her swirly green dress, and looked down at her bare toes that popped out of her red flip-flops. She wanted to hide her dingy feet, as she looked around at all the other gorgeous women, with their painted, pedicured and manicured fingernails and toes. 

“I’m good. I’m so sorry; I can’t believe what a klutz I am. I didn’t see you. I was ... oh my sign.” Her face was burning. She wanted to hide. 

Dan looked behind him, and bent over so elegantly, picking up her paper sign stuck under the lettuce ladies table. He brushed the dirt smudged over the childlike handwriting. His fingers brushed her hand as he handed it back. And this time when he looked at her, she’d swear he could read her every thought. And for a second, it was almost a comfort not having to speak.

But then it happened again, her face heated, she knew damn well she was blushing. Every day she prayed she’d be able to shed this awkward stage of blushing at the drop of a hat.

Dan chuckled and glanced away, before giving her his entire focus. He stepped closer and touched her arm in such a kind tender way. “Marcie right?” This time when his caring eyes washed over her, they were filled with such gentle support as if he was preparing to be her knight in shining armor.

He always was a charmer; so nice. She’d remembered him from High School. They never hung out, but he was always the King of his people, but that was ten years ago. All the kids flocked to him. But even then, he was the life of a party. Everyone wanted him around. So did Marcie. She’d always worshipped him from afar, never fitting in to his circle.

“Yah.” Marcie turned to walk away. 

“So I didn’t know you had a table here? What do you sell?”

He was following her. He seemed interested. He was so close she could feel his warmth. But how could he be interested in someone as unsophisticated and boring as her? She was nothing like the gorgeous blondes she’d always seen draped around him.

She scurried behind her table. Safe at last, now she could focus on her herbs. “I sell herbs, rosemary, oregano, sage, lavender. I’ve even bottled some essential oils. I’m sorry it’s so sparse today. I just wasn’t organized this morning, and I almost missed the ferry. And I forgot the peppermint, lemongrass... and I’m rambling. I’m sorry.” She didn’t know where the giggle came from. She covered her mouth, as Dan crossed his solid arms over his broad chest. His short reddish hair seemed to glow under the glistening sun. And this time she saw humor shine down from his mesmerizing eyes, not in a ridiculing way, but in a supportive captivating loving way.

“Well Miss Marcie. It was good to see you. I’ll be seeing you around I think.” 

“You too Dan. Thanks for your help.” He saluted her in a casual fun way, as he strode away. And Marcie couldn’t help admiring the fine package that he was, hoping he would truly stop by and see her again.

Now Available ~ Book 2 of the Walk the Right Road Series ~ Lost and Found

The Woman who Walks Alone

This is a short post today, but I feel pertinent and wanted to share with everyone. 

The Woman who follows the crowd, will usually go no further than the crowd.
The Woman who walks alone is likely to find herself in places, no one has ever been before. 

~ Albert Einstein 

 

Losing Power

Losing Power

The winds blew, twelve foot waves pounded the shore in the early evening Sunday. An amazing sight to watch from shore, and in the safety of our house. The wind blew shaking the thick fir, pine, and maple trees that shelters our home. And late Sunday night the power was knocked out to several islands, and the mainland. 

So come Monday morning the power still out, the school now closed and my editor waiting for my current manuscript. I dug out the old landline, plugged it in and dialed hydro. And of course they’re experiencing a high volume of outages, thousands, but we’re expected to have power restored Tuesday at 4:00. With the storm still raging the ferry was cancelled, no one was coming on the island or leaving. Of course I can live with that, it’s only a day. So I used up what battery power was left on my two laptops. Cooked over our woodstove, hauled water from the rain barrels I’d set up in the fall, as the wind blew, the rain fell, and the kids on the island celebrated their day off from school.  

It was fun really, playing little house on the prairie. And by the end of the day with no electro magnetic fields, and absolute quiet we all felt great.

Day two the kids still can’t go to school, and of course I can’t write, and the power people still can’t get here because of the thousands of others without power elsewhere. And we’re now scheduled for Wednesday. By this point we’re getting close to using every dish in the house and we’d really like a shower. Thankfully I have enough drinking water to last until Wednesday morning, and I’m one of the fortunate ones to have rain barrels filled with water I can use to heat up and wash with. Others aren’t so lucky, they’re collecting water from ditches to boil and wash up with.

With the woodstove cranked I send the kids out to chop more wood so we can cook, keep warm, and heat lots of water on the woodstove to clean up some the dishes, the kitchen, which takes hours. 

Day three of course we slept great. But still no power and another call to hydro, and they apologize again, no power is expected until the 14^th, which is Thursday. The candles are getting low, but we still have lots of wood, but hauling in water and boiling it first on a woodstove just to have a cup of coffee first thing in the morning is an exercise in patience and makes you really appreciate that high tech coffeepot. Then you hear the unmistakable whirr of an engine and everyone who’s outside gazes at the big beautiful oceanfront home not far from you, and you know that sound anywhere. A generator. And you look with power longing at that house who now has water, lights, electricity, and hot water. And you have none. But wait, late afternoon someone spots a hydro truck on the island, word gets out, and suddenly half the island has power. We wait but nothing happens for us. And then hydro unexpectedly leaves the island-- presuming powers been restored to us all.

Day four, still no power, everything in my deep freeze has unthawed the meat, the berries. And the fridge is warm. But hallelujah the school’s got power, and their up and running. So in the cold early morning, we haul water, heat up the woodstove, and get cleaned up. The rest of my small section of the island starts phoning hydro. And the first ones were told they must be mistaken, they have power it was restored yesterday. But after several calls, including mine we’re now told it’ll be another day as another storm has blown in and again the ferry shut down. With my hair slicked back, as clean as we can get I load the kids up in my vehicle, and dodge debris from the trees as I drive them to school. With my laptop packed up, I find a spot in the school to borrow their precious power and do some work. 

But wait, early afternoon by some miracle Hydro was spotted back on the Island. Our wonderful ferry people found a way to shuttle a hydro truck over a special ferry. And late in the afternoon, while down at the small corner store on our island news spread when the Hydro guys popped in the store and announced power was now up and running. Of course I shouted from the till after paying for my groceries, “wait don’t let them leave until I race home and see if I have power.” And I along with others raced home, and hallelujah the power was back. 

If a power outage hits you are you prepared?

Character Interview: Maggie McCafferty

*Coming Soon, Book 2 of the Walk the Right Road Series, Lost and Found. Remember Maggie McCafferty, Richard's Wife, this loveable woman who managed to get herself in so much trouble with Marcie in, The Choice. Today I’ve included a character interview of Maggie McCafferty, and she is the main character in Book 2, Lost and Found. For those of you who have read The Choice, you will remember loveable innocent Maggie who wanted nothing more than to protect those she loved from Dan. Lost and Found, is Maggie’s story.

Their Loss Tore Them Apart.

Will Their Enemy Bring Them Back Together?

Character Interview: Maggie McCafferty

You suffered a terrible loss, could you tell the readers a little about what happened?

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

I understand. But in your grief you packed up your child and left Richard. What made you decide to leave instead of working out your issues?

“He wasn’t there for me. He became a stranger I didn’t know. All I wanted was for him to hold me, love me, and comfort me. And he couldn’t do that. He stayed out all night, started drinking. I couldn’t take the blame anymore, and blame is all I saw when I looked in the mirror. I didn’t need Richards reminder that it was all my fault. Even though he didn’t say those words he said it with each passing glance, the way he left a room when I entered, and the fact he couldn’t stand to touch me.”

When a place for rent in Gardiner became available, that small house, I took it.  Because I believed it would be better and we’d be better off without Richard.

And how is that going for you?

“Well not so well. Richard cancelled all my credit cards. He seized my SUV, and he emptied our bank account so I’ve no money. I had a small savings account in my name, but its almost empty.”

Will you and Richard be able to work out your differences and reconcile?

She let out a heavy sigh. “I hired a lawyer. He’s a nice man and he’s put together a separation agreement. He warned to play fair, even up against Richard’s shark he hired. I’m just trying to get some support, what I’m entitled, just a little. But Richard’s such a hardass  he’s not even being reasonable. He kept everything, he has all the money stashed away so I can’t touch it. So I’ve filed for divorce.

Well that’s too bad. You and Richard as a couple--there was a lot of love there.

“Sometimes the crap life deals gets in the way.”

 ~~~