Hurricanes in Paradise by Denise Hildreth (web ebook reader .TXT) 📕

She felt a furor strike through her blood. “I’m too angry to forgive him, Mama. I hate him. I hate everything about him.” The words came out with a rage that surprised even her.

“I know, honey. I understand.”

Her mama stopped there. But Tamyra knew she hadn’t stopped. She had simply changed audiences. She wouldn’t address it with Tamyra. She’d just address it with Jesus. She’d been bringing Tamyra before Him for a long time, and this time would be no different.

“They’re worried about you at the pageant. They think you might not show. I told them you keep your word. Always have. Always will.”

“I will. I’ll be there.”

“I know, honey. That’s what I told them. So I’ll see you Saturday night?”

“Saturday night.” The mere thought caused a smile to come across her face.

Her mother paused for a minute. “You’re not going to die, honey girl. You’re going to live.”

“Well, telling you is a step in that direction.”

“Thanks for calling me, honey. We’ll tell your father together, but I’ll let him know we talked and you’re going to be just fine.”

“Thank you. Wish I could hug you, Mama.” Tamyra leaned back into the cushion of the sofa.

“You just wrap your arms around yourself and you know that Mama has you encompassed all about. All about.”

“I love you, Mama.” She hung up the phone. There was much left to do. Much left to face. And Jason couldn’t be avoided. Well, technically, he could be for the next four days.

* * *

Laine picked up her phone and dialed. The panicked voice of her assistant answered.

“Alison, it’s Laine.”

“Yes, Ms. Fulton. I’ve been trying and trying to reach you.”

“I know. I know. Listen . . .” Her voice caught. This was harder than she thought. “I don’t want you to quit.”

The line went silent.

“Are you there?”

“Um, yes, ma’am. I’m here.”

“I was really hard on you Saturday. We all make mistakes from time to time. So let’s you and I try to communicate better and we’ll see how things work out. But for today, let’s forget about the whole new assistant thing.”

“Okay. Well, I don’t know what to say, honestly. But thank you. Thank you very much.”

Laine sat on the edge of the bed. “You’re welcome. So how about you take the rest of the week off. If I need you, I’ll call you.” She was sure the girl would recheck her caller ID when she hung up.

“The week off?”

“Yeah. Take a break. I’m sure it’s been a stressful couple of days.”

“Thank you.”

She was certain the girl was close to a nervous breakdown. “I’ll see you when I get back.”

The sniffles were audible. “I’ll be ready to go first thing Monday morning.”

Laine hung up the phone and fell back on the bed. She hoped there wasn’t going to have to be a lot more of that. She’d had mammograms she had enjoyed more.

12

Tuesday afternoon . . .

Riley swiped at her tears when she heard footsteps coming toward her office. Mia’s boundless energy swept into the room but stopped abruptly.

“You’ve been crying. What in the world did that woman say to you now? She must simply be a beast.”

Riley dabbed a tissue at her eyes. No matter how hard she tried, she hadn’t been able to stop the tears falling for almost two hours. It was as if the announcements of her past had loosed some great reservoir that had been building inside and now the dam had finally burst. She didn’t tell her story often. She only told it when it needed to be told. And she had never told it the way she had regurgitated it all out to Laine. But something about that woman’s arrogance had unglued her.

“No, she’s not a beast,” Riley said, blowing her nose.

Mia sat down in one of the chairs across from her desk. “You’re being too kind. Anyone who has the ability to make your eyes look like that has to be a beast.”

“I’m a mess, huh?”

“Frightful. If I’m being honest.” Even Mia’s Australian accent didn’t help that statement go down any better. “Let’s get out of here and get some lunch. Did you even have breakfast?”

Riley shook her head. The thought of how Laine had stood her up again made a few more tears fall. She dabbed madly. “This is crazy. I haven’t cried like this in years. I don’t understand why this woman has had this effect on me.”

Mia stood and motioned toward the door. “Come on. I’ll buy you one of those Dr Peppers you love.”

Riley gave a polite smile. “I’m really not hungry, Mia.”

Mia walked over to Riley and pulled her from her chair. “I know you’re not hungry, but you need food and you need a friend. So come on; I can help with both.”

It was true. Riley had been here for almost six months, and besides a few acquaintances at church and The Cove and Bart’s proposals of marriage, she hadn’t even had time to make a real friend. She had no one to hang out with, watch a chick flick with, or get to know other than Max and his wife. She yielded to Mia’s tug. “You’re right. I’d like that.”

“Want to go to Mosaic?”

“No, I want junk food. I want a burger with blue cheese and French fries.”

Mia smiled wildly. “I knew I liked you.”

They took a seat at one of the bistro tables by Cain pool. Riley watched a few of the men, their walks slow and easy. She was certain that their cadence on a workday would be completely different. She settled into her chair and was grateful for the ease of life this place offered. People ate slower here, talked longer, reconnected with the people they loved, and stopped for a few days to forget about the pressures that existed back at home. It didn’t matter where they were from—north, south, east, or west—one thing was common among each of them: Paradise Island slowed them down enough to experience life instead of simply