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North of Happenstance: Chapter Forty-Six
The July heat was oppressive. Kate’s bangs, cemented in sweat, lay heavy on her forehead. Her legs, pumping against the hard ground, were tired, weighted down. And, according to her calculations, she still had another mile to go…! It had been a long time since she’d run any distance; she was definitely feeling it now. And that damn sun! God, she could almost feel jealous of Penny—her legs propped up on the chair beside her, a cool iced-tea in hand, with only a measly stop-watch to impede her relaxing afternoon sit-down. She’d no sooner thought this then Kate cringed, silently berating herself. Get a grip, girl! It was a petty,…
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North of Happenstance: Chapter Forty-Seven
“My necklace—I can’t find my necklace!” This sentence, M.T.’s terrible shrill voice echoing off in the air… that was the first thing Kate became aware of after crossing the finish line. Her shirt was sticking uncomfortably to the skin on her back, right between her shoulders blades, as she advanced toward where the rest of her team was huddled. The smile of victory on her face vanished at the somber expression on Jake’s face, the fearful one of Penny, and the absolute terror flashing across the pastor’s pale countenance. This was far from the welcome she’d expected to receive at the end of their race. “What’s going on?” Kate asked,…
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North of Happenstance: Chapter Forty-Eight
It wasn’t until Maggie lost her necklace that Kate really realized it; in a way, she supposed she’d always known. She’d seen it, she’d just never thought about it. She’d never considered how bad it was until that day…. The way she’d forced Kate to stay back with M.T. when everyone else was scavenging for the lost piece of jewelry, to sit there next to Maggie holding her hand while everyone else dove in the cool waters…watching, waiting; they hadn’t both needed to be there, one would have sufficed… But Penny had felt guilty. She’d felt impotent with helplessness. To have Kate go out there, to have Kate do what…
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North of Happenstance: Chapter Forty-Nine
So Kate and Penny headed back outside to try it again. Swim Lesson 2.0 Grabbing up their towels, they walked determinedly toward the water’s edge. Staring out at the expanse of water, the tips of their toes lying against the last inches of grass there, Kate heard Penny take a deep breath, and then another. But this time, she wasn’t the only person nervous of wading inside those cool depths. Kate’s stomach clinched. Because now she knew. She knew just how terrifying a step this all would be for Penny: letting her feet fall against the wet sand, feeling their weight sink against the surface there, letting her body break…
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North of Happenstance: Chapter Fifty
The echo of the dial tone from her call with Jackson still ringing in her ears, Kate knew immediately what she had to do. Grabbing for the phone again, she quickly punched in a number she knew by memory…. “Hello, Madame Penny’s House of Intuition—” “Penny,” Kate said breathlessly, “I need to talk to you.” “Sure.” “But not on the phone,” Kate insisted. “I need to talk to you in person.” “This sounds serious.” “It is,” Kate stumbled. “Well. I mean, it’s not like an emergency or anything. At least, I don’t think so—” “Kate, what’s going on?” “Can I come by the shop? Are you available at all today?”…
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North of Happenstance: Chapter Fifty-One
With something akin to panic, Jake stared down at the concert tickets sitting on his kitchen counter. They were for her favorite band—when he’d found out they were playing in town, he’d rushed out to buy them. It was going to be a surprise. Grimacing, he pushed them out of his sight. Kate had the absolute worst timing. Pushing himself up, Jake paced from his kitchen counter to his living room windows and back again. That would all end now; they would go back to the way things had been before. Because—because, he and Penny’s relationship was a farce, built on the fabric of something false, something that turned out…
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North of Happenstance: Chapter Fifty-Two
With a painful flick of her wrist, Penny thrust on the light switch as she entered her shop. Grimacing at the assaulting yellow glow of the overhead bulbs, her hand instinctively coming to rest against her temple, her mouth letting out a whoosh of breath, Penny slowly steered her way toward the coffee…. God, she’d forgotten how terrible a hangover really was… Last night had been—well, it had been one of the best nights in her life. There she’d been, sitting up in bed, fully clothed in a pair of leggings and a dark blue tunic with a splash of dark green fabric around the hem, staring out her window,…
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North of Happenstance: Chapter Fifty-Three
With a weary sigh, Kate shut and locked her outside door. Hefting the overnight bag over her shoulder, she made her way out to the curb, where a nervous looking M.T. stood, beside an equally unsure Penny. Or maybe they just appeared tense to Kate, who was feeling a little, well, panicky herself. “Tell me one more time,” Kate said, shoving her bag in the backseat of the car. “That I’m doing the right thing here.” M.T.’s face gave nothing away. “Kate…” “She’d go and see him anyway,” Penny intruded, leaning up against the trunk of Kate’s car. “You know Janessa. It’s much better that she’ll have you there.” M.T.…
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North of Happenstance: Chapter Fifty-Four
What was it about her shop lately, Penny wondered fleetingly—everyone and their mother, it seemed, felt compelled to just drop by unexpectedly, seeking all sorts of random advice (like she was some columnist in the newspaper). All of this would be fine, of course, if even one person were interested in the spiritual world. But there was pretty much zero chance of that, especially considering the latest in the long line of unannounced visitors who’d just passed over her threshold— Hank Burke. Didn’t need to by psychic to know he wasn’t here to get insight from the Angel messages. Penny tried not to grimace when she looked up to see…
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North of Happenstance: Chapter Fifty-Five
Groaning quietly, Penny woke up slowly. Agonized. Eyes tightly closed, her brain felt like it was ricocheting madly around her head—even just breathing seemed to be sending the thing unraveling, bouncing painfully from left to right, unhinged. Parched. That’s how she felt. Her mouth was dry. Impossibly dry. Smacking her lips together, she tried to get some moisture inside the dessert coating her teeth, her tongue… Stretching, Penny let her eyes slowly slip open. Wait. Her arms raised up over her head, Penny felt confused, disorientated. This wasn’t her duvet. This wasn’t her bed. This wasn’t her house. It was only by sheer will that Penny kept herself from shrieking—alarm…
