-
North of Happenstance: Chapter Twelve
Kate took a deep breath, and then another. Her dress felt too tight, but then, modern image had it that Romeo’s Juliet was something of a stunner. Hence, she couldn’t be seen in anything that billowed too loosely. She would have to make do with what little airway she was afforded. The backstage of Whestleigh High School’s theater department reeked of body odor and fear, but Kate wasn’t positive they weren’t side-effects of her own person. Today was the day: the group theatre project for her Shakespeare class; the one-act revival of Romeo and Juliet. Kate looked up at the clock hanging beside the left wing entrance. It was 7:50…
-
North of Happenstance: Chapter Thirty-Five
Kate’s knees felt like jelly as she walked the length of the LitLiber bookstore toward the small, multi-purpose room located in the building’s rear. Her hands felt sweaty as her eyes looked searchingly toward the windows overlooking the white-walled room. The blinds were up and she had a clear view of Jackson standing there. Automatically, her hand went up to brush back her excruciatingly styled hair (and if she were wearing more make-up than usual, and if her attire was a little dressier than was absolutely necessary, Kate chose not to pretend otherwise). Tonight marked the first play rehearsal…and she felt like puking. Grabbing the doorknob in her damp palms,…
-
North of Happenstance: Chapter Forty-Two
M.T. felt sick to her stomach as she exited the church. Pocketing the building’s keys, she walked briskly to her small car. Swallowing hard, she just managed to keep the tears threatening to spill down her cheeks, at bay. Her shaking fingers gripped the steering wheel hard as she pulled out of the parking lot…only at the last second, instead of turning left which would take her back home, M.T. flicked her right blinker on, turning into the mid-afternoon traffic. It wasn’t quite two-thirty in the afternoon, which meant that Penny was probably still at her shop. And suddenly, M.T. needed to talk to her sister. Squinting hard, she tried…
-
North of Happenstance: Chapter Forty-Four
Hands full of dishes, Kate made her way carefully to M.T.’s sink. It was almost nine o’clock at night—and, at long last, Girl’s Night Dinner had come to a close. Penny had cried off ten minutes ago, claiming she needed to be up early for client meeting in the morning. And, though Kate was tired too, she steadfastly refused to leave M.T. to deal with this mess all by herself. “You don’t have to do that,” M.T. said, coming up to quickly relieve Kate of the plates. “I can take care of it.” “I insist,” Kate told her, and without another word, turned to grab the wineglasses off the dining…
-
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…
-
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?”…
-
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…
