We Interrupt This Date (35 page)

“That’s not true.” I swallowed hard.

Not exactly. But it wasn’t only my devotion to my
mother and sister that had kept me from keeping my dates with Jack,
I knew that now. There was my own fear, the fear of rejection and
the fear of loss I’d never admitted to myself until last week. With
T. Chandler the commitment hadn’t mattered because some part of me
knew he wasn’t the one. But with Jack—well, it would have hurt too
much to lose him, so I never let myself have him to begin with.

“It sure seemed that way. Imagine how I felt.” He
tenderly wiped away a tear that was spilling down my cheek.

“I promise I’ll never let that happen again.” My
voice sounded low and husky. I drew a shaky breath.

“Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m not saying I want you
to abandon your family.” He locked his gaze on my mine.

“I know.”

”So while we’re busy apologizing, I’m sorry, too. I
should have been more understanding, instead of making you feel
like you had to choose between me and your family. Truce?”

“Buddies forever.” I slid my arms around Jack’s broad
shoulders and kissed him.

It was another long kiss. Finally he drew back and
said, “Uhmm, I had something else in mind. Something stronger than
buddyhood and you’re in agreement if I read the signals right.”

“You did.” I kissed him again.

Hours later, after we’d explored the chemistry
between us, we snuggled together under the cloth that the workmen
had used to cover the couch. Jack dozed off and on for the rest of
the night, but I couldn’t sleep. Someone had to keep watch for
ghosts.

When the sun finally rose, I could tell it was
morning by the dim light slanting in through the dingy windows at
the front of the attic. I thought about tapping on the glass in the
hope of alerting a passerby, but given the house’s reputation,
people would likely think I was a ghost and run away screaming. We
got up and searched the attic again, hoping we’d missed something
last night, a secret exit or maybe a battering ram we could use to
break open the door.

Hopeless. The place couldn’t have been any more
secure if it had been Alcatraz in its heyday.

Jack and I would have to resign ourselves to waiting
until Sunday when Mama and DeLorean got worried after I didn’t
return. I hoped they started their worrying early.

But I hadn’t counted on Patty and her tarot cards.
Thanks to Patty, the rescue party—Veronica, Patty, and Kyle—arrived
Saturday morning.

“Don’t dare let that door swing shut again,” I said
to Kyle after he forced his way in. Veronica called out and then
came up the stairs into the attic to see if Jack and I had survived
the night.

“You don’t have a thing to worry about. Kyle’s going
to fix it right now, so this will never happen again.” She shot me
an inquiring look. A grin slowly formed on her face and then she
winked at me. I felt a blush warm my cheeks.

“Let’s go,” I said, waving her back toward the stairs
and then getting to my feet. “I do not want to spend one more
minute in here.”

“You sure about that?” she teased.

“I’ll bet you didn’t see or hear any spirits, did
you?” Patty said in accusing tones when we got back to the
kitchen.

“I’ve told you a thousand times I am not the least
bit psychic. Zero. Zilch. Anyway, thanks for saving Jack and me.
How did you find us, anyway? I mean, no one even knew we were
missing, so they weren’t going to look and prospects for a quick
rescue looked pretty grim.”

Kyle had followed us down after fixing the lock and
now he picked up the cup of coffee he’d left on the counter.
“Patty’s tarot cards.”

“Really?” I turned to Patty. “I’ve never actually
believed in your tarot readings, but what can I say? Other than
thanks.”

“You’re welcome. I mean, it’s miraculous almost. If I
hadn’t driven into town to buy new tarot cards and seen your van
parked here next to Jack’s car when you were supposed to be in
Virginia, I never would have figured out something was wrong and
called Veronica. The tarot doesn’t lie, Susan.”

“Evidently not.”

After all, even if the rescue by tarot was
questionable, Patty’s cards had told her weeks ago that Jack was my
destiny. I put my hand in his and squeezed. He squeezed back. I
knew it was going to be a long time before I wanted to let go.

L.C. Evans

Connecting readers with other worlds

Biography:

L.C. Evans loves to write. She grew up in
Florida and now lives in North Carolina with her husband Bob, their
grandson--the Boy--and their three or four Chihuahuas. Occasionally
there is a sighting around their home of a certain neurotic cat
that may or may not be a part of the Evans household. Ms. Evans
loves to hear from fans. Contact her at:

[email protected]

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Product Description

Film lover Barbara Marr is a typical suburban
mom living the typical suburban life in her sleepy little town of
Rustic Woods, Virginia. Typical, that is until she sets out to find
the missing link between a bizarre monkey sighting in her yard and
the bone chilling middle-of-the-night fright fest at the strangely
vacant house next door. When Barb talks her two friends into some
seemingly innocent Charlie’s Angels-like sleuthing, they stumble
upon way more than they bargained for and uncover a piece of
neighborhood history that certain people would kill to keep on the
cutting room floor.

Enter sexy PI Colt Baron, Barb’s ex-boyfriend
who would love to be cast as new leading man, filling the role just
vacated by her recently estranged husband, Howard. When Colt flies
in from out of town to help Barb, events careen out of control and
suddenly this mini-van driving mother of three becomes a major
player in a treacherous and potentially deadly FBI undercover
operation. It’s up to her now. With little time to spare, she and
she alone, must summon the inner strength necessary to become a
true action heroine and save the lives of those she loves. The
question is can she get them out alive before the credits roll?

From Publishers Weekly

This fun if light novel’s quippy, hilarious
narrator, Barbara Marr, has so much warmth and genuine gumption,
you’d certainly want her on your criminal investigative team. The
spunky Virginia housewife and mother of three is almost at the end
of her rope — her hunky husband, Howard, has left her; it’s her
45th birthday; and she’s just discovered three monkeys living in
the trees in front of her house. “Life was pretty sucky” as she
puts it. But while investigating the curious case of these monkeys,
a bit of unexpected adventure shakes things up just the right
amount. In a warm-hearted, deftly observed
comic-farce-meets-mobster mystery, Barbara and her friends from her
quiet suburban neighborhood, Peggy and Roz, stick their noses into
the business of a deserted house down the street and find
themselves caught up in some off-the-wall FBI business that hits
way closer to home than they could have imagined. Perhaps a bit
goofy at times, this is nevertheless an outright treat: diverting,
funny and fast-moving. -- This text refers to the manuscript
reviewed as a part of the 2009 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award
contest.