Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence. – Vince Lombardi
The state awards were always held in the civic center. There was a dinner and then a guest speaker before the awards ceremony. JD didn’t remember the state doing anything for baseball when Jaxon was in high school. But then again, he probably wasn’t paying attention.Or it was the fact that the school had never even made it past the second round of playoffs.But for swimming, individuals could qualify and did not have to be on a team. In fact, Dean’s former team had two individuals competing. When they first saw her, they were happy to see her. But then they saw that she was with JD and his team, and the two former teammates ignored her.“Dean?” Coach Williams said as he approached her.She turned and faced her former coach and JD tightened his grip around her waist.“I wanted to let you know that I understand why you changed schools.” The coach said with a saIf there’s heaven for me, I’m sure it has a beach attached to it. – Jimmy BuffettIt was the last day in Hawaii and Jolene stood on the private beach watching the sun go down. Neo stood off to the side, giving her the space that she had asked for. As always, the guards stood discreetly out of the way. After the kidnapping incident, he was not taking any chances. Reese had the same mindset and cancelled the airplane tickets and chartered a plane. The hotel had been changed and they were staying at a private bungalow. Neo did not want to know how much his friend had paid to get this on short notice during spring break.Knowing Reese, he probably bought the house.And did not have to spend way too much time and money getting it livable. Not that he regretted buying the old mansion. With the plans that he had; his three locations would soon become one. The house was almost done and the foundation for the garage and parking area was being laid down while they were gone.
I survived because the fire inside me burned brighter than the fire around me. – Joshua GrahamThe plane was on the tarmac, and they were waiting for their turn at the gate. Neo was texting Shelby who was not responding and Willow who was being very vague. He then texted several of his guards who were strangely radio silent. He trusted his instincts enough to know that something was wrong. Completely, totally and utterly wrong.Finally, the chartered plane moved to the gate, and they all moved to the door. for being such a large party, it did not take them long to get off the plane. The extended gangway opened to the county’s municipal airport. Most of the planes that came through were for the local flight school and the parachute company. As they walked out, Neo saw three of his guards. Childs, Nelson and Joshua stood there waiting on them. Zack was supposed to be the one picking them up. Zack and Nichols.The cold stare had Childs cringing and Neo saw that Ne
I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always, as long as I’m living, my baby you’ll be. – Robert N. MunschJaxon was confused over the group message that he got from Pax. Company meeting. Need everyone here. Saturday 4And then the following one that came only to him.Sorry about the short notice. Hope the vacay was good. PVacay? When did Pax start saying vacay? You leave for a few days and the whole world turns upside down. Okay, so it was almost a week. But still.The week away was great. He had never seen his family be so happy before. Helen was practically glowing after a week in Hawaii. Jolene hadn’t seemed so relaxed in years, even with the guards. JD was thrilled to be there with Dean. And he, himself, enjoyed the week with both his partners.Saturdays had become the day that the girls went and did their thing at the nail salon. And the day that Jaxon and Ty had to themselves. Even after flying in yesterday, today was still their day.Curr
Be careful what you wish for. There’s always a catch. – Laurie Halse AndersonEverything was going wrong. Everything had gone wrong.It only continued to get worse.Jolene divorced him.His mother went missing after they were released from jail.Regina went to the store and never came home. Her purse was found in a freezer at the grocery store. Rachel and his kids were now missing. Nothing was out of place at the house. Nothing was missing. She took the oldest to school, parked in the parking lot across from the school like she always did. They never made it into the school. There was no video footage of any of them leaving.They just simply… disappeared.He received a visit from the sheriff's office late in the afternoon. It had been a familiar face that had knocked on the door. Parker looked at his old partner with sadness and tears in his eyes.“I’m sorry, Hank.” Parker said and he meant it. “Your father is at the County Hospital.”
Till this moment I never knew myself. – Jane AustenThat same odd feeling followed Jolene around all day as she walked across the campus. The odd feeling of being followed and watched never left her. She had convinced herself that it was because this was her first day back to classes from her vacation. That it was because in the parking lot over there, her eyes cut to the lot behind the science building, she had been drugged and kidnapped.“You okay?” Nichols asked quietly.Jolene nodded as she turned away from the lot and headed towards the language arts building. She heard the soft grunt that the man gave her. They were no longer wearing uniforms as a way of making other students feel more comfortable. And to make Jolene feel a little more normal. They both wore faded jeans and a t-shirt for the college football team. Jolene knew all about the football team. Her mother was such a contradiction. The woman loved all the girly things – pink, dresses, makeup, jewelry,
But we cannot simply sit and stare at our wounds forever. – Haruki MurakamiShelby sat in the office of the therapist that Neo contracted with for his guards. He had seen how it could fuck with a person’s mind when they had to shoot someone. Much less knowing that they had killed another human being.Although she had insisted that she was fine, because she could not stand to see the guys looking at her like she was going to break, she knew better.She felt like she was going to break.The only reason she had not given in yet is because Nate was watching her. And he was watching because Zack was watching.Not that Zack was in a better position. He had been there, and she saw the way that his PTSD had taken over for a brief moment. But then the training and muscle memory took control. As Shelby stood there watching the puddle of blood grow just outside the warehouse, that was now on fire thanks to the same asshole bleeding everywhere, Zack grabbed the first ai
You can tell a bully from a leader by how they treat people who disagree with them. – Miles K. DavisTylenol.That was the mantra going through Douggie’s mind at this point. Tylenol.The last forty-five minutes of the meeting had to be the longest decade of his life.Tylenol.He usually had some in his desk. But he was not at his office. He could only hope that the city jail infirmary had some Tylenol. Ibuprofen. Acetaminophen. Aspirin.At this point in time, he would take a twenty-pound sledgehammer upside the head. As long as it knocked him out or just completely put him out of his misery.“Douglas?” special agent in charge David MacFarland called out as he followed Douggie down the hall.Douggie let the hand that was rubbing the bridge of his nose, he turned around and plastered his professional smile on his face. “It’s just Douggie.”“Mac.” He held out a hand and Douggie took it.Looking at the special agent in charge, Douggie was pic
In raising my children, I have lost my mind but found my soul. – Lisa T. ShepherdIn the last few weeks, Helen swore her belly had doubled in size every week. When they were in Hawaii, she blamed it on the rich foods and eating just about everything she wanted. But when they got back, her belly continued to grow.And grow.The stress of the fire and Jolene’s attack did not help any.A year ago, her life was completely different. She struggled to pay her bills. New clothes would have been a luxury. Another baby was not even a thought.And now, she lived with a man who too care of everything. Pampered her in ways that she still could not even imagine. And would give her anything and everything that she needed or wanted.Including his baby.Today, her heartburn was horrible. She had eaten so many antacid tablets that she was certain she was going to become a giant antacid tablet. She was getting more when Reese appeared in her office doorway.“Still bad?