To be trusted is a greater compliment than being loved. – George MacDonaldReese had worked late at Dean’s List last night and had gone back to bed after having breakfast with Helen. Yesterday had been the last day of classes at the local college and the bar in the old university library was packed. Now, at ten thirty in the morning, he was making himself a cup of coffee. As the single serve maker brewed him a cup, he scrolled through messages on his phone.The water slowed to a trickle before stopping completely. Pocketing his phone, he threw away the pod and grabbed his cup. Walking down the hall, he paused only briefly when he realized that his office door wasn’t completely closed like usual.He didn’t expect Helen or either of the kids to be participating in corporate espionage. In fact, the thought made him chuckle. Sipping his coffee, he sat behind the desk and discovered why Helen had been a little nervous this morning.In the center of his desk sat the leather-bound red folder
The biggest rewards in life are found outside your comfort zone. – Jack CanfieldHelen was a little nervous as Reese unlocked the playroom. The last time that she was in here, she had bolted. As if he could sense her nervousness, he kissed the top of her head.“We’re not going to play in the playroom tonight.” He whispered.“Then what…?” she asked as they entered the room and he shut the door behind them, securing the lock.Grinning at her, he leaned down and kissed her. “We’re going to take a shower.”“There’s a shower in our bathroom.” She pointed out as they walked to the bathroom.“Not like this one.” He said huskily as he flipped on the lights inside the bathroom and closed the door. Using the digital control panel, he set the lights down low and turned on some music playing lightly in the background.“Come here, Kitten.” Reese ordered softly.Nervously, she stepped up to him. “Yes, Sir?” she asked looking up at him.“First, when we play, you will never look at me in the eyes unl
Things come apart so easily when they have been held together with lies. – Dorothy AllisonHank had a cousin rent a room in the hotel across the street from the hospital. The same hotel that Jolene’s family had been staying at for nearly two weeks. He’d had to sneak in without being seen once he was released from jail.That bitch was going to pay.Her whole fucking family would pay.And that new boyfriend of Helen’s and his whole fucking family.Who the hell would want a fat pig like that?The more he watched the hospital, the angrier he got. Thinking of the fact that his dad had to go bail his mom out of jail pissed him off.Private securityHow the hell were they affording that?And now even Bob was being refused entrance to the hospital. The hospital administrator himself had kicked Bob out and warned him that if he came back on the property, it would be considered trespassing.Hank drank down the last of his whiskey and dropped the empty bottles with the others in the overflowing
You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending. – C. S. LewisGina sat behind her desk in the office behind the bullpen of her deputies. She was nursing her third, possibly her fourth, cup of coffee. She always left a little coffee at the bottom of her cup, that way, technically, it was still her first cup. It would get topped off, but never refilled. Her logic had gotten her through more extended shifts than she could count and did not make her feel guilty when she told her doctor she only had one cup of coffee a day.The large window looking out into the bullpen had holiday cards from local businesses, schools and families surrounding it. A long folding table was set in front and covered with sweets and treats from the community. Gina did not have any delusions of being a better sheriff than her predecessor. But she did have a better relationship with the county.When the elementary schools had invited her deputies to their holiday
I’m a fighter. I believe in the eye-for-an-eye business. I’m no cheek turner. You kill my dog; you better hide your cat. – Mohamad AliReese received a message from Steve requesting a meeting. In private. Grinning, Reese sent back a message stating that he was about to leave the gym and would be home in twenty minutes. At twenty-one minutes, as he pulled into the driveway, he received a new message from the private investigator.You’re lateHe parked next to the nondescript sedan and got out of the Impala. “You’re impatient.”“And?” The younger man asked stepping out of his own car.Reese laughed as he walked over and unlocked the door to his house. Steve followed him and went straight to the office. Automatically, he searched for bugs before turning on the white noise machine that Reese kept on the shelf behind his desk. Reese entered and handed a bottle of water over to Steve before sitting behind his desk.“Fargo has a girlfriend.”Reese took a deep breath before responding. “Why d
Sometimes the littlest things take up the most room in your heart. – Winnie the PoohThe first thing Monday morning after she and Reese first had sex, Helen called her OB/GYN and asked for the first available appointment. That was not until December twenty-third. She had told him that she had an appointment and he asked if she wanted him there.Blushing everywhere that he could see, and he could see a lot of her, she shook her head no. Now, as she walked into Jolene’s room, she wished he had gone. Helen smiled at the two guards that were at the door of her daughter’s room.“Is everything okay?” Helen asked as they both stood up.Nichols smiled at her. “Yes, ma’am, Miss Helen. The family is in there and we were just giving some privacy.”“Oh, thank you.” She said placing her hand on the handle.“Miss Helen,” Nichols said nervously. “I want to apologize.”Turning towards him, she looked at him, confused. “For what?” She was already emotional and was afraid that she would start crying.“
You don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them. – Desmond TutuThe ornate grandfather clock from England chimed the midnight hour in the formal living room. Or as Dean called it, the special guest living room. Other than a few special occasions, she couldn’t think of a time that they had used that room. Unlike Reese’s house, this one was two levels. The top floor was the more formal part of the house. It had formal dining and living rooms, chef’s kitchen, billiards and game room, a mother-in-law suite and a media room. All precisely decorated and rarely used. From the front, it looked like a single-story house with the second story being built inside the hill. The lower level was where they lived. Except for the large deck that extended the length and about half the width of the lower level. Whenever they had a princess party, it was typically on the deck. The perpetually decorated deck was large, mostly covered and looked over the pool. The heated poo
When everything goes to hell, the people who stand beside you without flinching – they are your family. – Jim ButcherNeo knew that Shelby would be pissed at him. And he was willing to live with that. He was also certain that she would eventually forgive him. Pretty certain that she would. Or she would kill him. It was a fifty-fifty chance at this point. Then again, that was just about every day of his life. It was a good day when everyone made it home at the end of the day. While he was a police officer in the Marines, there were several days that not everyone came home. Those days still hung heavy over him. But today, Christmas day, was not going to be influenced by those days.Today, he was going to focus on the woman who kept his office running so smoothly. And the little boy who can make his whole staff pitch in to guarantee the best Christmas ever. Although, right now, it probably seemed like the worst.Neo knocked on the black door with the green wreath on it. Shelby opened