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Elaine Worthington certainly didn't expect to become a widow at such a early age. Grief stricken, she had promised her husband on his death bed that she wouldn't live in the past, but move on with her life.

She knew she would not impose her loneliness on her grown children. Then she met a widower, who was in the same boat, and they decided to make a go of it together. Elaine's deceased husband had left her a very wealthy woman. Did Bill Horton want to marry her for love or her money?

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Publié par	iUniverse
Date de parution	16 mai 2013
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781475988581
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0200€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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NARCISSISM
LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON
GRETCHEN GAGNE

NARCISSISM
Like Father, Like Son

Copyright © 2013 Gretchen Gagne.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

iUniverse
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www.iuniverse.com
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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

ISBN: 978-1-4759-8857-4 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-4759-8858-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013907657

iUniverse rev. date: 06/20/2023
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Epilogue
About The Author

There are two types of Narcissism. One is “Entitlement” and the other is “Hereditary.” In this instance it is hereditary… as you will see.

Narcissism: is a self-centered personality style characterized as having as an excessive preoccupation with oneself and ones own needs, often at the expense of others.
CHAPTER 1
Elaine and Jack had been married for twenty-five years when they discovered Jack had cancer. Although they went to specialist after specialist, nothing more could be done for him. Elaine sat with him to the end, and she had never felt so helpless in her life. Jack made her promise that she would find someone and not live her life grieving, but get on with it and be happy. Elaine promised him even though at that moment she didn’t feel she could ever keep that promise.
When Jack passed away, their best friends, Janice and Jim, stepped in to help Elaine, and they were her strength. She didn’t know what she would do without them.
She was all alone now, and her kids were grown and gone. Sure, they called often, but the quiet just about drove her up the wall. She had to do something. One day, she came across the phone number for Parents without Partners and found out when the group met. She decided it was exactly what she would try.
Elaine shyly attended her first meeting. There were young people, middle-aged people, and older people in attendance. They were divorcés, widows, and widowers. It was a little awkward at first, and then she met Bill Horton, who was a recent widower. He was very nice and quite a gentlemen. Elaine liked him very much at once.
At the second meeting, she and Bill found each other, and Bill suggested, “Why don’t you and I go somewhere quieter and have a drink and get to know each other better? I enjoy talking with you very much.”
Elaine picked a familiar place to go; the people who worked there knew her because she and Jack had gone there so much.
The next thing she knew, they became a constant couple—dinners out, long walks, conversations. They talked about anything and everything. They became inseparable. If Elaine had a routine visit with her optometrist, Bill was with her. If Bill had a dental appointment, Elaine was there with him.
After only two months, Bill proposed. He wanted them both to sell out, head south to a less congested place, buy a new home of their own, and get married.
“Yes!” was Elaine’s response. She had grown to care for him very much in such a short time, but it seemed as though she had known him all her life. Elaine, who was only fifty years old, still looked beautiful, although she didn’t see it. All she saw when she looked in the mirror were lines and gray hair. Very fortunate for her, like her mother, she had a figure to die for and beautiful green eyes. Her hair was a sandy blonde so that the gray barely showed up at all, but she knew it was there.
Kim, Elaine’s oldest daughter, had dark hair like her father, a nice figure, and a very serious personality. Jeff, their son and the oldest of the three kids, was exactly like his dad in both looks and ways. Jeff’s marine corps training had done him a lot of good. Physically, he was built like a rock, and he was very hardworking and responsible. And then there was Nancy, the baby. She was the love of Elaine’s life. Nancy had always tried hard to measure up to her older brother and sister. She looked more like her mom and was more like Elaine in every aspect.
Elaine was so blessed to have three great kids, though she missed their father terribly. She wanted to get on with her life. She had promised Jack. The last thing she ever wanted to do was impose on her kids’ lives. Now she had Bill.

Kim was rushing to get ready for work when the telephone rang. “Hello?” she answered.
“Kim, it’s Jeff. I know you’re in a hurry. This won’t take a minute. I need for you and Nancy to come over tonight. It’s important. We have to have a family meeting. Can you let Nancy know? Around 7:30 p.m.? See you then. Bye.”
Kim hung up, wondering what that could be about.
Later that evening, Kim picked Nancy up and drove to Jeff’s apartment. They arrived right at 7:30 p.m.
“What’s going on?” Kim asked as they sat down.
Jeff looked really tense. “As you know, things haven’t been the same since Dad died six months ago. Now I believe Mom’s lost it,” he began.
“What are you talking about, Jeff?” Nancy asked. “I think, considering all the years Mom and Dad were married, she’s been doing pretty well. She’s become very independent.”
“Unfortunately, our mom is not acting independently,” Jeff said. “I drove over to visit her yesterday. There was a real estate agent at the house with an authorization-to-sell document signed by our mother to sell out! She plans on taking the money from the sale of the house and Dad’s life insurance money and skipping town with some man she met at a bar. That is not independent. That is irrational.”
Kim, the eldest daughter, spoke up. “I see what you mean, Jeff. I never dreamed Mom would do anything this drastic.”
“There’s more,” Jeff announced. “She has wedding plans.” Jeff could see the disbelief and shock on his sisters’ faces. “I would like to know more about the man, or should I say soon-to-be stepfather. Dad’s gone, and we have to look after Mom and her money. I firmly believe that man, whoever he is, is after her money and will stop at nothing to get it. This gigolo is taking advantage of Mom. She’s still hurting over Dad’s death. You two need to know this too. Maybe the three of us can talk some sense into her. For all we know, this guy could be a serial killer.”

Elaine had been packing for the past couple of days, and it made her realize she wasn’t as young as she had once been.
“All the more reason to do this,” she said aloud.
At about that time, the doorbell rang. It was Kim. She took a look around at what had once been home to all of them and felt an urge to cry. “Mom, what’s going on here? What are you doing?”
Elaine defiantly lifted her chin and announced to Kim that she and Bill were getting out of the noisy city life with its traffic and congestion to a place more laid back and a slower pace of living. “Bill loves me. We’re both in the same boat. I’m a widow, and he’s a widower. I need Bill, and he needs me. So we’re heading south and pooling our money to buy our dream home in the sun. You all will visit often.”
“How long have you known Bill, Mom?” Kim asked, knowing all too well the answer to that question. “We’re worried about you. For all we know, he could be a serial killer!”
“Don’t you kids worry. I know how to take care of myself. I’m nearly grown now, you know.”
They both laughed.
“Mom, just be careful. Watch him, and for goodness’ sake, at the first sign he isn’t trustworthy, please dump him and come back home. We love you, Mom. And we want you to be safe and happy,” Kim said. It was then that she realized she had done all she could. She gave her mom a big hug and gave her blessing. Suddenly a feeling of loss overwhelmed Kim.
Elaine sat down and looked around the empty house she had sold—the house that had once been home for her. All I’ve ever been is a wife and a mother , she thought. I’ve never taken care of myself financially. I don’t even know what to do with this house money, let alone all of Jack’s life insurance money, and that’s where Bill will come in . He’s so knowledgeable about the stock market and investments. I need him to step in and take charge so I’ll be able to leave my kids something one day.
The doorbell rang again, and Bill was there. Elaine was so glad to see him that she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. It was hard to believe that just a few minutes ago she had felt sort of sad